African Guide - L'Africa di Leonardo Mancini

The Masai Mara National Reserve is administered by the local county council. It is probably the most famous and most visited reserve in Kenya. It offers breathtaking views (seen in the film 'Out of Africa', much of which was filmed here)an extraordinary density of animals including the "Big Five" and many varieties of plains game.

An impressive feature is the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle from the plains of the Serengeti that cross the Tanzanian border and rivers to reach the Mara's lush grassland from late June, hunted by the predators: lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and circled by vultures as the journey unfolds. Their dramatic river crossings are a reality for tourists visiting in July — August.

Apart from the seasonal migration, gameviewing is excellent year round. Game includes: elephant, Black Rhino, buffalo, plains zebra, roan antelope in small numbers, white-bearded gnu, Oribi, warthog, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, hartebeest and the big cats; the rivers are home to hippo and crocodiles.
Maasai Mara has the largest population of lion.

Birdlife is as profuse as wildlife.This include red winged schalow's turaco, white-tipped crest, ross turaco, orange buff pel's fishing owl, wary guinea fowl. The open plains birds include Jackson's bustard, black-bellied hartlaubs bustard. 53 species of birds of prey have been recorded. Secretary birds are common.

Accommodation ranges from stone lodges to luxury tented camps. They are Keekorok lodge 265km(165m) from Nairobi, Mara Serena lodge on the west of the park, East African Wildlife safari camp and the Governors camp. The northern area owned by the Maasai, offers great gameviewing, game walks and night game driving. Safari operators set up private camps for groups of clients seeking exclusive, traditional safaris outside the Reserve. Within the Reserve there are four Tented Camps (total 320 beds) and three lodges (total 454 beds).

Tsavo West National Park
National Park - 9,065 sq km - Managed by Kenya Wildlife Services

"Full of wild beasts, such as rhinoceros, buffaloes and elephants" from a missionary's diary written in 1849.

Later in 1900 the notorious "Man Eaters of Tsavo" man-eating lions preyed on the railway linesman building the great Uganda Railway in 1900. The carriage from which they pulled a traveller is on display in Nairobi Railway Museum. Tsavo-West has important historic connections as a major battleground in World War I where British and Germany troops battled for supremacy

The park is easy to reach, located off the main Nairobi-Mombasa road. It offers tremendous views with diverse habitats ranging from mountains, river forest, plains, lakes and wooded grassland. Its plains border with Tanzania. Game includes: leopard, cheetah, buffalo, black rhino, elephant, giraffe, lesser kudu, waterbuck, eland, gerenuk, impala, zebra, lion, plains game, crocodile and small mammals including mongoose, hyrax, dik dik and the nocturnal porcupine.

Birdlife is legion and the visitor is constantly meeting with new species. One of the most conspicuous is the white-headed buffalo weaver, brownish-black and white with a vivid red rump when it flies. Starlings are numerous including the rare but duller Fischer's starling, hornbills are also prevalent. Birds of prey include, bustards, sunbirds and weaver-birds are well represented. Hole nesting birds include parrots, barbets and rollers.

It is an excellent park for visitors who enjoy walking, offering a number of nature trails and the opportunity to explore the Chaimu volcanic crater and guides are available.

Mzima Springs is a star attraction, a pool of natural spring water with underwater viewing hides for observing hippos.

Tsavo East National Park
National Park - 11,747 sq km - Managed by Kenya Wildlife Services

Tsavo-East is one of Kenya's oldest and largest National Parks: covering approx. 40 per cent of the total area of all Kenya's National Parks. Its beautiful landscape and proximity to the coast make it a popular safari destination. It is accredited as one of the world's leading biodiversity strongholds, bushy grassland and open plains alternate with semi-arid acacia scrub and woodlands. Green swathes cross the park where the river banks give raise to lush vegetation. North of Galana is a true wilderness. A number of leading tour guides offer private safaris across this area, camel safaris are a feature.

Tsavo-East is recommended for photographers with its fabulous light and unbelievable views, in particular the Mudanda Rock and the Yatta Plateau, the world's largest lava flow. Lugard Fall on the Galana River are remarkable for the shaped water-worn rocks.

Game includes: elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, crocodile, waterbuck, kudu, gerenuk and zebra and Hunter's Hartebeest can be seen with its lyre-shaped horns. Home to some of the largest herds in Kenya, the elephants glow red after dust baths, blowing the vivid red dust through their trunks over their bodies.

Some 500 bird species have been recorded in the area, including ostrich and some migratory kestrels, while buzzards stop at Tsavo-East during their long flight south.

Amboseli National Park
National Park - 392 sq km - Managed by Kenya Wildlife Services

Amboseli is famous for its big game - elephants, lions and cheetahs are the main attractions - and for its great scenery beauty.Amboseli embodies five main wildlife habitats, plus a generally dry lake-bed - Lake Amboseli. These are open plains; extensive stands of yellow-barked acacia woodland; rocky, lava strewn thorn-bush country; swamps and marshes; and at the western end of the reserve, above Namanga, the massif of Ol Doinyo Orok rising to over 2,760m (8.300ft) and still for the most part zoologically unexplored.

The landscape is dominated by the glistening majestic snow cap of mount Kilimanjaro immediately to the south.

The park can be reached by two main routes. The first is to Athi river and thence along the main Kajiado - Namanga - Arusha road, turning through the main gate at Namanga to Ol Tukai lodge 75km (47m) on.Distance from Nairobi is 240km (150miles).
The second route is from Nairobi along the Mombasa road past Emali. Branching right and following the main Loitoktok road. Distance from Nairobi is 228km (142miles).

One of the most popular national parks in Kenya, Amboseli offers a wide range of accommodation: with four luxurious lodges inside the park; Amboseli new lodge, Ol Tukai lodge, Serena lodge, Kilimanjaro lodge (total 602 beds) and a further two campsites. There are a number of small tented lodges just outside the park boundaries (total 72 beds).

Main game viewing lies in the eastern half of the park, in the vicinity of Ol Tukai lodge and lakes Engoni Naibor and Loginya. Leading here is a network of roads and tracks. Game includes elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, maasai giraffe and buffalo. Also common game such as zebra, eland, coke's hartebeest, white-bearded Gnu, waterbuck, Thomsons and Grant gazelle and impala. Black rhinos are seen though occasionally as they are rare due to poaching in the mid-1970s.
In the dry bush country towards Namanga you can find two interesting antelopes; the long -necked gerenuk (giraff-necked antelope) and the fringe-eared oryx. In addition are smaller animals such as;black faced vervet monkey and yellow baboon, black-backed jackals, spotted hyena and bat-eared foxes which are often seen basking in the sun outside their dens.

Bird life is in abundance especially near the lakes and swamps where you may find water birds. The Madagascar Squacco Heron shows up in intervals and the long toed lapwing is a resident in small numbers. Yellow-throated, chestnut-bellied and black-faced, water in hundreds during the dry season.
Birds of prey include the six species of vultures, the Taita falcon and the Southern branded Harrier eagle.
Birds common around the lodges and camps are the yellow weaver bird, Taveta golden weaver and Superb starling..