The national parks and game reserves of Northern Kenya tend to be large, wild and visited by far fewer visitors than those of Southern Kenya. There are three main parks, Samburu National Park, Shaba National Reserve and Meru National Park.
Samburu National Park is located on the beautiful Ewaso Ng’iro River and known for its large elephant populations. There are a couple of larger lodges, however they stick to rigid game viewing hours and if you explore out of these times you have the park to yourself. The muddy waters of the river are home to numerous hippos and crocodiles and birds flit about the riverine forest. Away from the river, plains are home to Kenya’s rarer northern species including the gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra as well as big game including buffalo, lion, leopard and more.
Shaba National Reserve lies to the east of Samburu and remains a relatively wild and unexplored area. Most easily accessible on a fly-in safari there are just two camps in opposite ends of the park, the one to stay in being Joy’s Camp, on the site of George & Joy Adamson’s original camp. Like Samburu, Shaba is home to lots of Kenya’s rarer northern species as well as big game. However, as the game is still unaccustomed to vehicles this is not a park for people to come and tick off big numbers, rather it is for those looking to enjoy wild game in a wilderness area.
Finally Meru is well off the mainstream tourist circuit. With only two tiny camps and a couple of research stations this is a park to explore in open 4WD’s and on foot. Scenery in Meru is dramatic with towering kopjes covered in acacia woodland, grassy plains and small rivers and streams flanked by dense riverine vegetation. For many years the game was sparse and skittish in Meru, however in recent years numbers have increased strongly and game is more relaxed around vehicles. Elephant, black rhino, reticulated giraffe, Grevy's and common zebra, Grant's gazelle, lesser kudu and gerenuk are all present as well as black-maned lions, leopard and cheetah.
In this region
The Meru National Park covers an area of 1,813sq km to the north east of Kenya. It is bordered by the Kora, Rahole and Bisanadi Reserves. Well off the mainstream tourist...
Read more
The Samburu Reserve stretches stark and rugged towards the Chalbi desert. The country here is empty and wild, a place of baked brown earth and parched vegetation. The...
Read more
The Shaba National Reserve lies to the east of the Samburu National Park and covers an area of 130km2 north of the Ewaso Ng'iro River. Together with the Samburu and...
Read more