National Parks in Kenya

Kenya is home to the “Big Five” and has incredibly beautiful National Parks with savannah grasslands, magnificent collection of wild animals, stunning landscapes and the most picturesque views and scenery. Kenya has a total of 23 National Parks which exist with the aim of protecting Kenya’s flora, fauna and ecosystems, as well as the diverse wildlife and birdlife. Each of these National Parks have a unique character and feel with internationally acclaimed accommodation which ranges from exclusive luxury Tented Camps and safari lodges to budget camping options. Below is a list of the Kenya’s most popular and most unique parks.



Lake Nakuru National Park

“A beautiful wildlife haven”. On the floor of the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by wooded and bushy grassland, lies the beautiful Lake Nakuru National Park. The park’s main feature is a large, shallow lake supporting great birdlife, including big flocks of pelicans and variable flocks of flamingos. The lake was once famous for its flamingos, however, since 2012, conditions have become unfavorable for these birds and most have moved to other Rift Valley lakes. Click here to read more about Lake Nakuru National Park.



Amboseli National Park

Crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, the Amboseli National Parks is one of Kenya's most popular parks. It is one of the best places in Africa to view large herds of elephants up close. Animals here include: Leopard, Cheetah, Wild dogs, Buffalo, Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion, Crocodile, Mongoose, Hyrax, Dik- dik, Lesser Kudu, Nocturnal Porcupine and over 600 species of birds. You can also enjoy Hot air balloon safari which offers incredible aerial view of the whole park including the notable Mount Kilimanjaro the world’s highest mountain. Click here to read more about Amboseli National Park.



Tsavo West National Park

Tsavo west national park is one of the oldest parks in Kenya, it is located in the South East of Kenya near Voi Town in Taita–Taveta County. Animals here include: Buffalo, Rhino, Leopard, Cheetah, Wild dogs, Elephant, Lion,Crocodile, Giraffe, Zebra, Mongoose, Hyrax, Dik- dik, Lesser Kudu, Nocturnal Porcupine and over 600 species of birds. Click here to read more about Tsavo West National Park.



Tsavo East National Park

Tsavo East National Park is by far the biggest of Kenya’s parks.The park is home to most of the larger mammals, vast herds of dust –red elephant, Rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, pods of hippo, crocodile, waterbucks, lesser Kudu, gerenuk and the prolific bird life features 500 recorded species. Click here to read more about Tsavo East National Park.



Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park is Kenya's first game reserve and the only protected area in the world that sits so close to a nation's capital. It is located about 7 km (4.3 mi) from the Nairobi's centre. Some of the animal found in the park include; buffalo, giraffe, lion, leopard, baboon, zebra, wildebeest and cheetah. The park is also one of the most successful of Kenya’s rhino sanctuaries with over 100 mammal species and 400 migratory and endemic bird species. Click here to read more about Nairobi National Park.



Meru National Park

Meru National Park is a Kenyan national park located east of Meru, 350 km from Nairobi. The park is one of the least visited and therefore has an unspoilt feel. All of the Big Five are present. Elephant and buffalo are very common, and there is an enclosed rhino sanctuary containing both black and white rhino. The park is extremely scenic with tall doum palms growing along the park’s many watercourses. Read more about Meru National Park here.



Aberdare National Park

Aberdare National Park is a protected area in the Aberdare Mountain Range in central Kenya located east of the East African Rift Valley. The beautiful mountain scenery is one of the highlights of a visit to this National Park. The Park is most famous as the place where Princess Elizabeth found out that she was Queen upon the death of her father at Treetops Lodge. Since then this lodge has been popular with tourists on safari to Kenya. Read more about Aberdare National Park here.



Mount Kenya National Park

Mount Kenya National Park was established to protect Mt Kenya and the wildlife which surrounds it, It acts as a water catchment area and also a habitat for wild animals. Animal here include: Elephants, white tailed mongoose, suni, black fronted duiker, mole rat, bushbucks, tree hyrax, water buck Elands and over 130 bird species. Click here to read more about Mount Kenya National Park.



Mount Longonot National Park

Mount Longonot National Park is one of the many fascinating, yet least visited, attractions of Kenya. Located in the Lake Naivasha region it is dominated by Mount Longonot itself. Mount Longonot is an inactive volcano overlooking the Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley. A trek up the crater rim on Mount Longonot is a popular day trip from Nairobi, since the mountain is less than a 2 hour drive from Nairobi on a tarred highway. The entry fee is US$ 26 per adult per 24 hours. A 3.1 km trail runs from the park entrance up to the crater rim, and continues in a 7.2 km loop encircling the crater. The whole tour (gate-around the rim-gate) is 13.5 km takes about 4–5 hours. Read more about the park here.



Hell's Gate National Park

Hell's Gate National Park is a small park located in North West of Nairobi and Southwest of Lake Naivasha. The park is situated between Lake Naivasha, Longonot and Suswa volcanoes and on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. The park is popularly known for its wide variety of wildlife and its dramatic scenery. Read more about the park here.



Mount Elgon National Park

Mount Elgon National Park is a national park 140 kilometres northeast of Lake Victoria. The park is uniquely split down the middle by the Kenyan-Ugandan border. Mount Elgon is an important water catchment for the Nzoia River, which flows to Lake Victoria, and for the Turkwel River (known as the Suam River in Uganda), which flows into Lake Turkana. Visitors can explore the forest, see the elephant caves and also enjoy biking, hiking, and rock on this eighth highest mountain in Africa. Read more about the park here.



Marsabit National Park

Marsabit National Park lies in northern Kenya, about 560km north of Nairobi. The park has many extinct volcanic craters known as Gofs. One of the largest of these is Gof Sokorte Guda which has Lake Paradise at the bottom of it. Some of the wildlife found here include the African elephant, the endangered Grevy’s zebra, lion, leopard, buffalo, bushbuck, large herds of greater and lesser kudus, common zebra, grant’s gazelles and many other small antelopes. Read more about the park here.



Arabuko Sokoke National Park

Arabuko Sokoke National Park is a small Kenya wildlife safari (6 sqkm) park located in the north Mombasa district of Kilifi near 350sq km under the Arabuko-Sokoke forest reserve. The forest nest many rare bird species, butterflies, mammals, amphibians, unique tree and plant species. The forest is also home to some few mammals such as Sokoke bushy-tailed mongoose, Ader’s duiker, bushbuck, Golden-rumped elephant-shrew, waterbuck, civet, blotched genet, caracal, Sykes’ monkey among many other primates. Read more about the park here.