Meru National Park
Meru National Park is wild and beautiful. Straddling the equator and bisected by 13 rivers and numerous mountain-fed streams, it is an especially beautiful area of Kenya. It has diverse scenery from woodlands at 3,000ft. on the slopes of Nyambeni Mountain Range, northeast of Mount Kenya, to wide open plains with wandering riverbanks dotted with doum palms.
Game to view includes: lion, elephant, cheetah, leopard and some of the rare antelope, Lesser Kudu and duiker also the more common Dik Dik, one of Africa's smallest antelope. Large prides of lion can be seen and some of Kenya's largest herds of buffalo. The rivers abound with hippo and crocodile. Fishing for barbus and catfish is permitted at camp sites and along the Tana River. In the mid 1980s, the park suffered from poaching. However KWS armed wildlife security patrols have driven out poachers and the elephant population has stabilised with breeding herds settling down.
More than 300 species of birds have been recorded, including Peter's Finfoot which inhabits the Murera and Ura rivers; Pel's Fishing owl, kingfishers, rollers, bee-eaters, starlings and weavers.
The park is most famous as the setting for Joy Adamson's book Born Free - the story of the Adamsons' life and research amongst lion and cheetah. "Elsa" the lioness was the most well-known and her grave is marked here. There is one lodge (132 beds) and two tented camps are planned. There are 18 special campsites which must be prebooked, one public campsite, KWS self-help bandas, and Leopard Rock bandas (total 120 beds).
National Parks & Reserves in Northern Kenya
|
