Kora National Park

Kora National Park is located in Tana River County, northern boundary with Garissa as the nearest city in Kenya. The park covers an area of 1,788 square kilometers east of Mount Kenya. The park was initially gazette as a national park in 1989, formally from gazette as a former reserve in 1973, following the murder of George Adamson by the poachers. The park is extremely wide that connects to other parks and reserve such as Meru national park and Tsavo West national park and to travelers who visits the park get amazed to diverse birdlife, fishing in Tana River, Rock climbing as well as visiting George Adamson’s grave thus making it a beautiful African safari. Kora National Park is under the management of Kenya Wildlife Services is body that governs all conservation areas in Kenya.

The park sounds with remarkable tourist attractions which include; Inselbergs, pristine wilderness, Grand falls, Tana River, Adamson falls, Kora rapids as well as Adamson’s grave. The park slopes gently from an altitude of 490 meters in the south –west and raising altitude of about 270 meters in the northeast above the sea level.

 

The ‘’Kampi Ya Simba’’ is in the Swahili language which means ‘’father of lions’’ famously known as a former home of George and Joy Adamson which sits inside the park but before it was still a reserve. And between the 1980s and 1990s, there happened a serious problem by poachers and this occurred to the former reserve and unfortunately, George Adamson and two of his assistants were murdered by poachers in the reserve in 1989 and Adamson was buried within the reserve with three lions he released.

The park offers pristine wilderness dotted with tall inselbergs, hard rocks, domed hills that rises steeply from the surrounding area and is featured with Tana River marked with Adamson’s falls, Grand falls and kora rapids. Moreover, the park slopes gently from an altitude of 490meter in the south-west and raising altitude of about 270 meter in the northeast above the sea level.

Due to heavy poaching that took place in the area it brought decrease in the number of wild animals in the park. These are various species to adventure in this park as include; lions, wildcat, striped hyenas, serval, African bush elephants, genet, hippopotamus can be viewed in Tana River, African leopards, Tanzanian cheetah as well as antelopes. The park is covered with different types of vegetation such as acacia bushland, riverine forests and Tana River which acts as habitant to wide range of mammals.

Attractions in Kora national park.

Wildlife species.

The park has the various species that includes the striped hyenas, serval cats, antelopes, cheetahs, elephants, genets, caracals and many others, and they can be spotted in spaced trees and the savannah grasslands, among rock outcrops as they graze and hunt.

Cultural attractions.

The cultural attractions with the local communities such as the Asako village, Boka and Kamaguru in the eastern boundary of the national park, and some of these locals have become involved in the conservation in Kora national park and participate in tourism- related projects within the national park. As they engage in subsistence agriculture and pastoralism on the borders of the national parks to thrill  while on Kenya Wildlife Safaris

Tana River.

This is the main source of water for the people and wildlife in the park except of the rainy season where the various rocky provided optional water sources inform of pools of water.

In here also various attractions can be seen along this river Tana such as the Adamson’s fall, Grand falls, and the Kora rapids, the Tana River drains the southern and eastern slopes of Mount Kenya and the eastern slopes of the Aberdare and is the largest river in Kenya.

Bird species.

Kora national park is the bird haven in that the park has bird species such spot flanked barbet ,Pe’s fishing owl, eastern yellow billed hornbills, white- backed night heron, Orange – bellied parrots, busra reed warbler which gives great memories in life.

Activities done in Kora national park.

Game drives.

This is the most great and amazing experience in the park because of the wide range of animals to be explored such as caracals, cheetahs, hippos, spotted hyenas, elephants, serval cats, lions and many more. Game driving in the the park is done in three different ways that is the morning, full day game drives and the evening game drives. The morning game drives is the most   appropriate time for the game driving as here most the animal species are always active and available in the park compared to the evening and full day game drives where animals can be sheltered.

Rock climbing.

Kora national park supports rock climbing  as an adventure as one of the grateful places for you to enjoy, here the visitors can climb up the Kora rock a place of historical value where George Adamson would communicate out to the lions and they would respond to his call through roaring back and sometime they would gather around the rock.

Guided Nature walks.

At Kora national park, the traveler can be involved in guided nature walks along the forest river lines and also in different trails that offer rewarding sights of different wildlife species and beautiful scenery of the landscape.

Fishing.

In Kora National Park, there is Tana River which contributed to a number of the local communities who depends on fishing as their living, the Tana River comprises a variety of the river form such as meanders, oxbows, sandy floodplain and more other features. Due to changes in tide has influenced fishing in Kora national park along Tana River.

Bird watching.

Kora national park is an ideal birding spot with various bird species such as spot flanket barbet, black-throated barbet, Pel’s fishing owl, eastern yellow billed hornbills, white- backed nigh heron, and orange- bellied parrots, busra reed warbler, Malindi pipit and many more.

Best time to visit Kora National Park.

The park can be visited all year around but the best time for visiting the area is in the dry season from the month of June to September and December to February when the park is out of water source and the road transport is easy to access it as well as are easy to spot, while in the wet season roads can be poor conditions and grass become very long thus making the animals more difficult to spot.

Where to stay In Kora National Park.

The park has got comfortable accommodation facilities safety for your stay ranging from Budget to Mid-range and then to luxuries forexample the Elsa’s Kopje lodge, Kinna guest house, Meru guest house, Chui cottages, Murere cottages and others. Guests can as well enjoy the camping like the Ken mare, Rojoweru, Kampi Baridi, Kanjoo and many others.