Sixteen countries inside one.
Where to go, how long to give it, and which weeks to avoid — written by people who live here.
Sixteen regions, written up in full — including the four we would talk most guests out of, and the months we refuse to sell.
Kenya is small enough to cross in a morning and varied enough that two of its parks share almost nothing. What follows is how we actually advise: the three regions that carry most journeys in detail, then the rest with the one line that matters.
The Mara, and the conservancies above it
1,510 square kilometres of national reserve, contiguous with the Serengeti, holding the densest population of big cats in Africa — and, from late July, the northern half of the wildebeest migration. It is also the busiest place in Kenya, which is why almost every journey we write puts you in the private conservancies along its northern edge instead: Olare Motorogi, Naboisho, Ol Kinyei. Vehicle numbers are capped by lease, off-road driving is permitted, night drives and walking are allowed, and the game moves freely between the two.
Wildlife Lion in high density, leopard in the riverine forest, cheetah on the open plains, elephant, buffalo, and the crossings at Serena and the Lookout in season. Best season July–October for the migration and dry viewing; January–March for cats, green grass and lower rates. Give it four nights, three at the least. We use six- to twelve-tent conservancy camps with their own strips, and two private houses for families.
Amboseli, for the elephant and the mountain
Small, dusty and entirely worth it. Amboseli’s swamps are fed by snowmelt from Kilimanjaro, which draws the great-tusked elephant families that have been studied continuously here since 1972 — the longest-running elephant research in the world. The mountain itself is clear for perhaps twenty minutes at dawn and again at six, and photographers plan the whole day around those windows.
Wildlife Elephant above all — including bulls carrying hundred-pound tusks — plus lion, cheetah, and 400 bird species in the wetlands. Big cats are present but not the reason to come. Best season June–October and January–March; the dust in September is real. Give it two nights. We use camps on the western group ranches, outside the park gates and away from the day-tripper traffic.
Samburu, where the species change
North of Mount Kenya the country turns arid and theatrical, and five species appear that you will not see further south: reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, beisa oryx and Somali ostrich. The Ewaso Nyiro river cuts through it, and every animal in the region comes to it — which makes game viewing here a matter of patience at one place rather than driving between many.
Wildlife The northern five, elephant along the river, leopard at dusk in the doum palms, and wild dog in the community conservancies. Best season June–October; December–March is hot but excellent. Give it three nights. We use two riverside camps and one treehouse reached on foot.
Thirteen more, honestly assessed
Laikipia
3–4 nights · year-round
Private ranchland the size of Wales, where the conservation happens. Riding, walking, camel-supported fly-camping, rhino work, and almost no other vehicles. Our own favourite.
Full guide
Ol Pejeta
2 nights · year-round
The largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa, home to the last two northern white rhino. Genuinely moving, and unusually good for chimpanzee.
Full guide
Lewa & the Mathews
3 nights · Jun–Oct
Grevy’s zebra strongholds and walking country with camels. Pair with Samburu, an hour away by road.
Full guide
Tsavo East & West
2–3 nights · Jun–Oct
Vast, red-dusted and empty — Kenya’s wilderness rather than its wildlife spectacle. Mzima Springs and the red elephant. For second-time visitors.
Full guide
Meru
2 nights · Jun–Oct
Green, well-watered and almost forgotten since Adamson. Excellent leopard, few visitors, one camp we would recommend.
Full guide
Lake Nakuru
1–2 nights · year-round
Rhino in numbers and, when water levels cooperate, flamingo. Close enough to Nairobi to work as a first or last night.
Full guide
Lake Naivasha
1–2 nights · year-round
Boating, walking on Crescent Island, colonial houses with gardens. The gentle day in the middle of a hard-driving journey.
Full guide
Aberdare & Mount Kenya
2 nights · Jan–Mar, Jun–Oct
Highland forest, waterfalls, bongo and giant forest hog. Cold at night, and a complete change of register from the plains.
Full guide
Nairobi
1–2 nights · year-round
Worth a proper day, not a transit: the Karen hills, the museum with its curator, the Kazuri workshops, and a national park with rhino inside the city limits.
Full guide
Lamu
3–4 nights · Dec–Mar
A Swahili town with no cars, dhows instead of taxis, and private houses on Shela beach. The finest ending to a safari in Kenya.
Full guide
Watamu
3 nights · Dec–Mar
Marine park, turtle hatchings, and the Arabuko-Sokoke forest behind it for birders. Quieter than Diani, better snorkelling.
Full guide
Diani
3 nights · Dec–Mar, Jul–Sep
The easiest beach to reach and the widest choice of hotels. Good for families; less interesting than the archipelago.
Full guide
Loita Hills
2–3 nights · Jun–Oct
Forested Maasai country south of the Mara, walked with moran and fly-camped. No lodges, no vehicles, no other guests.
Full guide
Every region, written up in full
When to travel
| Months | Conditions | What it suits | Rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| January – March | Warm, dry, green after the short rains | Cats, calving plains game, photography, the coast at its best | Mid |
| April – May | The long rains; some camps close | Empty parks, dramatic light, lowest rates, birding | Low |
| June | Drying out, cool mornings | Excellent value before the season, walking, Laikipia | Mid |
| July – October | Dry, dusty, reliable; crossings from late July | The migration, first-time safaris, families in August | High |
| November | Short rains, brief and localised | Green shoulder season, quiet camps, good flying | Low |
| December | Clearing, hot; festive fortnight busy | Bush and beach, family travel — book eleven months out | High |
On Kenya
How many days do you need in the Masai Mara?
Three nights is the sensible minimum, four is better. Two nights leaves you a single full day once flights are counted, and a leopard rarely obliges on a schedule. Four nights lets you spend one of them entirely in the national reserve and still have unhurried mornings on the conservancy.
The reserve or the conservancies?
Conservancies for lower vehicle density, off-road driving, night drives and walking; the national reserve for the river crossings and the sheer volume of game on the open plains. Most of our journeys use both, staying on a conservancy and driving into the reserve for one long day.
Is Kenya safe?
The safari areas are safe and have been throughout our twenty-two years of trading; the practical risks are road travel and sun rather than crime or wildlife. We brief you honestly on Nairobi, use our own vetted drivers, and monitor advisories daily — and we will tell you plainly if we think a region should be avoided that month.
What about malaria and vaccinations?
Prophylaxis is advised for all safari areas; yellow fever certification is required if arriving from an endemic country and worth carrying regardless. Your specialist sends a written health note with the first draft itinerary, and we ask that you confirm the details with your own doctor.