Nairobi National Park.
After having been to most of the major wild life reserves of Kenya, I suddenly realized that it is nearing our departure time to India and I have not been to The Nairobi National Park, proverbially sitting right in our backyard. Truthfully the gate of the NP is just a couple of kilometers or so from where I am staying with my daughter in Nairobi.
So last Sunday my son in law Sandeep and my grandson Anudeep decided to set out on an "All Boys” expedition to NP as Anudeep puts it. We decided to use our own car and no Safari vehicle. Though we did hear comments “Waste of time”, “One never sees anything” and similar gibes.
Nairobi National Park is unique by being the only protected area in the world with a variety of animals and birds close to a very large city. It is located approximately 7 kilometres south of the centre of Nairobi, Kenya's capital city, with only a fence separating the park's wildlife from the metropolis. Nairobi's skyscrapers can be seen from the park.
Nairobi National Park was the first national park established in Kenya. The park covers an area of 117.21 square kilometres (28,963 acres) and is small in comparison to most of Africa's national parks. The park's altitude ranges between 5,000 ft and 6000 ft. It has a dry climate. The park is the only protected part of the Athi-Kapiti ecosystem. It has a diversity of environments with characteristic fauna and flora. Open grass plains with scattered acacia bush are predominant.
The western side has a highland dry forest and a permanent river with a riverine forest in the south. In addition, there are stretches of broken bush country and deep, rocky valleys and gorges with scrub and long grass. Man-made dams also attract water dependent herbivores during the dry season.
The park has a rich/diverse birdlife with 400 species recorded. However all species are not always present and some are seasonal. Northern migrants pass through the park primarily during late March through April. To the south of the park is the Athi-Kapiti Plain and Kitengela Migration and dispersal area. These are vital areas for herbivores to disperse during the rains, so also to concentrate in summers. All in all it is an amazing experience.
After having been to most of the major wild life reserves of Kenya, I suddenly realized that it is nearing our departure time to India and I have not been to The Nairobi National Park, proverbially sitting right in our backyard. Truthfully the gate of the NP is just a couple of kilometers or so from where I am staying with my daughter in Nairobi.
So last Sunday my son in law Sandeep and my grandson Anudeep decided to set out on an "All Boys” expedition to NP as Anudeep puts it. We decided to use our own car and no Safari vehicle. Though we did hear comments “Waste of time”, “One never sees anything” and similar gibes.
Nairobi National Park is unique by being the only protected area in the world with a variety of animals and birds close to a very large city. It is located approximately 7 kilometres south of the centre of Nairobi, Kenya's capital city, with only a fence separating the park's wildlife from the metropolis. Nairobi's skyscrapers can be seen from the park.
Nairobi National Park was the first national park established in Kenya. The park covers an area of 117.21 square kilometres (28,963 acres) and is small in comparison to most of Africa's national parks. The park's altitude ranges between 5,000 ft and 6000 ft. It has a dry climate. The park is the only protected part of the Athi-Kapiti ecosystem. It has a diversity of environments with characteristic fauna and flora. Open grass plains with scattered acacia bush are predominant.
The western side has a highland dry forest and a permanent river with a riverine forest in the south. In addition, there are stretches of broken bush country and deep, rocky valleys and gorges with scrub and long grass. Man-made dams also attract water dependent herbivores during the dry season.
The park has a rich/diverse birdlife with 400 species recorded. However all species are not always present and some are seasonal. Northern migrants pass through the park primarily during late March through April. To the south of the park is the Athi-Kapiti Plain and Kitengela Migration and dispersal area. These are vital areas for herbivores to disperse during the rains, so also to concentrate in summers. All in all it is an amazing experience.
Imagine a huge zoo in your city of some 120 square kilometers, where all the animals run free and which you can visit every week end.
Since we had no expectations we were extremely delighted and happy when we chanced to spot just one solitary deer during the first hour of our sojourn. The day turned out good for the three of us. I have put up a few pictures of what we saw. Please bear with the quality of the pictures as they are highly compressed during conversions.
3 comments:
Magnificent! Write and post more often Ajay!
Thanks Nitin !
Sure I will do that :)
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