4 Days , Meru National Park
Feb 20th, 2011 | 02:18 PM
#1
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 267
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4 Days , Meru National Park
We visited Kenya last August again. Specifically, the Masai Mara 5 days and Meru National Park 4.
We've all seen plenty of reports on the Mara, but not so much information from Meru (except the very detailed report of Lynn) and I thought I would comment on our experience in more detail so that people will get an idea of what they can find if they visit these National Park.
Our accommodation was Elsa's Kopje, which we chose for its excellent location within the park. The lodge is very luxurious, the service and the food fantastic, but the atmosphere a little quiet because we were the only guests except the first evening and last morning.
However, thanks to this we were fortunate to have private vehicle (open, spacious, with cover and in perfect condition) and guide throughout our stay which of course offers great freedom of schedules, destinations and preferences.
Philip & Charlotte are a great host, very concerned at all times that everything is perfect.
Richard is a great KPSGA Silver level, with great knowledge of local flora and fauna and excellent personal service.
Every morning we left at 6:15 and came back between 10:30 and 11 excep a day that we got bush breakfast and returned at noon.
In the evenings, and despite the intense heat the safari was from 3:30 to 7.
During the four days we spent in Meru we only saw two other safari vehicles but only we came across them so all our sightings in the park were absolutely private.
However, we did see several park vehicles crowded with workers that where building a new fence to extend the Rhino Sanctuary. This situation actually shrank slightly our experience because we saw them almost every day.
Indeed, the sanctuary is huge and not so simple to find the rhinos so I guess that with the enlargement will be even more complicated. We met with several armed guards patrolling in search of poachers. (Remember the incident last November when a group of rangers ambushed in Meru a group of Poachers Who Had Shot and Killed an elephant. In the violent shootout one poacher was dead, while one ranger, Suffered a bullet wound to the shoulder)
Now I will tell a bit on detail each of the game drives and most significant animals we could see so you can have an idea what to find in Meru.
1ST -p.m. A family of five lesser Kudu, a male somalí ostrich, gravy´s and burchell zebras , a group of 4 male elephants, a troop of baboons, several gerenucks, reticulated giraffes and many waterbucks.
The highlight was finding a baboon mother carrying her dead baby as if he were alive , and amazing behavior worth seeing.
2º -a.m. Waterbucks, a big buffalo herd , 1 black rhino and a few White rhinos , male lesser kudu , hartebeest , somalí ostrich pair , giraffe , more waterbucks, more giraffes drinking , 2 more lesser kudus and a family of 4 lions . One adult lioness with a female and male adult offspring and a very small cub.
The highlight of course were the lions. Specially the small cub that came very close to our vehicle and force the mother to come and grab it in her mouth to take him back inside the rocks.
3º-p.m. Lesser kudu , zebras , giraffe , 2 shy eland and again the family of lions but not the cub.
4º-.a.m. Baboons , vervet monkeys , lesser kudu, grany gazelle,giraffes, cheetah mother and grown cub, more giraffes,more grant gazelles, 1 single shy orix, more zebra, impalas, waterbucks and again giraffes.
Highlight was the cheetah pair. We found them resting on top of a termite mound and after a few minutes they suddenly stood up and run after some lesser kudus not coming even close.
5º-p.m. 3 Gerenuks, some hippo, somalí male and female with 11 chickens, zebras and another group of elephants.
Highlight were the elephants.We saw the group walking away from us.Our guide drove around making a huge loop and park the vehicle very far from them , maybe 300 – 400 meters. The bigest bull started walking toward us and a few minutes later he was so close that when i took my eye from the camera viewfinder he was so close that i got a Little scared.He turned around the vehicle and walked away while the guide laughed at us. He then explain that these is the older bull in Meru , almost 50 years , and he usually performe like that every time he aproach a vehicle.
6º-a.m. Zebra herd , 4 buffalo males , lesser kudu , 2 giraffes , some baboons , impala and zebra.
7º-p.m. Solitary dick dick , 2 lesser kudu , baboons , giraffes , impala , e gerenuk , somalí ostrich , hartebeest , zebra and some big male elephants .
8º-a.m. Black back jackal , giraffes , 4 waterbucks , zebra herd , lesser kudu pair , hartebeest , 3 female lions ( in the same spot we saw the family of 4 ) grant gazelles , buffalo males and giraffe.
