About Meru National Park
No other places offer a more authentic wilderness atmosphere than the remote and desolate Meru and Kola National Parks. Less visited and more pristine, they are Kenya's most geographically diverse parks, beloved by safari professionals and wildlife experts alike. On a grand scale, the sister parks offer lush jungles, flowing rivers, lush wetlands, khaki grasslands, rugged termite cathedrals, and an ever-evolving dance of clouds and sky. The sister parks of Meru and Kola are splendors of epic proportions, with lush jungles, flowing rivers, verdant wetlands, khaki grasslands, and termite cathedrals stretching out under an azure sky. With so few visitors and so much pristine nature, few places can compare to such a remote and desolate atmosphere. Among the animals, Grevy's zebra, elephant, Bohor reedbuck, Hartebeest, rock pythons, puff adders, cobras, buffaloes, and over 427 species of birds have been recorded. Meru National Park is undoubtedly a complete wilderness and, surprisingly, was made most famous by the 1966 movie "Born Free." Established in 1968, Meru National Park is home to a variety of habitats and a variety of wildlife worth observing on wildlife safaris in Kenya. Meru National Area is Kenya's most famous and least visited wildlife park, providing nature lovers with a true wilderness experience. Meru National Park is home to all of Africa's Big 5, making it an ideal place for a wildlife safari in Kenya. The park is located in central Kenya, just south of the equator, and is crisscrossed by 13 rivers and streams that are fed by a plethora of gorgeous mountains. It is 350 kilometers northeast of Nairobi and has an area of 870 square kilometers. Meru National Park's topography is comprised of grasslands, jungles, rivers, wetlands, and termite mounds.
What to see in Meru National Park?
Beautiful landscape
Typical Savanna Landscape, Meru National Park's character is defined by the rivers that form its boundaries: the mighty Tana to the south, the Ura to the southwest, and the Rogével to the east. Meru National Park is also characterized by the T4 permanent stream that flows out of the nearby Nyambeni Hills.
Wildlife
Thanks to its habitat diversity, Meru National Park offers unique wildlife viewing opportunities. It is one of the best places for wildlife viewing, with elephants, lions, and cheetahs. Zebras, Grant's and Thomson's gazelles, impalas, Beisa Oryx, Hartebeests, and reticulated giraffes can also be seen. The southern plains woodlands are home to Gerenuk, Common Elands, Kirk Diki diki, and Warthogs. It is also an ideal habitat for the Lesser Kudu, the highlight of Meru National Park. Kopjes (kopjes) Meru National Park is known for its rocky mountains ( inselbergs or kopjes) where baboons and leopards lurk among the rocks. Defasa waterbuck graze and herds of buffalo migrate along the Tana River, with hippopotamuses and Nile crocodiles often seen in the gentle currents of the Tana River.
Birdlife
Birds such as ibis, herons, and African fish eagles are common in Meru National Park, and the Acacia Forest is home to the black-bellied sunbird, the smallest of the tailed birds. Flocks of starlings and hornbills are also often heard. The setting for "Born Free": Meru National Park is where Joy and George Adamson released their most famous lioness, Elsa, back into the wild. Her story is told in the book and movie "Born Free." The park is also the site of the orphaned cheetah’s altering experiment.
Flora and Fauna
The park boasts a diverse landscape ranging from forested areas to vast plains; meandering riverbanks; a landscape dotted with kopjes and rich volcanic soils. It was in this wilderness that George and Joy Adamson released Elsa, the lioness who became the model for the movie Born Free. At Meru, you can see large herds of elephants, buffalo, gerenuk, lesser kudu, and greater kudus. There are majestic lions, leopards, and black and white rhinos. With so many rivers, bring your fishing rod and relax on the riverbanks with canapés and a good book. You can catch catfish, tilapia, barbell, and many more. You can enjoy a spectacular 360-degree view of the river, from Mount Kenya in the west to the vast Meru Plains in the east. Parts of the park are fenced off for 40 white rhinos and 20 black rhinos, making it one of the best places in Kenya to see these endangered animals.
Some of the lodges in Meru National Park.
