Meru National Park
Meru National Park is noted for its fauna and natural beauty. It has many swamps and rivers lined with palms, as well as mountains and woodlands, and it is the setting for Joy Adamson’s book “Born Free”, which was later made into a successful film.
Destination Highlights
The park is home to a large pride of lions, herds of buffalo, and hippos and crocodiles that live in the rivers.At Meru, you will find excellent views of snow-capped Mount Kenya and the park’s beautiful landscape is a camper’s paradise. The roads are suitable for vehicles and there are many rocky outcrops that provide great lookout points for the abundant Kenyan animals.
Meru National Park Background Information
Meru National Park Meru National Park is wild and beautiful. Straddling the equator and bisected by 13 rivers and numerous mountain-fed streams, it is an especially beautiful area of Kenya. It has diverse scenery from woodlands at 3,400ft(1,036m) on the slopes of Nyambeni Mountain Range, north east of Mt. Kenya, to wide open plains with meandering riverbanks dotted with doum palms. Game to view includes: lion, elephant, cheetah, leopard black rhino, zebra, gazelle, oryx and some of the rarer antelope, Lesser Kudu and duiker, also the more common Dik Dik, one of Africa’s smallest antelope. Large prides of lion can be seen and some of Kenya’s largest herds of buffalo. The rivers abound with hippo and crocodile, fishing for barbus and catfish is permitted at camp sites and along the Tana River.
What to see and do
The story of Elsa the Lioness is undoubtedly the main attraction to Meru National Park. Conservationist couple Joy and George Adamson raised a lion cub, Elsa, and eventually released her back into the wild; a story that inspired the book and film, Born Free.
Bird Watching, Picnics, Camping, Wildlife Safaris, Adventure and Cultural safaris can all be organized. Nature walks, rafting and fishing can be organized along Tana River. Afternoons are best spent on cultural tours, fishing, rafting or just relaxing.
Meru National Park has a wide range of wildlife including elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah, black rhino and hippo. Buffalo, oryx, oribi, zebra, giraffe, hartebeest, impala, kudu, mongoose, warthog, dik dik, civet, caracal, wild dog, baboons, hyena and vervet monkeys can also be spotted. Meru National Park is also to home to an abundance of birdlife that includes Pel's fishing owl, Peter's finfoot which inhabits the Murera and Ura Rivers.
Where to find Meru National Park
