Kenya

Kenya delivers some of the most spectacular wildlife viewing on earth. The Maasai Mara's vast grasslands host lion prides, elephant herds, and the thundering chaos of the Great Migration, the annual movement of over a million wildebeest that remains one of nature's most astonishing spectacles. But Kenya is considerably more than its wildlife.

Nairobi is a chaotic, energetic city with a genuinely good restaurant and arts scene, and the only place on earth where you can watch giraffe and rhino from a city suburb. The coastline is gorgeous. Lamu, a UNESCO-listed Swahili island of donkeys, dhows, and coral-stone alleyways, has barely changed in centuries, while the beaches of Diani and Watamu rank among the Indian Ocean's finest.

In the north, Lake Turkana, a jade-green inland sea in one of the most remote and geologically dramatic landscapes on the continent, sees remarkably few visitors. Samburu National Reserve offers dry country species — Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk — that you won't find in the Mara. Mount Kenya draws serious climbers to its glaciated summit, while the Aberdare forests shelter elephant and buffalo in cool, mist-covered highlands that feel a world away from the savannah below.

Highlights

The obvious must-dos.

01
Maasai Mara National Reserve: Kenya's most celebrated wildlife destination, where year-round lion, elephant, and cheetah sightings culminate in the Great Migration between July and October.
02
Lamu Island: A UNESCO-listed Swahili trading town of coral-stone alleyways, ornate wooden doors, and donkey-filled streets that has changed little in centuries.
03
Amboseli National Park: Famous for its large elephant herds moving against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, offering some of the most photogenic wildlife scenes in Africa.
04
Diani Beach: A long stretch of white sand and warm Indian Ocean water on the south coast, widely regarded as one of East Africa's finest beaches.
05
Nairobi National Park: The only national park bordering a major world city, where rhino, lion, and giraffe graze within sight of the capital's skyline.

Hidden gems

Where we'd send a friend.

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Lake Turkana: A vast jade-green inland sea in Kenya's remote north, surrounded by volcanic landscapes and home to the world's largest population of Nile crocodiles.
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Samburu National Reserve: A dry northern reserve sheltering rare species found nowhere else in Kenya, including Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, and the long-necked gerenuk.
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Chyulu Hills: A young volcanic range between Amboseli and Tsavo with dramatic cave systems, exceptional riding safaris, and views across to Kilimanjaro.
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Mfangano Island: A little-visited island in Lake Victoria with ancient rock art, fishing communities, and a genuine sense of remoteness that few places in East Africa can match.
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Matthews Range: A forested mountain wilderness in the far north where the Samburu people have managed wildlife communally for decades, offering walking safaris of rare intimacy and authenticity.

Our top stay in Kenya