Kenya Wildlife Resorts - Facts Page

This page gives a handy overview of the most important Kenya wildlife resorts. Compare them point by point and decide where you'd like to go best!

Park name: Aberdare National Park
Size: 766 square kilometers
Location: 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Nairobi
Description: rainforest and grassland; dramatic highlands and waterfalls; access by 4WD only
Animals: elephants, black rhinos, bongo antelopes, black leopards
Things to do: fishing, trekking, gliding
Accomodation: some hotels and limited camping and budget accommodation
Best time to visit: throughout the year
Entry fee adult (child): $60 ($30)

Elephants at Amboseli National Park, Kenya
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Park name: Amboseli National Park
Size: 392 square kilometers
Location: in the ultimate south of Kenya near the Tanzanian border, next to Mount Kilimanjaro, 260 kilometers (160 miles) south of Nairobi
Description: one of the smallest of the Kenya wildlife resorts; dry plains and scrub forest, in the shadow of Africa’s biggest mountain (Kilimanjaro)
Animals: hyenas, lions, buffalos, elephants, hippos, zebras, giraffes
Things to do: game drives, visiting Masai villages
Accomodation: a campsite outside the park, lodges, bandas
Best time to visit: June-February
Entry fee adult (child): $80 ($40)


Park name: Lake Nakuru National Park
Size: 188 square kilometers (the lake covers 62 square kilometers)
Location: 140 kilometers (90 miles) north-west of Nairobi
Description: soda lake surrounded by alkaline lakeland and hilly grassland
Animals: black rhinos, flamingos, lions, warthogs, baboons, vervet monkeys, leopards, and over 400 bird species
Things to do: game drives, bird watching
Accomodation: lodges, camp sites, B&L’s, or accommodation in Nakuru
Best time to visit: throughout the year
Entry fee adult (child): $80 ($40)


Park name: Masai Mara National Reserve
Size: 1510 square kilometers
Location: 225 kilometers (140 miles) south-west of Nairobi, at the Tanzanian border
Description: savanna and grassland; the best park for animal spotting but also the largest presence of tourists of all Kenya wildlife resorts
Animals: the Big Five (rhinos, elephants, lions, buffaloes, leopards), cheetahs, hyenas, antelopes, hippos, giraffes, zebras, the wildebeest migration (Aug-Sep)
Things to do: game drives, ballooning, watching the wildebeest migration
Accomodation: many upmarket lodges and camps, little budget accomodation
Best time to visit: July-October
Entry fee adult (child): $80 ($45)

Zebras and an acacia tortilis tree on the plains of Kenya
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Park name: Meru National Park
Size: 870 square kilometers
Location: in central Kenya, 320 kilometers (200 miles) north-east of Nairobi
Description: swamplands, rainforest and grasslands; lots of bush; few tourists
Animals: elephants, white rhinos, lions, buffaloes, lions, cheetahs, Grevy’s zebras, giraffes, lesser kudus
Things to do: game drives, fishing
Accomodation: one public and several private campsites, two lodges and bandas
Best time to visit: throughout the year
Entry fee adult (child): $75 ($40)


Park name: Mount Elgon National Park
Size: 169 square kilometers
Location: in the ultimate west of Kenya at the border with Uganda, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Nairobi
Description: rainforest and extinct volcano; half in Kenya and half in Uganda; Mount Elgon is Kenya’s second biggest mountain
Animals: elephants
Things to do: walking, fishing, trekking
Accomodation: bandas, campsites, one lodge outside the park
Best time to visit: December-February
Entry fee adult (child): $30 ($20)


Park name: Mount Kenya National Park
Size: 715 square kilometers
Location: around Mount Kenya, 175 kilometers (110 miles) north of Nairobi
Description: moorland, rainforest and glacial mountain; beautiful high altitude flora; Mount Kenya is the second biggest mountain of Africa (after the Kilimanjaro)
Animals: buffaloes, elephants
Things to do: climbing, trekking
Accomodation: hiking huts, hotels
Best time to visit: January-February, and August-September
Entry fee adult (child): $55 ($25)


Park name: Nairobi National Park
Size: 117 square kilometers
Location: directly outside Nairobi, to the south of the city
Description: open plains with skyscrapers on the horizon; a surprising variety of animals
Animals: black rhinos, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, rare antelopes, zebras, wildebeests, many birds
Things to do: game drives, walking
Accomodation: none in the park, but plenty in Nairobi
Best time to visit: throughout the year
Entry fee adult (child): $40 ($20)


Park name: Saiwa Swamp National Park
Size: 3 square kilometers, the smallest of the Kenya wildlife resorts
Location: in the west of Kenya, 240 kilometers (150 miles) north-west of Nairobi
Description: only accessible by foot; swamplands and riverine forest
Animals: crowned cranes, sitatunga antelopes, black-and-white colobus, otters
Things to do: walking, bird watching
Accomodation: none in the park, one homestay 6 miles outside the park
Best time to visit: throughout the year
Entry fee adult (child): $25 ($15)


Park name: Samburu National Reserve
Size: 104 square kilometers
Location: in the north of Kenya, 350 kilometers (220 miles) north-east of Nairobi
Description: semiarid open savanna; peaceful and beautiful park
Animals: elephants drinking at the river, gerenuks, leopards, crocodiles, giraffes, Somali ostriches, Beisa oryxes, cheetahs
Things to do: game drives
Accomodation: 4 lodges
Best time to visit: throughout the year
Entry fee adult (child): $20 ($10)


Park name: Tsavo East National Park
Size: 14,747 square kilometers, the biggest of all the Kenya wildlife resorts
Location: in the south-east corner of Kenya, 240 kilometres (150 miles) from Nairobi; flying in is quickest through Mombasa airport
Description:popular for budget camping; sweeping planes and ancient volcanic cones; good animal spotting because of open planes
Animals: black rhinos, elephants
Things to do: game drives, walking, rock climbing
Accomodation: many tented camps, one lodge, 4 public campsites
Best time to visit: throughout the year
Entry fee adult (child): $75 ($40)


Park name: Tsavo West National Park
Size: 7065 square kilometers, after Tsavo East the biggest of the Kenya wildlife resorts
Location: in the south-east corner of Kenya, 240 kilometres (150 miles) from Nairobi; flying in is quickest through Mombasa airport
Description: large park with lava flows, several budget camping options
Animals: zebras, elephants, giraffes, lions, lesser kudus, buffaloes, antelopes
Things to do: game drives, walking, rock climbing
Accomodation: campsites, bandas, lodges and tented camps
Best time to visit: throughout the year
Entry fee adult (child): $75 ($40)



More information about Kenya wildlife resorts is on my overview page about national parks.

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