Meru National Park

A grand meeting with nature and wild life

We traveled with JK Safaris for a week and our first stop was at Meru. This is a bit away from Nairobi and maybe that's why the park isn't very busy. It's a big advantage since you at time can view wildlife on pretty much on your own. This park might be one of your best chances to get to see one of the last black rhinos in the wild. We stayed at Murera Springs Eco Lodge which offered nice rooms just by the entrance to the park and also featured a small swimming pool for relaxing in the sun in between the safaris. Our guide Sammy from JK was really friendly and tried to give us the best experience possible. We had several meetings with Giraffes (and these are a different kind from those in Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara), Elephants, Rhinos (black and white) and other beautiful animals. A visit is highly recommended.

One of the true hidden gems in Kenya

Meru is arguably one of the best Safari destinations in Africa. Sure, Masai Mara is more visually stunning, but the widllife in Meru is equally prolific. Especially if you're a birdy you'll have a field day here. Also, Meru is a lot more quiet in terms of tourist driving around. With luck you'll see one or two other vechicles on a game drive.

Excellent for quiet, relaxed game drives. Beautiful scenery.

Large game park with excellent roads. Not too many visitors (unlike the Mara) so you have the park to yourself which is very nice. Animals are shy -you have to drive very slowly & carefully when approaching them. When we went in March is was very hot.
A couple of great lodges in the area. Elsa's Kopje is beautiful.

a really wild park, I loved it

I had a lovely experience: especially after seeing other beautiful parks in Kenya, I feel Meru remained untouched and the best part is there are no minibus crowds. Usually I met none ore one vehicle in my safari drives in the bush, I definitely recommend it if you look for something wild!

Wildlife encounters in a less visited park

We had a nice experience in Meru National Park with several unique wildlife encounters with wildlife. The landscape is varied, mostly bushland with several waterholes but also several open fields. Meru offer you a chance to see the Reticulated Giraffe, a subspecies not found in the Lake Nakuru or Masai Mara. We also had a chance to see the close-to-extinct black Rhino. Of course we got to see an abundance of other wildlife as well. On our safari we visited both Meru, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara national park and the three all had their own profile and features and is a great combination. Of these three, Meru was the one with the least visitors.

Everything you could wish for, in a wonderful location

We stayed at Elsa's Kopje for four nights in February 2009. This fabulous lodge is situated high on a giant rocky outcrop that rises above the open savannah. The 9 stone and thatch guest cottages are crafted around the natural features of the hill. Paved paths, lit by lamps at night, lead from each cottage to the comfortable open bar, lounge and dining room. This is by far the best place to enjoy breathtaking views across the savannah. Every need was met by the wonderful friendly staff. This is luxury in the heart of Meru national park. Our game drives didn't leave us at all disappointed. We saw the 'big five' as there is a rhino sanctuary there Activities available include game drives in a 4x4 Land Cruisers. Evening game drives and guided bush walks. Regular sightings include Oryx, Gerenuk, Elephant, Grevy's Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Lesser Kudu, Grant's Gazelle, Leopard, Lion, Cheetah, Rhino and the rare, elusive Greater Kudu. Meru is also famous for its bird life.
The weather averaged about 30 degrees c, which was pleasant. We enjoyed sundowners and beautiful sunsets.
The food was excellent and we could not fault our trip in any way.
Would not hesitate to return.

An unforgettable bush experience- hidden and undervalued

Meru was the Africa debut for my husband and me. We initially looked into Meru because of my childhood dream of visiting Elsa's(Born Free) home. Every review that we read, only assured us of a brilliant experience. Truth be told, Meru never disappointed us.
From the time that we boarded our flight from Nairobi (the whole flight to us!!), to receiving warm welcomes at the Offbeat Meru camps after every single game drive.. it was an experience that we won't forget for a long time.
Wildlife: We went looking with low expectations. Because of the thick bush, it is definitely not as easy spotting wildlife here as in the Mara. However, we had seen the big five within 20 hours of landing.
Birdlife: I am not a "birder", but my head started spinning as I tried to keep up with all the zillion beautiful varieties that our guide spotted for us. Another thing that we noticed(and liked) was that the wildlife was still "wild" in Meru. Unlike the Mara, most animals try not to come too close to vehicles. Apparently, because of fewer stay options in the park, the animals don't see as many humans around.

Stay: Offbeat Meru was a very warm and welcoming setup. Food was great, and the tents were located to ensure tons of privacy to everyone. I personally enjoyed the bonfire in the evenings, followed by dinner under the most beautiful starry skies.
Guides: The guides at Offbeat Meru were all Silver ranked, and I believe that one of them was going to sit for his Gold exam very soon. If you've been on a safari before, you would know how important it is to have a good guide. Dominic, our guide, was brilliant! He even spotted a python that had just swallowed an impala.. Beat that!!

We also visited the Mara, and that was extraordinary. But somewhere, that cosy and very private feel that Meru offered.. it made a special little place in my heart!

To give you a peek into some of pictures from my Meru experience, you could see this video : http://youtu.be/8vgF9iT0oRY

Amazing experience!

We stayed at Elsa's Kopje, which was an absolutely extraordinary lodge with outstanding guides and spectacular views. As our first stop on a safari honeymoon, it delivered in spades. The wildlife was great, though different than the Mara with not necessarily the same diversity. The birds were incredible!

Solitude, Great scenery and wildlife

This was our first visit to East Africa and also the first time that we went on Safari. We combined this travel with a work-related trip to Uganda, and all booking of the Kenya Itinerary (Meru, Samburu, Mara Mara) was arranged through Imagine Africa UK, which made the organisation and the entire journey hassle free.
Our first stop was Meru, and we stayed in the Offbeat Meru Camp. It is a beautiful place, unfenced, located near a river and we saw lots of wildlife just at the front of our tent (Elephants, Baboons, warthogs, Impalas, birds, and more). The overall service was absolutely excellent, and it was to our advantage that we were the only guests. The food was on the basic side. No electricity (you can give your batteries/chargers to Craig, the camp manager, and there is no Wifi. There is no running water generaly (water is provided in a large pot) but thy provide a hot shower in the evening which is basic, but fully sufficient, and pleasant. We had a safari guide who was excellent (the best of all the three that we had throughout our journey) and we were lucky to be in a location in the conservancy where we met very few other travellers. In fact we had only two or three encounters with other safarigoers throughout our entire stay in Meru.
The camp is located in an area where five rivers pass through, making it a rich environment to see a wide spectrum of wildlife. With our excellent guide (Stanley from the Offbeat Meru) it was a truly extraordinary experience, he explained the traces, we understood how he tracked animals, how to distinguish them, their habits etc. He also had a very god understanding of a photographer’s need, he know when the sunrise would happen and positioned the Vehicle in a suitable spot, he understood the importance of the best illumination, the angle of light in relation to the animals, and much more. He soon figured out that I was a photo-enthusiast and pointed me to all sorts of wildlife, including rare birds, small mammals etc.
Rhinos were abundant in the Rhino conservatory, but they are nowhere else.
All three places (Meru, Samburu, Masai Mara) had their specific charm, and I would recommend Meru for its solitude, richness in wildlife, gorgeous scenery. The Offbeat Meru is on the basic side, but with excellent service, and unbeatable for its integration into nature and wildlife

beautiful