Meru

Meru National Park is a beautiful, wild and little visited park on the equator near Mount Kenya. It is part of a vast 4,000 sq kilometre conservation area along the Tana River, encompassing Meru and Kora National Parks and the adjacent National Reserves of Bisanadi and Mwingi.

This little visited and utterly unspoiled, National Park remains a hidden gem well worth discovering. Meru suffered heavy poaching in the 70s and 80s but has been saved through the work of the Kenya Wildlife Service and dedicated team of rangers and law enforcement resulting in the park now being home to big game once more.

Meru National Park is one of the least visited parks in Kenya, so visitors often feel they have this beautiful place all to themselves. The park boasts enormous diversity of habitat and a wealth of wildlife. Spot the hippos in the Meru’s spring-fed rivers and encounter the big cats on the park’s savannahs. There is also some spectacular bird life, and although it's still building on its numbers of big game, Meru is the perfect off the beaten track destination and a lovely place to spend a few days.

Did you know?

• The area was made famous by conservationists George and Joy Adamson with their bestselling book and subsequent award-winning movie, Born Free. Visitors can even pay homage to Elsa and Joy’s shared resting place in the park.
• Rhino were recently reintroduced, and a great number of other species including Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, leopard, gerenuk and lesser kudu, are thriving.
• Meru is the only National Park where you are allowed to walk and go on night drives.
• You can go fishing for catfish and certain types of barbell in Meru.
• Meru rhino sancturary has around 40 white and 20 black rhino.
• Some of the largest herds of buffalo can be found here.