The Top 10 Best Kenya National Parks

THE TOP 10 BEST KENYA NATIONAL PARKS

The top 10 best Kenya national parks include, Kenya is an east African country, with Nairobi its capital city and a coastline with Indian ocean, Kenya‘s beauty  is hidden in its rough and unsophisticated national parks which are a habitat to endangered species and known as wildlife of Africa. wildlife, lovers here are the top 10 national parks in Kenya where you will enjoy a thrilling vacation as you get close to the wild beasts and explore wildlife of Africa with your eyes

1 Lake Nakuru National Park

The 10 top best kenya nationl parks include Lake nakuru national park is most known for millions of flamingoes nesting along the shores of the lake, the park is located in the rift valley province in nakuru district, 140 km north west of Nairobi, it was established in 1961. The park gets its name from  ‘Nakuru’ which is a masai word meaning ‘dusty place’. lake nakuru covers third of the entire park bordered by alkaline swamps and marsh at the ages of the blue green waters with the  Cyanophyte Spirulina platens is  plant which is a major source of food for the millions of flamingos. The park is surrounded with lower  areas of land supporting a savannah grassland area. The elevated areas are dotted with acacia dry forests  and bush land with rocky hillsides and scrub on the steep slope ridges.

Among the wild species in the park include, large numbers of the greater and lesser flamingoes, hippos, impalas, wild cat, white and black rhino, buffallo,  lion, zebra,  gazelle, the rare long-eared leaf-nosed bat, colobus monkey, rock hyrax,  leopard,  waterbuck, gazelle, striped hyena, bat-eared fox, reedbuck , golden cat, warthog, baboons and over 450 species of terrestrial and water birds.

The best time to visit the park is during the dry season from june-march

Accommodation, Lake Nakuru lodge, Sarova Lion Hill Lodge which are luxury lodges, midrange accommodation include kivu resort and budget include sleep way cottages.

​How to access the park, it can be accessed by road transport in a safari vehicle via the tar road from Nairobi to the main gate which is 4 kilometers away from the Nakuru town center.

2 Ruma National Park

The 10 top best Kenya national parks include Ruma National Park which is located 425km west of Nairobi, 140km from Kisumu, and 42km from Homa Bay on Lake Victoria. Ruma national park covers an area of 120 kilometres squared of mosaic landscape, magnificent cliffs, golden grasslands, acacia, balanitis trees and riverine woodlands. lieing on a flat floor of the seasonally watered Lambwe River Valley, bordered by the Kanyamwa escarpment to the South-East, and  narrow corridor of land extending into Lake Victoria.  The soils are largely clay, a variety of tree density, canopy cover, and dominant grass species are among the attractions which can be seen during nature walks.

Among the wild animals in Ruma National Park include, bohor reedbucks, servals, roan antelope, leopard, spotted hyena, black rhinoceros, roths child’s giraffes, cape buffalos, hartebeests, olive baboons, topis, honey badgers, bushpigs and vervet monkeys.

The best time to visit Ruma national park is during the dry season from june to march

Accommodation in Ruma nationl park include, Garnet hotel and event centar is sweet able for luxuriant visitors, midrange; Victoria sand lodge, budget; o’s serenity.

How to access Ruma national park by road, it is a 7-8 hours drive, 425 kilometers from Nairobi and visitors are advised to hire a fully equipped 4×4 safari vehicle. by air, scheduled flights are organized from Nairobi to Homa Bay which is 42 kilometers to the park. I

 3 Meru National Park

The 10 top best Kenya national parks include Meru national park is located in central Kenya in  the eastern part of Meru, it is a green paradise with 15 rivers, a diverse scenery of woodlands, hilly landscapes, riverbanks, grey alluvial volcanic soil deposits, with excellent view of snow caped Mount Kenya, this park was established in 1968 and boardered by Tana river in the south, Rojeweru river in the east and Ura river in the south western parts of the park.

wildlife species in the park include, buffaloes, reedbuck, leopard, grevy’s zebra, African bush elephants, eland, bush pig, waterbuck, lions, cheetah, giraffe, hippos, hartebeest, eastern black rhinoceros, python, puff udder, cobra, more than 300 bird species.

Best time to visit the park is during the dry season from June to march

Accommodation in the park include, luxury accommodation; Ikweta Safari Camp, leopard rock lodge, mid range; Murere Springs Eco lodge, budget;

how to access meru national park, by road from nairobi to meru national park it is a 5-6 hours drive and 282.1 kilometers from nairobi city, by air charterd flights can be organised from Nairobi wilson airport to Sambura airport and this takes 55 minutes then drive to the park.

