Kenya Travel Guide

Kenya can still pull it off, at least when it comes to safaris. But I have to subtract one star because of the seemingly unstoppable loss of habitat, especially forest, and the poaching of elephants and rhinos. I also feel less hospitality from the people these days, though this may be inevitable given the steady decline in living conditions and the fed-up mood of Kenyans toward their leaders and institutions.

The police never used to be a problem for foreign visitors, but I have noticed them getting bolder with their schemes to extract money. If you are male, ignore any young women who try to talk you up in a big town - they are undercover cops and you could be stopped and hassled even if you appear to merely notice her. Do not speak to a plain-clothes cop unless picture ID is shown. You are not obliged to have your passport with you if you are running short errands. They cannot arrest you for that.

As part of "terrorism prevention", hotels and even supermarkets are searching people coming in. It seems like a thoughtful measure until you have to endure it a dozen times in a day.

Kenyan safaris are still cheaper than those in Uganda and Tanzania, and you will experience less problems getting to the parks. Roads can be dodgy in places, but they are still better than in the rest of East Africa.

A special advisory: Kenya has experienced heavy rain and serious flooding in April-May 2012, and some land routes may be affected. Be particularly mindful of this in the north, where road repairs get the least priority.

Lovely wildlife in great scenery. And great beaches, incl. off the beaten track. Unfortunately the more popular place are becoming very expensive.

The scenic beauty of the different areas is fantastic and unique, the people are very friendly! But increase of population and prosperity cause the decrease of nature and wildlife!

I've been to Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia in the past. Areas such as the Masai Mara in Kenya rival anything the other destinations can offer, and there's simply nothing to beat the visual experience of the 2 million flamingo at Lake Nakuru or Lake Bogoria, when numbers are high, (the number does fluctuate with the weather, time of year and level of water in the lake). On the other hand it's often argued that Kenya is more "touristy", that it's less "wild" than say, the Luangua Valley in Zambia, - well probably true, but then it's more accessible, the infra-structure is better and it's less expensive. I'd also suggest the game-viewing is perhaps better, as the open plains are condusive to seeing animals from afar (in Chobe N.P., Botswana, and Hwange N.P. , Zimbabwe, I found animals were only visible when they emerged from the bush to cross the road). They are also more used to tourist disturbance, - not so skittish. So it gets a good rating in my book!

not very expensive, relatively safe, a lot of new

Even if Kenya as not the monopoly of the African wild life, but it offer it for a reasonnable price in a wide variety of places compare to other countries. You can have a safari for a couple of days.. or more and spend some days in one of the beach hotel to heal your back... Rich in animal, it's parks are well kept and safe.

Kenya is one the the best place to plan a good safari, unfortunately in the last few years mass tourism has ruined the real Safari mood.

Very impressiv a country with many different landscapes.

The road to Marsh is an adventure in itself. If thats what your looking for...go there. If you want to experience an all inclusiv holliday... don't go there.
From Archers post to Moyale the scenery is like a dessert and the road wil eat your car but for how long? The chinees are building a road so nice you won't believe what you see. People are friendly but in this area also robberies occur so you need protection from a soldier or police officer.
The food we have been eating, we brought our own. The campsite of KWS was fine, they have showers, and sanitation was fine.
The weather was very warm. The wildlife is basic out the of the park but in the parks there's a lot of game to be seen.
If you want to drive to Ethiopia and further you need to heve your paper work ready before you go there. For us it was not possible to cross the border.

Kenya is fine for a packaged safari tour.

Kenya has been the classic safari destination for decades. The tourism infrastructure is well developed, so options abound. One can witness the highlights of Kenya on a budget group safari, indulge in the luxury of a private tour, or embark on a rugged exploration of remote Northern Kenya. The people are friendly, the food is tasty, and the scenery is fabulous. However, industrial tourism has taken its toll on the experience. Entrance fees (ask for an itemized list of your package tour costs) to the parks are outrageously expensive. Mini vans crowd around predator sightings, and the neglected remote parks have fallen victim to poaching.

There are much to see and it offers everything one can expect in terms of wildlife and animals.