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Where are the best areas to go on safari in Kenya?
Safari areas of Kenya
Most people visiting Kenya will head straight to the world famous Masai Mara as it offers some of the best wildlife safaris in Africa. But there is so much more to a safari in Kenya that really compliments safaris in the Masai Mara.
Masai Mara and conservancies
The Masai Mara Game Reserve is one of Africa’s most well-known wildlife reserves and rightly so. The Masai Mara is a relatively small reserve, so can be explored quite easily and with a wide range of camps and lodges to choose from, it can get quite busy, especially during the busier migration months. Even when the great migration is not in the Masai Mara, the game viewing can still be incredible with some of the best big cat viewing in Africa. Generally, when the migration is in the Masai Mara, the other animals are forced out as there is limited space for all the animals. So typically, once the wildebeest and zebra start moving back south, general game viewing in the Masai Mara can be extremely rewarding.
Being a government reserve, activities inside the Masai Mara are limited to morning and afternoon game drives. For this reason, we try and offer our guests the camps that are located in the private or community concessions that border the Masai Mara. There are no fences between these conservancies and the Masai Mara and so the animals move freely between the areas, so game viewing can still be spectacular. The benefit of staying in these community conservancies is that you can do walking safaris, night drives as well as drive off-road and only vehicles from the camps within the conservancy can do game drives there, so you get a more exclusive safari experience. Usually the camps will still offer at least one day inside the Masai Mara so guests can get to experience the Masai Mara proper during their Kenyan safari.
Amboseli and Chyulu Hills
I am sure we have all seen those iconic images of a herd of elephants walking across the savanna with Mt Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. Those were taken from Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Amboseli is a dry, barren part of the country and would probably not support much in the way of wildlife if it weren’t for the wetland that sustains large herds of animals, including elephants, giraffe, zebra, lion, cheetah and leopard.
Chyulu Hills is an area in the hilly area back from Amboseli and offers private wildlife viewing from a luxury lodge that offers walking safaris, horse riding safaris as well as game drives.
Laikipia
Formerly the area known as Laikipia was made up of large privately owned cattle ranches, but slowly over the years, the farmers have taken down their fences and started to reintroduce wildlife back to the area, making this one of Kenya’s most successful conservation success stories. What makes a safari to Laikipia worth it is the fact that these large privately owned wildlife reserves are home to some of Africa’s most endangered and unusual animals including black and white rhino, gerenuk, Grevy’s Zebra, Reticulated giraffe, wild dogs. Lion, leopard and cheetah are all closely monitored to better understand their movements as most of the ranches still have heads of cattle. Being private, the ranches of Laikipia are a playground for adventurous tourists looking for walking safaris, camel safaris, fly-camping and so much more. Guests here can explore the area without pumping into other tourists, making this the perfect combination with a safari to the Masai Mara. Laikipia is an ongoing conservation project as the wildlife is monitored and more and more cattle ranches turn to eco-tourism in the area.
Samburu
In northern Kenya lies a dry national park, home to some of Africa’s more unusual animals like the long-necked gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich and the Beisa Oryx. Between them they form the Special Five. Samburu is a great add-on to your safari in Masai Mara as it offers something completely different in terms of landscape and animals. It is also a great destination to learn more about the local Samburu culture. Most of the wildlife is seen along the main Ewaso Nyiro river as it forms an oasis amongst the desert landscape.
Sarara
Up in northern Kenya is one of our favorite places, Sarara. Covering an area of 850,000 acres of pure wilderness of rolling hills and mountains covered in forests. Working in partnership with the local Samburu people, Sarara is the perfect community conservation success story. The Samburu still live and access Sarara, herding the goats and camels to their water points. The reserve is home to good numbers of elephants, wild dog, leopard, lion, reticulated giraffe. Aside from walking safaris, photographic hides, game drives and fly-camping, guests can experience the incredible culture of the Samburu. One of the highlights of a stay at Sarara is the unique opportunity to witness the Samburu people at the “singing wells”. The herders bring their goats and camels to the riverbeds during thre dry season and over the years have dug wells into the sand to access the ground water. These wells are quite deep and require several men to get the water in buckets to the surface. As they do this, they all sing in unity helping maintain rhythm, but also to let their animals know which well is theirs.
Kenyan Coast
Unfortunately, the main coast of Kenya has become overcrowded with large resorts and so the beaches have become a magnet for hustling beach boys. For these reasons we do not recommend the main beaches north or south of Mombasa, but rather recommend Lamu Island for a mix of beach, snorkeling, diving and culture or the Funzi Keys a small, private island south of Diani Beach. Alternatively take a short flight from Nairobi to the Seychelles for the ultimate in tropical beaches.
