December holiday is here and many families will probably be going out to visit various game reserves in our beautiful country. Its obvious that you would like your family to have moments of their lives during this adventure. Here are the 5 best national park in Kenya to take them;
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Maasai Mara National Reserve is an area of preserved savannah wilderness in southwestern Kenya established in 1961, along the Tanzanian border. Its animals include lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras and hippos. Wildebeest traverse its plains during their annual migration. The landscape has grassy plains and rolling hills, and is crossed by the Mara and Talek rivers. The area nearby is dotted with villages (enkangs) of Maasai people.The area is 1,510 km² and its located in Kenya, Rift Valley Province. Its nearset town is Narok. It hosts over 95 species of mammals and over 570 recorded species of birds
Amboseli National Park
Formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is in Kajiado county,Kenya. The park is 39,206 hectares (392 km2; 151 sq mi) in size at the core of an 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 sq mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The local people are mainly Maasai but people from other parts of the country have settled there attracted by the successful tourist-driven economy and intensive agriculture along the system of seamps that makes this low-rainfall area (average 350 mm (14 in)) one of the best wildlife-viewing experiences in the world with 400 species of birds including water birds, pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hammerkops and 47 types of raptor.
The park protects two of the five main swamps, and includes a dried-up Pleistocen lake and semi-arid vegetation. The park is 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast from the capital city Nairobi. Amboseli National Park is the second most popular national park in Kenya after Massai mara . Amboseli National Park is home to many species, including East African lions.
Tsavo East National Park
This National Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya at 13,747 square kilometers. Situated in a semi-arid area previously known as the Taru Desert it opened in April 1948, and is located near the town of in Voi he Taita Taveta County of the former Coast Province The park is divided into east and west sections by the a road and a railway. In addition,it has Tsavo River which flows west to east through the national park. It borders the Chyulu hills National Park and the Mkomazi Game reserve in Tanzania. Tsavo East National Park is one of the world’s largest game reserves, providing undeveloped wilderness homes to vast numbers of animals. Famous are the Tsavo lions a population of lions, whose adult males often lack manes entirely. In total there are about 675 lions in the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem
Nairobi National Park
This park was established in 1946, the national park was Kenya’s first. It is located approximately 7 kilometers (4 mi) south of the centre of Nairobi Kenya’s capital city with an electric fence separating the park’s wildlife from the metropolis. Nairobi’s skyscrapers can be seen from the park. The proximity of urban and natural environments has caused conflicts between the animals and local people and threatens animals’ migration routes.
Still, despite its proximity to civilization and relative small size for an African national park Nairobi National Park boasts a large and varied wildlife population. Migrating herbivores gather in the park during the drier season and it is one of Kenya’s most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries
The park covers an area of 117.21 square kilometers (28,963 acres) and is small in comparison to most of Africa’s national parks. The park’s altitude ranges between 1,533 and 1,760 meters (5,030 and 5,774 ft). It has a dry climate the. The park has a diverse range of habitats and species such as lions among other African animals. There is also a host of Kenyan birds, both large and small.
Kisumu Impala Sanctuary
Located within Kisumu city, Kisumu Impala Sanctuary lies on the shores of Lake Victoria covering less than 1km2. The facility was gazetted in 1992. In March 2010, the sanctuary was branded as ‘a lakeshore walk with impalas’. There are a diverse number of flora(of trees, grass & herbs) and fauna both free ranging and captive. Over 115 species of birds have been recorded. Presently, the sanctuary boasts of all the big five game except for the elephant. A number of nature trail circuits are also available for clients.
Annually, the sanctuary conducts the Kisumu Impala Conservation Boat Race event in November. It helps to help create awareness of wildlife, especially the endangered sitatunga antelope. Apart from nature viewing and boat riding, the sanctuary is a key site for ecology and wildlife research and education. The animal sanctuary houses Masai lions, African leopards, cape buffalos, hyenas and many more. The sanctuary also provides an important open grazing for hippopotamus population and refuge for the threatened sitatunga antelope in the nearby swamps.