31-36 of 36 Best Things To Do in Kenya
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31. Summit Mt Kenya, Africa’s Second-highest Peak
Move among the clouds above Kenya’s Central Highlands
One of Africa’s most beautiful mountains, Mt Kenya is a sacred peak to locals and a climbing challenge without peer in the country. Aside from the views, which go on forever, this is an uplifting climbRead more
through high-altitude and . Along the way, you can marvel at wildflowers and unlikely palm trees, and keep an eye out for elephant and buffalo on the lower slopes.It may lack the prestige of climbing Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro. But Mt Kenya is just as challenging and arguably even more beautiful, and its trails are rarely crowded with a procession of those ticking off a bucket-list climb. Climbing to the summit and back will take you the best part of a week. -
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32. Roam Across the Remote North at Lake Turkana
Surround yourself with the austere beauty of Kenya’s far north
Lake Turkana is a place of great and very special beauty. It’s an almost lunar landscape of deep yellow, red and orange earth surrounded by a turquoise sea hundreds of miles from the coast. It’s theRead more
world’s largest permanent desert lake. And near-perfect volcanic mountains tower over the lake, which has a shoreline longer than the country’s Indian Ocean coastline.But statistics like these tell only part of a story that includes crocodiles and traditional cultures and that unmistakable sense of being somewhere very remote indeed. It’s the kind of place where you can hear the desert wind, blustery and warm, where the sound of an engine feels like an intrusion. And up here in the traditional lands of the Samburu, Turkana, Gabbra and El Molo peoples, you’re almost as far as you can get from tourist Kenya. -
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33. Hike and Cycle Past Wildlife in Hell’s Gate NP
There’s lots to do beneath the red cliffs of Hell’s Gate
If you’ve spent any amount of time in Kenya’s other national parks and reserves, you’ll know how strange it feels to step outside your vehicle in Hell’s Gate National Park to walk, or to climb, orRead more
to cycle. At the beginning, it can feel like you’re doing something wonderfully naughty. But these activities are very much allowed, thanks to the near absence of predators in the park. This means that you can go rock-climbing on Fischer’s Tower, hike down through the narrowing chasm of Hell’s Gate Gorge, or cycle the flat paths that follow valleys beneath sheer, beautiful cliffs.After a while, you might even get used to the fact that you’re cycling (or hiking, or climbing) within sight of giraffe, zebra, , and even buffalo. -
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34. Listen to Old War Stories in Taita Hills WS
Journey back in time to when England and Germany went to war over Kenya
Inside the Taita Hills Safari Resort & Spa, a small but fascinating museum tells the story of the time when World War I came to this corner of Kenya. Artefacts from the war, including old canteens,Read more
bullets and uniforms, are all on display from battles that raged very close to here.Apart from the frontier between German-ruled Tanganyika, as Tanzania was then called, and British East Africa, the two armies battled over the life-giving waters of Mzima Springs (which is inside Tsavo West National Park) and dodged lions and elephants on other battlefields. As with most such wars, locals had little say in the matter, but paid the heaviest price. It’s all an intriguing backstory to any visit to this beautiful corner of Kenya. -
35. Trek the Trails of Kenya’s High Country
Leave the crowds behind to climb mountains
Because hiking is not allowed in most Kenyan parks, few visitors realize how many high-altitude foot trails the country has, and we’re not talking about Mt Kenya. You can hike into Uganda and back at MtRead more
Elgon, or walk with the Maasai in the west. Up north, there’s the incredible Ndoto Mountains or the equally impressive Matthews Range.And if volcanoes are your thing, Mt Longonot is a fine excursion that takes you to the brink for amazing views. These hiking trails aren’t the poor cousins to a wildlife safari. These are world-class trails that make a fine addition to time spent looking at animals in the lowlands. -
36. Relive the Film ‘Out of Africa’ at Sites in Kenya
Listen for echoes of Meryl Streep and Robert Redford
Few movies captured the safari dreams of a generation quite like ‘Out of Africa’ (1985). From Karen Blixen’s farm on the grasslands west of Nairobi to the Ngong Hills, from the plane used in the movieRead more
at Segera Retreat on the Laikipia Plateau to the classic views of Lake Nakuru, Kenya can feel like a nostalgic showreel.The old homestead and Lake Nakuru are easily visited. However, finding the grave of Denys Finch Hatton (the real-life character played by Robert Redford) can feel like a whodunit detective story in the Ngong Hills. And wherever you go, the romance of the old-style safari that the film portrayed so dreamily is never far away.