Kenya Luxury Lodge Safari

The world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve is the best game-viewing reserve in Kenya. It has been voted two years consecutively as the best game reserve in Africa by the world travel awards. This reserve offers you the best chance to view the big five. 

The “Big Five” (lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and rhinos) may be spotted here, and more than a million wildebeests and zebras migrate annually to Masai Mara from the parched Serengeti plains of neighboring Tanzania (The Great Migration). Large numbers of ungulates are also easily visible; they include the wildebeest , thomson gazelles, grant gazelles, buffalo’s, rhinos, impalas, topis, elands, zebras, giraffes and duikers.

They camp at the river bank for weeks just waiting for one of them to have the courage to jump into the river and cross over and they all follow suit. The river is infested with crocodiles where many wildebeest perish and also big cats place themselves strategically so that they can pounce on young and weak wildebeest and make a kill. 

The common predators include the lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, jackals and foxes. Masai mara has over 450 identified species. Some common birds include the common ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, hornbills, storks, eagles and vultures.

The masai mara game reserve is owned and run by the county government of Narok which is the richest county council in Kenya due to the revenue collected as park entrance fee. Part of the masai mara which is called the mara triangle is contracted out and privately run. Park fees are paid by the number of nights one spends in the mara conservancy.

Lake Nakuru is one of the alkaline lakes of the Great Rift Valley. The lake is also known as “Pink Lake” or Africa Bird’s Paradise. It  is ideally located in central Kenya within Lake Nakuru National park. The park occupies an area of 188 km2 while the lake occupies an area of 62 km2. 

The lake is famous for the millions of flamingos that flock the lake although flamingos are unpredictable birds and are not always to be found in such vast numbers. From  the baboon cliff the lake looks pink in color due to the flamingos. The topography at Lake Nakuru consists of grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, acacia woodlands and a forest made up of euphorbia trees. 

There are two species of flamingos namely lesser flamingo and greater flamingos, they feed on algae, which flourishes due to the warm alkaline waters of the lake. Apart from flamingos other bird species include ducks, pelicans, cormorants, plovers, vultures, eagles, and buzzards. 

Lake Nakuru has over 50 mammal species which include hippos, reed bucks, water bucks, rothschild giraffes, baboons, black and white colobus monkey, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, lions, gazelles and impalas among others.

Amboseli National Park is located south of Nairobi; 140 kilometers which is a four hours drive from Nairobi. The park occupies an area of 392 km2. The ecosystem is made up of a seasonal lake called lake Amboseli where the park derives its name from, swamps, open plains, acacia woodland, rocky out crops, thorny bushes and marshes.

The landscape is dominated by the backdrop of the majestic snow-caps of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. The snow capes are visible when the clouds are clear mainly in the early mornings and late evenings. The scenery gives you the opportunity to capture wonderful memories on camera for friends and loved ones back at home.

Amboseli national park is considered Kenya second best wildlife gem after Masai Mara game reserve by many tourists and is the only national park in Kenya that has the highest population of elephants. The ecosystem of Amboseli, though small compared to other parks, sustains a large number of bird species and game.

The locals are mostly the Masai but other Kenyan tribes have moved to Amboseli in search of greener pastures. Beside game viewing and the ecstatic views of Mount Kilimanjaro one can visit a local Masai village to learn their way of life and to interact with the locals.

Tsavo West National Park covers an area of 9065 Km2 and is located South Eastern Kenya, 240 km from Nairobi or 250km from Mombasa to Mtito Andei Gate. The park has magnificent scenery, Mzima Springs, rich and varied wildlife, good road system, rhino reserve, rock climbing at Kichwa Tembo Cliffs and guided walks along the Tsavo River.

Tsavo West National Park has a variety of wildlife, such as black rhino, cape buffalo, elephant, leopard and masai lion. There are also other smaller animals that can be spotted in the park, such as the bushbaby, hippo, hartebeast, lesser kudu and masai giraffe.

Mzima springs is a natural reservoir under the chyulu hills to the north. The Chyulu range is composed of volcanic lava rock and ash, which is too porous to allow rivers to flow. Instead, rain water percolates through the rock, and may spend 25 years underground before emerging 50 kilometres away at Mzima Springs.

The spring produces 450 million liters of water in a day that serves the Tsavo eco system and some of the water serves the coastal region through a pipe. At the spring you will find schools of hippos, crocodiles, fish and water birds like cormorants. During the night hippos come out to grave and during the day they just laze in the full or half submerged.

The Shetani Lava flow, a black lava flow of 8 km long, 1.6 km wide and 5 meters deep, is the remain of volcanic eruptions which were subject of tales among local communities who named the flow “shetani” meaning evil in Kiswahili after it spewed from the earth 240 years ago. Climbing the flow is not an easy task as the thick black soil is composed of uneven chunks of solid magma.

The cave, located near the center of the outflow, has two large opening and one ancient tree is growing between them. Although the cave is only few meters long, the exit is not accessible (although it can be seen) as the place is too narrow.

The Roaring Rocks will give you magnificent panoramic views, usually only seen by the eagles and buzzards that fly around these cliffs, over the plain called Rhino valley and the Ngulia Hills (1,821 m – 5,975 ft.). The Roaring rocks, located near the Rhino Sanctuary, has been for long an observation point for the protection of black rhinoceros and the fight against poaching.

The eerie roaring rocks are named after the buzz of cicadas that inhabit them and the howl of wind that hits the bare rocks by producing a roaring sound.

Tsavo East National Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya covering an area of 11,747 square kilometers. The park is located near the village of Voi in the Taita-Taveta District of Coast Province and is divided into east and west sections by the A109 road and a railway.

The park borders the Chyulu Hills National Park, and the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania. The climate in this area is warm and dry. One requires a smart card to access the park and the card can be topped up at Voi gate.

Attractions of Tsavo East National Park include “The Red Elephants”. This effect is achieved from the wallowing and rolling in the galena river and spraying of the red soils of tsavo. 

Aruba Dam 
The beautiful Aruba dam located on the north bank of the seasonal Voi River, is visited by thousands of animals and a great game viewing point. 

The Mudanda Rock 
The Mudanda Rock is a 1.6 km inselberg of stratified rock that acts as a water catchment that supplies a natural dam below. It offers an excellent vantage point for the hundreds of elephants and other wildlife that come to drink during the dry season.

Yatta Plateau 
The Yatta Plateau, the world’s longest lava flow, runs along the western boundary of the park above the Athi River. Its 290 km length was formed by lava from Ol Doinyo Sabuk Mountain.

Lugard Falls
Lugard Falls, named after Frederick Lugard, is actually a series of white water rapids on the Galana River

Tsavo East has vast amounts of diverse wildlife that can be seen, including the famous ‘big five’ consisting of lion, black rhino, cape buffalo, elephant and leopard. The park also is also home to a great variety of bird life such as the black kite, crowned crane, lovebird and the sacred bird.