Things To Do in Kenya

Game drives are the heart of a Kenya safari, across the Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo, Samburu and the Rift Valley parks, with big cats, elephants and the Big Five. The Mara is the big-cat capital. The variety is superb.

From around July to October, the Maasai Mara hosts the famous river crossings of the great migration, as the herds plunge into the crocodile-filled Mara River. It is one of the world’s great wildlife spectacles. The crossings are never guaranteed but unmissable.

Mount Kenya offers Africa’s second-highest summit, with the walking peak of Point Lenana reached over several days and technical rock for mountaineers, plus smaller climbs like Longonot. The scenery is glorious.

Kenya’s coast runs from lively Diani to quiet, marine-park Watamu and the timeless Swahili island of Lamu, the perfect finish to a safari. White sand and warm water await. The coast has real culture and calm.

Kenya is a birding powerhouse, with over a thousand species, from the Rift Valley’s flamingos to savanna rollers, cranes and raptors and the coastal-forest specials. Birds are seen alongside the big game. The variety is the strength.

A dawn balloon flight over the Maasai Mara drifts silently above the plains and, in season, the migration herds, ending with a champagne breakfast in the bush. It is a highlight of any Mara trip. The light at dawn is glorious.

On foot, Kenya offers guided big-game walks in the conservancies, car-free walking among wildlife at Hell’s Gate and Crescent Island, and forest trails in the highlands. The pace lets you notice everything. Walking is a rare treat here.

Kenya’s cultures run from the Maasai and Samburu of the plains and north to the Swahili of the coast, with village visits, dance and craft. Done through the communities, these visits add a human dimension. The cultures are strong and living.

In the dry north, around Laikipia and Samburu, camel safaris let you walk with these gentle animals through wild country, a slow, traditional way to travel pioneered here. It is a unique northern experience. The pace is calming.

Humpback whales pass the Kenyan coast on their seasonal migration, and boat trips from the south coast head out to watch them breach and spout. The sightings are seasonal and special. The ocean adds another dimension.

Off the south coast, around the Kisite marine area, dolphin watching trips head out to see pods in the wild, often combined with snorkelling on the reef. It is a popular coastal outing. The dolphins are a delight.

Kenya’s marine parks at Watamu, Kisite and beyond offer accessible reef diving in warm water, with coral, turtles and a wreck among the draws. The diving suits all levels. The reefs are protected and healthy.

Snorkelling over the shallow reefs of Kenya’s marine parks brings coral, fish and turtles within easy reach, no training needed, often by glass-bottom boat or dhow. It suits families and first-timers. The water is warm and clear.

The Kenya coast, from Watamu and Malindi to Shimoni and the Pemba Channel, is a world-class big-game fishing destination for marlin and sailfish, with a strong tag-and-release ethic. The billfish are the headline. The grounds are productive.

In the Laikipia conservancies and elsewhere, horse riding lets you get close to plains game, which is less wary of a horse than a vehicle, across beautiful country. It suits riders of varying experience. The bush feels different from the saddle.

Kenya offers climbing from the volcanic towers of Hell’s Gate to the crags near Nairobi and the technical peaks of Mount Kenya, for every level. Hell’s Gate’s Fischer’s Tower is the classic climb. The rock is varied and warm.

Cycling lets you ride among wildlife at Hell’s Gate, the one park where you can cycle freely, plus gentle lanes around Lake Naivasha and cooler forest and highland trails. It is an active way to see the country. Few rides compare.

A bush breakfast, laid out on the plains after an early game drive, is a relaxed safari tradition, eaten in the open with the savanna around you. It turns a meal into part of the adventure. The setting makes the meal.

Sundowner drinks at a scenic spot, watching the sun set over the plains at the end of an afternoon drive, are one of the best-loved rituals of a safari. A cold drink and a sunset close the day perfectly. The light is glorious.

Kenya is a photographer’s dream, from the big cats and migration of the Maasai Mara to the elephants of Amboseli below Kilimanjaro, with photo vehicles and hides. A photo trip builds in the light and the time. The subjects are world-class.