Types of Antelopes and Wildlife in Kenyan Parks

Recognizing Kenya’s Diverse Antelope Species

While big cats often steal the spotlight, Kenya’s herbivores and antelope varieties exhibit extraordinary evolutionary adaptations, grace, and beauty across our national reserves.

Impala: The Master of Leaping

Recognizable by their lyre-shaped horns (males only) and distinctive black "M" markings on their rump, impalas can leap up to 3 meters in the air and span distances of 10 meters.

Gerenuk: The Giraffe Antelope of Samburu

Found in the arid northern reserves of Samburu and Buffalo Springs, the gerenuk is famed for standing upright on its hind legs to browse tender acacia shoots high above the ground.

The Elusive Bongo and Sitatunga

Kenya is also home to critically endangered forest antelopes like the mountain bongo in the Aberdares and Mount Kenya forests, and the semi-aquatic sitatunga in Lake Victoria and Saiwa Swamp.