Kenya
The country, in six chapters.
Open a landscape for the road time, the camps, and the safaris that actually go there.
A map you can use
South, north, the Rift, the reef.
Most first trips try to see all of this in five days. That is how people spend their holiday in a car. Pick two landscapes, maybe three if you will fly. The pages below are written so you can choose.
Southwestern Kenya
Maasai Mara
Kenya’s most iconic reserve. Endless gold plains, the Big Five, and the July–October wildebeest river crossings.
July – October for the migration; year-round for big cats
Five to six hours by road from Nairobi, or about 45 minutes by light aircraft from Wilson.
Read Maasai MaraSouthern Kenya
Amboseli
Elephants under the snowed dome of Kilimanjaro, swamp-edge birdlife, and some of Africa’s most photographed dawns.
June – October, when the mountain is clearest
About four hours from Nairobi on a good day. A short flight to the airstrip if you would rather not spend the morning on the road.
Read Amboseli
Southeastern Kenya
Tsavo
One of Kenya’s largest parks. Dusty red elephants, volcanic hills, Mzima Springs, and a sense of true scale.
June – October and January – February
Tsavo West is roughly four hours down the Mombasa road. Tsavo East is wilder and better paired with a coast finish.
Read TsavoNorthern Kenya
Samburu
Arid beauty along the Ewaso Nyiro. Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, gerenuk and Beisa oryx.
June – October
A full day north via Nanyuki, or a scheduled flight into the reserve airstrips.
Read Samburu
Great Rift Valley
Lake Nakuru
A compact soda-lake park famous for flamingos, both species of rhino, and an easy pairing with the Mara or Naivasha.
Year-round; flamingo numbers move with the water
About two and a half hours from Nairobi, down the escarpment.
Read Lake NakuruKenyan coast
Diani & the Coast
Seventeen kilometres of pale sand after the bush. Diani, Watamu, Lamu and Mombasa, paced as a real holiday rather than a transfer.
December – March and July – October
Fly from the Mara or Wilson to Ukunda. The road from Nairobi is a full day and we rarely recommend it after a safari.
Read Diani & the Coast