Major Attractions in Kenya (National Reserves and Parks)

Maasai Mara National Reserve: The Maasai Mara National Reserve is Kenya’s wildlife haven as it takes you on a journey of incredible wildlife sightings amidst the vast open savanna land giving one the perfect African safari experience. The Maasai Mara obtains its name from the Maasai tribe of Kenya who are famous pastoralists and are highly dependent on livestock keeping which is an integral part of their life. Maasai Mara National Reserve also known as The Mara is home to a great population of animals that are best seen while on game drives in the game reserve.
The Maasai Mara is famously known for the annual Great Migration which is the longest overland migration in the world. This annual migration involves millions of wildebeest and zebras as they migrate in search of fresh water and food as the seasons change throughout the year. The annual Great Migration sees over a million wildebeest migrate from the Serengeti National park in Tanzania as they cross north in to the Maasai Mara, they are usually joined by Grant’s gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle and elands along the way. The animals pass through the Mara River and Grumeti River that are filled with about 3000 crocodiles waiting to lunge on them but even this does not stop the animal’s quest for lush green grass and fresh water. The Great Migration is one of the most fascinating wildlife encounters in Africa.

The Maasai Mara is home to the African Big Five (Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Rhino and Elephant), these animals are famous and the most sought after species while on safari in Maasai Mara. The Black Rhino is the only rare sighting and is more elusive however the big cats other Big Five animals are mostly seen in The Mara and exist in large numbers. Lions are seen while on full day game drives and chances of coming across prides of lions in the reserve are very high, lions are seen resting under thickets on a hot day, relaxing atop rocky outcrops or on a lucky day they can be seen feasting on a hunt.

African lion couple and safari jeep in the Masai Mara in Kenya.

Other animals in the Maasai Mara include Thomson’s gazelle, Giraffes, Impalas, Zebras, Wildebeest, Common Eland, Buffaloes, Topis, Elephants, Cheetah, Bat-eared fox, Spotted Hyenas, Black-backed jackal, Coke’s Hartebeest, Grant’s gazelles, Kirk’s dik-diks, Hippos, Water Buck, Aardwolf, Red tailed monkey, Olive baboons, Side-striped jackal, Slender mongoose, Vervet monkeys, Warthogs, Klip springer, Oribi, Honey badger, Dwarf mongoose and African Hare. Nocturnal animals of Maasai Mara include Bush babies, Aardvark and Straw colored fruit bat.

Lake Nakuru National Park: Lake Nakuru national park is one of Kenya’s wildlife haven harboring the famous Lake Nakuru which is internationally recognized and ranked as one of the world’s most colorful lakes. Lake Nakuru is known for the flamingos that like to forage at the lake and visitors from across the world flock Lake Nakuru national park for an opportunity to watch these spectacular birds hanging at the lake, a picturesque and magical wildlife experience. Lake Nakuru national park is home to a various mammal species and primate species. Wildlife viewing is best done while on a game drive in the park. Wildlife to look out for in the park include Plains Zebras, Eastern Black Rhinos, Vervet monkeys, Olive Baboons, Impalas, Water bucks, Spotted Hyenas, White Rhinos, Buffaloes, Hippos that like to hangout and forage on the shores of Lake Nakuru, Thomson’s Gazelle, Rothschild’s Giraffes, and black-and-white colobus monkey. The national park is home to tree-climbing lions and if you are lucky enough you might come across them while on a game drive, sightings of the lions are occasional.

The park is also a popular bird watching site in Kenya and across the world hence offering wonderful birding opportunities. The most sought after birds in Lake Nakuru National Park are the Lesser Flamingo and Greater Flamingos that like to hang around the alkaline Lake Nakuru. Other birds in the park include Augur Buzzard, African Jacana, Hamerkop, Hadada Ibis, African Hoopoe, Pin-tailed Whydah, Egyptian Geese, Malagasy Pond-Heron, Lesser Kestrel, Grey-crested Helmetshrike, Great Egret, Long-tailed widow bird, African Fish eagle, Goliath Heron, Pied Kingfisher, Verreaux’s Eagle, Great White Pelican, Greater blue-eared Starling, Hottentot Teal etc.

