Discover Kenya

An Overview

The Original African Safari Country

Kenya is where the modern safari was invented. Within a single country you can watch the Great Migration cross the Mara River, photograph elephants framed by Kilimanjaro, walk with reticulated giraffes in Samburu, climb Africa's second-highest peak, and finish on a Swahili dhow at sunset off Lamu.

Most Kenya itineraries thread together four of its great safari regions: the Southern Circuit (Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo) for classic Big Five game; the Northern Frontier (Samburu, Laikipia, Lewa) for desert-adapted wildlife and private conservancies; the Rift Valley & Central Highlands for lakes, flamingos and Mount Kenya; and the Coast & Islands for white sand and Swahili culture.

60+Parks & Reserves

5,199 mMt Kenya Summit

580,367 km²Total Area

44Recognised Tribes

Southern Circuit

The Mara, Amboseli & Tsavo

The classic Kenyan safari — the parks south and southeast of Nairobi. Big-cat country, elephant herds against snowy peaks, and Africa's most-photographed wildlife landscapes.

Southern · Reserve

Maasai Mara National Reserve

1,510 km² of rolling grassland that forms the northern third of the greater Serengeti–Mara ecosystem. Between July and October, around 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara River into Kenya — the most dramatic wildlife event on the planet. Outside Migration months the Mara still has the highest big-cat density anywhere in East Africa.

Best for: Migration river crossings, lion, cheetah, leopard
Highlight: Mara River crossings (Aug–Oct), private conservancies
Stay: 3–4 nights, mix Reserve + a conservancy (Mara North, Olare Motorogi, Naboisho)

Southern · Park

Amboseli National Park

Just 392 km² but world-famous for one image: a herd of elephants walking past the snows of Kilimanjaro. Amboseli's swamps fed by underground springs from the mountain keep elephants and game in the park year-round, even in dry months. Long-tusked “super tuskers” are still found here.

Best for: Elephants with Kili backdrop, photography, families
Highlight: Sunrise over Kilimanjaro from Observation Hill
Stay: 2 nights; pair with Selenkay or Kimana Conservancy for night drives

Southern · Park

Tsavo East & West National Parks

Combined, Tsavo East and Tsavo West cover almost 22,000 km² — Kenya's largest protected wilderness. Tsavo East is famous for its “red elephants” (dust-bathed) and the Yatta Plateau; Tsavo West is more rugged and home to Mzima Springs (where you can watch hippos through underwater windows) and the Shetani lava flows.

Best for: Wide-open wilderness, elephants, fewer crowds
Highlight: Mzima Springs in Tsavo West; Yatta Plateau in Tsavo East
Stay: 2–3 nights; easy add-on after Diani or before Amboseli

Southern · Park

Nairobi National Park

The only national park in the world inside a capital city — 117 km² of plains, gorges and acacia woodland on the southern edge of Nairobi, with rhinos and lions against the skyline. Easy half-day on arrival or before your flight home, and home to the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Centre nearby.

Best for: First / last day in Kenya, rhino, family-friendly intros
Highlight: Sheldrick orphans' 11 a.m. feed; rhino on the city skyline
Stay: Day visit from Nairobi

Southern · Hills

Chyulu Hills National Park

Hemingway's “green hills of Africa”, between Tsavo and Amboseli. Volcanic, young (only ~500 years old in places), and dotted with lava-tube caves and giraffes silhouetted against Kilimanjaro. Best known for ultra-high-end tented camps with horseback and walking safaris.

Best for: Walking, horseback safari, exclusive camps
Highlight: Lava-tube caves; views of Kilimanjaro
Stay: 2–3 nights, paired with Amboseli or Tsavo

Southern · Cultural

Maasai Cultural Visits

The Maasai are the iconic pastoralists of southern Kenya. Authentic visits — to a working manyatta near Amboseli or in a Mara conservancy — go beyond the “jumping dance”: warriors, elders, women's beadwork cooperatives and conservation rangers. We choose community-owned visits where the fees stay with the village.

Best for: Cultural travellers, photographers, families
Highlight: A morning with Maasai rangers in a conservancy
Stay: Half-day, slotted between game drives

The Northern Frontier

Samburu, Laikipia & the Conservancies

North of Mount Kenya the country dries out, the colours change to red and ochre, and a completely different cast of wildlife appears. This is also where Kenya's community-conservancy model has redrawn the map of African safari.

North · Reserve

Samburu National Reserve

On the Ewaso Nyiro River, Samburu (and its sister reserves Buffalo Springs and Shaba) is famous for the so-called “Samburu Special Five” — species you simply don't see further south: reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, gerenuk, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich. The Samburu people give the area its name and its distinctive culture.

Best for: Northern specials, leopard, dry-country landscapes
Highlight: Elephant crossings on the Ewaso Nyiro at sunset
Stay: 2–3 nights; easy fly-in from Nairobi (1 hour)

North · Plateau

Laikipia Plateau

Roughly 9,500 km² of private and community conservancies stretching from Mount Kenya toward the northern deserts — the second-largest wildlife area in Kenya after Tsavo, despite having no national park inside it. Walking, horseback, mountain-biking and night drives are all standard here, because conservancy rules allow them.

