Better to see something once by visiting Kenya for a lion safari than hearing stories about this country a thousand times. Kenya is one of the African countries known for having a great number of lions, whom many call leaders, not followers because they are ever at the front line in the bush overthrowing the giants, weak, and small. These species can be spotted in the following National Parks:
- Lake Nakuru National Park
The National Park was formed around the saline lake called Lake Nakuru, lying in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa and famously known for the tall, large-beaked flamingo birds, which station at the shores as fragrant flowers drinking water and trapping fish with their upside-down beaks. Other animal species include giraffes, leopards, tigers, snakes, crocodiles, antelopes, lions, to mention but a few. Tourists sail on bubbling oceans with waves to come and see lions and also participate in the activities arranged by the park, such as picnics; these are usually done early in the morning and late afternoons and involve packing food, drinks, picnic baskets, picnic blankets, portable picnic tables, plates, glasses, and are done as a group at any place in the National Park if at all it is favorable.
Nature walk and bird watching; tourists move in the park while viewing different flying bird species and also moving animals.
The entry fee at the park for adult citizens is 860 KSh, and children pay 215 KSh, while non-residents pay 60 US$, and children pay 35 US$. Road and air transport are used to reach the National Park, though air transport is considered the fastest but expensive, yet road transport is slow but flexible and cheap. Accommodations where visitors rest include Lake Nakuru Lodge, The Cliff Nakuru, Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge, Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge, Flamingo Tented Camp, Sarova Woodland Hotel and Spa, Kambi Amani Eco Camp, Top Cliff Lodge, and many others.
- Masai Mara National Reserve
This National Reserve is mystic; it’s a photographer’s paradise, a hunter’s Valhalla, and a center of gravity for the Masai people (these people are the natives of the land) with animal species such as tigers, leopards, giraffes, zebras, elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, antelopes, snakes, crocodiles, lions, and many others. If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together, hold a friend’s hand to experience perfume-washed air, just like polarized glass doors that embrace you into luxury hotels such as Sand River Masai Mara, Olare Mara Kempinski Masai Mara, Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Mara River Lodge. The midrange hotels include Tayari Luxury Tented Camp, Endeem Mara Resort, Castel Mara, Mara Serena Safari Lodge. The humble hotels include Hampton Inn Houston, Oyo Hotel Houston, Ramada, and many others with an entry fee of 70 USD for adults (24 hours) and 20 USD for children under the age of 12 years. If you decide to have accommodation outside the reserve, the fee increases to 80 USD for adults (24 hours), and children pay 45 USD (24 hours). Road and air transport are the recommended means of transport to the park, whereby you either use a safari vehicle or a plane depending on the budget you’ve bought. The best services will be given unto you. Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body but also doing activities that relax the brains, such as camping at Masai Mara with your loved ones; this takes away all the stress and brings back the lost joy because it involves eating, drinking, conversing about different aspects of life, and many others. Though advised when at the campsite, you should not leave your friends and roam in the jungle alone (animals are all over the place, and so they may feast on you). Don’t urinate near the site because there are animals that track the irritating smell of urine. Make sure you urinate at a distance far away from the camping site.
Interaction with the Masai people: Social media is an amazing tool, but it’s really the face-to-face interaction that makes a long-term impact because you get well-detailed information. Tourists get time and ask different questions about the Masai land (hunting lions was their initiation rite, but they no longer do it), and the Reserve also enjoy seeing their primitive dressing code, dances, and listening to their songs.
Nairobi National Park
This park is named after the lovable Nairobi city with diversity and endless possibilities. Tourists come to the park to see carnivores (survive on meat), herbivores (feed cannibals and also disturb the vegetation to survive), reptiles (some feed on grass, and others on flesh), primates like monkeys, baboons, gorillas, and many others. Nairobi National Park is blessed with Nairobi River where animals drink water from to quench their thirst, with accommodations such as Ololo Safari Lodge, The Emakoko, Red Buffalo Hotel, Game View Hotel, Nyati Hill Cottages, and many others.
Activities done at the park include:
- Game drives, which are either done very early in the morning or in the late afternoons when animals are going to their respective shelters to have some rest.
- Hot air balloon safari: The tourists glimpse at the goldish-colored lights of Nairobi city at night and the National Park’s landscape during the day.
- Nature walk: Moving enhances the body’s systems, so tourists walk throughout the park due to the love for adventure. This is common with the youth, while trackers move around for research and are normally sent by the wildlife government organizations.
Traveling to the park requires you to pay a fee of 400 KSh for citizens (adults), 215 KSh for children. Non-residents pay 35 US$ for adults, and children pay 20 US$. The best way to reach Nairobi National Park is by road transport, as the park is not that far from the city, so there is no need for using air transport. You can use the arranged safari 4×4 vehicle or board a bus using Matatu Route Number 24.
The best time to spot lions in Kenya is during dry seasons when the National Park hardly receives rain, so animals scatter all over the park, making it easy to see any animal of your choice, such as lions, birds, and primates, to mention but a few. Waterholes also collect numerous genera, big, small, and weak, so lions’ eyes are always searching for the best hiding place to catch the slower animals that cannot run very fast. The early birds get to see the warm morning, and different National parks arrange morning and afternoon game drives after studying about lions, encouraging you to wake up early to see what you came to witness at the park. The parks also favor tourists who cannot wake up very early in the morning; they have the afternoon shift when animals are on their way back home (they move in big numbers).
Any traveler coming to Kenya for a lion safari is recommended to pack the following:
- Light, long-sleeved shirts: These protect your skin from bugs and the sun. Light clothes don’t absorb heat, keeping the tourists cool. Remember Africa is a hot continent, so one ought to mind what he or she puts on (black absorbs heat, and white reflects light).
- Jeans and warm pants: These give a tourist enough warmth, especially when it rains or during the night hours. Brown-colored jeans are recommended since they do not get dirty easily and don’t attract insects.
- Broad-rimmed hats and sunglasses: These shield the guest from the sun (eyes from the bright rays of the sun).
- Waterproof boots: Some National parks have muddy areas, so these shoes prevent dirty water from penetrating inside your shoes and also prevent discomfort.
The only way you can enter the country is by possessing a visa, which can be processed online, where tourists can get an East African visa that takes you to African countries such as Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda. The multiple-entry visa costs 10 USD, with a 100 USD application fee and card handling fee, which takes a few business days to complete. The following are required:
- Original passport with six months remaining validity.
- Blank visa pages.
- Photocopy of the passport data page. During processing, a digital finger scanner collects images of all 10 digits and takes a digital photo.
A budget Kenya Safari includes:
- 4 Days, 3 Nights Tsavo East-Tsavo West-Amboseli National Park (involves visiting massive, dangerous crowds of giant beasts).
- 7 days Masai Mara (This takes you to Masai Mara National Park, then Serengeti National Park in Tanzania).
- 6-Day Masai Mara-Lake Nakuru-Amboseli Migration Safari Tour (You commence from Nairobi, Masai Mara National Park, Lake Nakuru National Park, and then finally to Amboseli National Park while viewing mountains and vegetation).
- 13 Days Kenya and Tanzania Group joining (travel to Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Arusha, to mention but a few, mostly done with friends, families, or workmates).
Luxury Safari in Kenya includes:
- 3 Day Luxury Fly-in Safari – Masai Mara National Reserve.
- 5-Day Best of Kenya Luxury Tour from Nairobi.
- 6 Day Luxury Adventure in Kenya.
Adventure is out there. If you let yourself sing the right lyrics of different National parks in Kenya, you will indeed sing the song with a happy ending.
