Mwea national reserve is located in Embu county Mbeere district in Kenya near Siakogo north west of Kamburu dam plains covering an area of about 42 kilometers squared, the reserve is characterized by Savannah grasslands, baobab, bushy vegetation and acacia trees boasting with wildlife roaming about the plains.
Mwea national reserve is bordered by Thiba River from the Eastern part and the Tana river to the South, the reserve was established in 1976 managed by the Kenyan wildlife service and other organizations that have helped in funding the reserve for it’s development.
Mwea national reserve is also home to over 150 species of birds some of them highly endangered and endemic to this area, the reserve receives annual rainfall of 510-760mm making the climate semi arid, and some of the roads might be impassable within the park due to elephants bringing down trees.
Activities at Mwea national reserve
Game viewing
Mwea national reserve is home to animals for example; stripped ground squirrels, Genet, black backed jackals, rock hyraxes, yellow baboons, water bucks, zebras, buffalos, bush bucks, African leopards, African elephants, impalas, lesser kudus, common duikers, Nile crocodiles, giraffes, bush pigs, water bucks, Sykes monkey, warthogs and hartebeest to mention a few.
Bird watching
Mwea national reserve is home to over 200 bird species, some of the bird are endemic to this area examples of birds to seen are; Hindes babbler, Pels fishing owl, Malagasy pond heron, white backed night heron, .
Boat riding
Tourists at Mwea reserve can have a thrilling experience at Kamburu dam and see many water birds, beautiful sceneries and see lots of hippos coming close to their boat.
Camping
Mwea national reserve has got various campsites public and private, camping is one of the best ways to feel close to the wild than even spending a night in a luxury hotel. The reserve has got seven campsites namely; Githechu camp, Sylvestercamp, Kyangosi camp, Kanyonga camp, Mbogo camp and Hippo- point camp. These camps always provide all the basic needs for your Safari to be memorable.
Nature guided walks
There are a variety of walking trails that have been created to suit your walking safari with animals sighting points
Picnics
The best way to explore the reserve is on a one planned picnic trip as it’s small it can actually be explored within two hours, there are a number of picnic sites put in place where you can enjoy your lunch from with greater views of nature.
Where to stay
There are only seven campsites within the park the other accommodation can be found outside in the nearby towns.
How to get there
Mwea national reserve can be accessed from Nairobi via Thika road, the journey always lasts for about three hours, it’s 200 kilometers from Nairobi there also an optional and bear route tourists can use via Embu route instead of Thika. There is an airstrip at the near the reserve known as Masinga airstrip for those who want to travel by air.
