Meru National Park

Expert Reviews (9)

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Expert

Anthony Ham –

Visited: September-October

Anthony is a photographer and writer for travel magazines and Lonely Planet, including the guides to Kenya and Botswana & Namibia.

4 people found this review helpful.

Meru: Kenya’s Forgotten Park

Overall rating

3/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Meru is rarely mentioned in dispatches when it comes to Kenya’s top parks, but this can only be because it lies a day’s journey to the west of the country’s well-travelled safari circuit. Black and white rhinos inhabit a dedicated sanctuary within the park and sightings are almost guaranteed. Lions, too, are easily sighted, and the combination of savannah grasslands to the horizon and very few visitors make for a special, slightly old-world safari experience. There are echoes here of George Adamson and his lioness Elsa (of Born Free fame) as this was their country, and at least one luxury lodge in a remote corner of the park adds great comfort to the sense of remoteness. And there’s a heartwarming tale in play here – this was an epicentre of poaching in the 1980s, and the protected population of nearly 100 rhinos mean that Meru plays a critical role in a return to the pre-poaching past.

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Expert

Ariadne van Zandbergen –

Visited: Multiple times

Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.

7 people found this review helpful.

Meru National Park, where zebras are bigger and giraffes are darker

Overall rating

3/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

Meru National Park is home to some of the less widely distributed species associated with the arid North of Kenya. Specials include the striking reticulated giraffe, beisa oryx, gerenuk, lesser kudu and the over-sized Grevy’s zebra.

The big five are present in this beautiful park, but definitely harder to spot than in some of the more popular reserves in Kenya. Seeing any of the big cats here should be considered as a bonus. For a first-time visitor to the African bush, this might be a disappointment, but to me, the big number of unusual species makes this very scenic park more than worthwhile.

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