Game Reserves | Splendor Holidays

1. Aberdare National Park:

The Aberdare National Park, with an area of 767 Km2 covers the higher areas of the Aberdare Mountain Ranges of Central Kenya, from altitude of 1829M to 4001M above sea level. The topography is quite diverse with deep ravines that cut through the forested eastern and western slopes. Animals easily observed in the park include; the Black Rhino, leopard, baboon, black and white Colobus monkey and sykes monkey. Rarer sightings include those of lions, the golden cat and the bongo- an elusive forest antelope that lives in the bamboo forest. Animals like the eland and spotted and melanistic serval cats can be found higher up in the moorlands. Visitors can also indulge in picnics, trout fishing in the rivers and camping in the moorlands. Bird viewing is rewarding, with over 250 species of birds in the park, including the Jackson's Francolin, sparry hawk, goshawks, eagles, sunbirds and plovers.

Activity Options :

Game viewing
Camping
Trekking
Bird watching
Photography
Horse riding

Where To Stay:

Fishing Lodge
Tusk Camp Banda
The Ark Hotel
Treetops Hotel

2. Maasai Mara National Reserve:

Masai Mara is situated in south-west Kenya and is one of Africa’s Greatest Wildlife Reserve. Together with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania it forms Africa’s most diverse, incredible and most spectacular eco-systems and possibly the world’s top safari big game viewing eco-system. It hosts over 95 species of mammals and 570 recorded species of birds. It’s about 270 km from the capital Nairobi City and takes about 5-6 hours by road or 40-45 minutes by flight. The road is great for the most part, there is a section from Narok town to Sekenani Gate that is dirt road all weather but fairly good. The best time to visit And see the wildebeest migration is between July and October. Although it is not guaranteed that the wildebeest get to Maasai Mara, it has yet to let us down. Also, December to February is a great time as it is dryer and good for the Big Cats. NOTE: The Maasai Mara is an all year round destination with the big cats, and all the big game still in the Maasai Mara Ecosystem.

Activity Options :

Game viewing
Bird watching
Photography
Night game drives
Sundowner
Nature walk
Visits to Masai Village
Balloon ride

Where To Stay:

3. Samburu National Reserve:

Samburu National Reserve is situated within the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Measuring approximately 104sq. kilometres (approx. 65sq. miles) in size, this unfenced savannah grassland is roughly 350km (217 miles) from Nairobi. It is relatively small in size compared to other Kenyan parks, such as Tsavo or Masai Mara. Samburu national reserve derives its name from the Samburu people of Kenya who have lived in the area for many years. The Uaso Nyiro River cuts through this reserve, drawing a big population of Kenya animals to the park. The river bustles with activity from its huge population of Nile crocodile. The reserve's topography is mainly open savannah (grassland) with clusters of acacia trees, forest, thorn trees and grassland vegetation. Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness.
Their story was made famous by the bestselling book and award-winning movie "Born Free”. The game reserve is renowned for its rare species of animals unique to the park, namely: the long necked gerenuk, Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe and Beisa onyx. The elusive Kenya leopard is often known to visit the park, especially in the evenings. Other Kenyan wildlife present in the park includes cheetahs and lions, as well as elephants, buffalo and hippos. Birdlife is as plentiful as wildlife at Samburu National Reserve, which boasts over 350 different species of birds including vultures, kingfishers, marabous, bateleurs, guinea fowl, Somali ostriches and others.

Activity Options :

Game viewing
Bird watching
Photography
Night game drives
Sundowner
Nature walk
Visits to Samburu Village

Where To Stay:

