The Kenya National Parks are a Pulsating Theater for Millions of Kenya Wildlife

The Kenya national parks are bound to dazzle you because the country is a wildlife treasure trove. In fact, I don't know of any other country - in Africa or elsewhere - that is so well-endowed.

In these wildlife parks, you will encounter Kenya wildlife such as the classic "Big Five" (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhino), "less charismatic" but nonetheless unique species such as topis and warthogs, and prolific birdlife.

But it isn't just the surreally innumerable Kenya animals and rich birdlife that will leave you speechless. These national parks occupy some thrillingly diverse landscapes...

From low lying coastlands, snow-capped mountains, deserts, forests, that huge trough in the ground called the Great Rift Valley to freshwater and salty lakes, Kenya has it all.

And you can choose to imbibe these enthralling sights from an open roof minibus or 4WD vehicle. If you are the more adventurous kind though, you could choose to take in the magical sights from a hot air balloon, on horseback or simply on foot...

Whichever option you settle for, it is the sheer breadth and intensity of the experience that makes a wildlife safari spent in the Kenya national parks and reserves - totaling more than 10 million acres! - truly truly inimitable.

Although there are over 50 national parks and reserves in Kenya, below are my favorites and I would go so far as to say that each is the epitome of a Kenya safari:

• Masai Mara National Reserve. The Mara is Kenya's most visited park. It is famous for countless prides of lions and the spectacular annual wildebeest migration.

  Every year, upwards of 2 million wildebeest make the perilous journey from the drier Tanzanian Serengeti to the Masai Mara by crossing the Mara River.

• Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya's smaller parks. However, it is also one of the most gratifying.

  Your most memorable moments will probably be sights of large herds of African elephants against the backdrop of the imposing snow-capped Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain.

• Tsavo National Park. Occupying an unbelievable 21,812 square kilometers, the Tsavo National Park, which is for administrative purposes divided into Tsavo East and Tsavo West, is by far Kenya's largest wildlife habitat.

  They first gained notoriety for their man-eating lions that devoured 135 Indian workers, bringing the construction of the Kenya-Uganda Railway to a screeching halt at the end of the nineteenth century.

  More recently, the Tsavos' fame is attributable to their infinite herds of the coveted "red elephants."

• Samburu National Reserve is much visited for its unique species of giraffe, ostrich, antelope, zebra and its large population of leopards.

  These are noticeably different from the ones you find in the national parks in Kenya that are located further south.

  The Samburu wildlife often congregates around the Ewaso Nyiro River where opportunistic crocodiles lie in wait.

  Samburu is also where in apocalyptic style, a lioness adopted several oryxes and doggedly kept the predators away...

• Nairobi National Park which, considering that it is a mere stone's throw from the city, is rather large.

  Here, you can view giraffes, buffalos, rhinos and even lions against a background of gleaming skyscrapers and a sky that is brimming with planes.

• Mount Kenya National Park is home to the gigantic Mount Kenya that is the namesake of the country and has been venerated by local communities for centuries.

  It also boasts some unique flora and fauna, such as the "water holding cabbage" and leopards, owls, waterbucks and monkeys.

• Lake Nakuru National Park. During the breeding season, 2 million flamingoes flock to the alkaline lake, turning it into a sea of pink.

  But the national park is also a haven for lions, rhinos, gazelles and the rare and endangered Rothschild giraffe.

• Aberdare National Park is one of most verdant and scenic Kenya national parks, thanks in part to its indigenous forest and waterfalls.

  It is also home to one of the largest populations of black and white rhinos in the country as well as lions, elephants, buffalos and the rare bongo antelope, giant forest hog and black leopard.

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