— Kenya

Bisanadi National Reserve

This Kenya Wildlife reserve is located within the Meru Conservation Area. This reserve is widely regarded as a dispersal area for other parks in the conservation area such as Meru National Park which is located on the northern border of the Bisanadi reserve. Other national parks and reserve that make up the Meru Conservation Area include Kora National reserve and Mwingi National reserve.

Bisanadi reserve covers an estimated 606sq km of combretum thickets, savannah grasslands, riverine swamps with sedge and forests on the banks of river Tana

Wildlife

The reserve is gifted with several game sights such as cheetah, elephant, buffalo, rhino, giraffe, eland, impala, wildebeest, hartebeests and many other species. More than 300 species of birds are recorded in the reserve and these include kingfisher, malachite fish eagles and sunbirds among others. The banks of river Tana are often sighted with several water birds.

Getting there

By road, this Kenya reserve is accessed through the trucks in Meru and entrance is at Murera gate n Meru National Park. There is an airstrip at Korbessa for charter Kenya flights to Meru National Park and other reserves.

Weather

This part of Kenya is warm and dry for most of the year. There are two rainy seasons-short rains in November to December and the long rainy months from March to May. The dry season is January to March with average temperature of 25ºC during the day and cool weather for the nights. The best times to visit Bisanadi National reserve is during the dry months of January to March and later from June to October. Nevertheless, tourist can travel to this part of Kenya all through the year

For safari travel options in this part of Kenya, there are cultural tours of the Boran and Meru tribes whose area of stay and community boundaries are marked by Bisanadi reserve. This natural boundary is called Kinna in local tribes.

Other interesting places to visit in this area include Adamson’s falls in Meru Park, Rojewero and Tana river for fishing adventures and others. Boat rides on the Tana river are interesting ways to adventure in the reserve besides tout fishing.

Accommodation

There is no accommodation within Bisanadi Game reserve but plenty of option of diner and overnight are found in Meru National Park such as Leopard Rock Safari Lodge. Safari lodges and camps are part of the options in Shaba Springs reserve and Samburu National park.