4. Shaba National Reserve:

Shaba National Reserve is a protected area in northern Kenya to the east of the Samburu and Buffalo Springs national reserves. Together, the three reserves form a large protected area.The Shaba reserve has dramatic scenery including river-side forests, scattered woodlands and dry grasslands dominated by the Shaba Hill volcano. The plentiful wildlife relies on waterholes and marshes scattered throughout the reserve. Shaba is home to the endangered Grevy's zebra and the rare Williams's lark. Shaba was the setting for the book and film Born Free, for the film Out of Africa and for the reality show Survivor: Africa. Although Shaba is greener than Samburu, game species such as giraffes and zebras are less common. There are many klipspringer and hyrax in the hills. Aardvarks, warthogs and bat- eared foxes make their homes in domed termite mounds in the shrub land. Common eland, Impala, Grant's gazelle (Bright's sub-species) and gerenuk graze the shrubs, and zebras, Beisa oryx, greater kudu and lesser kudu graze in the grasslands. Shaba is well known for its large prides of lions, which rest under thickets of toothbrush trees during the day.
At night, predators include the golden jackal, black-backed jackal, striped hyena and spotted hyena. The reserve is home to rare species that include the reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich and the endangered Grevy's zebra. Other fauna includes leopards and elephants. Bird life is plentiful in Shaba, and similar to that of the Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves. The near-threatened and poorly known Williams's lark is found in the reserve in regions of rocky lava semi-desert with low Barleria shrubs. It has not been observed in any other protected area. The reserve lies on the migration route from the Palearctic for the globally threatened lesser kestrel, a few of whom pass through each year. Shaba is also home to regionally threatened birds that include the sporadically visiting African darter and great egret and the resident white-headed vulture, martial eagle and yellow-billed oxpecker, the last of which is fairly common.

Activity Options :

Game viewing
Bird watching
Photography
Night game drives
Sundowner
Nature walk
Visits to Samburu Village

Where To Stay:

Sarova Shaba Lodge
Camping site

5. Mount Kenya National Park:

Mt. Kenya National Park is located to the east of the Great Rift Valley, about 175km North- East of Nairobi. The ecosystem lies in Central and Eastern provinces of Kenya. At 5,199m the mountain is the second highest peak in Africa. Mt. Kenya is an important water tower in the country. It provides water for about 50% of the country’s population and produces 70% of Kenya’s hydroelectric power.
UNESCO inscribed Mount Kenya as a World Heritage Site. It’s described as one of the most impressive landscapes in Eastern Africa with its rugged glacier-clad summits, Afro-alpine moorlands and diverse forests that illustrate outstanding ecological processes. The park can be reached on Nanyuki-Isiolo road via Sirimon Track or Nyeri-Nanyuki road near Naro Moru. The park is also reachable via Chogoria on the Embu - Meru road, about 150km north of Nairobi. Airstrips: The closest commercial airstrip to the park is at Nanyuki.

Park Gates :

Narumoru Gate
Sirimon Gate
Chogoria Gate
Mawingu Gate
Kamweti Gate
Kihari Gate

Major Attractions:

Activity Options :

Game viewing
Camping
Mountain Climbing
Cave Exploration

Where To Stay:

1. KWS Self – Catering Accommodation:
Batian Guesthouse
Sirimon Bandas
2.Camping Facilities
Kinondoni, Road Head, Mintos Hut & Campsite, Naromoru Gate, Met Station, Mackinders Campsite, Mackinders, Austrian Hut, Sirimon, Judmaier, Shipton, Liki North Hut 7, Solo and Major public campsites.

Wildlife & Birds:

Include Elephants, tree hyrax, white tailed mongoose, suni, black fronted duiker, mole rat, bushbucks, water buck and Elands. Animas rarely seen include leopard, bongo, giant forest hog and rhino. Over 130 bird species have been recorded.

6. Arabuko Sokoke Forest:

It forms the centerpiece of a world-renowned habitat for rare and endangered mammals and birds. Indeed, the concentration of rare species accounts for its status as the second most important site for conservation of threatened bird species on the African mainland. Arabuko-Sokoke Forest is the largest single block of indigenous coastal forest remaining in East Africa. The forest was originally declared as Crown Forest in 1932 and was gazetted as a forest reserve in 1943. An additional 2,675 ha at Kararacha in the South East was added in 1968. Within the forest area about 4,300 ha was designated as a strict Nature Reserve in 1977. It is situated in Kilifi County at a latitude of 3° 20’ S and longitude 39° 50’ E. The Eastern part of the forest lies on a flat coastal plain at an altitude of about 45 M above sea level. This rises to a plateau of about 60–200 M in the Central and Western parts of the forest. The total forest area is approximately 41,600 ha. This was extended in 1979 by 1,635 ha.

Park Gates :

Turtlebay Beach Hotel
Oceansports Hotel
Aquarius Hotel
Hemmingways Beach Hotel