Safari in Kenya

The Masai Mara

By Stuart Butler

Best for: Kenya migration safaris

The very essence of an African safari landscape, the Masai Mara stretches along the Kenya-Tanzania border and forms the northern fringe of the greater Serengeti ecosystem (most of which is in Tanzania).

The sweeping grass plains of the Mara (as it’s usually referred to) are home to the densest concentration of large mammals on the planet.

This is the place to see large prides of black-manned lions, bellowing elephants, grumpy buffalo and a pick ‘n’ mix box of antelope and gazelles. And that’s before we even touch on the smaller creatures and huge array of birds.

The Mara has a huge amount of accommodation options. In fact, with over 300 registered camps and lodges, many conservation experts fear that there is too much tourism development. Options range from shabby, basic and cheap (think around US$50-150) to something fit for the royals and with a price tag to match (it’s not hard to find places costing over US$1,000 a night).

By far the best areas to stay are in the conservancies that fringe the reserve proper. These conservancies have vastly expanded the amount of land under some kind of protection. Staying in a conservancy is unquestionably expensive, but everyone should try and allow for a couple of nights in a conservancy camp.

Amboseli National Park

By Stuart Butler

Best for: elephant safari & Kilimanjaro views

Amboseli National Park is the postcard park of Kenya. This is where those photographs of herds of elephants with a backdrop of the (fast melting!) glaciers of Mt Kilimanjaro are taken.

The elephants and the scenery are the real highlights of this park, but plenty of other wildlife is attracted to the swamps and marshy pools in what is an otherwise very dry part of Kenya.

Another big reason to visit Amboseli is the chance to see conservation in action in the conservancies and other environmental and community projects surrounding the park.

Amboseli is famed for its elephants. In dry periods they flock here from miles around to quench their thirst in the swamps and pools that splash the dusty landscape in greens.

By far the best safari camp is Campi ya Kanzi in the Kimana Community Wildlife Sanctuary, which is a very high-end Maasai-run camp that was set up to aid the local community and conservation projects.

Within the park itself is the good value but still luxurious Ol Tukai Lodge.

Lake Nakuru National Park

By Stuart Butler

Best for: wetland safari & birdwatching

One of the most popular parks in Kenya, Lake Nakuru National Park is centred on the large Rift Valley soda lake but also encompasses fringing grasslands, acacia woodlands and rocky escarpments.

The park, which lies just 5km south of Nakuru city centre, is best known for its sometimes huge flocks of flamingos and a large rhino population.

The park's relatively small size and easy access makes it a great bet for a quick-hit safari fix and for those without the budget to visit some of the remoter, larger or more exclusive parks, reserves and conservancies.

Aside from the key species of rhino and flamingo there’s also some beautifully patterned Rothschild’s giraffe (one of the rarest giraffe subspecies) as well as heaps of baboons, warthogs, hippos, buffalo and various antelope and gazelle.

Most people stay in a hotel or guesthouse in Nakuru city and there is a massive choice to suit all budgets. It’s also possible to stay within the park itself. The choice option here is the Mbweha Safari Camp.

Tsavo National Parks

By Stuart Butler

Best for: elephant and rhino spotting safari

Combined, Tsavo East and West National Parks cover an enormous swathe of Kenya.

Tsavo West alone (the bigger of the two parks) covers an area greater in size than Wales, or two and half times the size of Yellowstone National Park.

The two parks are separated from each other by the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and are easy to reach from either city.

Despite being directly adjacent, the two parks are radically different from one another with the green hills of Tsavo East a marked contrast to the red soil and volcanic landscapes of Tsavo West.

Most of the accommodation is based inside the two parks although there are some cheaper options along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. Some well regarded safari camps include Finch Hatton’s, Kitani Safari Lodge and Galdessa Camp.

Laikipia

By Stuart Butler

Best for: world leading safari conservation

The Laikipia plateau area of central Kenya is one of the most exciting words in African conservation.

The fertile, rain fed lands here were prized by British colonialists as prime wheat growing and cattle ranching territory and much of the area's rich wildlife populations were slowly removed to make way for farming.

