MERU NATIONAL PARK

Meru National Park is one of Kenya’s destination parks covering 870sqkm and was established as a national park in 1966. Meru National Park is located in the eastern part of Kenya in Meru. Meru National Park is a home for various wildlife like animals for example greater and lesser kuddu, hartebeests, grevy’s zebras, eland, hippos, giraffes, leopards, lions, buffalos, reptiles like cobras, pythons, puff adders, birds, plants among others, beautiful landscape making it a must visit when in Kenya. It’s also the former home of George and Joy Adamson, has the grave of Elsa the lioness, of which these are also a great attraction of Meru National Park. It  is  covered with wooded and thorn bushes, khaki grasslands and dense riverine forests on the lower slopes of Mt. Kenya, and it also holds Adamson’s falls, 13 rivers including Tana, Rojweru among others, and Mulika swamp.

ACCESS TO MERU NATIONAL PARK

Meru National Park is about 350 km southeast of Nairobi and its either accessed by road or air transport.  By Road, various routes can be used to reach the park, and it takes around 3-4 hours. The first access is through Ura gate from Nairobi via Embu and the other is through Murere gate from Nairobi via Maua.
By Air, a flight can be scheduled from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or Wilson Airport in Nairobi to Kina and Elsa´s Kopje Airstrip.

BIO DIVERSITY IN MERU NATIONAL PARK

The Meru National Park´s vegetation gives life to different wildlife species with a total of over 45 mammals, 420 birds, reptiles like Python, Puff udder and Cobra making it relatively biodiverse. Some of these unique species of Meru, include, lion, hippo, waterbuck, bush pig, white rhinoceros, wild dog, hartebeest, grevy’s zebra, leopard, cheetah, elephant, greater and lesser kuddu, buffalo, reticulated giraffe, hyena and eland. It also inhabits unique and various birds like Somali ostrich, Ibises, African fish eagle, Herons, Pel´s fishing owl and African finfoot of which these live at the river banks, Boran cisticola, Palm-nut Vulture, Guinea fowl, Taita fiscal, Eastern chanting goshawk, Golden-breasted starling, Hinde´s babbler among others.

CLIMATE

Meru National Park is hot and dry with an average temperature of 28 Degrees Celsius. It has a dry season (June-October) and a wet season (November-May) though the rains are heavy in April.

ACTIVITIES TO DO ON MERU NATIONAL PARK SAFARI IN KENYA

BIRDING

Birding is also another activity done in Meru National Park, the park has over 400 bird species, making it a great destination for a birder. The park has various species that are eye-catching and interesting to watch like Somali ostrich, Boran cisticola, Palm-nut Vulture, Guinea fowl, African finfoot, African fish eagle, Heron, Bat hawk, Golden palm weaver, Buff-crested bustard, Somali bee-eater, Yellow-necked spurfowl, Taita fiscal, Eastern chanting goshawk, Golden-breasted starling, Hinde´s babbler among others. This can be done with experienced rangers available at the parks headquarter. Bird watching is good all-round the year but the best time is from November to April since migratory birds arrive from Europe and north Africa.

NATURE WALKS

Meru National Park offers the opportunity to explorer the wild on foot, this is offered by the different hikes made within the grasslands, along the river banks of River Tana among others, and also through the riverine forest on the foots of Mount Kenya as you get great views of this mountain and different wildlife. During the walking various wildlife like animals for example black and white rhinos, giraffes, burchell zebras, lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, buffalos, butterflies, insects, plants and birds like, flamingos, pelicans, etc. are quietly and closely observed. Apart from wildlife, the walks give you the clear sight and feel of the beautiful sceneries and landform of this park. These walks are led by a guide.

GAME DRIVES

Meru National Park is good for game driving due to a variety of wild life, during the drives, different animals and birds are spotted mostly animals like rhinos, buffalos, giraffes, zebras, cheetahs among others.  The game drives are done at any time, a ranger should lead the drive for directions and so as to cover every detail.

Other activities and attractions include; Picnics, camping, taking pictures, visiting the former home of Joy and George Adamson and to the grave of Elsa their lioness, viewing of Mt Kenya, Tana river, Adamson’s falls

ACCOMMODATION

There are so many accommodation facilities located within and outside the Meru National Park ranging from the budget facilities to the midrange facilities to the most luxury facilities.