Story: The lure of the smaller game park

When anyone thinks of safaris, game parks or Kenya they not only think of the Big Five animals (Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino and Leopard) they also think of the well frequented game parks; namely: Masai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo East and Tsavo West.

When my Wife and I decided to do the once in a lifetime trip to Kenya we decided to buck all the trends and not only visit off season but also to visit the smaller and less frequented game parks.

Off season meant we travelled just at the end of the Wet Season. Although this made journeys by road longer and more arduous it meant that when we reached the game parks they were lush, verdant and seemingly more alive.

The first location we visited is not actually a game park; Lake Naivasha. Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in the Great Rift Valley which is home to waterbuck, hippos, and fish eagles and on an island in the middle, which was used as the film set for Out of Africa, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra and various gazelles. It was amazing to have the 50 square mile lake to ourselves with a guide and a canoe and to be able to paddle up close to sleeping hippos, startled waterbuck and various waterfowl.

The next location couldn’t be more different. Across the Equator from Nairobi and adjacent to the Mount Kenya National Park is a small game park called Clearwaters. Like all the other small game parks we visited the entrance fee for Clearwater’s was more expensive than the more well known game parks but this was value for money as we invariably had the game parks to ourselves. Furthermore as soon as we entered the Clearwaters reserve a lioness strolled through the grass about 50 metres away; this alone was worth the entrance fee.

This park consisted of rolling grass plains and small groves of trees. Other than the lioness the other animals we saw included white rhino, elephant, buffalo, zebra and chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are not native to Kenya but there is a sanctuary within the Clearwaters Reserve for orphaned and injured chimpanzees from neighbouring countries. The Jane Goodall Institute is one of the founding members and some of the chimpanzees from the Jane Goodall Institute in Bujumbura were relocated here.

Our next stop was Lake Nakuru National Park. This game park is famous for its flamingos which flock here in their thousands to feed on the algae. Be warned, although you can approach very closely the smell of such huge numbers of congregating birds can be very overpowering. As with all the other small reserves we spent hours following game trails without sight or sound of another safari vehicle. This meant we had plenty of time to linger at the sights which this time included flamingos, pelicans, baboons, giraffe, black rhino and warthogs.

On the way to our last game park we stopped at the Giraffe Centre near Nairobi. This Centre was set up to protect the endangered Rothschild Giraffe which is only found in East Africa. These giraffe are easy to identify as they do not have any markings on their lower legs; in fact it looks like they are wearing white stockings. The raised observation deck at the Centre brings you literally ‘face to face’ with these gorgeous long lashed animals. Feeding the giraffe is a once in a lifetime experience even if you are left with giraffe saliva on your hand!

Our final stop was at the Aberdares National Park. This park was again slightly different to the rest as it is located at a higher altitude but also because it has some unique accommodation; namely the world famous Treetops and our accommodation The Ark. The Ark, by its very name, is in the shape of Noah’s Ark and is set over a natural waterhole. As a result of this perfect location, included amazing views of Mount Kenya, it was very hard to drag ourselves away to eat and sleep During the night the hotel had a system of alarms to advise you of various animals that had arrived at the waterhole so you didn’t miss any of the action. While staying at the Ark we got plenty of up close views of elephant, hyena and, buffalo.

We would whole heartedly recommend fellow travellers consider the smaller game parks when planning their trip of a lifetime as not only did we see the wildlife noted above but we also saw all manner of birdlife, including African eagles, eland, gazelle, impala, zebra, Serval cats, snake (on one alarming occasion in a bar) and not forgetting that the parks and reserves were lush and green and we had them to ourselves.

The only disappointment – we didn’t see a leopard. An excuse for another visit I think.

Links:

Kenya Wildlife Service which list all parks and reserves as well as accommodation and the like: http://www.kws.org/

Details of the Clearwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary including donations: http://www.olpejetaconservancy.org/chimpanzee-sanctuary-kenya.php