Nairobi National Park.
Background Information
Only 10 km from the bustle of the city, Nairobi national park, covering an area of close to 100 sq km is an ecosystem of grassland, forests and rivers. It is home to all the Big Five except Elephants which had to re-locate to larger reserves with enough food for them. Plains game found here include Giraffe, Gazelle, Zebra, Impala and the Heartbeest. It is also possible to observe Cheetah, Jackal, Hyena and Serval cats while birds such as the Masai Ostrich, Hadada Ibis, Sacred Ibis, Kingfishers and lilac breasted Rollers among many other species, are resident here. The rivers are home to crocodiles and turtles are a usual citing.
With 117 square kilometers of pristine savannah and a huge stock of immigrating game, this area is unique. Only 10 km separates the city of Nairobi from the park where game animals, and the huge carnivores which prey upon them, exist as they did in the Africa of old.
Much of the area has a predominance of open plains with scattered acacia bush, while there is a permanent river, the Athi, with accompanying riverine range forest of the famous ‘fewer trees’. There is a section of highland forest, and stretches of broken bush country with deep rocky valleys and gorges, as well as thom and long grass.
A few black rhino can be seen, while the main attraction is lion, cheetah, with hippo in the river. There are no elephant. Although more birds have been recorded that in the British Isle, many are seasonal. |
