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

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21-30 of 36 Best Things To Do in Kenya

  1. Idyllic Malindi beach scene
    Sun loungers on the white sandy beach Malindi, Kenya. Photo by Nick N A. © All rights reserved
    Beach at dusk
    Sunset over the long beach Malindi, Kenya. Photo by Authentic Travel. © All rights reserved
    Palm-lined beach
    Palm trees along the shoreline Malindi, Kenya. Photo by DVrcan. © All rights reserved
    Snorkeling in the Indian Ocean
    Snorkeling in crystal-clear water Malindi, Kenya. Photo by kyslynskahal. © All rights reserved
    Vasco da Gama Pillar from 1499
    Vasco da Gama Pillar (1499) Malindi, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Beach
    People walking on the beach Malindi, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Thatched roofs behind the beach
    Thatched roofs and shelters along the beach Malindi, Kenya. Photo by Belikova Oksana. © All rights reserved
    Rocky shore
    Rocky outcrops Malindi, Kenya. Photo by idfied. © All rights reserved
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    21. Unwind in the Popular Beach Resort of Malindi

    Relax on the beach right by the sea

    Travelers have been coming to Malindi for longer than anyone can remember. The town has been looking after travelers, especially Italians, in search of the perfect beach since the 1970s and it’s very much perfected the
    Read more art. Part of the secret is familiar to many coastal Kenyan resort towns. A beautiful beach fringed with palms is central to Malindi’s appeal.But Malindi has a few special tricks up its sleeve, from Italian restaurants that are consistently ranked among Kenya’s best to world-class kitesurfing. Malindi attracts kitesurfers from across the globe. The diving and snorkeling here are also outstanding, and can be enjoyed off the back of a boat as part of a delightful excursion across Malindi’s transparent waters.
  2. Hippo yawning
    Hippo yawning in the lake Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Photo by pchoui. © All rights reserved
    African fish eagle in flight
    African fish eagle in flight Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Photo by Pal Teravagimov. © All rights reserved
    Waterbuck standing in the water
    Waterbuck standing in the lake Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Photo by oyaboya. © All rights reserved
    Fischer's Tower
    Fischer's Tower at Hell's Gate National Park Hell’s Gate National Park, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Flamingos in the shallows
    Lesser flamingos Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Photo by WLDavies. © All rights reserved
    Hippo in the water
    Hippo feeding in the shallows Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Photo by TheBionicDan. © All rights reserved
    Marabou stork at sunrise
    Marabou stork on the lakeshore Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Photo by Africanmoose. © All rights reserved
    Great white pelicans flying over Lake Naivasha
    Great white pelicans flying over the lake Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Crater lake near Naivasha
    Green Crater Lake Crater Lake Sanctuary, Kenya. Photo by Daniel Pankoke. © All rights reserved
    Sunset over the lake
    Sunset over the lake Lake Naivasha, Kenya. Photo by Daniel Pankoke. © All rights reserved
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    22. Gaze Upon Lake Naivasha’s Rift Valley Waters

    Explore Kenya’s most popular Rift Valley lake

    The line of Kenya’s lakes runs through the heart of the country like a string of beautiful pearls. Of all of them, it’s Lake Naivasha that enchants most visitors. Lake Naivasha is close (or
    Read more en route) to many attractions in central Kenya. Hell’s Gate National Park is right alongside, for example. Around the lake you can enjoy boat excursions in search of hippos, lovely accommodations and flower farms. You can also visit Elsamere (the former lakeside home of Joy Adamson of ‘Born Free’ fame), a couple of sanctuaries at Crescent Island and nearby Crater Lake, and even see flamingos at adjacent Lake Oloiden.The lakeshore can get busy on weekends, especially in the camps along the southern shore. But this is a lake that has always drawn locals and visitors alike, and was as much a favorite for jet-setting colonial types as it is today for local Kenyans out to explore their own country.
  3. Tea plantation
    Tea plantation on rolling hills Thika, Kenya. Photo by Philou1000. © All rights reserved
    Fourteen Falls on the Athi River
    Fourteen Falls on the Athi River Thika, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Two crowned cranes walking through tall grass
    Grey crowned cranes Thika, Kenya. Photo by Philou1000. © All rights reserved
    Coffee plantation
    Coffee plantation Thika, Kenya. Photo by Philou1000. © All rights reserved
    Coffee plantation
    Coffee plantation Thika, Kenya. Photo by Philou1000. © All rights reserved
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    23. Learn About Coffee and Tea Close to Thika

