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| National Parks of Kenya | Masai Mara
Altitude 5,000ft. Area 1,510 sq km. Distance from Nairobi 275 km. Various airstrips are available. It was opened November 1974.
Masai Mara is the most famous and most often visited reserve in Kenya, which offers incredible views and amazing density of animals including the "Big Five" and many varieties of plain game. An impressive event is the migration of the wildebeest, zebra and gazelle from the plains of the Serengeti that cross the Tanzania border and rivers to the Mara lush grass areas from late June, and which are hunted by the predators lion, hyena and scrutinized by vultures as the journey begins.
Their critical river crossings are the main event for tourists in July-August. Game viewing is excellent year round not depending on the seasonal migration. Game includes elephant, black rhino, buffalo, the big cats and virtually every animal which can be found in Kenya. The hippo and crocodiles inhabit the rivers. 452 bird species can be found here including 53 raptors, buzzards, vultures and eagles.
Lake Nakuru National Park
Altitude 5,770ft. Area 188 SQ km. Distance from Nairobi 157 km. Naishi Airstrip. It was opened in 1968.
The world famous Lake Nakuru became a National Park to protect its breathtaking flight of lesser Flamingo. The place of pilgrimage for many leading ornithologists and scientists.
The Park offers an attractive range of wooded and bush grassland around the lake and wide ecological diversity from lake water, woodland to the rocky slopes and ridges. The most notable game within the lake is Hippo.
On the shore you may encounter waterbuck, bohors reedbuck and zebra and the woodland home to black and white rhinos, buffalo, leopard, lion, giraffes, black and white Columbus monkeys, eland, warthog, impala, and many more.
Amboseli National Park
Altitude 3,900-4,500ft. Area 392 sq km. Distance from Nairobi 265km. It was opened April 1948. Amboseli is a place of contrast, and in Masai it means "Salty Dust".
Although Amboseli has sometimes dry and dusty appearance, there is an endless water supply filtered through thousands feet of volcanic rock from Kilimanjaro. These underground streams converge into two clear water springs in the heart of the Park. The endemic dust is volcanic ash which spewed from Kilimanjaro.
During the dry seasons a curious thing about this place is the glimmering dry lake bed where delusion of populated horizons accentuated by real herds of zebra and wildebeest flocks in front of visitors. And of course the greatest attraction is the vast herds of elephant within the Park. Here in Kenya elephants have some of the largest tusks.
Plentiful game includes zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, leopard, caracal and serval cat. Birdwatchers can observe pelican, bee-eater, kingfisher, African fish eagle, martial eagle and pygmy falcon.
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