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Where are the giraffes?

Good morning... I'm in the midst of planning an East Africa safari for myself in September '08. Are there particular parks or reserves that have more giraffes than others? Are giraffes just rare, in general?

Thanks!
Sandi

I'm still planning my stuff so im in no real position to help you, but if you have the money and are a fan of giraffes you might want to stay at the giraffe manor for a night or two. Ive read great things about it. http://www.giraffemanor.com/

other than that, i have no idea how rare or common they are. sorry!

Giraffes are common in the major parks (I'm not sure I have ever visited a park and not seen giraffes). I have even seen them outside national parks while driving around Kenya and Tanzania.

Hi Idnas71
I LOVE your question about Giraffes (at last, an original one...)

Seeing Giraffes:
Giraffes are not rare though in some parks you'll get better observations
Are there particular parks or reserves that have more giraffes than others?" 

Well, Giraffes have a few sub-species (or races) & in East Africa you should see three
Maasai Giraffe : Serengeti, Mara, Amboseli.
Though on some game-drives in Mara you might see more lions than Giraffes...
one place that is packed with Giraffes is Arusha NP - a cute afternoon Giraffe-based-gamedrive
in Tarangire & Manyara you'll see them as well
Reticulated Giraffe: this is the most distinct race & many claim it is the most attractive with its geometric pattern. can be seen only in a few parks but you ought to see many: Samburu (including Buffalo Springs reserve & Shaba), also Meru
 Rothschild's Giraffe a very rare sub-species which was introduced into Nakuru NP (from Western Kenya where habitat loss etc' almost exterminated the rare population)
all in all best Giraffe experience (with all statistical restrictions) is IMHO, Samburu.
enjoy your Giraffes

aby

PS i will not recommend Giraffe Manor or that Nairobi place many go to (search "nairobi day tour" on the forum) ; captive Giraffes are not my cup of tea.
If you wish to walk among wild Giraffes in nature (though introduced) Crescent Island in Lake Naivasha is awesome. some individual Giraffes can be approached amazingly close - ask the guide on the island

You won't see them in the Crater, but otherwise they are quite common, as thit–cho points out. They are the national animal of Tanzania.

That's correct. I did not see them in the Crater -- I was told that they cannot climb the steep walls into and out of the Crater.

Hi Sandi

I fully endorse what Aby has already stated. You can see pics all the three different types of giraffes including walking with them on Crescent Island at my web portfolio http://www.abidally.com/mp/home (pls click on the African images)

Cheers
Mohammed

Sandi
Mohammed's Giraffe walking safari (Crescent Island) is on the last batch of pictures

Mohammed
Is the croc caught in the act of catching a young gnu ?
i like your sunbird photos.
Do you use a lens larger than 300mm ?

aby

Thanks, everyone! Aby, I have already inquired about adding Samburu to my itinerary. Although, the Crescent Island you mentioned sounds nice, too. I'll check into both.

In addition to the locations Aby listed, you can also see reticulated giraffe at Sweetwaters and in Laikipia.

Thank you, Patty, for your replies in both my threads. :O)

I have pics showing giraffe in the Crater, on the upper slopes (where they had accacia trees to nibble), but well below the rim.

We saw some beautiful bi-racial giraffe in Tsavo south. Did a double-take, noticing the neck and part of body was reticulated... rear body was Masai. Apparently the giraffe don't discriminate in mating.

Generally, though reticulated are found in the Samburu/Shaba and Laikipia areas.

Hi Aby

Yes the croc is a sequence of actually 2 crocs dismembering a gnu. Really it is quite gruesome but nature at its purest extreme.... no regrets I clicked 42 frames of the sequence.
It was really quite far off and shot at 400mm with a 100-400L lens on a 30D at 5fps.

Our favorite was the reticulated giraffes in Samburu.

Following are some of our video clips:

Giraffes in Samburu Checking Out Walking Humans (Us!):

http://videoegg.com/video/hvVOp

Giraffe Crossing River:

http://videoegg.com/video/hvbUo

15 Reticulated Giraffes Feeding Together in Samburu:

http://videoegg.com/video/hvVIo

Kevin from California

Mohammed-Thanks for sharing your wonderful photographs.The yawning lion is the best!

Mohammed,

Yes, your photos are fantastic! Enjoyed the giraffes very much, but I think my favorite photo was of the flamingos from very far away, where it just looks like a slash of pink along the shore of the lake.

I believe we also saw reticulated giraffe at Sweetwaters.

Mohammed....your photos are wonderful. Do you have a trip report on this site? If so, can you please post a link to it? I'm hoping to visit many of the places you went to on your trip. I'm definitely in "giraffe-search" mode.

I have to say that my best giraffe moments and photographs have been taken at the least likely of game parks: Arusha National Park. It is a wonderful park, even though it is small, but some times parks like it surprise you with wonderful memories.

I know this isn't in East Africa, but within the first 500 yards of entering Hwange in Zim, there were giraffes to welcome us, and saw hundreds in the four nights we were there.