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KENYAN SAFARIS
Kenya is a beautiful country known for it flora and fauna, which
make it an interesting destination for your holiday. We
think each and every discerning visitor would want
to take a holiday in Africa for a memorable experience.
However, Laswift would like to share with our
guests a little more than only that.
We have a wide variety of safari
excursions lined up for you, from Kenya road safari to even
Kenya air safari. We even arrange cycling safari in Kenya's
exotic forests, and mountain climbing for those who want an
adventure of a lifetime. Kenya has a good reputation for its
national parks, marine parks, game, and forest reserves. Going
on Kenya safari can be an experience of a lifetime. Below is a
list of the best Kenya safari destinations you would not want to
miss.
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Maasai Mara National Reserve
Located in East Africa, and
covers an area approximately 1500 km . Maasai Mara is known as
the “Jewel of Africa”, a site with of the largest and the most
spectacular animal migration in the world. It is situated in the
Maasai land. With a concentration of game superseding most
national parks in Africa - Kenya, the Maasai Mara offers an 'Out
of Africa' experience. Maasai Mara is famous for wild beast
migration. Watching millions of these animals move together in
mass is truly a humbling experience for human visitors. Other
animals are commonly spotted in the park including the big cats:
lions, cheetahs, and leopards. Lions are often found in large
prides and it's not uncommon to see them hunting. Elephant,
buffalo, zebra, and hippo roam in large herds while the topi,
impala, and Coke's hartebeest are also abundant.
Amboseli National Park - Wildlife
Almost as popular as the Maasai Mara, and also on the Tanzanian
border, but further west, is the Amboseli National Park. From
Amboseli, there are superlative views of snow topped Mount
Kilimanjaro. The marshlands and rich grasses of the central area
have large concentrations of game. Amboseli is a place of stark
contrast. Meaning a "place of water" in Maasai, it is
the second most
popular park because of the stunning view it displays of nearby Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's tallest freestanding mountain (actually in Tanzania.)
Here, it is relatively easy to spot game, even the rare black
rhino, as the area is dry and dusty with little vegetation.
Nearby is the border town of Namanga, overlooked by Oi-Doinyo
Orok (Black Mountain) sacred to the Maasai tribe. This a good
place to stop off and buy your Maasai Handicrafts from the
stalls along the road.
Samburu National Reserve
Samburu National Reserve
lies north of Nairobi, adjoining Buffalo Springs and Shaba
National Reserve. The lifeline of these three sanctuaries, the
palm fringed Uaso Nyiro River, attracts vast and varied herds of
game, abundant bird life and crocodile infested waters. Samburu
National Reserve has an endless pageant of wildlife with
frequent nocturnal visits from the leopard family right from
your lodge’s main gate.
Samburu National Reserve has excellent game spots for reticulate
giraffe, the unusual Beisa Oryx with its lovely long straight
horns, gleaming black and white coat impala, blue legged Somali
ostrich, waterbuck, Grant's gazelles, dik dik, duiker, olive
baboons, gerenuks, lions, spotted and striped hyenas.
Tsavo National Park – Wildlife- This park is divided into two
The Tsavo East and West. Tsavo East National Park is famed for
its elephant herds. The lordly Maasai giraffe is also numbered
among the park’s impressive array of wildlife. With a visit to
Mudanda Rock, a flat-topped inselberg of Promethean proportions,
some 13 km south of Manyani gate. It has a water hole, which
draws thousands of wildlife from miles. The famous Aruba Dam
also provides a strong draw for wildlife. At Tsavo East, one has
an excellent chance of seeing gazelles, impalas, buffalos,
greater kudus, Defassa waterbuck, lions, and associated
predators.
Tsavo West National Park
Tsavo West National Park is an international wildlife and
environmental treasure chest. It contains a variety of habitat,
geological soil types, animals, birds, and plants. Tsavo West
(7000 km) is divided by the Nairobi - Mombasa road and railway.
The park is near Amboseli National Park. Tsavo West National
Park is hilly, rocky, greener, and more vegetated than Tsavo
East National Park but each has its own diversity..In this Parks
is where you will get the Famous Man Eaters of Tsavo.
Aberdare National Park - Wildlife
This park lies to north for 60 km through the Central Highlands
area , nearly 800 km2 of which have been set aside as the
Aberdare’s National Park. The volcanic heights are part of the
Great Rift Valley's eastern rampart, and their lower slopes
support a fine diversity of wildlife, including elephants and a
number of rare animals such as the shy and lovely bongo
antelope. Among the best game viewing spots at Aberdare
National Park is at The Ark and Treetops, an imaginatively
designed hotel set beside a well-patronized water hole. The best
time for viewing wildlife at Aberdares National Park is during
the first light but an even better way to spend a night is at
the famous The Ark or Treetops Hotel. The. The only full service
hotel accommodations at Aberdare National Park are The Ark and
Treetops. After nightfall, there is usually more activity at the
saltlicks, and floodlights are turned on. At the roadside you
will find many places where elephants have dug into the soil
with their tusks in search of salt. Buffalos, baboons, and
impalas are the easiest to find. Lion sighting is now becoming
more frequent year after year. Leopards, including the rare
black panther could be found near the Wanderis Gate. Four
species of sunbird and over two hundred other species inhabit
Aberdare National Park. Whether you can identify each bird or
not, their songs, color and activity are different and unique.
LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK
The lake is world famous as the location of the greatest bird
spectacle on earth - myriads of fuschia pink flamingos whose
numbers are legion, often more than a million maybe two. They
feed on the abundant algae, which thrives in the warm waters.
Lake Nakuru National park is the sanctuary for the black rhino.
There are also a number of Rothschild's giraffe, Waterbuck are
very common and both the Kenya species are found here. Among the
predators are lion and leopard, the latter being seen much more
frequently in recent times. The park also has large sized python
snakes that inhabit the dense woodlands, and can often be seen
crossing the roads or dangling from trees.
Mount Kenya - Mountain Climbing
This is the second largest
mountain in Africa and straddles the Equator The Batian peak
towers 5199m above sea level. The glaciers have scoured deep
valleys that radiate from the summit slope. Mount Kenya itself
is part of both, a national park and a highly protected
'biosphere reserve' These forest belts are host to many
different animals and plants with at least 10 unique species.
Game viewing includes black and white Colobus and Sykes monkeys,
elephants, lower down Olive Baboons, bushbucks, buffalos,
waterbucks, black fronted duikers, black rhinos, leopards, giant
forest hogs, genet cats, bush pigs, and the sly hyenas. More
elusive is the bongo, a rare type of forest antelope. Next to Mt
Kenya is the Sweetwaters Game Reserve and Chimpanzee Sanctuary
is the closest reserve to Kenya's Capital Nairobi to boast all
of the "Big 5" game - Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and
Buffalo.
Some of the best activities:
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Morani's Boma: Morani, a
black rhino, was rescued as a baby after he was found wandering
near his mother who had been killed by poachers in Amboseli
National Park. After having been taken to three or four other
locations where unfortunately his safety was put at risk by both
the presence of poachers and attacks by other rhinos, Morani
came to Sweetwaters Game Reserve where he lives in his own
100-acre enclosure, protected 24-hours by armed guards
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Horse Riding: Horse riding through the wilderness is an
unimaginable experience. A knowledgeable rider/guide takes you
through the ranch, allowing you views across the plains to Mount
Kenya, and the very fact that you are riding through the African
bush, not knowing if you will encounter one of the "Big 5"
around the next bend makes the ride one never to be forgotten.
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At Morani's Boma
(which means "warrior" in Maasai) you will
find Carol, a tame warthog. Carol was brought to the sanctuary
when she was found abandoned by her mother on the ranch, and she
lives in a smaller enclosure near Morani. She often ambles
around the compound, and loves to greet visitors personally
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Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary:
A 200-acre Chimpanzee
sanctuary has been set up at Sweetwaters Game Reserve, a
15-minute drive from Sweetwaters Tented Camp. A visit to this
sanctuary and the 30-minute boat ride (subject to fine weather)
on the river among the chimps is a must. The aim of the project,
initiated by Lonrho East Africa, Kenya Wildlife Services and the
Jane Goodall Institute, was to set up a colony where chimps
could be introduced, rehabilitated and taught to fend for
themselves in an area similar to their natural living
conditions. Priority is given to orphaned and abused chimps. The
sanctuary currently has 24 chimps, including two babies born in
the sanctuary. An information center near the chimps' enclosure
gives you amazing insight into the chimpanzees. After walking
through the vast information and chimp paraphernalia, you leave
the center with the feeling that you must do something to stop
this tragic "chimp trade"
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Maasai manyatas-
Clients can visit some of Kenya's tribes in
their own environment. The Maasai, Pokot, Turkana, Samburu men
and women invite you into their homes and sell their traditional
wares, show off their ritual dances and introduce you to their
lifestyle. This is a must when visiting the sanctuary, as it
gives visitors an insight into how different Kenyan tribes live.
LAKE BARINGO NATIONAL PARK
Lake Baringo has an average depth of only 8 meters (25 ft), and
its three islands (Ol Kokwa, Teddy Bear, and Gibraltar) are
breeding grounds for the statuesque, and one and a half meter (5
ft) Goliath heron, the largest of the heron species. The
surrounding countryside is arid, red soiled, and sparsely
vegetated. The shores are a mixture of sand marsh, which provide
some cover and shade for the resident hippos. This is good as a
break for the long safari on the Rift Valley.
LAKE NAIVASHA NATIONAL PARK
Lake Naivasha is one of Kenya most beautiful small Rift Valley
Lakes. It is surrounded by feathery papyrus, marshy lagoons and
grassy shores where distorted flocks of graceful flamingoes and
pink backed pelican settle on the water. From Lake Naivasha, one can take a boat to the Crescent Island,
a private game sanctuary where you can walk around the island
and view at close range, zebra, waterbuck, giraffe and several
species of antelope. Hippos are seen and heard during boat ride.
Bird life around the lake is also abundant.
Nairobi National Park
Nairobi, as a capital city, is unique in having a wildlife park
on its doorstep. In this Nationa Park it is possible to
photograph a rhino, browsing peace fully among the whistling
thorn with high-rise office buildings in the backdrop. Some of
the wildlife is migratory and when vegetation and water are
present outside the park, they move out into Maasailand through
the unfenced southern boundary. There is also a resident
population of plains game and predators so a visit at any time
of the year is a rewarding experience. Well laid out, with
exceptionally well-maintained roads, the park is a model for all
others, geophysically and administratively. Of the most popular
species only the elephant is an absentee. But the rest of the
Big Five: leopard, lion, buffalo and rhino - as well as a
multitude of other creatures are all well represented.
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