Off Beat bush lodge
Located on the edge of Meru National Park in the Bisandi National Reserve, Offbeat Safari is ideal for Big Five sightings, bird watching, guided walks, fishing, and visits to local communities, schools, and rhino reserves. A fully equipped tented camp, Meru uses both solar power and Tilly lamps.
Elewana Elsa's Kopje
Elsa's Kopje is a luxury lodge located above George and Joy Adamson's campground and is where Elsa was released. Before Elsa's Kopje was built, the park was almost finished and there was talk of turning the land into a rice plantation, but the camp, with its idyllic beauty, played an important role in bringing life back to Meru. The camp offers cultural visits, massages, guided walks, river fishing, and excursions to the Tana River, as well as a swimming pool.
Rhino River Camp
Just like Offbeat bush lodge, this camp is located on the edge of Meru National Park. It has a pool, a bar, a restaurant, and a massage room. You can see the Big Five and enjoy game drives and bush walks. This modest, eco-friendly tented camp on the Kindani River is nestled in a lovely rainforest of yellow fever trees, tamarind, and raffia palms and is the ideal place to vacation and unwind in the Kindani
What to do in Meru NP?
Meru National Park offers many sights to see on a wildlife safari in Kenya, Meru National Park includes what locals, tourists, and visitors do at the destination. This includes commercial, political, leisure, recreational, and religious activities that occur at the location. All that people do for a living is classified as economic activity. Cultural, political, and religious events, as well as conferences, meetings, festivals, sports, and athletics, are examples of events. Leisure activities include jogging, reading, and sporting activities such as swimming, fishing, sunbathing, canoeing, kayaking, yachting, bird watching, star gazing, diving, sky-diving, skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, trekking, animal tracking, game viewing, road trips, rallying, cinema, dancing, music, singing, yoga, karate, football, volleyball, and scuba diving.
Meru Rhino sanctuary
Meru Rhino Sanctuary is one of the most popular attractions in Meru National Park, where you can get up close and personal with rhinos and make your Big 5 dreams come true.
Fishing
Enjoy fishing in one of the park's many rivers, with canapés and a book in hand, fishing rod in hand, along river banks filled with palm trees.
Cultural safaris
such as the Taraka community near Meru National Park, allow you to see the traditional lifestyle and culture of the people who live there, adding a unique spice to your safari. This activity falls under the category of intimate tourism. This tour is an exciting opportunity to meet the inhabitants of the region, learn about their way of life, and discover their rich and historic cultural traditions. The American people are traditionally agrarian and subsistence farmers, growing crops such as corn, beans, sorghum, millet, cabbage, and fruit. A visit to the Taraka, one of the Amer tribes living near Meru National Park, provides an insight into their way of life. Entering their distinctive round roofs with conical thatched roofs, you will meet women wearing leather skirts and long aprons decorated with cowry shells, and men with animal skin cloaks and feather headdresses.
Day trips to the south of Meru NP
In addition to morning and evening game drives, those staying for several days in Meru National Park may wish to take a day trip to the south side of the park. As you pass through the deep forests of Meru National Park, you may encounter large herds of buffalo, the Meru lion's primary prey. You may also see lions, elephants, cheetahs, leopards, black rhinos, zebras, gazelles, Oryx, the rare antelopes, lesser kudu, duiker, and even Africa's smallest antelope, the dik-dik. Large herds of lions and Kenya's largest herd of buffalo can also be seen. The rivers are home to hippos and crocodiles, and fishing for Barbas and catfish are popular. Game viewing is the most popular tourist activity in Meru National Park. Numerous tourist activities attract visitors to this national park, and with game drives navigating dirt roads in the Meru wilderness and wilderness getting intimate splendor, you will see the spectacular scenic Meru landscape and numerous streams and springs, namely Tana You can engage in the exhilarating day or night game drives to see the rich diversity of animals roaming along the banks of the Visanadi and Roger Wello rivers, the park's main rivers, ideal for observing hippos and crocodiles. You can also enjoy distant views of the surrounding hills and mountains, especially the snow-capped Mount Kenya. Night game drives allow you to observe the big cats, one of the five major mammals of Africa.
