Plan your safari in kenya around these game reserves

The Top Game Reserves for a Safari in Kenya

masa mara lion

Masai Mara is the top rated destination for a safari in Kenya

It is the best place to see lions, cheetahs, and a great variety of wildlife, It is also the most popular game reserve in Kenya.

Located in southwest Kenya, Masai Mara is the The northern tip of the Serengeti Plains.

The shorter grasses of the plains help visibility and make it the best place for a safari in Kenya.

It is a prime location to see the migration of the wildebeest, zebras, gazelle. Generally July-September (depending on the weather ) are the best months to go if you want to see wildebeest and parts of the Great Migration.
The wildebeest follow the rains, which brings water and life to the grassy plains.

Samburu National Park

It is the Ewaso Ngiro river which runs through Samburu National Park and gives it life.

samburu safari river

Samburu National Park is located in the heartland of the Samburu people. The park is fairly remote and adjoins Buffalo Springs National Reserve. Samburu is north of the River and Buffalo Springs is south of the river.

Located north of Nairobi and the equator, the area is a lot drier and hotter than parks to the south.

The only thing that saves this park from being completely arid is the river.

This river will provide you with lots of wildlife sightings because the animals are drawn to it to drink and the park is relatively small which concentrates the animals and makes them easy to find.

Aberdares National Park

Looking for a hiding place?..... Try the Aberdare Mountains.
Located in the Aberdare mountain range, Aberdare National Park has thick woodland forests, waterfalls and ice cold streams filled with trout.

Scottish explorer Joseph Thomson named the Mountains after Lord Aberdare who was then (1883) President of the Royal Geographic Society. The native people called it Nyandarua (Kikuyu for "place to hide").

When you go dress in layers and take your long underwear. It gets chilly in the mountains.
click here for more because Aberdares also has a place in history...

Aberdares National Park

Aberdare Reedbuck

Amboseli National Park

Situated close to Mt. Kilimanjaro this national park rewards you with memorable views of elephant, giraffe, hippo and antelope with the majestic snow topped mountain as a backdrop.

safari in kenya, amboseli

There is a lake:Lake Amboseli, however it is usually dry and it is salty.
It is streams from the mountain that feed swamp areas which support a rich variety of wildlife and birds such as pelicans, bee-eaters, eagles and kingfishers.

It doesn't have the regularity and consistency for predator sightings that a Kenya safari in the Mara provides but lion, leopard and cheetah are seen as well as old bull elephants with some of the biggest ivory tusks in Africa.

Rhino used to be found in this area but unfortunately they are no longer in the area due to poaching activity. More about Amboseli

Tsavo East and West National Parks

elephants ,safari in kenya

This is the largest national park in Kenya. It is also one of the oldest. and is divided into Tsavo West which is the most developed part and East where some of the land is accessible but the rest is off limits to the public due to poaching.

If you are looking to get away from the masses of tourists, and do your wildlife viewing in relative isolation and peace, then a safari in Kenya at Tsavo is a good place to go.
Find out if you will see Pink Elephants at Tsavo by clicking here

View Larger Map

My thanks to Bruce Whittaker for help in ranking these parks and for content in writing this page. In the page on African safaris I mention the importance of keeping a journal. Bruce founded a site that features on-line journals of safari trips in Africa.

Learn as much as possible before going on a safari in Kenya.
To read some of the on-line journals on safaris in Kenya go here http://www.african-safari-journals.com/kenya-safari.html

Go from safari in kenya to Exploring Kenya