AMBOSELI
Lying at an altitude of about 1 200 metres - 1 400 metres,
Amboseli is Kenya's international biosphere reserve. The
National Park lies at the foot of Africa's highest mountain
- Mount Kilimanjaro. Amboseli National Park lies 249
kilometers south-east of Nairobi and is very closely
situated to the Tanzanian border. Amboseli in Masai language
means "place of water".
The park has an endless supply of water which is filtered
through thousands of metres of volcanic rock from Mount
Kilimanjaro. Gazetted in 1974, Amboseli National Park only
covers 392 square kilometers - but despite its small size
and fragile ecosystem it supports a wide range of mammals
(well over 50 of the larger species) and over 400 species of
birds. Vast herds of elephant, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe,
impala and leopards are a main attraction.
Birdlife includes pelican, bee-eater, king fisher, African
fish eagle, Martial eagle and Pygma falcon. Amboseli is one
of the most popular parks and offers excellent accommodation
facilities. Ol Tukai self help bandas, were built as the
film set for the "Snows of Kilimanjaro" film. Today a new
luxury lodge by the same name stands on this site.
Kilimanjaro forms the backdrop of this game sanctuary and it
is a sight to see and marvel at. The salient which thrusts a
dense forest through rich farmland, is where both Treetops
and the Ark are situated. The salient's origin lies in an
elephant migration between the two mountains, now sadly no
longer.GREAT RIFT VALLEY LAKES
The Rift Valley (visible from a spacecraft) forms a 50 to 90
kilometre wide trench down the length of Africa. A total of
5 lakes occur in Kenya's central Rift Valley. Lake Nakuru
and Bogoria are world famous as birdwatcher's paradises and
are home to some four million lesser flamingoes. Lake
Naivasha that is situated northwest of Nairobi is the
highest and the most beautiful of the Rift Valley lakes and
is rich in birdlife. Lake Bogoria is the most dramatic of
the central lakes and in the surrounding national reserve
one can see the greater kudu.
Lake Nakuru National Park was established in 1967 and was
the first of such conservation areas in Africa that was
specifically set aside for the preservation of birdlife. The
park covers 188 square kilometres and at certain times of
the year Lesser flamingoes numbering up to 1.5 million can
be found on the lakeshore. Apart from this (often called the
'greatest ornithological spectacle on earth') one can find
leopard (best park in Kenya for seeing leopard), rhino,
giraffe, hippo and antelope in the park. Speciality mammals
like the Bohor reedbuck and Defassa waterbuck can also be
found here. Apart from the Lesser Flamingoes that are
attracted by the blue-green spirulina algai and diatoms in
the warm alkaline water one can also find the greater
flamingo (less common) that feeds on crustaceans and
invertebrates that live in the mud on the lake bottom.
With the introduction of Tilapia fish in the 1960s, large
numbers of pelicans, cormorants and other water birds were
attracted. In the southern section of the park one finds
yellow-barked acacias which are frequented by the
black-and-white colobus monkeys and crowned eagles. The park
is also a rhino sanctuary.
Lake Elementaita, to the east of Nakuru is the smallest
of the central Rift's Lakes and is surrounded mostly by
private land while Lake Baringo is the largest of the
central lakes and is now a major tourist resort.
MASAI MARA
The Masai Mara Game Reserve is arguably Kenya's most popular
and famous game reserve because of the greatest wildlife
spectacle that is enacted here each year. Beginning in June
or July this event is sparked by the arrival of about 40 000
zebra from the Serengeti Plains (Tanzania), closely followed
by 800 000 wildebeest and the accompanying predators. In
normal times the Mara sustains about half a million animals
but at the height of the migration this figure reaches 1.4
million. In 1985, when the migration was at a peak, the
reserve held almost 2.5 million large herbivores together
with smaller species: 1.4 million wildebeest, 550 000
gazelle, 200 000 zebra, 62 000 buffalo, 64 000 impala, 61
200 topi, 7 500 hartebeest, 7 100 giraffe, 3 000 eland, plus
uncounted antelope such as dik-dik, grey duiker, klipsringer,
steenbok, hippo, rhino, warthog, bushpig and giant forest
hog. Predators like lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, wild dog
and jackal also enjoy this time of plenty.
Furthermore almost 500 species of birds have been recorded
in the reserve including 57 species of birds of prey. The
migration lasts for three to four months and reduces the
Mara's plains grasses to the height of a well mowed lawn.
The herds then make their way south heading the hundreds of
kilometers back to the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro plains
which have since been replenished by rains. It is here where
the young are dropped in time to grow sufficiently strong to
undertake the long march north six months later.
The Masai Mara is an extension of Tanzania's Serengeti
National Park and covers an area of approximately 1 510
square kilometers (being reduced from 1 672 square
kilometers in 1984). It is situated 270 kilometers from
Nairobi and takes about 5 hours by road.
The word 'Mara' comes from the Masai people's language and
means 'spotted' or 'dappled' and refers to the acacia-dotted
savanna of this area. |
