Part 2: The Wildlife
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In my previous Kenya post I looked at two of the country's largest cities, Nairobi and Mombasa. These are worth a visit for sure, but the number one reason that I love Kenya so much is, undoubtedly, the incredible richness of wildlife. Here you can find nearly 400 different mammal species and well over 1,000 types of birds.
I've managed to see more than 200 different species among these in my time in Kenya, and have had some truly unforgettable encounters. Next, I will review my seven favourite Kenyan safari areas. There's much to be said on this topic, so it's best to break this up into two posts. Here are my top three, for starters.
The Maasai Mara
The Maasai Mara Game Reserve is an extension of the Serengeti, found in the far southwest of the country. As Kenya's most popular attraction, it has a legendary reputation as the site of the Great Wildebeest Migration, a cyclical movement of wildebeest herds. Watching a herd cross the crocodile-infested Mara River is one of the most humbling wildlife spectacles the Earth has to offer.
Its rolling golden savannahs are unmistakeable, and make a breathtaking theatre for the animals that roam there. With a good guide, you shouldn't have trouble finding lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, rhinos, wildebeest, zebra, gazelles, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, buffalo, myriad birds and much, much, much more.
The richness of wildlife in this park is sometimes a curse as well as a blessing. It attracts so many visitors that you may sometimes see dozens, if not hundreds, of vehicles wheeling around one leopard or cheetah. If you stop your car out in the open, expect other hopeful parties to head straight for you, even if you're not looking at an animal.
Overall, however, the Maasai Mara is a true wonder of this world, and unmissable on a Kenyan trip. I recommend Sarova Mara and Ashnil Mara lodges for accomodation.
Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru is one of the largest lakes in Kenya, and the land around it is clothed in cool, foggy forests of yellow acacia trees. It first rose to fame for its abundance of lesser and greater flamingos, which thrived on the lake's plankton. However, climate change-induced water level rise drove most of them to nearby Lake Bogoria.
That being said, there are still many left, and the park has scores more to offer than just flamingos. You'll find vast herds of buffalo, zebra and impala, troops of baboons and colobus monkeys, giraffes, hippos and an astonishing variety of rare, fascinating birds, both aquatic and forest-dwelling. The wooded, hilly environment itself is enchanting.
For these reasons, Nakuru is another one of my all-time favourite places in Kenya. I strongly recommend Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge for accomodation, as it's perched on a ridge above the lake and hosts many kindly staff.
Samburu
Samburu National Reserve is one of Kenya's most arid wildlife areas, and also one of its most scenic. The red dust and elegant date palms create an almost otherworldly environment, with wildlife to match. As well as being home to the better-known "Big Five game", Samburu has its own "Special Five"; unusual animal species which are seldom seen elsewhere in the country.
These five are the Grevy's zebra (a more solitary, aggressive zebra species), the Somali ostrich (which has bluish-grey skin, not pink), the gerenuk (an antelope which can stand on two legs), the Beisa oryx (a desert-specialist antelope), and the reticulated giraffe (a giraffe subspecies unique to the Horn of Africa). In addition to these, you'll find abundant other animals of all kinds.
The only downsides I can see to this reserve are the heat, the dust, and the (small) risk associated with the region, due to an ongoing tribal conflict between the Samburu and Pokot peoples. I've never heard of any violence in Samburu during my time there, but most lodges have a curfew after which they close the gates. I advise you stay at Ashnil Samburu.
In the next post, I'll review another four wildlife areas - Ol Pejeta, Amboseli, Tsavo West and Lake Naivasha.
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