Kimbla-Mantana African Safaris

_____AFRICAN SAFARIS_____

Kenya Parks

Amboseli National Park is one of the oldest in Kenya. Much of it is a dry lake bed, and is very picturesque due to it's unique location at the foot of Kilimanjaro, whose snow covered summit rises to 19,340 ft (5,896m). The park is composed of sandy areas and Acacia Tortilis woodland which changes color depending on the season. During the dry season it is not uncommon to see huge shimmering expanses of water which turn out to be mirages. Amboseli’s main attraction lies in its elephant population but it also plays host to many birds including Jacanas, Spoonbills, Cormorants, Pelicans, Storks, Goliath Herons due to the permanent marshlands fed by the glaciers of Kilimanjaro. Amongst the many mammals found in this park are elephant, zebra, Grants, Impala & Thomson’s gazelles, wildebeest, gerenuks, giraffe, hippos and lion, leopard and cheetah.

Tsavo National Park is one of the largest parks in Africa at 8035 sq miles (22,000 sq km) and is divided into two zones; Tsavo East & Tsavo West, which are separated by the main Nairobi to Mombasa road and railway. With it’s tracks of red, standing out of a sea of scrub interspersed with huge baobab trees, Tsavo is a dramatic setting as evening illuminates the blue and ochre colors of the Chyulu and Taita hills for which Tsavo is famous. The park hosts a wide variety of animals including lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, eland, buffalo, zebra, Oryx, baboon, hartebeest and Grants gazelle. On a clear day you can see the snow covered peak of Kilimanjaro rising in the distance.

Lake Nakuru, the most famous of the many alkaline lakes in the Great Rift Valley, is close to the important town of Nakuru. At 73 sq miles (188 sq km) this small but attractive park is home to over 50 species of mammals, including both black and white rhino, Rothschild giraffe, leopard, waterbuck, buffalo, although it is most famous for the pink flamingos that can often number nearly two million. There are over 400 species of bird life recorded at Lake Nakuru and it is probably the best place in Kenya to see leopard. The eastern shore of the lake also has a wonderful forest of Euphorbia, which is unique in Kenya.

Lake Bogoria is located 20 miles (32 kms) south of Lake Baringo along the cliffs of the Rift Valley. This alkaline lake is a favorite of flamingos and is also famous for its many hot water geysers. It is a breeding ground for a large population of flamingos and has a sizeable population of Greater Kudu with their immense and beautiful spiral horns.

Aberdares National Park is set in the Aberdare forest, which is on the eastern boundary of the Great Rift Valley. The eastern slopes are covered by a thickly forested salient. The massif rises to 13,120 ft (3,995m) in the north at Ol Doinyo Satima and the southern reaches end at the Kinangop. The park covers a total of 296 sq miles (767 sq km) and is home to numerous mammals that include elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, giant forest hog, lion, leopard, hyena and serval as well as both colobus and Sykes monkeys. Birdlife is abundant and includes cinnamon-chested bee-eaters and the powerful crowned eagle. Much of the park is open moorland covered with giant groundsel and tussock grass.

Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs are three adjoining national reserves in north eastern Kenya. This area, often known as the Northern Frontier District or NFD is a great expanse of semi-desert with rocky hills and beautiful blue and isolated mountain ranges that rise up abruptly from the hot arid plains. It is dotted with doum palm clumps and sand rivers. Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs cover a total 202 sq miles (523 sq km) This harsh environment is the home of the nomadic Gabra, Somali and Samburu tribes who exist by herding sheep, goats and camels. The area is transacted by two major rivers, the Tana and the Ewaso Nyiro, the former flowing into the Indian Ocean while the latter evaporates into the Lorian Swamp. The reserve is rich with wildlife; elephant, buffalo, cheetah, leopard, lion, Grants gazelle, gerenuks, crocodile, dik dik and some rarer northern species such as the Grevy’s zebra, beisa oryx, reticulated giraffe and Somali ostrich. There is an abundance of birdlife, particularly raptors.

