Saiwa Swamp National Park

Though not so popular and it is less visited, it is also some of those small parks in Kenya that you should opt for after seeing a variety of wildlife in Maasai Mara and Amboseli or even other Kenyan Parks.

Saiwa Swamp National Park is located near Kitale in the Rift Valley Province in Kenya. It is the smallest National Park in Kenya covering an area only 3 square kilometers and was created as a habitat for the Sitatunga which is a rare aquatic antelope and the Park is dubbed as ‘’home of the sitatunga’’ however there is also variety of tree species in the national park that a visitor will enjoy viewing.

The Park is indeed a forested paradise with some rare species such as the rare aquatic antelope and the rare De Brazza monkeys together with numerous bird species (over 372 bird species) such as; grey herons, lesser jacana, African black ducks, and the Noisy Ross’s turacos.

The Park is situated 385 kilometers northwest of Nairobi (Kenya’s capital city) close to the Uganda border near Mountain Elgon (mountain with the largest volcanic base in the world) which is also worth a visit.

The Park can be visited throughout the year and accommodation is available at the Sirikwa tented camp which is situated 6km (3.7 miles) away from the Saiwa Swamp junction and there is also a campsite at the gateway.

The nearest town (Kitale) consists of numerous small hotels where you can stay too. Since the park is only accessible by foot, vehicles therefore park at the gate and there is also an airstrip 22km away from Kitale town. Other nearby accommodations in Kitale town include; Aturukan hotel, Iroko Twigs hotel, and many others.