Mwea National Reserve

An undiscovered oasis of tranquility

The Mwea National Reserve is located within Mbeere District, in Eastern Province, a distance of about 200km from Nairobi. The savannah ecosystem comprises of small hills with bushy vegetation and scattered large trees. Other areas are open grasslands while along the main rivers, large trees with thick undergrowth are found. Trees mainly found within the ecosystem are the different Acacia species and baobab trees. The ecosystem’s main features are the meeting point of rivers Tana and Thiba, Kamburu and Masinga hydro-electric dams, which harbour variety of biodiversity.

Major wildlife attractions include the elephants, Rothschild giraffes, Common zebras, Lesser kudu, Buffalo, Water Buck, Bush buck, Impala, Vervet Monkeys, Aardvark, Yellow baboons, Grants gazelle, Dik dik, Cape hare, Warthog, Black backed jackal, Duiker, Sykes monkeys, Genet cat, Slender mongoose, Stripped ground squirrel, Dwarf mongoose, Crested porcupine, Rock Hyrax, Tree Hyrax and tortoise. Hippos and crocodiles are also found in the dams and rivers. Different birds and reptile species have been recorded in the reserve.

Attractions & Activities

Fundamentally undiscovered, pristine and undisturbed, Mwea National Reserve is an oasis of calm and tranquility in a populous landscape. Boldly painted on a parchment canvas of dusty dry bush and feathered acacia, this diverse pocket of wilderness is traversed by torrential seasonal rivers and stubbed with bulbous baobab trees.

The ecosystem’s main features are the meeting point of rivers Tana and Thiba, Kamburu and Masinga hydro-electric dams, which harbor a variety of biodiversity. The reserve is renowned for its water for birds and waders and shelters two other rare species; Pel’s fishing owl and the white-backed night heron. It is the only protected Reserve in which the globally threatened and Kenya-endemic Hinde’s Babber is found.