Best for: Walking & horseback safari, wild dog, community conservancies
Highlight: Camel-supported walking safari; night drives for aardvark / striped hyena
Stay: 3–4 nights at one or two camps

North · Conservancy

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

A 250 km² UNESCO-listed conservancy that protects around 14% of Kenya's eastern black rhinos and around 11% of its endangered Grevy's zebra. Lewa was a working cattle ranch that pioneered the conservancy model in the 1980s. Today it offers high-end tented camps, walking, horseback and family safaris.

Best for: Black & white rhino, Grevy's zebra, conservation travellers
Highlight: Tracking rhino on foot with anti-poaching rangers
Stay: 2–3 nights

North · Conservancy

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

East Africa's largest black-rhino sanctuary at 360 km², Ol Pejeta is also home to the world's last two surviving northern white rhinos and to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary (the only place in Kenya you can see chimps). Big Five plus excellent night-drive opportunities.

Best for: Big Five, rhino, chimpanzee sanctuary, night drives
Highlight: Meeting the last northern white rhinos, Najin and Fatu
Stay: 2 nights; great pair with Mount Kenya

North · Park

Meru National Park

The setting for George and Joy Adamson's Born Free, Meru collapsed in the 1980s poaching crisis and has been carefully restored. Today it's a 870 km² Big Five park with 13 rivers, lush vegetation and almost no other vehicles — a real “wilderness with structure”.

Best for: Quiet Big Five game viewing, rivers, off-the-beaten-path
Highlight: Adamson's Falls; rhino sanctuary inside the park
Stay: 2–3 nights

North · People

Samburu & Turkana Cultures

The pastoralist Samburu (“butterflies of the north”) and the Turkana of Kenya's far north-west are some of the most strikingly dressed peoples in Africa. Cultural visits in Samburu are routinely arranged from Sera, Kalama or West Gate conservancies — many of which the communities themselves own.

Best for: Cultural depth, beadwork cooperatives, photography
Highlight: Sundowner with a Samburu warrior at a conservancy lookout
Stay: Half-day, slotted into a conservancy stay

Rift Valley & Central Highlands

Lakes, Flamingos & Mountains

The Great Rift Valley splits Kenya from north to south, leaving behind a chain of lakes, volcanoes and forested mountains. Many travellers slot a few nights here between Nairobi and the Mara — short distances, very different landscapes.

Rift Valley · Park

Lake Nakuru National Park

A small, fenced 188 km² park around an alkaline soda lake. Famous historically for millions of pink flamingos (numbers fluctuate with water levels), Nakuru is also one of the best places in Kenya to see both black and white rhino, and the only place to reliably see Rothschild's giraffe.

Best for: Rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, flamingos, leopard
Highlight: Baboon Cliff viewpoint at sunset
Stay: 1–2 nights

Rift Valley · Lake

Lake Naivasha & Hell's Gate

Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake fringed by yellow-fever acacias and full of hippos — early-morning boat safaris are a classic experience. Right next door, Hell's Gate National Park is one of the only parks in Africa where you can cycle and walk among the wildlife (no lions, no elephants).

Best for: Boat safari, cycling among zebra & giraffe
Highlight: Crescent Island walk; Hell's Gate gorge hike
Stay: 1–2 nights, easy stop between Nairobi and the Mara

Rift Valley · Lake

Lake Bogoria & Lake Baringo

Further north in the Rift, Lake Bogoria's geysers and hot springs draw the lesser flamingos that have largely moved away from Nakuru — making it currently the best place in Kenya to see the famous pink-tinted shoreline. Freshwater Lake Baringo just beyond is a birder's lake (470+ species) with good budget tented camps.

Best for: Flamingos, birding, hot springs, geology
Highlight: Sunrise boat trip on Baringo with goliath herons & fish eagles

Central Highlands · Park

Aberdare National Park

A misty, montane forest park reaching up to 4,000 m on the western edge of Mount Kenya. Home to the iconic “treetop” lodges (Treetops, The Ark) where waterhole lights bring elephant, buffalo and the rare bongo to your balcony at night. Great add-on for travellers who want to break up the safari with cool, forested nights.

Best for: Treetop lodges, bongo, mountain forest, families
Highlight: Night-time waterhole viewing from your room
Stay: 1 night, between Nairobi and the Mara or northern parks

Central Highlands · Mountain

Mount Kenya National Park · 5,199 m

Africa's second-highest peak and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Point Lenana (4,985 m) is the trekking summit reached without ropes — a 4–6 day climb on the Sirimon, Naro Moru or Chogoria routes. The technical peaks of Batian and Nelion are for experienced alpinists only.