Of course birdlife is also good and keep you well entertained and around lodge you will find hundreds of hirax , agamas and others.From our room we were able to see zebras , giraffes , impalas, waterbucks , elephants and lesser kudus.
As you can see there is abundant wildlife in Meru and is not hard to find. But if it is difficult to find predators.
Lesser kudu and reticulated giraffe are easily seen, and also gerenuks but gravy zebra and oryx are not abundant.
Here is a gallery of pictures we took during our stay in Meru.
http://www.pbase.com/africawild/meru
Paco.
We've all seen plenty of reports on the Mara, but not so much information from Meru (except the very detailed report of Lynn) and I thought I would comment on our experience in more detail so that people will get an idea of what they can find if they visit these National Park.
Our accommodation was Elsa's Kopje, which we chose for its excellent location within the park. The lodge is very luxurious, the service and the food fantastic, but the atmosphere a little quiet because we were the only guests except the first evening and last morning.
However, thanks to this we were fortunate to have private vehicle (open, spacious, with cover and in perfect condition) and guide throughout our stay which of course offers great freedom of schedules, destinations and preferences.
Philip & Charlotte are a great host, very concerned at all times that everything is perfect.
Richard is a great KPSGA Silver level, with great knowledge of local flora and fauna and excellent personal service.
Every morning we left at 6:15 and came back between 10:30 and 11 excep a day that we got bush breakfast and returned at noon.
In the evenings, and despite the intense heat the safari was from 3:30 to 7.
During the four days we spent in Meru we only saw two other safari vehicles but only we came across them so all our sightings in the park were absolutely private.
However, we did see several park vehicles crowded with workers that where building a new fence to extend the Rhino Sanctuary. This situation actually shrank slightly our experience because we saw them almost every day.
Indeed, the sanctuary is huge and not so simple to find the rhinos so I guess that with the enlargement will be even more complicated. We met with several armed guards patrolling in search of poachers. (Remember the incident last November when a group of rangers ambushed in Meru a group of Poachers Who Had Shot and Killed an elephant. In the violent shootout one poacher was dead, while one ranger, Suffered a bullet wound to the shoulder)
Now I will tell a bit on detail each of the game drives and most significant animals we could see so you can have an idea what to find in Meru.
1ST -p.m. A family of five lesser Kudu, a male somalí ostrich, gravy´s and burchell zebras , a group of 4 male elephants, a troop of baboons, several gerenucks, reticulated giraffes and many waterbucks.
The highlight was finding a baboon mother carrying her dead baby as if he were alive , and amazing behavior worth seeing.
2º -a.m. Waterbucks, a big buffalo herd , 1 black rhino and a few White rhinos , male lesser kudu , hartebeest , somalí ostrich pair , giraffe , more waterbucks, more giraffes drinking , 2 more lesser kudus and a family of 4 lions . One adult lioness with a female and male adult offspring and a very small cub.
The highlight of course were the lions. Specially the small cub that came very close to our vehicle and force the mother to come and grab it in her mouth to take him back inside the rocks.
3º-p.m. Lesser kudu , zebras , giraffe , 2 shy eland and again the family of lions but not the cub.
4º-.a.m. Baboons , vervet monkeys , lesser kudu, grany gazelle,giraffes, cheetah mother and grown cub, more giraffes,more grant gazelles, 1 single shy orix, more zebra, impalas, waterbucks and again giraffes.
Highlight was the cheetah pair. We found them resting on top of a termite mound and after a few minutes they suddenly stood up and run after some lesser kudus not coming even close.
5º-p.m. 3 Gerenuks, some hippo, somalí male and female with 11 chickens, zebras and another group of elephants.
Highlight were the elephants.We saw the group walking away from us.Our guide drove around making a huge loop and park the vehicle very far from them , maybe 300 – 400 meters. The bigest bull started walking toward us and a few minutes later he was so close that when i took my eye from the camera viewfinder he was so close that i got a Little scared.He turned around the vehicle and walked away while the guide laughed at us. He then explain that these is the older bull in Meru , almost 50 years , and he usually performe like that every time he aproach a vehicle.
