BEST DESTINATIONS IN KENYA FOR AN AFRICAN SAFARI EXPERIENCE
BEST DESTINATIONS IN KENYA FOR AN AFRICAN SAFARI EXPERIENCE
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| Photo Credits:@rensink89 |
Safari is a word that has become synonymous with a wildlife
tour globally. You can go anywhere in the world and say safari and
automatically people will think of a trip in the African jungle to view
wildlife. So we can say it has become a kind of African brand. Safari as a word
though comes from Swahili a native language of the east African countries,
which means journey.
With the emergence and evolution of tourism over the
years, people started traveling from far off countries to these parts to enjoy
the abundance of wildlife in the African wilderness. In turn the natives
started referring to the visitors’ game drives as taking a “safari” into the
wild until these tours were just referred to as safaris. Just like many African
countries Kenya has a diversity of wildlife attractions that serve as its
biggest tourism product.
It is blessed with many parks, reserves that protect and showcase these wildlife. However I have come up with a list of my favorite ones. Visiting these parks you can always count on a satisfying safari experience and even a possibility of spotting at least four out of the big five.
1.
NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK
Starting close to home Nairobi national
park is a premium park well known for being the only wildlife protected area
with such close proximity to a city. You don’t get to see wildlife this close
to human civilization anywhere else. This park has a variety of wildlife
especially the big five, with the option of a bus drive through the park one
can actually have close encounter with the likes of rhinoceros which are
highest in population here (# Fun fact 1: Nairobi national park is the national
sanctuary for rhinos),the lion, the leopard and the buffalo. The elephant can’t
be spotted here as the terrain is not native to elephants. They tend to enjoy
forested areas.
There is an option for a tour on foot where
one can get to enjoy what the park has to offer via the Nairobi safari walk; a
raised wooden boardwalk running through 27 acres of wilderness where
one can have uninterrupted views of the animals that are found within Kenyan
parks. It’s a great platform for those who want to see and learn about Kenyan
wildlife and habitats.
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| Zebras at Nairobi national park. |
2.
MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
Generally when people think game safari
they think of Maasai mara because of its popularity as home to the seventh
wonder of the world; the famous wildebeest migration. Until you experience the
mara you can’t really know how amazing and beaming with wildlife this place is.
Though it happened a while back, my trip to maasai mara was one of the best as
far as wildlife viewing goes probably because it’s one place I saw as many
wildlife species as I ever have.
There are plenty of accommodation options but we chose camping as it was the most budget friendly which turned out to be fun as well(i would recommend camping for a more authentic experience). Think camping circles around a bonfire with dark nights and clear skies, giggles of the spotted hyena in the distance, eating goat meat roast: It doesn’t get any more outdoorsy than this.
There are plenty of accommodation options but we chose camping as it was the most budget friendly which turned out to be fun as well(i would recommend camping for a more authentic experience). Think camping circles around a bonfire with dark nights and clear skies, giggles of the spotted hyena in the distance, eating goat meat roast: It doesn’t get any more outdoorsy than this.
Being a large wilderness area a day’s game
drive won’t be enough for a satisfying experience. Here you will definitely get
the chance to see all the big five as well as get a treat to the spectacular wildebeest
migration although timing is key as this event happens only twice annually.
3.
LAKE NAKURU
The flamingo paradise is not only a haven
for the flamingoes but also home to spectacular wildlife. Located on the floor
of the rift valley the volcanic lake can be spotted from a distance beautifully
decorated with a streak of pink and white. A close encounter with these birds
will take away your breath. The cute mix of baby pink and white, their general
clean appearance(maybe because of spending so much time in water),oooh and the
fluffy pink and white feathers that reminds of the feel of your skin against a
plush teddy bear or a baby’s blanket. These birds are truly a treat to anyone
visiting the park.
L.nakuru is a premium park home to all the
big five. A day’s game drive through the park will give you an encounter with
the black and white rhino which can easily be seen among the shrubbery, the
Lions can be seen sprawling the wilderness, the leopard which is always hard to
spot in any wilderness due to their nocturnal nature but with any luck you may
be able to see one resting among the trees. You can also hardly miss a herd of
buffaloes along the way; just remember not to spook them as they are cranky
animals. The more friendly animals like the zebras, bush bucks, impalas,
antelopes are also in plenty at the park.
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| During a trip to Nairobi national park with some of my students. |
AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
Second to maasai mara in abundance of
wildlife.
Another premium park, Amboseli translates
to ‘salty dust’ in maasai language probably due to the loose surface volcanic
soils that get dusty in the dry season from the volcanic eruptions that formed
the Mountain Kilimajaro. The park is renowned for its large population of
Elephants and it’s one of the best places in Africa to view large herds.
The park is home to the Leopard, Cheetah,
Wild dogs, Buffalo, African Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion, Crocodile, Hyrax,
Dik- dik etc. There is also a Pleistocene lake basin that forms the temporary
Amboseli Lake during the rainy season. These combined with the picturesque ice covered
mt.Kilimanjaro that forms a beautiful backdrop for photography make Amboseli
one of the very best places to take your safari. #Fun fact 2: Mt Kilimanjaro is
the highest mountain in Africa.
SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE
Samburu is a unique destination mostly
because of its location in the arid areas of Kenya. These are places that are a
little underdeveloped with a rough terrain where you can go miles without
encountering any form of civilization. Traveling to Samburu national park was
a long tedious trip but once I got there it was well worth it.
Firstly because of how different the place is from the lowland areas I am used to living. Upon arriving at Isiolo town you get to meet a very different lifestyle you can see the native men with their beards painted with red ochre as well as a lot of Arabic influences in architecture, culture and religion. The camels and donkeys are a common encounter (camels are rare in most lowland areas of Kenya) as they are a means of transport.
Firstly because of how different the place is from the lowland areas I am used to living. Upon arriving at Isiolo town you get to meet a very different lifestyle you can see the native men with their beards painted with red ochre as well as a lot of Arabic influences in architecture, culture and religion. The camels and donkeys are a common encounter (camels are rare in most lowland areas of Kenya) as they are a means of transport.
Inside the reserve we visited the accommodation facilities available, we went to buffalo springs and sarova shaba lodges which offer all the amenities for a luxurious stay. However what took my breath away was the stark contrast of the lush green of this place to the arid jungle within which it is located. Standing on the balcony especially early mornings and late evening you get to watch an endless blanket of arid vegetation with some wildlife such as giraffes, antelopes grazing, the gravy zebra so close to you. #fun fact 3: The reticulated giraffe is indigenous to northern Kenya and can be found in large numbers in Samburu national park .
It’s such a surreal experience as is calming and peaceful. The elephants are also in plenty here and a game drive will definitely give you a chance to see several. During our game drive we got too close to one and I guess that spooked it to chase us down the road (who knew an animal that big was able to run) until then I just assumed elephants did not run because of their size.
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| Two giraffes in an acacia bush |
So there you have it folks, next time you
want go on a safari in Kenya be sure to check out these parks.
What do you think? share your thoughts down in the comments👇.
To like, share or both hit the button below!!
Love Muchly,
Liz😍😍
To like, share or both hit the button below!!
Love Muchly,
Liz😍😍
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