Most people visiting Kenya will head straight to the world famous Masai Mara as it offers some of the best wildlife safaris in Africa. But there is so much more to a safari in Kenya that really compliments safaris in the Masai Mara.
Masai Mara and conservancies
The Masai Mara Game Reserve is one of Africa’s most well-known wildlife reserves and rightly so. The Masai Mara is a relatively small reserve, so can be explored quite easily and with a wide range of camps and lodges to choose from, it can get quite busy, especially during the busier migration months. Even when the great migration is not in the Masai Mara, the game viewing can still be incredible with some of the best big cat viewing in Africa. Generally, when the migration is in the Masai Mara, the other animals are forced out as there is limited space for all the animals. So typically, once the wildebeest and zebra start moving back south, general game viewing in the Masai Mara can be extremely rewarding.
Being a government reserve, activities inside the Masai Mara are limited to morning and afternoon game drives. For this reason, we try and offer our guests the camps that are located in the private or community concessions that border the Masai Mara. There are no fences between these conservancies and the Masai Mara and so the animals move freely between the areas, so game viewing can still be spectacular. The benefit of staying in these community conservancies is that you can do walking safaris, night drives as well as drive off-road and only vehicles from the camps within the conservancy can do game drives there, so you get a more exclusive safari experience. Usually the camps will still offer at least one day inside the Masai Mara so guests can get to experience the Masai Mara proper during their Kenyan safari.
Amboseli and Chyulu Hills
I am sure we have all seen those iconic images of a herd of elephants walking across the savanna with Mt Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. Those were taken from Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Amboseli is a dry, barren part of the country and would probably not support much in the way of wildlife if it weren’t for the wetland that sustains large herds of animals, including elephants, giraffe, zebra, lion, cheetah and leopard.
Chyulu Hills is an area in the hilly area back from Amboseli and offers private wildlife viewing from a luxury lodge that offers walking safaris, horse riding safaris as well as game drives.
Laikipia
Formerly the area known as Laikipia was made up of large privately owned cattle ranches, but slowly over the years, the farmers have taken down their fences and started to reintroduce wildlife back to the area, making this one of Kenya’s most successful conservation success stories. What makes a safari to Laikipia worth it is the fact that these large privately owned wildlife reserves are home to some of Africa’s most endangered and unusual animals including black and white rhino, gerenuk, Grevy’s Zebra, Reticulated giraffe, wild dogs. Lion, leopard and cheetah are all closely monitored to better understand their movements as most of the ranches still have heads of cattle. Being private, the ranches of Laikipia are a playground for adventurous tourists looking for walking safaris, camel safaris, fly-camping and so much more. Guests here can explore the area without pumping into other tourists, making this the perfect combination with a safari to the Masai Mara. Laikipia is an ongoing conservation project as the wildlife is monitored and more and more cattle ranches turn to eco-tourism in the area.
Samburu
In northern Kenya lies a dry national park, home to some of Africa’s more unusual animals like the long-necked gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich and the Beisa Oryx. Between them they form the Special Five. Samburu is a great add-on to your safari in Masai Mara as it offers something completely different in terms of landscape and animals. It is also a great destination to learn more about the local Samburu culture. Most of the wildlife is seen along the main Ewaso Nyiro river as it forms an oasis amongst the desert landscape.
Sarara
Up in northern Kenya is one of our favorite places, Sarara. Covering an area of 850,000 acres of pure wilderness of rolling hills and mountains covered in forests. Working in partnership with the local Samburu people, Sarara is the perfect community conservation success story. The Samburu still live and access Sarara, herding the goats and camels to their water points. The reserve is home to good numbers of elephants, wild dog, leopard, lion, reticulated giraffe. Aside from walking safaris, photographic hides, game drives and fly-camping, guests can experience the incredible culture of the Samburu. One of the highlights of a stay at Sarara is the unique opportunity to witness the Samburu people at the “singing wells”. The herders bring their goats and camels to the riverbeds during thre dry season and over the years have dug wells into the sand to access the ground water. These wells are quite deep and require several men to get the water in buckets to the surface. As they do this, they all sing in unity helping maintain rhythm, but also to let their animals know which well is theirs.
Kenyan Coast
Unfortunately, the main coast of Kenya has become overcrowded with large resorts and so the beaches have become a magnet for hustling beach boys. For these reasons we do not recommend the main beaches north or south of Mombasa, but rather recommend Lamu Island for a mix of beach, snorkeling, diving and culture or the Funzi Keys a small, private island south of Diani Beach. Alternatively take a short flight from Nairobi to the Seychelles for the ultimate in tropical beaches.
