Meru
National Park
 Back Ground 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.
Location:
East-north-east of Mount Kenya in Meru District of Eastern
Province, coverig 870km2.
Climate:
Rainfall is 635-762mm in the west and 305-356mm in the east.
How To Get There
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
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.
Park Gates:
Murera Gate, Ura Gate.
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.
Facilities
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
Game viewing.
Common Vegetations
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. |