Meru National Park located east of Mount Kenya and the Nyambeni hills is a very beautiful wilderness reserve covering an area of 335 sq miles (870 sq km) and offering an amazing array of landscapes. In the west, grassland dotted with woodlands extends to the volcanic hills where there is permanent water. In the east, the red earth is covered with savannah watered by three rivers, the biggest and most attractive being the Rojewero. The contrast between the areas of open grasslands with acacia, doum palms and tamarind trees to the forests and swamps is dramatic with the rainfall in the western area of the park being twice that of the eastern section. The Tana River borders the park and there are some beautiful water falls before the river flows on its natural course to the Indian Ocean. George Adamson, the famous naturalist (of Elsa the lioness fame) lived in this park and the adjacent Kora Reserve for many years.

Masai Mara Reserve lies in the south west of the country, on the border with the Serengeti in Tanzania and forms the northern extension of the Serengeti national park. The Mara with its landscape of savannah, rolling grasslands and small bush covered hills covers an area of over 580 sq miles (1,510 sq km). The Mara River and its tributaries which cut through the reserve are covered with riverine bush and forest and flow into Lake Victoria. The diversity of wildlife is considerable; numerous lion, cheetah, leopard and other cats, elephants, Burchell’s zebra, Kongoni, wildebeest, Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelles, buffalos, jackals, hyena, hippo and crocodiles. The Mara is most famous for the annual wildebeest migration which forms Africa’s greatest wildlife spectacle. The migration with its endless and unforgettable columns of wildebeest and zebra transverse the Serengeti-Mara eco-system that includes Loliondo, Maswa and Ngorongoro and spends several months in the Masai Mara, usually from July to October, before returning to the Serengeti plains and the Ndutu area where they calve. The Mara is home to a large number of birds including crowned cranes, bustards, rollers, secretary-birds, goshawks, eagles, harriers, vultures, widows, storks, ground hornbills, and ostrich.

Kenya has other parks and reserves that guests with specific interests might like to visit.

Kenya Private Reserves

In keeping with the atmospheric safaris of the past made famous by Karen Blixen, William Holden, Ernest Hemingway, George Adamson and many more, we offer areas where little has changed. Small personal lodges in private reserves or game sanctuaries, known as ‘Bush Homes’, are small with an average of only ten rooms and located in spectacular landscapes. They offer excellent hospitality and the number of guests is limited. Various activities are offered, including walking safaris, horse riding, night drives, camel trips, rafting and meeting authentic local communities (Masai, Samburu, Pokot) all of which helps in the preservation of wildlife.

The Laikipia plateau region is bordered by the Aberdare range to the south, Mount Kenya to the south east, the region of Maralal to the north and the Great Rift Valley to the west. These huge areas, sparsely populated by the nomadic Masai and Samburu tribes, give sanctuary to large concentrations of animals including Elephant, Impala & Grants gazelles, Oryx, Buffalo, Grevy’s zebra, gerenuks, reticulated Giraffes, Kudu, leopard etc. which move freely within the region and around the Samburu and Buffalo Springs national reserves. The private sanctuary of Lewa Downs, which is also a rhino sanctuary, hosts both black and white Rhino. This mountainous region - often over 6,500 ft (2000m) - creates an area of over one million hectares of protected wildlife.

Kenya Lakes

Lake Naivasha, one of the few freshwater lakes in the Great Rift Valley, is a delightful lake at the foot of the dormant Longonot volcano, 60 miles (96 kms) from Nairobi. It is one of a string of lakes formed as a result of the geological upheaval that ruptured the tectonic plates, giving birth to this famous valley. Naivasha is a great place for bird lovers with over 300 recorded species including waders, raptors, martins and many others that can be seen from a boat along the shores of the lake. It is also the location of the George & Joy Adamson foundation known for their pioneering studies of lion relocation and their lifetime work in conservation and for the well known book and film “Born Free”.

Lake Baringo, the other freshwater lake in the Rift Valley is embedded into a range of hills and mountains and is bordered on the west by the Tugen hills. Olkokwe, the main island is inhabited by fishermen and has a lodge. The Njemps people, related to the both the Masai and Samburu and numbering less than 9,000 live in this area. Lake Baringo is well known for its many Osprey and African Fish Eagles which, with their incredible fish catching allow for some spectacular photographic shots. Host to a variety of birdlife as well as families of hippo and crocodile, the lake has a warm but pleasant climate and boat trips around the shores are a great way to discover the birdlife.

Contact us at www.kimbla-mantana.com