Meru National Park

Brilliant on a magnificent scale, the Meru and Kora sister parks feature luxuriant jungle, coursing rivers, verdant swamp, khaki grasslands and gaunt termite cathedrals all under the sky’s great blue bowl. Little visited and utterly unspoilt, few places are comparable to the remote and rugged atmosphere found here. Visitors can see Grevy’s zebras, elephants, Bohor reedbucks, hartebeests, pythons, puff adders, cobras, buffalos and more than 427 recorded species of birds.

The park has 13 rivers and a myriad of mountain streams that feed into the Tana river. Hundreds of bird species have made the park their home – among them the Pel’s Fishing Owl which can be heard hunting at night by the river and the rare Peter’s Finfoot. Being extremely secretive these duck-like birds are usually spotted hugging the tree-sheltered water’s edge. Keen birdwatchers should also keep their eyes peeled for the relatively rare Palm-Nut Vulture which feeds on a mixture of carrion and, not surprisingly, palm nuts.

Mammals inhabiting the park include leopard, cheetah, elephant, lion, both Grevy’s and plains zebra, hartebeest, hippo, reticulated giraffe and some decent sized herds of buffalo. The big cats can sometimes be difficult to spot due to areas of tall grass cover and dense bushland.

The Meru National Park has a chequered history and fared terribly during the late 1980’s when poaching became rife and the entire white rhino population which had been introduced into the park was annihilated. The Kenyan government responded decisively and drove out the poachers and restored strong security. Although tourist numbers are still down on the pre-poaching era, wildlife numbers are encouragingly on the increase. The Kenyan Wildlife Service relocated elephants from the Laikipia plateau to Meru in 2001. This success led to the relocation of a number of other species during that decade and you can now see both black and white rhino as well as healthy herds of reedbuck.

Meru became more famous after the worldwide release of the 1966 film ‘Born Free’ which charted the story of a hand-reared orphan lioness named “Elsa” by animal conservationist Joy Adamson. (George, Joy’s husband, had been forced into shooting Elsa’s mother after she attacked him). When Elsa eventually died, Joy buried her and  herself buried at the same site – Adamson’s Falls – next to the Tana river. A small plaque marks the grave among the often abstract shaped weathered granite blocks that have been formed by the waters.

Attractions

Attractions, also called local, tourist or visitor attractions comprise of the seedos, things that visitors see and what visitors do (activities at the destination). The things to see, attractions, or items of eye appeal and or excits our hearts, that which attracts the attention of our eyes like beautiful scenery, mountains, rivers, sea, ocean, beaches, the culture i.e. events, architecture, wildlife and many more. Culture, a people way of life, what they wear, how they build, their religion and beliefs. The components of culture are history, architecture, religion, dress, beliefs, conservation, literature, music, language, dance songs and singing, taboos and customs, arts and crafts, leisure and recreation, literature food and eating habits, events, ceremonies, governance and politics, social justice, economy.

What are tourist Activities

Activities comprise of what the local people, tourist or visitors do at the destination. This comprise of economic, political, leisure, recreational, religious activities that take place at the destination. Economic activities comprise all that people do for living. Events comprise of cultural, political and religious events, conferences, meetings, festivals, sports, athletics etc.

Leisure is what people do during their free time- physical and recreational activities undertaken for relaxation of body and mind like jogging, reading, sporting activities like swimming, fishing, sunbating, canoeing, kayaking, yachting, bird watching, star gazing, diving, sky-diving, skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, trekking, animal tracking, game viewing, roadtrips, rallying, cinema, dancing, music, singing,yoga, karate, football, volleyball,