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Meru National Park is an area of untamed wilderness forgotten by time and is one of Kenya’s least known and visited reserves. As it benefits from Mount Kenya’s generous rainfall, it has abundant jungle, tall grass and swamps and it is not as easy to spot game here as in other parks. This is where George and Joy Adamson released several hand-reared animals, including the son of the famous lioness Elsa - immortalised in the book and film Born Free - and their cheetah Pippa. Meru National Park is in complete contrast to the arid Samburu and Shaba Parks, as it lies in the watershed of Mount Kenya, its many permanent water-courses creating a luxuriant tangle of forests, swamps, reeds and bush land. Meru has not been the first choice for safari visitors, due to the high incidence of poaching in previous years. However, the opening of the exclusive architecturally-inspired “Elsa’s Kopje” lodge, sitting atop an isolated hill overlooking the plains, is one step towards a new beginning for this park.
Shaba National Reserve is a ’hidden gem’ of a reserve in the north of Kenya. It lies in an area of harsh, dry terrain that is part of the same ecosystem as Samburu and Buffalo Springs. Shaba, however, is virtually cut off to all but those with access to a 4 wheel drive vehicle or an aircraft, so it is free from traffic. Shaba boasts excellent game and wonderful birdlife, drawn by small permanent springs in the south. There are regular sightings of elephant and lion in Shaba and you have a good chance of seeing Kenya’s “northern five”; oryx, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Grevy’s zebra and lesser kudu.
Samburu National Reserve is located on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro river which means the plentiful water, trees and shade attract a wide range of wildlife including elephant, lion, leopard, giraffe and zebra from the surrounding savannah plains. Samburu is not widely known and is consequently not too crowded - a huge plus in Kenya where so many reserves are often overflowing with tourists. It is often grouped together with the Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserves as they lie so close together.
