Meru National Park Kenya | Paradise for Bird Watchers
One of the most picturesque wilderness regions in Kenya, Meru National Park is perfect for a safari because of its thick trees, raging rivers, and winding streams.
The 870 km² national park is home to three separate micro-ecosystems that are vital to the survival of a wide variety of plant and animal species.
A large, barren plain studded with small groupings of diminishing trees makes up the wilderness section in the park’s northern part.
To the east of the bush is an impenetrable maze of densely packed shrubs and tall trees. The majority of the thirteen rivers that flow through the park meet in this otherworldly, damp forest, where they merge, twist, and split apart throughout their journeys.
Savannah grass, which is rather short, covers much of the remaining parkland. Looking down on this idyllic setting from across the park, the majestic Mount Kenya looms tall.
Meru National Park
Hidden away on the northern frontier of Kenya, Meru National Park is still a well-kept secret. Located on the equator and spanning 1,810 sq km, the park is unique in its combination of wide grasslands, thick shrubbery, and verdant riverine forests. Meru showcases a thriving ecology that is untamed, untouched, and invigoratingly away from the main road, thanks to its thirteen permanent rivers and innumerable mountain streams that empty into the formidable Tana River.
The island of Meru is a haven for nature lovers and adventurers. In addition to reticulated giraffe, hartebeest, and hippos, the savannah is home to herds of buffalo, elephants, and plains and Grevy’s zebras. Although lions, cheetahs, and leopards are abundant, sightings of these animals are frequently thrillingly unexpected due to the thick vegetation and tall grasses. One of the few opportunities for safari goers in Kenya to witness such diversity is at this park, where black and white rhinos have been reintroduced after years of conservation efforts.
With almost 400 species recorded, birdwatchers will also be pleased. Meru is a birder’s dream, with a wide variety of unusual and exotic birds to witness, like the nocturnal Pel’s Fishing Owl, the uncommon Palm-nut Vulture, and the elusive Peter’s Finfoot while basking in shady riverbanks.
A rich conservation history also exists on Meru. Following the Kenya Wildlife Service’s resolute protection efforts, the park has made a remarkable recovery from the devastation caused by poaching in the 1980s. Its continued existence now is evidence of perseverance and rebirth. In Born Free, by Joy and George Adamson, the lioness Elsa is reared and then released into the wild, thus cementing her position in world history. Those who wish to pay their respects to the site of Joy Adamson’s burial at Adamson’s Falls on the Tana River can do so even now.
An unspoiled safari experience awaits you in Meru National Park, a remote and authentic destination teeming with wildlife.
Things to do in Meru National Park
1. Game viewing
The Big Five—lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo—are among the many diverse creatures that call this area home.
The park is famous for its free-roaming zebras and gazelles, which feed on the parched, grassy patches.
There is a plethora of species in the waterways surrounding the park as well. Deep within the ocean, crocodiles hide, ready to attack anyone foolish enough to venture too close to the coast.
Sunbathing hippos are a common sight along the park’s many rivers and lakes.
2. Black and white rhino sanctuary
Rhinos, both white and black, call this sanctuary home.
Many conservation efforts in Kenya are devoted to the protection of rhinos, who are in dire need of protection due to decades of poaching.
Poachers cannot access the 80km² sanctuary because of the ring barrier that surrounds it. The result is that the number of rhinos has gone up.
3. Tana River
Meru National Park is bisected by thirteen rivers, the most of which flow from the enormous Tana River. This river is the longest in Kenya, stretching for more than a thousand kilometres.
The river begins in the Nyambeni Hills and flows down the gently undulating foothills before branching off into smaller rivers near the park’s terminus.
Meru National Park would not exist without its extensive network of rivers.
4. Elsa the Lioness
If you seen the 1966 film Born Free, you’ve probably seen Elsa, the lioness.
Elsa and her brother Kristoff were taken in by George and Joy Adamson as orphans following her mother’s untimely death; the film “Frozen” immortalised their story in 1966.
Elsa the lioness’s grave is not far from where the Adamsons had camped.