One of Kenya’s least visited safari areas Meru National Park is one of our favourites. The park is famous for being part of the “Born Free” story, this was the final destination for their hand reared Lioness Elsa. The area has had a chequered history being ravaged by poaching until international pressure helped the Kenyan Government see the positives in turning the fate of this wilderness area around. Meru is a very raw feeling place and with few good accommodation options and only a limited number of visitors each year it is somewhere that we strongly suggest considering in a multi-stop Kenya safari.
With a series of small rivers and predominantly low but dense bush with some grasslands is perfect for many species to survive and it is only the difficulty of traversing such terrain that has probably saved so much of the wildlife in the past. Today game viewing is up there with some of the best parks in Africa and on top of that it is a big 5 wilderness area, which, with many of the places to see the big 5 now being private reserves or similar makes it a very special place.
Overall Meru offers a really authentic and classic safari and while the wildlife numbers are not quite as high as the Masaai Mara the experience here is reminiscent of what it would have been like to be in the Mara before mass tourism to the continent.
Meru is a year round park with some interesting contrasts between the dry season and the rainy seasons, however, as with other parts of the country the game viewing is best when the ground is dry and wildlife is reliant on permanent water sources from June – October and December – March.
Accessing Meru is easy by light aircraft from Nairobi or the Masa Mara, with relatively short transfers to the properties of one to three hours depending on where you are staying and what you see on the way.
Safari in Meru is mainly focused on game driving with some walking available at certain times of the year. The bush, low density of camps and lack of visitors make this an excellent authentic safari experience.
Top Meru camps
Offbeat Meru
Meru, Kenya
Perfect for a true safari experience, focused on the wildlife and being out in the wilderness with simple yet comfortable classic tented camp experience.
Elsa’s Kopje
Meru, Kenya
Perfect for a true East Africa romantic experience; lovely cottages, great views and some very special game viewing in the surround areas.