Samburu Game Reserve is situated near Isiolo in the north. It is a countryside of fairly dense bush equally thick with game. As well as Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino, Grevy's Zebra and reticulated Giraffe, you can see Leopard, Cheetah, Lesser Kudu, Eland, Oryx, Generuk, Dikdik, Impala, Gazelle and Waterbuck. Among the myriad birds are the Pygmy Falcons, Goshawks and Sparrow weavers. One can find superb accommodation at the Samburu Game Lodge and the Samburu River Lodge. Samburu Game Reserve covers 165 Sq. Kms in area.

The Tsavo National Park is roughly kidney shaped and its 7,930 Sq. Miles (20,812 Sq. Kms) are bisected in the middle by the Mombasa road. For administrative convenience, the part north-east of the road is called Tsavo East with headquarters near Voi and measures 11,747 Sq. Kms and the part southwest of the road is Tsavo West with wardens' offices near Mtito Andei and measures 9,065 Sq. Kms. Overall, this famous park covers a vast section of the 200 miles of thorn scrub, spiked with bulbous trunks of baobab trees, that separate the tropical vegetation of the Coast from the great central plateau of the African continent.

It was the endless thorn scrub here that kept the peoples of the interior remote from western civilisation for so many centuries. Try walking through it as the early missionaries did and you will soon understand. It has various names - the Nyika, which means thorn country, the Nyiri Desert and the Taru desert. Much of the year, it's burnt dry and dusty by the sun. Then overnight the rains transform it into a paradise of convolvulus flowers that burst out white and purple, the grass seed germinates and the bushes are suddenly green. Explorers hated it for the very reason that makes it an attraction today - the game. 'Full of wild beasts, such as Rhinoceros, Buffaloes and Elephants,' the German missionary Rebmann, noted in his diary on May 11, 1848. Indeed it is full, though overgrazing has depleted the vegetation in parts and the Elephant population is now only an estimated 15,000 to 20,000. They are fairly accustomed to cars now, but if you meet one on the road, drive cautiously.

Tsavo's lions are noted for their ferocity. J.H. Peterson's book, The Man Eaters Of Tsavo, describes how they obstructed the building of the railway in the 1900s by the simple expedient of eating the linesmen. Nowadays they seem to prefer the Eland, Kongoni, Klipsringer, Kudu, Reedbuck, Waterbuck and Burchell's Zebra which also inhabit the park. Humans are also an acquired taste, like Pernod or sauerkraut.

In Tsavo west, which is rather hillier, the volcanic area where the Mzima Springs and other waters rise attracts most species of game. The springs, 40 km (25 miles) from Mtito Andei, form a series of clear pools. An observation tank in the top pool enables you to watch Hippo and Crocodile from underwater. Other major viewing places are at the Kangethwa Dam, the Kilaguni waterhole and an artificial spring right in front of the Kilaguni Lodge. Other camps and lodges found in Tsavo West are Ngulia Lodge, Taita Hills Lodge, Kitani Lodge, Tsavo Safari Camp, Salt Lick Lodge.

Tsavo East is less hilly with the exception of the dramatic line of the Yatta Plateau which rises almost parallel to the Mombasa road. Beyond this escarpment, to the east, is a seemingly endless expanse of low lying semi-desert, spiked with thorn bushes, most of which you can only visit by special permission of the Park Warden. All roads north of the Galana river, which cuts across Tsavo East, are closed to the public. Lugard Falls and Crocodile Point on the river are worth a visit, though the best places to see animals are unquestionably Mudanda rock and Aruba. The former is a great hump of rusty coloured rock overlooking a huge waterhole making a natural amphitheatre. At the end of an exciting day, you can always relax at the Voi Safari Lodge, the Tsavo Safari Lodge, Aruba Lodge and the famous Crocodile Camp.

Aberdare National Park covers an area of approximately 765.7 Sq. Kms and is the highest game park in the world and boasts of having two very spectacular waterfalls; Karura, dropping 894 ft in three stages and Gura, 791 ft and also in three stages. Especially near the water there are fantastic growth of moss and giant vegetation peculiar to the East African mountains. Grounsel and Lobelias, small plants in Europe, reach 15 ft high here. It is as though one had suddenly been transported to Brobdingnag, the giants' country of Gulliver's Travels. In good weather the park road leads to superb views of the Rift Valley as it descends on the other side of the Aberdares to the Kinangop Plateau and Naivasha. Aberdare National Park is 17 Kms from Nyeri town which is about 2hrs drive from Nairobi.

The wildlife in the Park is mostly shy like the Bongo. There are Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino, Eland, Waterbuck, Reedbuck, Colobus monkey, several Cats, Mountain Buzzard, Crowned Hawk Eagle, Malacite sunbirds, Abyssinian long eared owl and Jackson's Francolin. Citings of Black Leopard have been reported in the past. There are a few Lions and Hyenas too. Accommodation is available at Mountain Lodge, the magnificent Mount Kenya Safari Club, the beautiful Naro Moru River Lodge, The Ark and the famous TreeTops.

Another particularly exciting attraction at Aberdare is the Dedan Kimathi post office, a giant tree where the Mau Mau would leave messages for Kimathi's attention. The Queen's Caves which, due to their coolness, were used by the Mau Mau to preserve their meat is another must see. Aberdare National Park is named after the 1st Baron, Lord Aberdare (Bruce, Henry Austin - 1815-1895), then president of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Historical Society. The name 'Aberdare' was given to the park by the famous explorer Joseph Thomson.