Shimba Hills National Park und Mwalunganje Elephant Sanctuary

Shimba Hills is the only wildpark which is close to the coast. In spite of the vicinity of the popular tourist place, Diani Beach (just 45 minutes by car), there are just few people who visit the park. Its unspoiled landscape is very beautiful. The rolling hills and the rainforests are a great setting for game watching. Leopards, bufalloes, elephants, zebras and a small number of giraffes life in Shimba Hills Reserve. It is the only place in Kenya where you can see the Sable Antilope. If you stay in Shimba Hills Lodge (a romantic treehouse hotel) you will probably see elephants and buffaloes coming to the nearby water hole. An accompanied walk to the Sheldrick falls is an unforgettable experience. If you want to watch elephants in their natural habitat without leaving the coast you can participate in a jeep tour through the 24000 hectare Mwalunganje Elephant Sanctuary. The speciality of the sanctuary is that the local tribes of Duruma and Digo benefit from the sanctuary.

Taita Hills National Park

The private game reserve spans 110 000 hectare (the Hilton Group is the owner) is located between Tsavo East and Tsavo West Natinaolpark on the way from Voi to Taveta. The conditions for watching game are excellent in Taita Hills Nationalpark especially when you stay in Saltlick Lodge. Water holes and salt licks are built there and nocturnal animals are allured with meat. Besids the exclusive Taita Hills Lodge and the Hilton Safari Camp the park offers also night tours, accompanied walks and hot air balloon rides.

Tsavo East National Park

Tsavo Natinaol Park is the biggest national park in Kenya and divided into two parts: Tsavo East and Tsavo West. Tsavo East spans 11700 square kilometers of semiarid thornbush savannah. More than half of the area which is north of the rivers Galana and Athis is not open to the public. More than 8000 elephants life in Tsavo East. The population is one of the biggest in the country. During dry season the elephants are a special attraction because of their red colour which they get when they wallow in the dust. In Tsavo East you will definitely see lions, Oryx-antilopes, ostriches, jackals and buffaloes. The most popular entrance to Tsavo East is Voi Gate close to Voi Safari Lodge. There is also a great variety of animals in the area around Arouba dam which is also not far away form Voi. Other popular places are Lugard's Falls at Galana River and Mudanda Rock which attracts a lot of animals during dry season.

Tsavo West National Park

Tsavo National Park is the biggest national park in Kenya and divided into two parts: Tsavo East and Tsavo West. Tsavo West beats the eastern part in topographic and scenic variety.The volcanic mountains of Chyulu Hills, woody rivers and savannahs, hot springs and grait plains belong to the different wildlife habitats. Sometimes you have a great view of Kilimanjaro. However game watching is difficult. During the short rain season the lodges (Ngulia and Kilaguni) are a paradise for ornithologists. Thousands of migratory birds fly over this area and many take a rest there. Kilaguni Lodge is one of the oldest Lodges in Kenya. It has a good location with a lot of game surrounding the lodge and an impressive panorama. Main attraction in Tsavo West is Mzima Springs, a spring lake. Every day the springs deliver more than 250 millions of litres to the lake.This meets the drinking water requirements of Mombasa. Visitors can watch crocodiles and hippos there. Even a underwater observation station was built to have the chance to watch the hippos. Close to Mzima Springs, in the northwestern part of the park, are the Shetani-Fields. This is a huge spectacular stream of lava.

Amboseli

The small, but very popular park is famous for its large quantity of elephants and for a great view of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Amboseli is a popular photo scene for many tourists who come to Africa. The typical picture of elephant herds in front of Kilimanjaro ("Shining Mountain") is well known not only to visitors who come to Kenya but also to others. Amboseli is a paradise for animal watching. Main attraction are the elephants- some elephant bulls have tusks which belong to the biggest in Kenya. There are also buffaloes, hyaenas, zebras, gnus, giraffes, antelopes and many interesting species of birds.

Masai Mara

Masai Mara, the northern extention of Serengeti Nationalpark (which is located in Tanzania) is the most popular wildlife park in Kenya with the highest number of animals and visitors. Mara, how the park is also called, is with more than 1500 square kilometers one of the biggest parks. Because of that it's easy to get away from tourist masses. The largest part of Masai Mara is savannah with its characteristic endless sky and optimal conditions to watch animals all the year. You can observe prides of lions(about 3000 lions life in Masai Mara), herds of bufalloes, giraffes and a huge number of other animals like zebras, gnus, antilopes, and topis (type of antilope which only lifes in Kenya). Other often seen animals are black rhinos and leopards. Leopards are very shy animals and appear just unfrequently. Mara River is one of the best locations in Kenya to watch crocodiles and hippos. Every year between July and September a great spectacle of nature takes place in Masai Mara. A huge herd of animals consisting of about 2 millions of gnus, half a million of zebras and thousands of gazelles treck northwards form Serengeti Nationalpark to new pasture grounds. Lions, leopards, hyaenas and vultures escort the gnus in search of food. The transition of Mara river which carries a lot of water to this season is a big challenge for the animals and a popular photo scene. A lot of animals drown and are eaten by crocodiles.