Meru National Park

Meru National Park in Kenya became famous as the original home of Elsa. the orphaned lioness. George and Joy Adamson reared this lion cub and later re-introduced her in to the Kenyan wilderness. You may remember the film "Born Free"?

However Meru National Park has much more to offer than just its famous offspring. Its sheer untouched wilderness is the main attraction. Visitors often bypass it as they swarm to the popular Masai Mara, But Elsa’s descendants still hunt the plentiful plains game, whilst bush babies and hyrax live on Mughwango Hill.

Meru National Park has fantastic scenery with great views of Mount Kenya. Parts are quite arid with Doum palms and Baobab trees. But its 13 rivers allow for thriving riverine habitats as well.

The sheer size of the Rhino Sanctuary within the Meru means that there is still an element of tracking the rhino. It protects approx 45 white rhino and 20 black rhino from the ever-present risk of poaching.

The summer rainfall leads to tall grasses in summer, making game-viewing much easier in the dry season when the grass is shorter. This is the time that the migrating elephants return to the park.

We recommend the multi-award winning, romantic Elsa’s Kopje lodge which overlooks the savanna plains, or Offbeat Meru Camp for a more modest Meru lodge.

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