4 Hells Gate National Park

The 10 top best kenya national parks include, Hells gate national park  is famous for its massive cliffs and hot springs, this unusual name of the park was derived from the geothermal activities in the ares and was named Hell’s Gate by explorers  Fischer and Thompson back in 1883 after a narrow break in the cliffs that served as a tributary of a prehistoric lake  that was a source of nourishment for the early humans in the Rift Valley. the park was established in 1984 and is located 90km from Nairobi  in the South of Lake Naivasha which is towards the North-West of Nairobi, dominated by savana eco system covering an area of 68.25 kilometers. At specific places there are hot rocks and the odour of sulphur  that can be felt in the water. The national park is also home to three geothermal power stations at Olkaria unique to Africa that generates geothermal power underneath Hells Gate from the hot springs and geysers.

the park is a habitant to varius endagered animals like, lions, leopards, and cheetahs , Verreaux’s eagles, buffalo, zebra, eland, hartebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, and baboons and over  100 bird species  100 species of birds in the park, including vultures, augur buzzard, and swifts.

Best time to visit the park is during the dry season from June-March

Accommodation, luxury; Chui lodge, golf resort, midrange; lake naivasha country club, budget; Sunvasha hotel,  berline guest house.

How to reach hells gate national park is easily accessible via tarmac road which connects to Nairobi passing via Niavasha town and it is a 2-3hours drive. By Air Naivasha airstrip is an easy access to reach the park via flight.

5  Nairobi National Park

The 10 top best Kenya national parks include Nairobi national park is sometimes called ‘kifaru Ark’ which means ”rhinoceros sanctuary” with over 50 rhinos which moved into the park from remote areas where poaching was common, the park is a unique ecosystem being the only protected area in the world close to a capital city. The vegetation is mainly savannah, with open grass plains and scattered acacia bush. The western side has a highland dry forest and a permanent river with a riverine forest in the south.

This park has diverse range of endangered species of animals including, tiger, lion, buffalo and rhinos, of the Big Five, only the elephant is absent, leopard, cheetah, zebra, wildebeests, and eland are present.  However, all species are not always present and some are seasonal, along with this the park also shelter for over 400 species of birds.

Best time to visit the park is during the dry season from June-September

Accommodation in Nairobi national park luxury; Trademark hotel, midrange; Double tree by Hilton Nairobi Hurlingham, budget; the monarch hotel.

How to access the park, Nairobi national park can be accessed by road transport in a 4×4 safari vehicle or by scheduled flights from Nairobi to one of the airstrips in the park are organized, the nearest airports from the national park are Wilson airport and  Jomo Kenyatta International Airport which is 15kilometers southwest of Nairobi and a 10 minutes flight.

6 Longonot National Park

The 10 top best Kenya national parks include Longonot national park which got its name from a Maasai word  ‘Oloonong’ot’ meaning mountains of many spurs or steep ridges. The volcano is dormant and is ponded to have last erupted in the 1860s.  Longonot National Park comprises of savannah ecosystem with the dominating young volcano Mt Lononot that rises to 2,776 metres above sea level. The sides of the mountain are beautiful V-shaped valleys and ridges with little vegetation, but with dense forest occurring within the crater, on the crater floor is forest vegetation dotted with steam vents around the wall of the crater a hiking round tour takes about 5 hours.

The park caters for wild animals like, Buffalos, gazelles, impala, lion, leopard, bushbucks, common zebra, giraffe, grant gazelles, Thomson gazelles and many other antelopes.

The best time to visit Longonot national park is during the dry season from June to march

Accommodation in longonot national park include, the great rift valley lodge and golf resort which is a luxurious hotel, midrange; the nest boutique hotel, budget; hotel Bustan

How to access Longonot national park, by road from Nairobi it is 76kilometers to the park which is approximately 1hr and 52 minute drive via A1o4- Kamandura-Mai mahui- Narok road

7 Ambasoli National Park

The 10 top best kenya national parks include Amboseli National Park is 260km from Nairobi, in Loitoktok district  bordering with Tanzania in the South West, the park was established into a national park in 1974. It is one of the best national parks in Kenya resting on the footsteps of mountain Kilimanjaro.  the topography of Amboseli comprises of plains, woodlands and rocky thorn bush as well as swamp and marshes. Amboseli has an endless underground water supply filtered through thousands of feet of volcanic rock from Kilimanjaro’s ice cap, that make their way into the heart of the park as two clear water springs and swamps However, the vegetation is sparse due to prolonged dry seasons. Along with this the reserve is blessed with mesmerizing views which can be witnessed in the dusk and dawn.

