Kenya Nature Reserves

Kakamega Forest is situated in Western Province Kenya, north-west of the capital Nairobi, and near to the border with Uganda. It is said to be Kenya's last remnant of the ancient Guineo-Congolian rainforest that once spanned the continent. Including reserves, the forest encloses about 230 square kilometres, a little less than half of which currently remains as indigenous forest. There are numerous grassy clearings and glades. Large mammals are rare. Part of the forest also contain unique and rich highland ecosystems, but generally the fauna and flora of the Forest have not been comprehensively studied by science. The climate is very wet with over two metres of rain annually. The rainy seasons are April-to-May and August-to-September. In the north of the Forest is the 4,468 hectares (45 km2; 17 sq mi) Kakamega National Reserve The local inhabitants are the Luhya people, who rely on the forest to supply most of their needs. Source Wikipedia.org

Kisite Mpunguti National Marine Park’s star attractions include dolphins, coral gardens, fabulous snorkeling, diving and bird watching. The stunning sandy beach is good for environmentally friendly recreational activities. The ecosystem covers a marine area with four small islands surrounded by coral reef. Kisite Island itself is covered in low grass and herbs while the Mpunguti Islands feature dense coastal equatorial forest. Significant numbers of rare crab-plovers and roseate terns migrate from Europe to nest here. Tropical reef fish include large schools of pelagic fish, butterfly, parrot, rockcod and angel fish. Manta rays, turtles, dolphins and reef sharks are frequently seen.

One of Kenya’s biggest and most popular parks, Tsavo East National Park is home to a prolific diversity of wildlife, and is a hot spot for global biodiversity. In operation since 1948, it is also one of the oldest parks. The park is named for the Tsavo River, which flows through it from west to east. It borders the Chyulu Hills National Park, and the Mkomazi Game Reserve in Tanzania. Its fame is largely due to the numerous animals that can be seen, particularly the legendary ‘Big 5' – ‘Masai’ lion, black rhino, Cape buffalo, great herds of elephant and leopard along with antelope, hippos, eland, giraffe and plentiful birdlife. The central section of the park has countless rock paintings in caves.