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Meru National Park
We journey north along the smooth Thika Road up until we get to the turnoff at Makutano town. This is an area that is rife with subsistence farming, especially maize. Rice is also grown in plenty, although on a much smaller scale. The local community was fortunate to have had help setting up irrigation schemes, so now they tend to their individual paddy fields which fill these plains. This is a good place to buy rice in bulk at a cheaper price because almost all shops specialize in selling it.
Other towns along the way include Wanguru and Kimbimbi, small townships where donkey drawn handcarts are still popularly used as a mode of transportation. Donkeys more often than not, even have the right of way!
The countryside becomes greener as we drive further on and then two hours after our departure from Nairobi we arrive in Embu town, the provincial headquarters of the Eastern Province. This is a neat, uncongested town that is a convenient stopover for travellers. The Izaak Walton inn is a decent place where you can take a short break or if you want to spend the night as accommodation is also available. We arrive when most of the guests are in for a seminar, so it’s just us enjoying a beverage in the manicured gardens and lawns.
As evening sets in, we embark along the Nairobi – Isiolo road, stopping only to view the Karowe hill just before Runyenjes town. Some more fascinating landscapes unfold before our eyes, and we cross quite a few bridges like the one over the River Thuchi. There is even a platform built for travelers to enjoy the view. The Nairobi-Meru-Isiolo road weaves in and out among the many hills, and one and half hours from Embu we arrive in Meru town, a business, agricultural and educational center for the northeast of Kenya, and a good transit point to Samburu and the north. One hour’s drive from here is our final destination- Maua town. Lodging within the town is affordable, you can get decent basic accommodation for as low as Kshs.600, although as always, it’s advisable to book in advance. Evenings are quite cold, especially in January, July and December so plan your trips with this in mind.
The days though, we realize, are much warmer as we leave the Nyambene lodge for a look around the town.
Overlooking Maua are the prominent Nyambene hills, partially covered in tea plantations.
Meru National Park
Among the activities you can engage in within the Meru area is a visit to the Meru National Park. Turn off the main road just before Maua and drive for a while on a murram road.
We find students busy undergoing a training session in one of the lecture rooms. Anyone interested in joining the Kenya Wildlife Service may undergo an 18-month diploma course in wildlife management, which covers both theory and field studies. After this it is optional to go on and obtain a degree. One thing is for sure, it is good to see so many young Kenyans taking an active interest in the preservation of our natural flora and fauna.
Accommodation
If you would rather stay nearer the park there is Murera Springs Eco lodge, close to the main gate of the park. it is undoubtedly the most affordable lodge here where everything from the food source to energy source conserves nature.
 Murera Springs
Also affordable are the KWS bandas available at budget prices that are charged per banda on self catering basis. Well-built and furnished, the bandas host a spacious kitchen and outside cooking areas where you may do your own cooking. Individuals and families should be comfortable here, and for larger groups there are dorm like rooms and a dining area.
Take a short nature walk on a foot bridge that has been built over the underground source of the river Murera, its clear waters home to small fish.
There are also lodges within the park, small and intimate. One is Rhino River camp, situated in 80 acres of privately owned wilderness, offering the chance to connect with nature and to delight the senses in unspoilt bush and forest. A collection of eight luxury cottages built out of sumptuous caramel canvas and sustainable hardwood, raised on platforms above the gently flowing Kindani River will turn your stay here into a quiet, exclusive experience. The luxurious and uniquely designed canvas cottages are built on wooden decks suspended among the trees of the pristine forest edging Kindani river. Each room has its own private ‘zen’ area where you can meditate, re-read your favourite novel, or simply unwind.
 Rhino River Camp
Another is Leopard Rock Lodge, unfenced for that ultimate interaction with wild animals that may come right up to the cottages. Of course you are advised not to reach out and touch them, which is perfectly fine! As they wallow outside you can enjoy the comforts of the cottages, which are extremely spacious. Some are built with an adjoining door between two so that families can interact.
We leave in search of the third lodge and pass some vultures circling above what must be a freshly-killed animal. Thirteen rivers dissect the park and we cross a number of them, eventually coming upon the sight of Mughwango hill, another landmark that once again features in the story of Elsa the lioness who was brought up by the late George and Joy Adamson. It seems that Elsa’s legacy is widespread throughout Kenya. This hill was George’s original camp, and now it is home to a lodge called Elsa’s Kopje- kopje being a word that means ‘small hill’.
Elsa’s Kopje is pure luxury in the wild, and blends in so well with the natural surroundings that we came upon it by surprise. From its rock pool and lounge areas enjoy the view of the park spread out below with its doum palms and lush vegetation. A rope bridge separates the public areas from the cottages. Nine stone and thatch guest cottages which engulf you in their privacy and style. Honeymooners would love it here! And each cottage is attended to by a butler who caters to your every whim.
The lodges offer recreational activities at an extra fee, such as nature walks, bush meals and sundowners.
Did you know...
- Meru National park is managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service
- All the Big Five can be found here
- It is one of the best in which to locate cheetah and leopard.
- It has been one of Kenya's lesser known and infrequently visited reserves, thus ensuring better and less crowded game viewing.
- Some of the animals are only found north of the equator
- This is where George and Joy Adamson released several hand-reared animals
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Activities
 Time now for the main activity within the park- a game drive. The roads definitely require a four-wheel drive vehicle, especially during the rainy season. We mostly see herbivores like the common zebra, Grants gazelle, Defassa waterbuck, Reticulated giraffe, Coke’s hartebeest, elephant and buffalos- as meanlooking as ever. The park is also quite rich in birdlife like the sandgrouse, guinea fowls and crested eagle. The only carnivore we come across is a black caracal, a rarely seen member of the cat family.
As we leave the park we encounter a lone elephant trying to sniff us out, and further on we see an animal that has eluded us for a while- the endangered rhino. A rhino sanctuary has been sealed off with an electric fence to allow them to grow in number. And what’s a more beautiful way to end the day in Meru than with a magnificent sunset over the Nyambene hills.
Miraa
Every Kenyan region has a trademark to it, be it in the natural environment or in lifestyles. We are in Meru and can not ignore the huge miraa trade that exists here. It’s our final morning and on the way out of Maua we visit a miraa marketplace. Miraa, otherwise known as ‘khat’, is a plant that grows up to a certain height at which its top leaves are pruned, leaving the stalks bear so that buds grow out of them. It is these that are harvested. The traders are busy at work taking this plant through various processes. First of all the miraa is brought in big bundles from the farms. These are then bought either in the same quantity or smaller, after which the green leaves are removed.
I am made to understand that the reddish stalks and leaves are the sweetest, so these are then tied up into smaller bundles that sell at 80 shillings. These smaller bundles are then bound in banana leaves that have to be fresh so as to help retain moisture and freshness of the miraa. Once done they are ready to be ferried across the countryside to airports in Nairobi for export to African and European countries. From the speed at which the trucks are driven it must be a booming trade indeed.
We finally leave this hilly green country to return to Nairobi. If you are in search of peace and quiet with a lot of nature and perhaps an experience in rural town life, then a visit to Meru is certainly for you.
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