Meru and Kora National Park

The Meru National Park is situated 348 km (215 miles) from Nairobi, Kora is a further 35 km east of Meru. Meru park occupies 870 sq. km while as Kora occupies 1,787 sq km. Meru National park is located in Meru county and Kora in Tana River County. Few places offer a more genuine wilderness ambience than the remote and rugged Meru and Kora National Parks. Little visited, utterly unspoilt and easily the most geographically diverse Parks in Kenya, they are the favourites of safari professionals and wildlife experts alike. Brilliantly painted on a magnificent scale, these sister Parks feature luxuriant jungle, coursing rivers, verdant swamp, khaki grasslands, gaunt termite cathedrals and an ever-evolving dance between clouds and sky. The two present superb wildlife viewing opportunities. Straddling the equator, Meru park is bisected by 13 rivers and numerous mountain fed streams, making it a green paradise compared to the dry savannah of Kenya’s other parks. It boasts diverse scenery from woodlands to wide open plains, meandering riverbanks, a landscape dotted by kopjes and rich volcanic soil deposits. This is the wilderness into which George and Joy Adamson released Elsa the lioness of which the film “Born Free” was based on. Wildlife includes: buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, zebra, rhino, giraffe, hippo, lesser kudu, oryx, gerenuk, hartebeest and gazelle. And reptiles such as python, puff adder and cobra.
The several activities in and around the park include picnics and sundowners, camping, fishing, nature walks, bird watching, Elsa grave, rhino sanctuary, scenic safaris, game viewing, cultural centres, Pippa’s grave, Adamson Falls and Mt Kenya.
The Parks are part of the semi-arid zone and have irregular rainfall. The wet seasons are April-June and November-December. The tall grass and rich swamps here are a result of plentiful rain during the wet season. Average daytime temperature is 32°C/90°F. The heaviest rains bring in yearly amounts of about 762mm (30 in) in the park’s western areas. The parks are open all year, but the best wildlife viewing is during the dry season from June to September.