Amboseli National Park: Amboseli national park covers an area of 392 square kilometres, is rich in bio diversity and offers stunning views of the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro the highest mountain in Africa. The views are stunning especially while on a game drive in Amboseli national park as one is treated to amazing views of the pink flamingos in the blue water with a perfect backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, a picturesque moment while on the water point trail in Amboseli national park. The national park formerly known as the Maasai Amboseli Game reserve was gazetted and achieved national park status in 1974.

Amboseli national park hosts about 80 species of mammals but is famously known for its large population of free ranging elephants that are usually seen strolling and feeding in the park. Amboseli national park is home to other wildlife species that include Cape buffaloes, Water bucks, Lions, Hippopotamus, Olive baboons, Spotted Hyenas, Maasai Giraffe, Warthogs, Grant’s Zebras, Wildebeest, Impalas, Cheetah, Mongoose, Lesser Kudu, Dik-dik, Hyrax, Thomson’s gazelle and Nile crocodiles. The national park hosts three of the Big Five that includes elephant, buffalo and lion. Leopard is a very rare sighting at Amboseli national park and black rhinos are no longer available in the park. Wildlife is best seen while on a game drive that takes you through different park trails as well as to the Ol Okenya swamp that usually has an abundance of animals foraging in the swamp. The game drive also takes you to what is known as the “observation point” which is a rocky outcrop that offers great wildlife viewing from the top.

Samburu National Reserve: Samburu National Reserve which covers an area of 165 square kilometres is situated on the banks of Ewaso Ng’iro River in Kenya and located in Samburu County, on the other side of you find the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The Greater Laikipia-Samburu region has the largest population of elephants and Samburu National Reserve alone is home to about 900 elephants and the large herds of elephants are one of the main attractions in the reserve. Samburu National Reserve is rich in bio diversity as it has an abundance of animals and is also home to a variety of species of birds (380 species have been recorded) as well as plant life.

Photo by Magical Kenya on X

Samburu National Reserve is a wildlife haven with the most sought after animals being the Samburu Special Five that include the Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s Zebra, Somali Ostrich, Gerenuk and the Reticulated Giraffe. These animals are usually only spotted in Samburu and are resident to Northern Kenya and will rarely be spotted in other parts of Kenya or other conservation areas in Kenya. Other wildlife in Samburu National Reserve include Impalas, Water bucks, Elephants, Grant’s Gazelle, Lions, African Leopard (Samburu is one of the best places in Kenya to spot the leopard), Olive baboons, Cape buffaloes, Kirk’s dik-dik, Wathogs, Cheetah, Klipspringer, Wild dogs, Common Eland, Aardvark, Striped Hyenas, Jackals, Hippos, and the recently re-introduced Black Rhinoceros. Nile Crocodiles are also present in Samburu National Reserve in the Ewaso Ng’iro River. Samburu National Reserve is known to offer excellent game viewing as it boasts of 75 species of mammals and a good population of predators.

Aberdare National Park: Aberdare National Park is rich in bio diversity and an important water source for Kenya as four of the country’s seven largest rivers originate from the park. The Aberdares are a water catchment for the Tana River System, Lake Naivasha and the northern Ewaso Nyiro River. The rich bio diversity makes it a perfect destination for wildlife sightings, birding and other safari activities in the park. The national park is located 100 km north of Nairobi which is Kenya’s capital city and is situated east of the East African Rift Valley.

Aberdare National Park is home to the Big Five which include Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino. The park is known for its large population of Black Rhinos and is the second best place to see black rhinos in Kenya. Other wildlife species to look out for while in Aberdare National Park include Bush bucks, East African Wild dog, Waterbucks, Mountain reedbuck, Giant Forest hog, Side-striped Jackal, Duikers, Olive baboons, Black-and-white colobus monkeys, Eland, Sykes Monkey, Suni, Serval, African golden cat (a rare sighting), Bongo, Warthogs and Large-spotted genet. Wildlife encounters in Aberdare national park are best experienced while on a game drive in the park.