Routes (trekking): Sirimon, Naro Moru, Chogoria, Burguret
Days: 4–6 days for Point Lenana (5–7 with full acclimatisation)
Best months: Jan–Feb & Jun–Oct (dry seasons)

Central Highlands · Forest

Kakamega Forest

Far west toward Lake Victoria, Kakamega is the last surviving fragment of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest that once stretched across the continent. 380+ bird species, seven primate species (including the rare De Brazza's monkey) and butterflies in their hundreds — a paradise for birders and naturalists.

Best for: Birding, primates, off-the-beaten-track travellers
Highlight: Dawn chorus and great blue turaco sightings

Coast & Islands

The Swahili Coast & Lamu Archipelago

500 km of warm Indian Ocean fringed by a near-continuous coral reef. After a safari, this is where most travellers come to slow down — white sand, dhows under sail, marine parks and a Swahili culture that has traded with Arabia and India for over a thousand years.

South Coast · Beach

Diani Beach

Kenya's most famous beach — 17 km of soft white sand, swimmable at all tides over a near-shore reef, and a relaxed mix of resorts, beach bars and dive operators. South of Mombasa via the Likoni ferry or the new Dongo Kundu bypass. Easy add-on after a Tsavo safari.

Best for: Swimmable beach, kitesurfing (Jul–Sep), families
Highlight: Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park snorkel from Wasini Island
Stay: 4–7 nights

North Coast · Beach

Watamu, Malindi & Mida Creek

North of Mombasa, Watamu's marine national park is one of the best snorkelling sites in East Africa, with whale sharks (Oct–Feb) and turtle nesting beaches. Mida Creek next door is a tidal mangrove system perfect for kayaking, birding and Swahili sundowners on the boardwalk.

Best for: Snorkelling, marine park, whale sharks (seasonal), birding
Highlight: Gede Ruins (13th-c. Swahili town); Mida Creek sundowner
Stay: 4–6 nights

Far North Coast · Island

Lamu Island & Archipelago

UNESCO-listed Lamu Old Town has been continuously inhabited since the 14th century — a maze of coral-stone houses, carved doors, donkey lanes (no cars) and dhow workshops. Stay in the calm of Shela village beside an empty 12 km beach, or sail out to Manda and the wilder northern islands.

Best for: Swahili culture, dhow sailing, romance, photographers
Highlight: Sunset dhow with Tusker beers; Maulidi festival (Nov/Dec)
Stay: 4–5 nights

South Coast · Town

Mombasa Old Town & Fort Jesus

Often skipped on the way to a beach resort, Mombasa Old Town is a working Swahili quarter of carved doors, spice stalls and Portuguese, Omani and British layers of history. UNESCO-listed Fort Jesus tells the story of the 16th-century scramble for the Indian Ocean trade.

Best for: History, food, photography, half-day stops
Highlight: Swahili breakfast at Tarboush; Fort Jesus night sound & light

Plan Your Trip

When to Visit Kenya: A Quick Guide

Kenya is open year-round. The two rainy seasons — long rains (Mar–May) and short rains (Nov) — are the only periods we tend to steer travellers around for the Mara. Everything else is a question of which experience is at its peak.

Month	Maasai Mara	Amboseli & Tsavo	Mount Kenya	Coast / Lamu
Jan – Feb	Good Hot, dry, big-cat action	Peak Clear Kili views	Peak Driest summit window	Peak Hot & sunny
Mar – May	Long rains Quiet, lush, lower rates	Long rains Some lodges close	Avoid Wet, muddy paths	Wet Quietest months
Jun – Jul	Good Migration starts to enter Mara	Good Drying out, cool	Peak Cool & clear summit weather	Good Cool, breezy, kite season at Diani
Aug – Oct	Peak Mara River crossings	Peak Best dry-season game	Peak Best summit window	Good Whale sharks at Watamu (Oct+)
Nov	Short rains Migration heading back south	Mixed Short afternoon showers	OK Some afternoon rain	OK Building heat, Maulidi festival in Lamu
Dec	Good Drying out, festive game viewing	Good Green & quiet	OK Pre-dry season window	Peak Festive season, fully booked early

The Original African Safari Country

The Mara, Amboseli & Tsavo

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Amboseli National Park

Tsavo East & West National Parks

Nairobi National Park

Chyulu Hills National Park

Maasai Cultural Visits

Samburu, Laikipia & the Conservancies

Samburu National Reserve

Laikipia Plateau

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Meru National Park

Samburu & Turkana Cultures

Lakes, Flamingos & Mountains

Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Naivasha & Hell's Gate

Lake Bogoria & Lake Baringo

Aberdare National Park

Mount Kenya National Park · 5,199 m

Kakamega Forest

The Swahili Coast & Lamu Archipelago

Diani Beach

Watamu, Malindi & Mida Creek

Lamu Island & Archipelago

Mombasa Old Town & Fort Jesus

When to Visit Kenya: A Quick Guide

Ready to plan your Kenya trip?

Get Season Updates & Planning Tips