The Meru National Park is located 348 kms away from Nairobi, in the Meru district of the Eastern province. The Meru National Park became famous because it was here that Joy Adamson set her lioness Elsa free and because it is in this park that the last white rhinos in Kenya lived until 1988. The park has now fully re-opened to visitors since early 2000 and offers unique luxury accommodation.
This area is a transition point from central Kenyan to northern Kenyan wildlife, and you can see here Burchell's zebras, Grevy's zebras, Masai and reticulated giraffes, Grant's gazelles and gerenuks. The park is criss-crossed by numerous streams and by the Tana River, the longest in Kenya, all of which attract an interesting variety of animals. The waters are populated by crocodiles, hippos and water-fowl as well as herons.