Meru National Park, Kenya is a must tour destination if you are planning a Kenya safaris holidays. It is over 320 kms from Nairobi, on the slopes of the Nyambeni Mountain range to the north east of Mount Kenya at an altitude of between 1000-3400 Ft and has an area of over 850 sq Kms. It has been in existence since 1968 and became famous as the home of George & Joy Adamson and Elsa the Lioness, whose grave is marked here, who lived in the Kora National Reserve, which along with the Bisanadi, Rahole & Mwingi National Reserves are associated with Meru.
Meru National Park, Kenya is a great place to go for a Safari Holiday in Kenya because not only is it wild, beautiful and relatively uncrowded, because it is the least toured of Kenya's larger Parks, but it also has a good cross section of game to view. This is brought about firstly by the position of Meru which lies across the Equator, and is split by thirteen rivers and many mountain streams, which branch out from the Tana River at the southern border. A section of the Meru National Park has been designated as a wilderness area, and so there are no roads there, although the rest of the park has decent access roads and tracks, which deteriorate quite dramatically in the rains. The game you should expect to see will include large prides of lion, elephant, cheetah, leopard, and Lesser Kudu duiker and Dik Dik antelopes.
You may also see some of the largest herds of buffalo in Kenya, with a lot of hippo and crocodile in the rivers. Meru National Park, Kenya was one of the areas that suffered most through poaching twenty years ago, but good policing and security patrols have driven out the poachers. There are believed to be over 300 different species of birds here at Meru so if your bird watching safaris in Kenya is primarily one of ornithology then you should be more than happy to see species including Peter's Finfoot, Pel's fishing owl, kingfishers, bee-eaters to name just a few.
The beauty of Meru is that you will not encounter many other tourists when out on a game drive. To get to Meru is a question of driving for around eight hours from Nairobi to Meru town. In all probability you'll need to organize a Kenya Safaris Lodge package, and this would be part of it. If you want to access Kora National Reserve, along with the Bisanadi, Rahole & Mwingi, then this can be difficult and needs organizing in advance. There are three airstrips that you can use to access Meru on your Kenya Safaris Tours.
The times to visit Meru on your Kenya Safari Holiday are definitely the dry months, and the climate is generally hot and dry with an average altitude of around 2000 feet. You'll find the nights are quite pleasantly cool, even a jersey in the evenings!! At Meru you will need to take precautions as it is a malaria area, so wear light long sleeved clothing and long trousers with DEET sprayed on as the most effective insect repellent. You need to sleep under treated mosquito netting, and the doors and windows should be screened against mosquitos. If you are lucky enough to have a fan or even airconditioning then even better, but just remember malaria prophylaxis doesn't totally prevent Malaria, it's best to cover up and spray.
The Meru is probably not the best National Park to visit if this is your first ever Kenya Safari Holiday, but if you have an eye for detail and previous experience then you must not leave it out as part of your next Kenya Safaris Tour. Meru National Park borders Bisanadi National Reserve which is a true wilderness. It is accessible only by 4 wheel-drive vehicles, and it covers a further 606km². The border between the two parks is known as "Kinna" and is the division between the lands of the Meru and Boran tribes.
Meru Camp in Meru National Park, Kenya is a 12 bedded luxury semi-permanent camp situated just outside the Meru National Park in Bisanadi National Reserve. Meru is perhaps less famous than some of Kenya's national parks, but with a wide variety of landscapes including savannah, riverine forest and swamps, it provides guests with excellent game viewing. Set above the pretty Bisanadi River, the camp comprises six large tents, three twins and three doubles, all with ensuite bucket showers, wash basin and flush loos. The spacious tents are furnished with huge beds, solar lighting and the finest linen. There is a large sitting room tent equipped with bar, library, comfy sofas and writing table. The camp has a lovely swimming pool.
Meru County Hotel - The Meru County is a close to the centre of Meru town. By rural Kenya hotels accommodation standards this is a reasonable choice for the traveller. The Meru County Hotel is situated in its own grounds and offers a restaurant, outdoor garden restaurant and a bar. All lodge staff are friendly and do their best to be helpful. This is a clean, safe hotel in Meru offering basic hotel standards which are acceptable to tourists. It is certainly not a luxury tourist hotel by any means but a reasonable, clean and safe base for visitors to Meru town.
Elsa’s Kopje camp is a private hideaway perched on top of Mughwango Hill in the Meru National Park. The Elsa’s Kopje camp Lodge has an open-plan design that incorporates the surrounding rocks into the structure. The dining area, lounge and swimming pool provide ideal venues for relaxing and taking in the spectacular.
Leopard Rock Lodge is a top Kenya Safaris Lodge to stay in on your in Meru Safari you need look no further than Leopard Rock Lodge in the Meru National Park, one of the last great wilderness places in Kenya. Kenya Safari Holidays shouldn't be all about having to put up with basic accommodation when you can have luxury even if it comes at a price. Leopard Rock Lodge is quite unique in that it is where George and Joy Adamson set up their camp, and where they got their famous baby lioness Elsa.
Leopard Rock Lodge is unfenced which means that the wild animals come inside the lodge which means it is unsuitable for small children under the age of seven, but this adds immeasurably to the visitors Kenya Safari Experience. When you take a safari, any safaris, never mind a safari holiday, your choice of lodge or camp accommodation is of the utmost importance. It needs to be very close to water to give you great views of the game in the area when they come to drink. It is also important that there is a good variety of game to view.
Leopard Rock Lodge scores on all these counts.
There is no lack of things to do and see in Meru National Park or Meru town, and all done from the luxury of Leopard Rock Lodge and done in some style, making this possibly the best in Kenya safari holiday you could possibly have.
