8 Great Safari Places You Should Visit While in Kenya 2024 – 2025 : Safari in Kenya is often associated with trips to Kenya, and for good reason. There is an abundance of wildlife in its national parks, the most well-known of which being the Masai Mara Game Reserve, home to the Big Five (elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and black rhino) as well as the Nilotic Maasai tribe, who are distinguished by their distinctive red traditional shuka (checked fabric). However, national parks are not all that Kenya has to offer. There are vast cities with thriving social and cultural safari scenes and mountainous forests just waiting to be explored. You can take an exhilarating off-road adventure, plunge into underwater wonderlands in the Indian Ocean, or unwind on immaculate beaches. Kenya may offer every kind of safari tour you’re looking for. These are the top Kenya safari destinations to include on your itinerary.
1: 8 Great Safari Places You Should Visit While in Kenya 2024 – 2025 : Nairobi
Kenya’s capital, a city in the middle of everything, is a fantastic place to stay if you want to go on a safari, visit amazing restaurants, or just relax on the beach. Pack your bags and spend a few days exploring Nairobi’s many bars and restaurants. Popular Kenya safari tour destinations include Cultiva, where diners can taste the chef’s South American heritage in every dish from farm to table, and Unseen Nairobi, an independent art gallery and rooftop bar where signature sandwiches pair well with independent films.
Nairobi offers a plethora of cultural events, including museums, shopping, stand-up comedy shows, art galleries, and outdoor theatres featuring African films. You may get up close and personal with wildlife even in the capital. Among the options are feeding Rothschild giraffes at the Giraffe Centre, witnessing orphaned new born elephants at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, and spotting four of the Big Five (not elephants) at Nairobi National Park against the unusual backdrop of billboards, traffic, and skyscrapers.
2: 8 Great Safari Places You Should Visit While in Kenya 2024 – 2025: Maasai Mara National Reserve
Situated in Kenya’s southwest, Masai Mara is one of Africa’s most popular kenya safari locations, spanning 1510 Square km (583 Square miles) into Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. A birding safari destination in Kenya with over 450 different species of birds here, along with the Big Five and other Kenya wildlife. Pick your own adventure and see animals from a Kenya safari car, a hot air balloon during breakfast served with champagne, a horseback safari, or a guided walking safari are some of the best Kenya safari tours activities to do in Maasai Mara.
For a first hand understanding of this fabled tribe’s way of life and their enduring spiritual connection to the land, you can also travel to Maasai village visit the settlements. July through October is the ideal time to go because during this time, the Great Migration is beginning where millions of wildebeest travel across the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem in search of lush pasture and to give birth, which is an exciting spectacle that frequently entails them being pursued by crocodiles and big cats as they cross Mara River.
3: 8 Great Safari Places You Should Visit While in Kenya 2024 – 2025 : Amboseli National Park
Large herds of elephants can be seen at Amboseli National Park lazing in the shallows, sunbathing, or approaching your car so closely you can see their eyelashes. The park has miles of dry, semi-arid grassland that is sporadically interspersed with acacia trees and green marsh nourished by subterranean water sources. Tanzania may be home to Africa’s highest mountain, but Kenya offers unquestionably the greatest views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Its snow-capped summit protruding into the sky is visible on a clear day and provides amazing photo opportunities for photographers. In the evening, unwind with a sundowner and take in the scenery, which is even more breathtaking at dawn when viewed from the perspective of a hot air balloon.
The Kimana Sanctuary, which lies nearby, serves as a corridor for wildlife moving from the park to the Chyulu Hills and Tsavo. Your visit helps maintain Kenya’s first community-owned conservancy, which was established in 1996. In addition, they organise an entertaining biennial Maasai Olympics, where young men participate in club and spear throwing, high jumping, and sprinting events, to support the transition from hunting to conservation in a society where shooting lions was long considered a rite of passage.
4:8 Great Safari Places You Should Visit While in Kenya 2024 – 2025 : Matthews Range
Reaching Samburu’s remote Matthews Range is no simple task. There are many beautiful paths for hikers to select from, all equally peaceful as the next, but for the ultimate adventure, take a track that passes through a thick layer of emerald foliage that requires a machete to cut through, ending at a freezing cold rock pool on the River Ngeng. The lowest temperature in these mountains is 10ºC (50ºF), and the highest point is 2688m (8819ft). You have the option to tent or stay at outlying lodges, such as Kitich Forest tent, where you’ll be accompanied by a Samburu guide who will help you find your way around and identify species based on sounds and tracks.
Try to identify Hartlaub’s turaco, a bird that shares the same colours as the Kenyan flag, and De Brazza’s monkey, a master of disguise, as you descend from the peak.
