Tsavo East National Park South Kitui National Reserve Tsavo West National Park Chyulu Hills National Park Amboseli National Park

Tsavo-East is recommended for photographers with its fabulous light and fantastic views, especially the Mudanda Rock and the Yatta Plateau, the world's largest lava flow. Lugard Falls on the Galana River are remarkable for the shaped water-worn rocks. Game includes: elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, crocodile, waterbuck, kudu, gerenuk and zebra. Aruba hunter's hartebeest, with its lyre-shaped horns, can also be seen. Home to some of the largest herds in Kenya, the elephants glow red after dust baths, blowing the vivid red dust through their trunks over their bodies.

About 500 bird species have been recorded including ostrich, some migratory kestrels and buzzards which stop at Tsavo-East during their long flight south.

Accommodation: one lodge with 104 beds, four tented camps (total 92 beds), two campsites (total 36 beds), one self-help banda site with 12 beds and nine campsites. More lodges and tented camps are planned.

To the north is South Kitui National Reserve, 1833 sq. km., opened in September 1979. It is particularly noted for primates.

Tsavo West National Park

Fact File Altitude 500 - 6000ft. Area 9,065 sq. kms. Distance from Nairobi 240 kms. Opened April 1948 Cave & Geological exploration: shetani lava flow & caves Excellent birdwatching over 600 species Game: elephant, rhino sanctuary Mzima springs - Underwater hippo watching Excellent views of Mount Kilimanjaro

"Full of wild beasts, such as rhinoceros, buffaloes and elephants" from a missionary's diary written in 1848.

Later in 1900 the notorious "Man Eaters of Tsavo", man-eating lions preyed on linesmen building the great Uganda Railway in 1900. The carriage from which they pulled a traveller is on display at the Nairobi Railway Museum. Tsavo-West has important historic connections as a major battleground in World War I where British and German troops battled for supremacy.

The park, located off the main Nairobi-Mombasa road is easily accessible. It offers tremendous views with diverse habitats ranging from mountains, river forests, plains, lakes and wooded grassland. It borders the southern Serengeti plains in Tanzania. Game include: leopard, cheetah, buffalo, rhino, elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion, plains game, crocodile and small mammals including mongoose, hyrax, dik dik and the nocturnal porcupine.

It is an excellent park for visitors who enjoy walking, offering a number of nature trails and the opportunity to explore the Chaimu volcanic crater. Guides are available.

Mzima Springs is a star attraction, a pool of natural spring water with underwater viewing hides for observing hippos.

Accommodation: there lodges inside the park (total 276 beds), four tented lodges (total 154 beds), three public campsites and one special campsite (advance booking required) and three self-help banda sites (total 72 beds).

Chyulu Hills National Park is an extension of Tsavo-West National Park. It was opened in January 1983 to protect its unique habitat and role as a vital water catchment area. The Chyulus are a volcanic mountain range with a mix of volcanic cones and barren lava flows, of which the most interesting is Shetani, meaning "Devil" in Kiswahili. Game include: buffalo, zebra, giraffe, oryx, lion, leopard and many bird and plant species.

The park offers a number of activities: horse riding, hiking, camping, archaeological and geological safaris with caves to explore and fantastic views across the Amboseli and Tsavo plains. There is one small tented lodge with eight beds.

Amboseli National Park

Fact File Altitude 3,900 - 4,500ft Area 392 sq. ft. Distance from Nairobi 135 kms. Airstrip Opened April 1948 International bio - sphere reserve Unrivalled views of Mounts Kilimanjaro & Meru Contemporary Maasai Culture Excellent Elephant & bird viewing Year round springs & waterholes

Amboseli is a place of stark contrast. Meaning "A place of water" in maa, language of the Maasai. Amboseli, despite its sometimes dry and dusty appearance, has an endless water supply filtered through thousands of feet of volcanic rock from Kilimanjaro's snow melt. These underground streams converge into two clear water springs in the heart of the park.

The endemic dust is volcanic ash which spewed from Kilimanjaro a millennia ago. During dry seasons a curious feature is the shimmering dry lake bed where false mirages of populated horizons, punctuated by real herds of zebra and gnu (wildebeest) hover in front of visitors. The principal attraction at Amboseli is its vast herds of elephants. The bulls have some of the largest tusks in Kenya. There are zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala and leopard, caracal and serval cat can be seen. Birdwatchers can see pelicans, bee-eaters, kingfishers, African fish eagle, martial eagle and pygmy falcon.

Amboseli is an important rangeland in Maasai culture. The ranch areas outside the park offer a wealth of gameviewing and walking safaris.

The Kenya Wildlife Community Service works closely with local elders to develop ecotourism attractions which benefit indigenous communities and protect this fragile eco-system.

One of the most popular parks in Kenya, Amboseli offers a wide range of accommodation. There are four lodges inside the park (total 602 beds) and two campsites, and the Ol Tukai self-help bandas, built as the film set for the "Snows Kilimanjaro". There are a number of small tented lodges just outside the park (total 72 beds).