Today though, people are not just learning to live with the wildlife but they’re actively encouraging it. With ranchers having removed many of their fences and changed their farming techniques, the Laikipia plateau is now the real heartland of the wildlife conservancy movement.

There are numerous conservancies here – some little known and some world famous (such as Lewa and Ol Pejeta), but all are worth as much time as you can manage.

Laikipia hosts all the classic East African safari mammals, but is best known for its rhinos including the critically endangered northern white rhino.

There are numerous conservancies here – some little known and some world famous (such as Lewa and Ol Pejeta), but all are worth as much time as you can manage. All the conservancies have their own accommodation options and in almost all cases these are seriously high end affairs costing upwards of hundreds of US dollars a night.

Samburu, Buffalo Springs & Shaba National Reserves

By Stuart Butler

Best for: wild & remote walking safaris

Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserves are three interconnected reserves on the edge of northern Kenya’s vast semi-desert wilderness.

Far removed from mainstream Kenyan life, these northern regions have a wild reputation. The landscape is harsh with endless sunburnt plains of acacia thornbush out of which rise the occasional fertile and densely forested mountain peaks, ranges, table lands and volcanic plugs.

Elephants, in particular, are the main event here. There are large herds who tend to migrate huge distances in search of water.

The bulk of the accommodation is located within Samburu National Reserve and there’s plenty of choice. Highly recommended is Elephant Watch Camp, along with Umoja Village Camp, Kalama Conservancy and West Gate Conservancy.

Nairobi National Park

By Stuart Butler

Best for: safari in the big city

While most capital cities have their collection of attractive parks filled with neatly cut lawns, old trees, meandering paths and perhaps a boating lake, Nairobi has gone one step further.

Its biggest ‘park’ is in fact a 117 kmsq swathe of undulating savannah grasslands and acacia woodlands. And while it doesn’t have a boating lake it does have lions. And buffalo. And rhinos. All of which means that it’s probably not such a sensible place for an after work stroll.

It is though a fabulous safari destination and although the park is much loved by the city’s 4.4 million residents (who put up a huge fight every time some developer comes up with some scheme to try and build on a part of the park) it is woefully overlooked by visitors to Kenya.

Nairobi has an incredible diversity of wildlife (and even more diverse birdlife) including all of the Big Five except elephants.

Accommodation in the upmarket Karen and Langata areas are close to the main park entrance and the hotels near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport also give excellent park access through the parks East Gate.

Kakamega Forest Reserve

By Stuart Butler

For something totally different head out to the far west of Kenya. The land here is wet, green and intensely cultivated with a mix of subsistence farming and large tea estates. In amongst all this though are a few pockets of the dense rainforests that once covered large parts of western Kenya.

The Kakamega Forest Reserve is a fine example of this kind of forest and interesting walking safaris here will reveal bird and primate life that has more in common with the forests of Uganda and the Congo than anything else you’ll have seen in Kenya. In our opinion, Kakamega is one of the most delightful places in Kenya, but yet hardly any tourists know of its existence.

Aberdare National Park

By Stuart Butler

A world away from the African safari image of savannah grasses and drooling sunsets, the Aberdares consists of two different ecosystems. A high, cold and often bleak moorland and, below that, dense tangled montane jungle.

The wildlife here is a little different and a little harder to spot. But elephants are very common as are big grumpy buffalo. There are also montane species you won’t see anywhere else including bongo antelope, bush pigs and melanistic leopard and serval.

Unusually among Kenyan national parks, you can also get out of the vehicle here and enjoy long, lonely hikes over the moorlands.

The park also has some history. In 1952, a young English lady named Elizabeth was staying at the famed Treetops Lodge here (today’s version is actually a reconstruction of the original) when it was announced that her father had died. And so it was, that on a remote Kenyan mountain slope, that young lady became Queen Elizabeth II. Many years later her eldest grandson, and future king, proposed to Kate Middleton in a small wooden fishing cabin in a spot not so far away from where his grandmother became Queen.