1. NAIROBI
    Most overseas visitors fly into Nairobi. Instead of continuing your onward journey straight away,
    consider making time for a night or two in the capital. There’s plenty to see and do, especially in and
    around the affluent suburb of Karen. Discover wild lions and black rhinos in Nairobi National Park,
    watch rescued baby elephants being fed at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage or
    come face-to-face with rehabilitated Rothschild’s giraffes at the Giraffe Center. Out of Africa fans will
    love the Karen Blixen Museum (it’s located in the author’s own home at the foot of the Ngong Hills).
    Nairobi also has some excellent craft markets, museums, restaurants and hotels.
  2. MASAI MARA
    Every year millions of wildebeest, zebra and other antelope migrate together from the Serengeti
    National Park in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Their exact movements are
    dictated by the rains but usually, the herds enter the country in August and spend September and
    November grazing on its lush southern plains. The Great Migration (and the Mara River crossing in
    particular) is one of the world’s most iconic natural spectacles. The Maasai Mara is also home to the
    Big Five and famous for its predator sightings. To make sure you get front row seats to the action,
    consider staying in a mobile cam
  3. NAKURU
    Located in central Kenya, Lake Nakuru National Park nestles on the floor of the Great Rift Valley and
    is famous for its vast soda lake. It takes up approximately a third of the park’s total area and attracts
    hundreds of thousands of greater and lesser flamingos who come to mate, raise their young and
    feed on the lake’s algae. Although pollution caused the flamingoes to migrate elsewhere in past
    years, recent clean-up efforts have seen many of them return to Lake Nakuru. Flamingoes aside, the
    park is a birding hotspot with over 450 other avian species. It’s also home to lions, leopards and
    white rhinos; and its spectacular euphorbia forest is the largest in Africa.
  4. NAIVASHA HELLS GATE NATIONAL PARK
    Situated a three-hour drive northwest of Nairobi, Hell’s Gate National Park is unlike any other park in
    Kenya. Part of the Great Rift Valley, it’s a center for geothermal activity and boasts soaring cliffs,
    plunging gorges and immense rock pillars. Plumes of escaping steam and swimmable thermal springs
    add to the sense of drama. Unlike the country’s other national parks, Hell’s Gate allows walking
    safaris and has designated trails for hiking and mountain biking. Sites like Fischer’s Tower are
    popular with rock climbers while birders flock to the Mervyn Carnelley Raptor Hide to look for
    nesting birds of prey. Top spots include Egyptian vultures and the majestic Verreaux’s eagle.
  5. AMBOSELI
    If seeing large herds of elephant up close is at the top of your Kenya wish list, make sure to visit
    Amboseli National Park. Located in the far south, the reserve is famous for amazing elephant
    sightings set against the dramatic backdrop of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro (visible from across
    the Tanzanian border). A diverse array of habitats makes the park a hotspot for other animal and
    bird species as well. Look out for all three big cats, the endangered African wild dog and no fewer
    than 600 different types of bird. Maasai villages around the edge of Amboseli offer the opportunity
    for insightful cultural visits.
  6. TSAVO
    In the far southeast of the country lie the neighboring national parks of Tsavo East and Tsavo West.
    Together they make up Kenya’s largest protected wildlife area – but the safari experience in each one
    is quite different. Tsavo East is famous for its picturesque red dust plains intersected by the beautiful
    Galana River. The river attracts an incredible diversity of wildlife, including large herds of elephant.
    This park also contains the world’s longest lava flow, known as the Yatta Plateau. Tsavo West is
    wetter, greener and even more scenic – although animals can be harder to spot. Make sure to visit
    Mzima Springs. Both parks offer a chance to see the Big Five and around 600 species of bird.
  7. SAMBURU
    Kenya’s most iconic game reserves may be located in the south, but it’s well worth venturing further
    north to the Samburu, Shaba and Buffalo Springs national reserves. Located virtually next door to
    one another in an arid landscape dotted with granite outcrops and twisted acacias, the reserves
    straddle the banks of the life-giving Ewaso Nyiro River. Their unique habitat is home to some equally
    unique wildlife including the desert-adapted gerenuk and Oryx antelopes, the endangered Gravy’s
    zebra and the reticulated giraffe (also endangered). Animals are not the only attraction; the area is
    also home to the semi-nomadic, pastoralist Samburu people. Cultural tours provide a fascinating
    insight into their way of life.
  8. MT. KENYA
    Mount Kenya is Africa’s second tallest mountain and the inspiration for the country’s modern name.
    Those that want to climb the mountain have a choice of three peaks: Batian (17,057 feet/5,199
    meters), Nelion (17,021 feet/5,188 meters) and Point Lenana (16,355 feet/4,985 meters). The first
    two peaks require technical equipment and training but it’s possible for amateur trekkers to reach
    the summit at Point Lenana. Mount Kenya’s slopes are cloaked in forest and moorland which gives
    way to rock, ice and snow. The best time to climb is during the dry months of January to February or
    July to October.
  9. CONSERVANCY TOUR
    For a more exclusive safari experience, book a stay on one of Kenya’s famous conservancies.
    Conservancies are tracts of land that are owned by indigenous communities but rented by eco-
    tourism companies and operated as private game reserves. They have many benefits: firstly, you can
    rest assured knowing your money is directly benefiting the local community. Because of this,
    conservancies help to reduce conflict between traditional landowners and the native wildlife,
    thereby promoting conservation. They aren’t restricted by the same rules as national parks and can
    offer night drives and walking safaris. Recommended conservancies include Lewa, Loisaba and Ol
    Pejeta.
  10. Relaxation at the Coast
    After a week in the bush, spend the second half of your holiday sunning yourself on the white sand
    shores of Kenya’s idyllic central coast. The neighboring beach towns of Malindi and Watamu are a
    popular choice. As an established resort destination complete with upmarket hotels, restaurants and
    bars, Malindi is the livelier option; while Watamu charms with its rural atmosphere and protected,
    palm-fringed beaches. Popular activities include sunset dhow cruises, scuba diving, snorkelling and
    deep-sea fishing. Watamu Marine National Park & Reserve is especially well-known for the green turtles that live in its coral gardens and for the humpback whales that pass through from July to October.