Life & Work

Tourist attractions off the beaten path

WASINI3

Dolphins at Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park near Wasini Island (left) and Elsas Kopje at the Meru National Park (right). PHOTOS | COURTESY

From the charming coastline, lengthy plains, volcanic mountains and the Great Rift Valley to the climate that favours an array of economic activities, Kenya offers a lot to tourists.

But there are lesser-known national parks scattered across the country that offer domestic tourists a new experience aside from the beaches and the ‘Big Five.’

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has created a database of interesting places to visit and the Ministry of Tourism in partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) through the Tembea Kenya initiative.

A worrying trend captured by the 2016 Economic Survey shows the number of visitors to national parks and game reserves declined by 10.8 per cent to just under two million in 2015.

Instead of flocking the crowded estate recreational centres on weekends, why not go see zebra fish, sea birds, sharks, whales and swim with dolphins; something fun with your family or friends. Spend on a new experience by exploring different parts the country.

Paul Udoto, the KWS spokesperson says that the park rates have been subsidised to woo domestic tourists.

“We aim to get more Kenyans to visit these little-known national parks that do not attract foreign tourists by significantly lowering the gate fee,” he said.

Restocking of wildlife in the small parks is also ongoing.

“The government has also tarmacked roads like the Marsabit Road to open up the northern circuit as a way of encouraging people to visit the national park and its neighbouring region,” Mr Udoto said.

BDLife has compiled a list of the less-visited national parks and reserves from the scorching North to the breathtaking Coast that might be a gem for your travel diary.

Marine National Parks and Reserves

When you think about wildlife, hardly do you imagine taking a vacation to see the rare green turtles, dolphins, whales, dudongs and a variety of unique colourful fish.

Malindi National Park

It was the first marine park in Africa and its natural beauty is unexploited.

The park is located within Malindi town can be accessed by road or via the airport.

Snorkelling enthusiasts can have a field day exploring the coral gardens in the lagoons or swimming with the zebra fish. If you are not a fun of going under water, you can go for boat rides with the glass bottoms to get a spectacular undersea view.

Malindi park is one of the two places in Kenya where a person can swim with dolphins.

Visit the reserve early in the morning when the sea is calm for dolphin sightings and go snorkelling to enjoy the beautiful marine life like fringing reefs, coral gardens in the lagoons, sea grass beds, mangroves and mudflats.

Watamu Marine National Park and Reserve

It is one of Kenya’s hidden gems. The park and reserve plays host to over 100 species of birds, among them the White-Browned Coucal and the Speckled MouseBird.

It has beautiful marine life including green turtles, dudongs and a variety of rare, colourful fish.

Take a break and visit the park where you can enjoy glass-bottom boat rides, snorkelling, water skiing, wind-surfing and sunbathing. With the close proximity, you can visit, Watamu and Malindi marine parks on the same day.

Be sure to catch a glimpse of the Mida creek and enjoy the beauty of the diverse varieties of butterflies at the Kipepeo project, as well as learn some history at Gede ruins.

Mombasa Marine National Park and Reserve

It is located between Mtwapa and Tudor Creeks. It is larger than the Watamu Marine Park and boasts a variety of marine life that includes crabs, corals like Acropora, Turbinaria and Porites. There are also sea urchins, jellyfish, sea stars and sea cucumbers.

The advantage of visiting this marine park is it gives you a chance to mix sightseeing with water sports.

Visitors at the Mombasa Marine Park can also enjoy diving, snorkelling, water skiing and wind surfing.

Serena, Severin and Travellers are among the hotels in close proximity to the tourist site. For camping lovers, you can hire a tent and save the costs of staying in a hotel.

Kisite Mpunguti National Park and Reserve

This is the other site where one can swim with the dolphins in Kenya. It lies in the coral gardens south of Wasini Island in Shimoni and is regarded as a perfect snorkelling location as there is plenty of marine life to see. It is located in Kwale and can only be accessed through a boat.

