Meru National Park

The 870 sq. km Meru National Park, once the home of Joy and George Adamson, of ‘Born Free’ fame, is set to make a comeback as one of Kenya’s most incredible wildlife viewing parks and is being restocked by the Kenya Wildlife Service. The park consists mainly of open savannah and forms a complex of protected areas, including the adjacent Bisanadi and Mwingi National Reserves, Kora National Park, and Rahole National Reserve.

Meru National Park has 13 rivers and plentiful mountain-fed streams. It has diverse scenery, from woodlands to wide open plains, undulating landscapes, and rich grey alluvial volcanic soils, making it one of the most beautiful parks in Kenya.

Major attractions at Meru National Park

• The former home of Joy and George Adamson and Elsa the lioness.
• View of Mt. Kenya
• Rivers and riverine habitats
• Tana River
• Adamson’s falls
• Wildlife: Wildlife in Meru National Park includes Grevy’s zebras, elephants, eland, bush pig, waterbuck, cheetah, leopard, reticulated giraffe, hippopotamus, bohor, reedbuck, hartebeest, python, puff udder, cobra, buffalo among others.
• Birdlife:  More than 427 recorded species
• Vegetation: The vegetation consists of mainly thorny bushland in the North, wooded grasslands in the West, and open grassland elsewhere. The park also has dense riverine forests of doum and raffia palms.

How to Get to Meru National Park

Roads: Access from Nairobi (348 km) via Nyeri-Nanyuki-Meru or Embu all-weather roads.

Air: The main airstrip is at Kina, Mulika, next to Meru Mulika Lodge and Elsa’s Kopje Airstrip.

Other Park Details

Climate: The park’s wet seasons are April-June and November-December. Rainfall ranges between 635-762 mm in the West and 305-356 mm in the east.

Park Entry Fees: Check KWS Website for updated prices.