Best Things To Do in Kenya – Our Expert’s Choice

11-20 of 36 Things To Do in Kenya

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    11. Look for Desert-adapted Wildlife in Samburu NR

    Discover a new world of wildlife in Kenya’s north

    You know you’ve arrived somewhere different the moment you reach Samburu National Reserve. Partly it’s the bare northern landscape, a world of rocky escarpments, the palm-fringed Ewaso Nyiro River and sandy riverbanks, all kissed by the clear northern sunshine. But it’s also the fact that here you see animals that you simply don’t find in many other places: the long-necked gerenuk, an antelope that wants to be a giraffe; the blue-legged Somali ostrich; the extravagantly striped Grevy’s zebra.
    

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    You can also see lions and elephants and the better-known safari animals, but to see them alongside an entirely different cast of other creatures, and against an unforgettable backdrop, is Samburu’s true gift. And no matter how long you stay in Samburu, and the farther you explore, that sense of a world apart remains with you. There’s nowhere else in Kenya quite like it.
    Samburu Safaris More About Samburu

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    12. Go Hot-air Ballooning in the Masai Mara NR

    Rise above the savannah in all its dawn glory

    There’s no better way to get a sense of the scale and beauty of the Mara than from above. You’ll rise before dawn and take off to watch the sun appear and illuminate a landscape still softened by the morning chill. At such an hour, high above the Masai Mara, there is magic in the air, a sense of wild Africa stretching to the far horizon. Far across the grasslands, you’ll see the bare hills and steep escarpments that encircle the Mara. Down below, you’ll see wildebeest herds, elephant families, perhaps even one of the big cats on the hunt.
    

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    Most Kenya tour operators can book your hot-air balloon safari. It’s not usually a part of the standard safari itinerary in the Masai Mara, but is instead offered as an optional add-on to a safari in the Mara.
    Masai Mara Private Safaris More About Masai Mara

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    13. Dive and Snorkel Along Kenya’s Indian Ocean Coast

    Take an underwater safari off the coast

    From Lamu in the north to the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park in the south, and many places in between, Kenya’s offshore reefs promise some of the best diving and snorkeling anywhere along Africa’s Indian Ocean seaboard. It might be a PADI-certified course run by a professional local dive school at Diani Beach. Or it could be a day’s boat excursion where you take the plunge with a snorkel off the back of a traditional wooden dhow.
    

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    Whichever way you get out there and explore beneath the ocean’s surface, the astonishing diversity of marine life off Kenya’s many island archipelagos will open up an entirely different safari world, one for which Kenya should be just as famous as it is for its elephants, big cats and more.
    Kenya Beach Packages

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    14. Mix Wildlife and Culture on the Laikipia Plateau

    See wildlife and support local communities

    High on the Laikipia Plateau in Kenya’s inner mid-north, a patchwork of community-run conservancies is offering an alternative type of safari to what you can find in the national parks. In places such as Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Borana Conservancy and others, these conservancies are proving highly successful at protecting endangered wildlife, involving local communities and offering a different kind of safari experience to travelers.
    

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    Up here, you might be able to visit a local school or market, and you can be sure that the proceeds of your overall visit will go directly to those local communities. You might also be allowed to explore off-road, to take a walking safari, and to go out looking for nocturnal animals on a night drive, all things that simply aren’t possible in Kenya’s national parks.
    Laikipia Safari Packages More About Laikipia Plateau

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    15. See Lions, Chimps and Rhinos in Ol Pejeta

    Take your pick of wildlife encounters on the Laikipia Plateau

    You can do things in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which is located high on the Laikipia Plateau, that you can’t do anywhere else in the country. You can track wild lions for a start, or go looking for black rhinos or white rhinos in a place with one of the highest densities of wild rhinos anywhere in Africa. Or you could see the Big Five on an early morning or late-afternoon game drive. In this sense, Ol Pejeta is one of Kenya’s best places to see wildlife, often in great numbers.
    

