Meru National Park

Meru National Park covers 870 square kilometres of rolling bushland, tall grass, riverine forest, and palm-lined streams on the eastern slopes below Mount Kenya. It is one of Kenya's most underrated parks — rich in wildlife, steeped in conservation history, and largely empty of other visitors. Meru gained international fame through Joy and George Adamson, who raised and released the lioness Elsa here in the 1950s — the story told in Born Free (1960), one of the most influential wildlife books ever published. After years of heavy poaching in the 1980s and 1990s, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the International Fund for Animal Welfare undertook a major rehabilitation starting in 2000, reintroducing white rhino, Grevy's zebra, and restocking elephant herds. Today, the Meru-Kora-Bisanadi complex covers over 4,000 square kilometres of connected wilderness. The park's 13 permanent rivers and numerous springs create a lush mosaic of habitats that supports a dense diversity of species — including some, like lesser kudu and Peter's gazelle, more easily seen here than in Kenya's better-known parks.