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Meru
National Park, Kenya
Adventure Africa Holidays is a specialist tour operator with
its office headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya but operating
throughout East Africa. We offer Safaris to Meru National Park, Kenya Meru National Reserve, Kenya Meru Park, Meru Safaris, Meru Park Kenya.
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Meru
National Park, Kenya
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Meru
National Park Background Information:
Meru is a savanna National Park, 35km east of Maua
town in the north eastern lowlands below the Nyambeni
hills. Meru is part of a complex of protected areas
along the Tana river that includes the adjacent
Bisanadi and Mwingi National Reserves (to the east and
south respectively), Kora national park and Rahole
national reserve. The wetter North Western sector is
hilly, with rich volcanic soils. The land flattens
towards the East, where grey alluvial volcanic soils
appear.
The area is crossed by numerous permanent streams,
draining from the Nyambenes and flowing in parallel
between tounges of lava, south eastwards towards the
Tana River. As well as the many streams that cross it,
the park is bounded by three large rivers: the Tana to
the South, the Ura to the South West and the Rojeweru
to the East. There are several prominent inselbergs of
basement rock, notably Mughwango and Leopard rock.
A section of the park has been designated as a
wilderness area in which are no roads. The park is
part of the domain made famous by the writings of Joy
Adamson.
Meru
National Park
Location:
East-north-east of Mount Kenya in Meru District of
Eastern Province, coverig 870km2.
Meru
National Park
Climate:
Rainfall is 635-762mm in the west and 305-356mm in the
east.
How To Get To
Meru
National Park
Roads:
Access from Nairobi (348 kms) is via
Nyeri-Nanyuki-Meru or via Embu all weather roads.
Access into the park from Maua to Murera Gate (35 km)
and 348 km from Nairobi. The other access is via Embu
to Ura Gate (120 km), 290 km from Nairobi-
inaccessible at the moment
Airstrips:
Main airstrip at Kina, Mulika next to Meru Mulika
Lodge and Elsa's Kopje airstrip
Meru
National Park
Roads:
The road network in the park has recently been
upgraded. However due to the nature of soil, some
roads are easily destroyed by vehicles during the
rains.
Meru
National Park
Gates:
Murera Gate and Ura Gate.
Meru
National Park Major Attractions:
-Former home of Joy and George Adamson and Elsa the
lioness,
-Views of Mt Kenya,
-Rivers and riverine habitats,
-Tana river and
-Adamson's Falls.
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Facilities at
Meru
National Park:
Special Campsites:
(no facilities, prior booking with Kshs. 5000 needed).
Kampi Baridi; Kitanga; Makutano; Rojoweru; Mugunga;
Ken Mare and Kanjoo.
Public campsite:
(with toilets and showers). Bwatherongi.
Activities at
Meru
National Park:
-Game viewing.
- -Sighseeing
Common Vegetation at Meru
National Park:
Most of the park is covered by bush, thornbush and
wooded grassland of varying densities with Combretum
prevailing in the north and Commiphora in the south.
In the extreme north there is a small remnant outliner
of rain forest, the Ngaia forest.
The vegetation on the ridges is Combretum wooded
grassland, dominated by Combretum apiculatum. This
grades into acacia wooded grassland to the east with
Acacia tortilis and Acacia senegal on the rocky
ridges, in riverine thickets and dotted over open
country. To the west the Combretum merges into
Terminalia wooded grasslands.
On the plains Sehima nervosa, Chloris gayana, Chloris
roxburghiana, and other species of Pennisetum are the
dominant grasses.
Dense riverine forests of doum and raffia palms
Hyphaene and Raphia spp. grow along the watercourses
and in the swamps near the rivers. Along the Tana
river is found the Tana river poplar, Populus
ilicifolia. Other riverine trees include Phoenix
reclinata, Ficus sycomorus, Newtonia hildebrandtii,
Acacia elatior and Acacia robusta. The red-flowered
Parasitic Loranthus grows on the branches of Acacia
reficiens trees along the rivers.
There are numerous riverine swamps with sedges Cyprus
sp. and grasses Echinochloa haplacelada and Pennisetum
mezianum.
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Source: Kenya Wildlife Service.
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