6º-a.m. Zebra herd , 4 buffalo males , lesser kudu , 2 giraffes , some baboons , impala and zebra.
7º-p.m. Solitary dick dick , 2 lesser kudu , baboons , giraffes , impala , e gerenuk , somalí ostrich , hartebeest , zebra and some big male elephants .
8º-a.m. Black back jackal , giraffes , 4 waterbucks , zebra herd , lesser kudu pair , hartebeest , 3 female lions ( in the same spot we saw the family of 4 ) grant gazelles , buffalo males and giraffe.
Of course birdlife is also good and keep you well entertained and around lodge you will find hundreds of hirax , agamas and others.From our room we were able to see zebras , giraffes , impalas, waterbucks , elephants and lesser kudus.
As you can see there is abundant wildlife in Meru and is not hard to find. But if it is difficult to find predators.
Lesser kudu and reticulated giraffe are easily seen, and also gerenuks but gravy zebra and oryx are not abundant.
Here is a gallery of pictures we took during our stay in Meru.
http://www.pbase.com/africawild/meru
Paco.
Feb 22nd, 2011 | 07:27 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,392
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We spent a few nights in Elsa's Kopje on our 2008 trip and loved it... and Richard was also our guide. He'd transferred from the Masai Mara just a few weeks before but had great information on the park as he'd actually swapped jobs with his brother, who'd been guiding at Elsa's for some time.
We had a wonderful trip indeed!
We had a wonderful trip indeed!
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Feb 24th, 2011 | 12:24 AM
#8
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 624
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Great report thanks. I spent 3 nights at Meru in January and absolutely loved it. No predators but we weren't really looking for them and they obliged by not showing themselves. 
Beautiful park and I'd go back tomorrow if I only could. Your photos are superb and I always look forward to them with great anticipation.
Beautiful park and I'd go back tomorrow if I only could. Your photos are superb and I always look forward to them with great anticipation.
Feb 26th, 2011 | 11:59 PM
#11
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 267
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Thank you all for the comments,
Sangeeta , i will post the link to my Mara photos as soon as i built the gallery.
Yes Kavey , you are right , Richard told us he was a guide at Elephant Pepper before coming to Meru . He loved the Mara but he said he was very happy guiding in Meru , specially because he had develop his tracking skills a lot since in Meru you have to find the wildlife yourself almost always , not like the Mara.
Yes Twaffle , i knew about your visit , i am following your report in ST , enjoying the stories and photos .
I think we were extremely lucky when we found lions and cheetahs in Meru.
Losantos , good luck with your trip to Meu , August is a good month to visit the park.
Paco.
Sangeeta , i will post the link to my Mara photos as soon as i built the gallery.
Yes Kavey , you are right , Richard told us he was a guide at Elephant Pepper before coming to Meru . He loved the Mara but he said he was very happy guiding in Meru , specially because he had develop his tracking skills a lot since in Meru you have to find the wildlife yourself almost always , not like the Mara.
Yes Twaffle , i knew about your visit , i am following your report in ST , enjoying the stories and photos .
I think we were extremely lucky when we found lions and cheetahs in Meru.
Losantos , good luck with your trip to Meu , August is a good month to visit the park.
Paco.
Feb 27th, 2011 | 01:28 AM
#12
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,392
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Yes, that's what we loved about Meru, that genuine search for the game, very rewarding.
He had been in a serious car accident in the Mara, from what I understand, and felt that he needed a change of scene so he and his brother swapped.
As he'd not been there long, it was funny guides from other camps didn't know the two had swapped and, as they looked very very similar, though not twins, people would mistake him for his brother all the time and it made it really much easier for him, even explaining who he was, to become part of that friendship network with the others and exchange tips and so on. Plus, his brother had passed on lots of info about various wildlife, such as the place in the park that the family of bushbabies lived that we visited. (There was also a family right near camp but the family we spent longest with were in the park).
He had been in a serious car accident in the Mara, from what I understand, and felt that he needed a change of scene so he and his brother swapped.
As he'd not been there long, it was funny guides from other camps didn't know the two had swapped and, as they looked very very similar, though not twins, people would mistake him for his brother all the time and it made it really much easier for him, even explaining who he was, to become part of that friendship network with the others and exchange tips and so on. Plus, his brother had passed on lots of info about various wildlife, such as the place in the park that the family of bushbabies lived that we visited. (There was also a family right near camp but the family we spent longest with were in the park).
