Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park offers one of the most classic and breathtaking views of Kenya, with 19,340 foot Kilimanjaro towering over the plains. It makes a great background for photos, although the summit remains hidden by clouds for most of the day, dawn being the best moment to catch a view of it. Game is abundant in and around the central swamps. There are large numbers of buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala and gazelle, all of which help support a population of lions and hyenas. Amboseli is most noted for its elephants made famous by researchers Cynthia Moss www.elephanttrust.org and Joyce Poole www.elephantvoices.org. Many documentary films and photos of elephants in books and magazines are Amboseli elephants.
Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru is a bird paradise and was termed "the greatest bird spectacle on earth" by the late Roger Tory Peterson, one of the worlds leading ornithologists. The lake is home to more than 350 bird species. Most notably, the lesser flamingoes which at times form a pink fringe around the lake. In an exceptional year their numbers could reach more than a million. In addition to birds Lake Nakuru also has a large population of both black and white rhinos, Rothchild giraffes, leopards as well as zebras, buffalo and many types of antelopes.
Maasai Mara Game Reserve
The Maasai Mara is effectively an extension of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. It is considered by many to be Kenya's best wildlife sanctuary, where plains game can still be seen in the great numbers once common to much of East Africa, which in turn support a large population of predators. The landscape of the Mara is one of gently rolling savanna grasslands stretching to the horizon, intersected by dark green veins of acacia woodland along the banks of the Mara and Talek rivers. Many species of plains animals can be found here year round, wildebeest, hartebeest, topi, impala, zebra and gazelles. Elephants, Maasai giraffe and occasionally a black rhino can be seen along the woodlands. The Mara River supports a large population of hippos that gather in groups of up to 50 along it's banks. But it is the predators that visitors come to this reserve most to see. The Mara has Kenya's largest population of lions with prides often numbering as many as 30 individuals. The open country is also ideal for cheetah, hunting dogs, hyenas and jackals. We operate our own camp in the Mara, called Crocodile Camp. This camp is located on the banks of the Mara River on the northern boundary of the reserve. Here, you will have a large canvas tent with beds and attached shower and toilet. You will often see wildlife walking past the camp, sometimes through it. Hippos and crocodiles are always present in the river below. You will be able to go for hikes out on the savanna and visit a Maasai boma. You will also have the opportunity to spend a night or two at the world famous Keekorok Lodge.
Hell's Gate National Park
Hell's Gate is a large gorge once the outlet of an enlarged lake system which filled the Rift Valley floor following the last Ice Age. The main gorge is surrounded by 600 foot cliffs that provide nesting sites for many large birds including the Griffon Vulture, Hooded Vulture and the magnificent Verreaux Eagle. The cliffs are excellent for rock climbing and are used by climbers of all levels of experience. Visitors are also allowed to walk and ride bicycles in this park. Buffalo, giraffe, zebra, hartebeest, warthog and gazelles inhabit the gorge. At the south end of the Main Gorge a footpath leads to the Lower Gorge. Here visitors will find hot springs, jets streams and fumaroles. Unique plants, capable of withstanding high temperatures, grow around the fumaroles and the smell of sulfur pervades the air. For those interested in trying rock climbing for the first time, Center for African Adventure can give you the basic training you'll need to climb safely. We will then lead you up one of the easier routes on the cliff followed by a rappel back down to the valley floor. We also have mountain bikes.
Lake Bogoria
Lake Bogoria is considered by many to be the most beautiful of Kenya's' Rift Valley lakes. The waters contain the blue-green algae which tend to attract thousands of flamingoes that turn the shores pink. The grasslands that surround the lake are home to a variety of animals including the buffalo, zebra, impala, and dik dik. The southern shore of the lake consists of acacia-ficus woodland, while the northern part is a "papyrus swamp." The Laikipia Escarpment rises over 3,000 feet from the eastern shore of the lake, providing a dramatic backdrop for the thousands of flamingos, pelicans and many other species of water birds. On the western shore, natural hot springs spout fountains of boiling water over ten feet in the air. The hot springs and baths also provide a natural spa for the visitors. You can camp along the shore and explore the beauty of the park by walking or cycling.