    Tour lush green hill plantations not far from Nairobi

    You don’t have to travel too far northwest of Nairobi before the traffic-clogged streets of the capital seem like a distant memory. The forests that cloak the fertile hills around Thika shelter waterfalls and provide the
    Read more backdrop to coffee and tea estates that have been around since colonial times. The Karunguru Coffee Estate and, a little farther west of Thika, the Kiambethu Tea Farm, both run tasting tours that tell you the story of two of Kenya’s favorite drinks. Kiambethu has a delightful colonial-era homestead, while the lunch in the grand ballroom of Karunguru is almost as memorable as the plantation itself.The town of Thika is also a journey down memory lane. The town’s Blue Post Hotel was the centerpiece of the classic colonial memoir ‘The Flame Trees of Thika’ by Elspeth Huxley.
  4. Visitor feeding one of the giraffes
    Visitor feeding a Rothschild's giraffe Giraffe Centre, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Rothschild's giraffe
    Giraffe close-up Giraffe Centre, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Visitors getting close to giraffes on the boardwalk
    Children feeding a Rothschild's giraffe Giraffe Centre, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Rothschild's giraffe
    Endangered Rothschild's giraffe Giraffe Centre, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Visitors feeding the Rothschild's giraffes
    Visitor feeding a Rothschild's giraffe Giraffe Centre, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
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    24. Meet a Giraffe at Nairobi’s Giraffe Centre

    Conservation meets face-to-face encounters

    There’s serious conservation work happening at the Giraffe Centre, west of the capital Nairobi. Endangered Rothschild’s giraffes are protected here in preparation for their release into the wild. This most endangered of giraffe species is already
    Read more making a recovery in parks such as Lake Nakuru National Park, thanks to the giraffes sent from here.But conservation coexists with fun here. Climb to the covered platform where you’ll find yourself eye to eye with these long-necked giants. Aside from enjoying a giraffe’s-eye view of the world, you might even receive a kiss or a lick on the face from a mischievous member of the giraffe fraternity. You’ll hear the giggles and cries of surprise and laughter almost as soon as you walk through the gate.
  5. Aerial view of the crater, Mt Longonot
    Aerial image of the crater Mount Longonot, Kenya. Photo by Mutahi Chiira. © All rights reserved
    View of Mt Longonot in the Rift Valley
    Mt Longonot surrounded by farmland Mount Longonot, Kenya. Photo by FOTOGRIN. © All rights reserved
    View of Mt Longonot and its crater
    Mt Longonot in the lush Wet season Mount Longonot, Kenya. Photo by Giuliano Giannuzzo. © All rights reserved
    Viewpoint over the crater
    Viewpoint over the crater Mount Longonot, Kenya. Photo by Uladzimir Veraksa. © All rights reserved
    Thomson's gazelles in front of Mt Longonot
    Thomson's gazelles in front of Mt Longonot Mount Longonot, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
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    25. Ascend the Rift Valley Volcano of Mt Longonot

    Look down into the lost world of Longonot

    Volcanoes, extinct and dormant, run along Kenya’s Rift Valley like a dragon’s backbone. Most are for admiring from a distance, but Mt Longonot is a special place. In little more than an hour you can climb
    Read more from the lower slopes to the crater rim, from where the views are superb. All around you, as far as you can see, the rumpled contours of the Rift Valley rise as mountains and deep valleys. Down below, the rim drops steeply into a forgotten world of forests and steam vents rising as if in readiness for the next eruption.The crater itself is almost a perfect circle, and you can return back to where you began. Or, for the full experience, follow the trails that encircle the crater rim all the way around. Along the way, you’ll enjoy some of the best views in Kenya.
  6. Karen Blixen Museum
    Karen Blixen's house and museum Karen Blixen Museum, Kenya. Photo by Andrzej Kubik. © All rights reserved
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    26. Visit Karen Blixen’s House and Museum in Nairobi

    Relive Kenya’s colonial heyday west of the capital

    Karen Blixen (also known by her pen name, Isak Dinesen) was both celebrated author of the classic memoir ‘Out of Africa’ and a larger-than-life personality in colonial-era Nairobi. Played by Meryl Streep in the film of
    Read more the same name, Blixen lived in a homestead set on expansive grounds in the suburb that now bears her name.Now a museum that offers a glimpse into a fascinating period of Kenya’s history, the home has period furnishings and personal effects that bring the owner’s story to life. It helps if you’ve read the book and seen the film before you visit, and you wouldn’t be the first visitor to expect Robert Redford to appear around the corner at any moment…
  7. Cyclist in early morning mist on the road through the reserve
    The main road running through the forest Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Blue monkey
    Blue monkey Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Great blue turaco
    Great blue turaco Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Steffen Foerster. © All rights reserved
    African harrier hawk
    African harrier hawk Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Rhombic night adder
    Rhombic night adder on the forest floor Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    People carrying wood on the road through the reserve
    Walking on the main road through the forest Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Blue monkey
    Blue monkey in a tree Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Fig tree
    Fig tree Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Tea plantation and forest under a stormy sky
    Tea plantation on the forest edge Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Stefan Ekernas. © All rights reserved
    Blue butterfly
    Butterfly Kakamega Forest, Kenya. Photo by Stefan Ekernas. © All rights reserved
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    27. Go Birding in Kakamega Forest

