Tuesday 6 August 2019

MWEA GAME RESERVE; EMBU’S UNDISCOVERED GEM

Rothschild giraffes briskly walking at Mwea Game  Reserve
An alpha male baboon makes a low pitched bark, watching protectively at his troop made up of squealing young-lings. Heaving his bulk off a dead tree trunk, he adopts a war like stance, barking aggressively.

In a split second, the entire troop melts in the thick undergrowth. Amidst the cacophony of chirping birds, two Rothschild giraffes hop gracefully from a watering point, their long necks swaying sideways as if in slow motion. Welcome to Mwea National Reserve.


The game reserve, located 30 kilometers from Embu town offers breathtaking vistas beckoning to be explored. It is home to more than 125 elephants, 200 buffaloes, baboons, hippos, warthogs, Thomson’s gazelles, dik diks and an array of avian species including quails, guinea fowls and ducks making it a paradise for bird lovers. 

Photo of a male elephant scampering from the tourists.
PHOTO/ Robert Ndwiga
“We are popularizing Mwea Game Reserve as one of hidden gems in Embu County. Our strategy is multi-pronged including school tours, picnics and even camping” says Embu County Director of Tourism Virginia Warue Ngugi.

Already, according to the director, school tours have recorded phenomenal success with at least 500 students having visited the facility in the month of July 2019.

The Director of Tourism in Embu County Ms Virginia Warue (seated) takes the students and teachers of two Secondary Schools on a tour of Mwea Game Reserve. Accompanying them (with gun) is the JJ, the Tour Guide/ Ranger
“We are now gearing for increasing visitor numbers at the reserve especially those who love camping in the open, the experience is out of this world” Virginia says. 
A breathtaking view of the Masinga Dam Spillway, a very large water body within the Reserve and home to innumerable crocodiles, hippos, ducks and fish among other aquatic creatures. PHOTO: Robert Ndwiga