Leopard, Cheetah, Wild dogs, Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion, Crocodile, Mongoose, Hyrax, Dik- dik, Lesser Kudu, Porcupine and over 400 bird species.

Best time to visit: July-September (January and February)
Accommodation  Ol Tukai Lodge, Amboseli Serena Lodge, Kimana Lodge, Tortilis Camp
How to access the park, The national park is easily accessible from road. The route from Nairobi to Namanga is quite rough whereas from Namanga to Meshanani gate leads to experience potholes in the journey. And the flight also connects from Nairobi to Amboseli.

8 Mount Kenya National Park

The 10 top best Kenya national parks include Mount Kenya National Park which covers 277 square miles and the second tallest mountain in Africa with a height of 5,199 meter surrounded with pristine view of the lakes, tarns, glaciers, mineral springs and sightings of unique montane plantation including much of the lower skirts of the mountain. and most famous for good ice routes which is the diamond couloir n the ice widow route.

The park and its environs contain a variety of large animals, including elephant, buffalo, black rhinoceros, and leopard, giant forest hog, white-taild mangoose, black-fronted duicker, hyrax, common duicker, mount kenya mouse shrew among others

The best time to visit Mount kenya national park id during the dry season from December-March.

Accommodation, Bessotted farmstay offers luxury accommodation Midrange; Serena mountain lodge, budget; Kinondoni campsite,

How to access the park, Nairobi national park is located at a distance of 175 Kilometers from Nairobi, by road through  Nanyuki-Isiolo road via Sirimon Track or Nyeri-Nanyuki road near Naro Moru to Nairobi national park.

9 Masai mara national park

The 10 top best Kenya national parks include, Masai mara national park is  the country’s most visited wildlife protected area extending to Tanzania’s renowned Serengeti National Park, Masai Mara consists of only 4% of the entire Serengeti ecosystem but it grasslands, meandering rivers and towering escarpments offer one of the world’s most pleasing and suggestive African safari wildlife arenas. Masai mara national park comprises of  open rolling grassland, riverine forest, acacia woodland, swamps, non-deciduous thickets the park hosts over 95 species of mammals, more than 550 recorded species (5 globally threatened).

Among the wildlife found in the Masai mara national park include, lions, African bush elephant, cheetah, African leopard, giraffe, hippo, zebra, bush baby, African hare, antelope among others an the birds include African grey hornbill, African fish eagle, African spoonbill, African open bill among other species

Masai mara national park can be visited all year round but its best to visit during the dry season for the best experience when the widbeests are migrating

Accommodation in masai mara natonal park include Mahali Mzuri which is a 12-tented luxury safari camp best for luxuriant visitors, midrange; drunken elephant mara, rhino camp ,budget; tayari luxury tented camp69

How to  main roads and major tracks are usually navigable with 2WD during the dry seasons, but 4WD is recommended during the rainy seasons.

10 Tsavo West National Park

The 10 top best Kenya national parks include Tsavo West  national park is more popular for  its magnificent scenery, rich and varied wildlife and a good road system, situated in the coast province, on the South Eastern part of Kenya, covering an area of about 9,065 kilometers squared, the park is more arid than its Eastern counterpart, with arid bush and rock outcrops, such as the Mudanda Rock outcrop, the spectacular Yatta plateau, where its lava flows into this park.  The Athi River, that begins from Nairobi, flows through the park. There are only two permanent rivers in this vast area, the Tsavo, which begins its life on Mount Kilimanjaro and is greatly supplemented by a huge underground river flowing from Mzima Springs and the Athi in Tsavo East, which begins near Nairobi. Mzima springs are replenished by underground streams that flow from the nearby Chyulu Hills and are a great wildlife attraction. Mzima is also the main source of Mombasa’s water supply.

The Park is home to most of the larger mammals, the red skinned elephants, rhino, buffalo, zebra, lion, leopard, hippo, cheetah, crocodile, waterbucks, giraffe, lesser kudu, gerenuk and hirola. There are over 600 bird species in the park.

Best time to visit is during the dry season from June to march

Accommodation in the park, Man eaters camp with luxury accommodation, midrange; severin safari camp, budget include; lavender garden hotel voyager ziwani Safari Camp.

How to access the park, the park can be accessed by road transport which is a 8-9 hour drive. By air, scheduled flights are organized from jomo Kenyatta international airport or Moi international airport then head to Tsavo west national park.