The best places to see rhinos in Kenya : Where can I see black rhinos in my safari tour to Kenya? The great wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara National Reserve and other safari experiences like beach safaris in Diani Beach, cultural tours in the Maasai community, and mountain safaris in Mount Kenya, to name a few, make Kenya the top safari destination in Africa. Because Kenya is the fantastic destination for wildlife viewing and despite being endangered, the black rhino is still visible, and you will undoubtedly see it on your safari vacation to Kenya. It is a fantastic safari destination to visit and see rhinos in Africa.
Both black and white rhinos can be found there, including the two last northern white rhinos in the world. In the previous 20 years, Kenya had at least 20,000 black rhinos, but currently the numbers are less than 300 in the previous two decades. However, the black rhino population is quickly recovering as an outcome of increasing conservation efforts, and there are presently over 600 black rhinos in Kenya. So where can you see rhinos in your safari to Kenya? Here are the top places to see rhinos in Kenya:
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
The best place in Kenya to see rhinos up close is the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is situated on the slopes of Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare National Park. Black rhinos, Southern White rhinos, and the two last Northern White rhinos all live there. The Conservancy offers more activities than any other park or conservancy in Kenya, including community visits, mountain biking, horseback riding, lion trekking, and wildlife drives. Additionally, Ol Pejeta manages a community development program and offers funding to nearby villages for infrastructure, water access, and education.
Lake Nakuru National Park
The first rhino sanctuary in Kenya, Lake Nakuru National Park, is surrounded by wooded and thorny meadows and the majestic beauty of a Euphorbia candelabrum grey-green forest. Some of the most threatened wildlife in the world, including both white and black rhinos, find refuge in the Park. The park is also home to sizable flocks of pink flamingos thanks to its alkaline lake. Originally created as a bird sanctuary, Lake Nakuru National Park currently features a diverse animal population that includes some of Kenya’s most unusual and endangered species, such as the black and white rhino and the rare Rothschild’s giraffe.
Masai Mara National Reserve
One of the best wilderness areas in the world is the Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Park thanks to the annual great migrations of wildebeest that occurs there from the Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Excellent possibilities to see rhinos and other animals, like the great wildebeest migration, are offered by the reserve. Every year, during the months of September and October, more than 1.5 million wildebeests travel from Tanzania’s Serengeti plains to the Masai Mara in search of new pastures before returning in November. You can observe lions, cheetahs, and other predators hunting while the animals are migrating.
The Masai Mara National Reserve is home to between 35 and 50 black rhinos at any given time (many traverse into the Serengeti as well). The best times to see many of these are while you’re at Sala’s camp on the Sand River. In the isolated southern Masai Mara, Sala’s camp is located on the fringes of a designated black rhino reserve. Travelers are frequently fortunate to see black rhinos in the Mara on about 30% of the game drives.
Tsavo National Park
The 21,812 square kilometers of Tsavo National Park are Kenya’s largest protected area. The region consists of the Tsavo East and Tsavo West protected areas, which are only divided by the Nairobi-Mombasa Route. The Big Five are among the animals that the parks protect, but they do not have as many visitors as the Maasai Mara National Reserve or the Amboseli National Park. Tsavo National Park is known for having a variety of animals, including wild dogs, lions, elephants, cape buffaloes, rhinoceroses, and leopards.
Tsavo National Park is also one of the best places in Kenya to see wild rhinos. The park is home to roughly 70 black rhinos in its Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary. The Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary was established in 1986 to conserve the last rhino population in Tsavo West National Park. It is surrounded by a tall electric fence and is monitored by a dedicated anti-poaching team. Earlier, Tsavo National Park had approximately 20,000 rhinos in 1940. But owing to poaching, the park had fewer than 20 rhinos by 1989, prompting the construction of Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary. The refuge has five waterholes and now sustains roughly 70 black rhinos. The sanctuary provides excellent opportunities to see the elusive black rhinos.
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
South of Isiolo and north of Mount Kenya, in Meru County in northern Kenya, is where you’ll find the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The Ngare Ndare Forest, which covers 62,000 acres and was included when it was founded in 1995, is part of it. Inhabitants of the conservancy include rare and imperiled black rhinoceroses, sitatunga, and Grevy’s zebras.
Four of the other Big Five are also covered (lions, leopards, elephants, and Cape buffaloes). About 10% of Kenya’s black rhino population and 15% of its southern white rhino population reside in Lewa. It is one of the best spots in Kenya to watch rhinos after Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The Northern Rangelands Trust is housed within the Conservancy. This is a creative partnership with a number of northern villages that have contributed land for the protection of wildlife. Lewa also has a program for education that helps students and schools grow.