    Discover Kenya’s last tract of true rainforest

    The first time many travelers arrive in Kakamega Forest, you can often see their disbelief. All of a sudden, Kenya is transformed, from a world of busy roads and big cities and into a
    Read more dense rainforest as beautiful as any in East Africa. All of western Kenya was once covered by forests such as this, which are more often associated with the Congo Basin of Central Africa.Almost as soon as you step into the forest, the world and its noise disappear behind the trees, and birdsong and the cries of monkeys take over. Kakamega has more than 400 species of birds, and some are rarely seen Central African specialties. Follow forest trails in the company of a local guide, and don’t forget your binoculars.
  8. Baby orphan elephants
    Baby elephants arriving at feeding time Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya. Photo by Cabman237. © All rights reserved
    Workers feeding orphan elephants
    Handlers feeding orphan elephants Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya. Photo by agafapaperiapunta. © All rights reserved
    Elephant orphan fed by handler
    Handler feeding a baby elephant Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya. Photo by Mark Eveleigh. © All rights reserved
    Orphaned elephant calf
    Orphan elephant Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya. Photo by paulafrench. © All rights reserved
    Young orphan elephant
    Baby orphan elephant Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya. Photo by playinhot. © All rights reserved
    Baby elephants playing
    Baby orphan elephant close-up Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya. Photo by playinhot. © All rights reserved
    Worker feeding an orphan elephant
    Visitors watching orphan elephants at feeding time Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya. Photo by playinhot. © All rights reserved
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    28. Dote on Baby Elephants at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

    Laugh at tiny elephants taking a mud bath in Nairobi

    On the western fringe of Nairobi National Park, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a remarkable place. A haven for orphaned baby elephants, the trust’s property opens its doors every morning to visitors who watch as these
    Read more naughty little characters interact with their keepers, then roll in the mud as part of their morning exercise, occasionally spraying unsuspecting visitors with a trunkful of mud.Afterward, you can visit the enclosures where these endearing mini elephants sleep every night. You can speak to the keepers, and even adopt an elephant to help contribute to its care and its eventual return to the wild. It’s one of the best things you can do in Nairobi, and it’s all to support a good cause too.
  9. Densely packed flamingos
    Aerial view of the lake filled with flamingos Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Michael Poliza. © All rights reserved
    Visitor viewing the lake and flamingos
    Visitor looking over the lake Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Hot springs
    Hot springs Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by SoopySue. © All rights reserved
    Flamingos around the shoreline
    View over the lake and flamingos Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Michael Poliza. © All rights reserved
    Lesser flamingos
    Lesser flamingos feeding in the lake Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
    Beautiful lakeside scenery
    River delta as it drains into the lake Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Michael Poliza. © All rights reserved
    Hot springs
    Sulfurous hot springs Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Judywawira. © All rights reserved
    Flamingos
    Flocks of flamingos feeding in the lake Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Mad2k. © All rights reserved
    Flamingos in flight
    Flamingos flying across the lake Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Michael Poliza. © All rights reserved
    Greater kudu
    Greater kudu bull with spiral horns Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Ariadne van Zandbergen. © All rights reserved
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    29. Swap Crowds for Flamingos at Lake Bogoria NR

    Find one of Kenya’s biggest flamingo colonies

    A lake filled with flamingos is an iconic image of Africa’s , and some of the biggest flamingo flocks are in Lake Bogoria National Reserve. It lies beyond the well-traveled routes through central Kenya,
    Read more and it’s all the better for it. Tracks for 4WD vehicles follow the shoreline to numerous vantage points that look out over the mass of pink birds that are always on the move, often seeming like a single entity.The trail also passes a series of hot springs. With steam gushing into the air and, very often, a strong smell of sulfur, it feels like something out of a sci-fi film. But it’s a glorious sight, especially against the Bogoria backdrop of hills rising above the lake’s eastern shore. Keep an eye out in the undergrowth west of the lake for a male, which is a sight almost as impressive as the flamingos.
  10. Runners in the annual Lewa Safari Marathon
    The Lewa Safari Marathon Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Photo by Safaricom marathon. © All rights reserved
    Runners in the annual Lewa Safari Marathon
    Maasai handing out water for the runners Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Photo by Safaricom marathon. © All rights reserved
    Runners in the annual Lewa Safari Marathon
    Running through tall grass Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Photo by Safaricom marathon. © All rights reserved
    Runners in the annual Lewa Safari Marathon
    The Lewa Safari Marathon Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Photo by Safaricom marathon. © All rights reserved
    Runners in the annual Lewa Safari Marathon
    Supporters cheering on marathon runners Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Photo by Andres Bifani. © All rights reserved
    Runners in the annual Lewa Safari Marathon
    Marathon runners crossing the conservancy Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Photo by Robert Dinda. © All rights reserved
    Runners in the annual Lewa Safari Marathon
    Participant in the Lewa Safari Marathon Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Photo by Mark Muinde. © All rights reserved
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    30. Run a Marathon in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

    Look out for lions as you run the Lewa Safari Marathon

    There isn’t another marathon in the world like it. For a start, along most marathon courses, you don’t need to keep an eye out for predators or dodge an angry rhino. An annual event since 2000,
    Read more this celebrated and challenging marathon winds through the steep hills and endures the warm temperatures of the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy on its 42km/26mi course.One running magazine listed it among the top 10 races to run in your life, and those to have taken up the challenge include former Olympians and members of the British royal family. None, we should point out, was eaten by lions, and neither was anyone else. It’s all in a good cause, with proceeds from the event playing a critical role in Lewa’s important conservation and community-engagement programs.