Feb 27th, 2011 | 05:56 AM
#13
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 267
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A car accident you say....well i think i have to tell you a funny story that happened during our Meru visit.
We had been driving in the park for 3 full days and , apart from the worker´s trucks , we had only seeing one other vehicle .
We were driving back to the lodge when a group of lesser kudus crossed in front of us and went fast behind some bushes. We stopped the vehicle and , in order to get a better view , i asked Richard to back up .
He started to pull back while looking at the kudus at the same time and .. suddenly..... guess what....
We saw a leopard ? no ... more difficult than that , WE HIT A CAR!!!
Yes , in Meru , the place we had been driving for 3 days without seeing any other vehicle and ... we just had hit a car !!!
It was the first time it happen to me after many years of safari. I saw that neither of the passengers and cars had any damage ( we were driving very slow ) , so i started to laugh but Richard was mad . The old man in the other car( very old too ) did not even make the horn sound and Richard could not believe he had hit another car in the solitude of Meru.
We had been driving in the park for 3 full days and , apart from the worker´s trucks , we had only seeing one other vehicle .
We were driving back to the lodge when a group of lesser kudus crossed in front of us and went fast behind some bushes. We stopped the vehicle and , in order to get a better view , i asked Richard to back up .
He started to pull back while looking at the kudus at the same time and .. suddenly..... guess what....
We saw a leopard ? no ... more difficult than that , WE HIT A CAR!!!
Yes , in Meru , the place we had been driving for 3 days without seeing any other vehicle and ... we just had hit a car !!!
It was the first time it happen to me after many years of safari. I saw that neither of the passengers and cars had any damage ( we were driving very slow ) , so i started to laugh but Richard was mad . The old man in the other car( very old too ) did not even make the horn sound and Richard could not believe he had hit another car in the solitude of Meru.
Feb 27th, 2011 | 11:31 AM
#14
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Paco,
Thanks very much for this excellent report. We've not been to Meru (yet) and decided not to go on on this year's trip because we thought the game viewing would be better in other parks/reserves. This report and Lynn's have convinced me that there is ample game viewing there so we'll add it to the list for our next visit.
Cheers,
PT123
Thanks very much for this excellent report. We've not been to Meru (yet) and decided not to go on on this year's trip because we thought the game viewing would be better in other parks/reserves. This report and Lynn's have convinced me that there is ample game viewing there so we'll add it to the list for our next visit.
Cheers,
PT123
Feb 27th, 2011 | 11:53 AM
#15
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Just to further whet your appetite for Meru, we saw a pack of six wild dog when we were there at the beginning of this month. We stayed at the relatively new and lovely Rhino River Camp. Had a fabulous time and, like twaffle, really weren't looking for predators, but concentrating on seeing species like lesser Kudu, Gerenuk and Oryx that we hadn't seen elswhere - still can't believe how lucky we were.
Am planning to do a bit of a review/report but haven't got around to it yet - been home three weeks and pining to be back in Africa already.
Am planning to do a bit of a review/report but haven't got around to it yet - been home three weeks and pining to be back in Africa already.
Feb 28th, 2011 | 05:04 AM
#17
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 53
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Hi Twaffle, loved your report and photos. They were on the east, probably only a couple of miles or so in from the Bisanadi Reserve border. If you have a good detailed map of Meru they were near Collo Campsite. I hope that makes sense. I can't find a decent map on the net to remind myself. This was pretty dense bush - if they had been more than 10 metres from the dirt road we would never have known they were there.
Feb 28th, 2011 | 08:07 AM
#18
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Paco
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful photographs. I am envious of your dancing gerenuk - we spent a lot of time with countless gerenuk and they all kept all of their hooves firmly on the ground when in view of the lens ! Having been there I appreciate how difficult it was to get those lovely photographs of Kudu and Oryx. Thanks for showing them.
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful photographs. I am envious of your dancing gerenuk - we spent a lot of time with countless gerenuk and they all kept all of their hooves firmly on the ground when in view of the lens ! Having been there I appreciate how difficult it was to get those lovely photographs of Kudu and Oryx. Thanks for showing them.