Walk to Elsa's Tomb
Joy Adamson and the lioness Elsa and Elsa created this Meru National Park through their award-winning book Born to Fire, and among the tourist activities in Meru National Park is a walk to Elsa's Tomb, an amazing experience to understand the story of them. During the bushwalk, experience the sensation of driving to get in touch with real nature in the unique details of this unspoiled and rugged environment, the former home of Joy and George Adamson and Elsa the lioness. Visit Elsa the lioness' grave; walk to rushing Adamson Falls; where the Tana River cuts through dense rock formations; all accompanied by magnificent encounters with wildlife and natural wonders while alone enjoying the stunning landscape and wildlife. Game viewing is the most popular tourist activity in Meru National Park. Numerous tourist activities attract visitors to this national park, and with game drives navigating dirt roads in the Meru wilderness and wilderness getting intimate splendor, you will see the spectacular scenic Meru landscape and numerous streams and springs, namely Tana You can engage in the exhilarating day or night game drives to see the rich diversity of animals roaming along the banks of the Visanadi and Roger Wello rivers, the park's main rivers, ideal for observing hippos and crocodiles. You can also enjoy distant views of the surrounding hills and mountains, especially the snow-capped Mount Kenya. Night game drives allow you to observe the big cats, one of the five major mammals of Africa.
How to get to Meru NP?
Getting to Meru National Park is simple, and all kinds of transportation, whether by air or land, are available at the park's entry or gate. Foreign tourists to Meru National Park, on the other hand, can arrive at Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Park or Kilimanjaro Airport, where they will be met by local guides and driven to the park. The Murera Gate and the Ura Gate are the two entrances to Meru National Park. Both can be reached by public transit or privately owned vehicles.
Road transfers
Visitors to the park can easily enter the park via ground transportation in 4*4 customized cars; two different ways deal with go to the park from Nairobi nearby; the first route takes about 3 hours when accessing the national park from Maua to Murera Gate (35 km) The second road route to Meru National Park is about 290 kilometers long and takes approximately two hours to complete, whereas the first is a 348-kilometer journey via Nyeri, Nanyuki, and Meru town via the Embu-Meru weather road. It takes 5 hours and provides the best access to this park via Ura gate. Because of this, road transportation is the most convenient way to travel to the park. The Wura gate-Murera National Park is 312 kilometers from Nairobi through Embu. The driving distance from Nairobi to the park gate in Murera is 295 kilometers. The distance from Nairobi to Meru National Park via Nyeki town is 331 kilometers, and using the Makutano highway to get to Meru National Park will take you 70 kilometers.
Flights
Regular charter flights operate daily to and from the airstrip in the national park. The main airstrip is the Kinna airstrip, a 45-minute drive from Elsa Kopje. All scheduled flights from Nairobi Wilson Airport fly to this Kinna airstrip and depart daily, while the other airstrip in Meru National Park is Mgwango Hill airstrip, a 5-minute drive from Elsa Kopje. Private charters can also be arranged from other parks connecting Meru National Park. Another option is to fly daily scheduled flights from Nairobi's largest transportation hub, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, to the Nanyuki Airstrip and then fly to Meru by private charterThe Wura gate-Murera National Park is 312 kilometers from Nairobi through Embu. The driving distance from Nairobi to the park gate in Murera is 295 kilometers. The distance from Nairobi to Meru National Park via Nyeki town is 331 kilometers, and using the Makutano highway to get to Meru National Park will take you 70 kilometers.
In conclusion, therefore, Meru National Park is 350 kilometers from Nairobi and may be reached by the Nyeri-Nyuki or Embu-Meru routes. A 4×4 vehicle is strongly advised. 4×4 Self-Driving Rent a Vehicle Rent a Car Kenya is a dependable 4×4 car rental company that can assist you in planning the ideal self-drive journey in Kenya, whether it be a Toyota Prado Tx or a Land Cruiser V8. This automobile rental firm will assist you in planning the ideal self-drive holiday in Kenya. This company also offers very low-cost car rentals with a driver. This eliminates the possibility of accidents and car breakdowns caused by improper use. Fly from Nairobi to Kinna airstrip, which circles Meru National Park.