5:8 Great Safari Places You Should Visit While in Kenya 2024 – 2025 : Watamu
Surprisingly, Watamu’s culture is so strongly Italian that many residents speak the language; the reason for the Italians’ arrival was their employment at the neighbouring Luigi Broglio Space Centre in the 1960s. Watamu is a fantastic base from which to explore the north coast. Pasta, pizza, and gelato are served in a lot of restaurants, and there are even some Italian street signs. Visit the stunning canyons at Marafa Hell’s Kitchen (though avoid going in the middle of the day because you might faint from the heat), go diving or snorkelling in the marine park, attend the Saturday night parties at Papa Remo Beach, sign up for wild sunset cruises down Mida Creek, or go kite surfing at Che Shale.
Witness massive humpback whales leaping into the air and then returning to the water just feet from your boat if you visit in October.
6:8 Great Safari Places You Should Visit While in Kenya 2024 – 2025 : Lamu
The Lamu archipelago in Kenya is the ideal Kenya safari destination if you’re searching for a relaxed getaway with stunning beaches. History lovers should visit historic Lamu Town, which is the oldest Swahili colony on the coast of East Africa. There are legends surrounding the town’s cuisine and architecture. The only ways to get around were on foot or by donkey, as the streets are too small for cars. However, in recent years, motorbike taxis, or boda-bodas, have altered the town’s atmosphere by speeding through the corridors while blasting the newest songs. Take a speedboat to visit various Kenya safari destination throughout the archipelago, like Kiwayu Island. Situated in the Kiunga Marine National Reserve, it’s perfect for sport fishing and diving. Holiday villas with infinity pools that front the sea are common in Shela village. Students from all over the world come to Lamu for the yearly Yoga Festival in October.
A classic wooden boat, or dhow, in the Mozambican style is a must-do for an evening sunset kenya tour. There are many excellent restaurants on the island, including those at the Peponi Hotel and the Kijani Hotel. You may also enjoy a drink at the Floating Bar. Planning advice: Since Lamu is predominantly a Muslim town, clothing covering the shoulders and chests is anticipated.
7: 8 Great Safari Places You Should Visit While in Kenya 2024 – 2025 : Turkana
On a map of Kenya, Turkana appears to be a large, barren region that is remote, hostile, and historically affected by drought, but it attracts many Kenya safari tour seekers who love a challenge. There is an airport in the area, but driving is the real Kenya safari adventure, and navigating the rugged roads calls for a trustworthy 4×4. The largest desert lake in the world, jade-blue Lake Turkana, is a nice surprise, considering how hot and dry the area is. You can take a speedboat and go to Central Island, where a short climb leads up to a volcanic crater lake, or you can visit Eliye Springs, which has sandy beaches and towering green palm trees, giving you the impression that you are on Diani Beach on the Kenyan coast. Remember to bring your swimming gear, and keep an eye out for Nile crocodiles that may be hiding on the rocks.
The rapidly growing town of Lodwar has a vibrant nightlife and its own version of the well-known Christ the Redeemer statue from Brazil. Discover why this area is referred regarded as the “cradle of mankind” by travelling 129 kilometres (80 miles) west to view a recreation of the fossil remains found in Turkana Boy. If you want to learn more about northern tribes like the Borana, Rendille, Turkana, and Samburu, schedule your visit during the annual Lake Turkana Cultural Festival in June. Travelling eastward from Lake Turkana will lead you to the salt pans of the Chalbi Desert, extending all the way to the Ethiopian border. At North Horr, you may meet the locals and sandboard the dunes to learn more about their way of life.
8:8 Great Safari Places You Should Visit While in Kenya 2024 – 2025 : Kisumu
Kisumu is the entry point to western Kenya and enjoys a picturesque location near Lake Victoria, one of the Great Lakes of Africa. The two main attractions here are boat cruises and bird watching. Try the tilapia at Le Pearl or Dunga Hill Camp; it’s served with ugali, a thick porridge-like native dish, or deep-fried and covered in a flavourful fried tomato and onion foundation. Kisumu’s sunsets over the river are worth visiting, but you can also explore the Impala Sanctuary, dance to popular Ohangla music till dawn, and tour out-of-town caverns and rock formations like Kit-Mikayi and the less well-known Abindu caverns.
From Nairobi, it takes 45 minutes by plane or at least six hours by car to reach the lake’s most popular islands, Mbita, Rusinga, and Takawiri, where the beaches are powder white and the sunsets glow. As the sun sets, you’ll see the “ghost cities” formed by hundreds of lanterns hoisted on wooden canoes by fishermen heading off to fish by night.