The site has over 250 recorded fish species, 70 resident spinner humpback and bottle-nosed dolphins, 56 types of corals, sea grass and gastropods. Whales can be traced between July and December. The park plays host to green and hawksbill turtles.

Kiunga Marine National Park and Reserve

Located in Lamu, this park is home to a variety of fish including the colourful reef species, the Olive Ridley and the leatherback turtles. Like other marine parks it is open for activities ranging from snorkelling, water skiing and diving to wind surfing.

National parks and Reserves

Maasai Mara, Aberdare, Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli, Nairobi National Parks
These remain the most talked about and most visited parks yet they only have just a quarter of the wild animal reserves in the country.

Other national parks that you can visit include:

Bisanadi National Reserve: This is located in the north of Meru National Park and it is home to lions, elephants, cheetahs, rhinos and buffaloes. The park is accessible all year round and is a good location for fishing and boating on the River Tana and Rojewero.

South Island and Central Island National Parks are UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in Turkana. The parks are a perfect destination for people yearning for road adventures.

The park is also accessible by air through airstrips in Loiyangalani in Turkana. This is a hidden gem for bird watchers as it hosts more than 34 species.

There are also flamingos staying in the crater lakes and a number of fish species.

The park also plays host to plain and grevy zebra, topi, oryx, reticulated giraffe, greater kudu and Grant’s gazelle. The parks have a large concentration of crocodiles which breed on the shores of the island’s crater lakes between April and May.

Visitors can pitch tent at the Game Trackers campsite or stay at the Oasis Lodge, Malabo Resort, Lobolo Tented Camp, Koobi Fora, Sunset Strip and Palm Shade campsites.

Ndere National Park: It has more than 100 species of birds among them the African fish eagles, black-headed gonoleks and grey-headed kingfishers. It is also home to the rare sitatunga antelopes, hippopotamus, impalas, water bucks and zebras. The park also offers a scenic views of Homa hills, Mageta Island and Kampala.

Lake Simbi National Sanctuary: It is located near Kendu Bay town in Homa Bay and is home to a number of birds including flamingoes, little grebes and egrets and Egyptian geese. It is an iconic attraction for bird watchers.

Marsabit National Park and Reserve: It is nestled in the north of Kenya and is home to elephants, buffaloes, Kudus, hyenas, Grevy’s zebras, Kirk’s dik-diks, reticulated giraffes, lions, ostriches, leopards and baboons. It is also home to a number of reptiles. It is ideal for camel safaris, hiking in the dense forest and bird watching. The park can be accessed through roads and air.

Mt Elgon National Park: It is located in Western Kenya and one of its main attraction are the caves formed from ancient lava tubes. Elephants, bushbucks, red duikers, grey duikers and buffaloes are some of the animals that can be spotted within the park, which is accessible by road or through Eldoret Airport.

Sibiloi National Park: It is located on the shores of Lake Turkana. It is home to more than 350 bird species and other wildlife such as zebras, Grant gazelles, lions, leopards, stripped hyenas, Beisa Oryx, greater kudu, cheetahs and the northern topi. Besides game viewing, tourists can enjoy archeological safaris, bird watching, camping and fishing.

Mwea National Park: The park is home to elephants, rothschild giraffes, zebras, kudus, buffaloes, water bucks, bush bucks, impalas, vervet monkeys, aardvarks, yellow baboons, grants gazelles, dik diks, cape hares, warthogs, black backed jackals, duiker, sykes monkeys, genet cat, slender mongooses, stripped ground squirrels, dwarf mongooses, crested porcupines, rock hyraxes, tree tyraxes and tortoises.

Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park which is located Seven kilometres off Garissa Road is home to a variety of wildlife that include buffaloes, baboons and birds. The park is perfect for hiking and camping.

Nasolot National Reserve located north of Mt Melo in West Pokot is a good hiking, camping and fishing.

Ondago Swamp National Reserve is a wetland under Kendu Bay council and home to more than 22 species of birds.

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