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    But they take a broad approach to conservation at Ol Pejeta, and some of their animals are so precious that you’ll need to visit them in their own enclosure. Here, and only here, you can meet the last two northern white rhinos on the planet, or see Kenya’s only chimpanzees in the rescued-chimp enclosure at Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
    Ol Pejeta Safaris More About Ol Pejeta

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    16. Escape the Crowds in a Masai Mara Conservancy

    The Mara conservancies are like the Mara, only quieter

    Surrounding the Masai Mara National Reserve on three sides, exclusive conservancies such as the Mara Triangle, Mara North and Mara Naboisho Conservancies take the best of the Mara and make it personal. The wildlife here is every bit as good as that at the national reserve. These conservancies also have deep ties to (and are often run by) the local Maasai community, providing tangible benefits both to the Maasai and to travelers who visit. Community engagement connects traveler with local, and the profits go to local communities.
    

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    And because you can only visit if you’re staying at one of the exclusive tented camps or lodges within conservancy boundaries, some of the highest densities of big cats and other species match up here with very low densities of safari visitors. It’s a fantastic way to see wildlife, meet the locals and leave behind some lasting benefits, all at the same time.
    Safaris to Mara Conservancies

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    17. Sail on a Traditional Sailboat Along the Coast

    Slow down to the pace of a sea breeze on a dhow

    It’s one of the loveliest sights in coastal East Africa: a perfectly proportioned dhow, drifting offshore like a magical apparition of the Indian Ocean’s ancient trade in spices. But dhows are not just for admiring. At numerous places up and down Kenya’s coast, you can climb aboard a dhow for a day (or multiday) excursion. Often it will include a picnic or barbecue lunch. An afternoon’s snorkeling is also very often a part of the deal.
    

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    But whatever’s involved, there’s nothing quite like having the warm breeze in your hair as you sit on the prow and sail across turquoise waters within sight of a most beautiful shore. The Lamu Archipelago is an especially stunning place to set sail.
    Kenya Beach Packages

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    18. Chill in the Quiet Seaside Town of Watamu

    Experience the peaceful charm of coastal life

    Watamu is how the Kenyan coast used to look, and it’s a fabulous alternative to the busy resort towns of Diani Beach or Malindi. Blessed with a white-sand beach along a glorious stretch of coast, Watamu somehow retains its small-town feel while offering a full itinerary of activities and excursions.
    

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    Visit the fascinating Gede Ruins, see the wildlife of the Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve or explore the mangroves of Mida Creek. You can even visit a snake farm or help out with turtle conservation. Then there’s the kitesurfing, fishing, diving and snorkeling, kayaking or even yoga. For all of that, one of the most compelling reasons to visit Watamu is that it’s simply a beautiful, tranquil place to relax.
    Watamu Beach Packages

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    19. Get Active on Manda Island on Lamu Archipelago

    Find your very own northern paradise on the Kenyan coastline

    You could disappear off the map onto any of the islands on the Lamu Archipelago and find yourself in your ideal island hideaway. But Manda Island, including its lovely alter ego Manda Toto Island, is hard to pass by without wanting to stay forever. Less developed than most islands along the Kenyan coastline, Manda offers a handful of places to stay, but the tourist footprint then disappears as if carried away on a warm tropical breeze.
    

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    Quiet fishing villages where life continues as it has for as long as locals can remember. Ruins that date back to the 15th century. Some of the richest reefs in Kenya’s north. Manda is that rare place where you can experience local coastal life, get active, or simply resist mass tourism’s siren call and enter a local world filled with charm.
    Manda Island Tours

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    20. Visit the Maasai and Learn About Local Culture

    Tradition remains strong among the Maasai

    Southern Kenya is the Maasai heartland, and from the Masai Mara National Reserve to Amboseli National Park, you can spend precious time in their company. This might include a visit to a Maasai village, or even an overnight stay with the local Maasai community, and can be arranged as an add-on to most private safaris.
    

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    Maasai tradition still runs through every aspect of daily Maasai life, from the ceremonies they still perform to the herding of cattle across the great savannah grasslands of Maasailand. The more time you can dedicate to such an encounter, the deeper your experience and understanding will be. Spend a morning in a Maasai market, or join them as they run innovative conservation programs that help keep traditions alive and protect endangered species in the bargain. Perhaps more than any other safari experience, it’s this one that will help you understand Kenya and its people.
    Tours That Visit a Maasai Village