Best Safari Parks in Kenya

Kenya is a safari destination which offers extraordinary Natural beauty, soul-stirring cultural encounters, sensational game viewing and, of course, the enjoyment and spills involving the Wildebeest migration. No wonder is considered the birthplace of safari travel!

From seeing the wildebeest mega-herds in the Masai Mara together with Amboseli’s legendary elephant herds against to the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro to cultural encounters in Samburu, a Kenya safari is worth a visit. And also, you can naturally incorporate our Kenya safari tours having gorilla-trekking adventures throughout Uganda or Rwanda, or possibly a tropical beach front holiday overlooking typically the turquoise waters together with fluttering palm trees of the warm Indian Ocean.

When you haven’t been to Africa, it’s concerning time you pulled out your earth map and embark on an African Safari.  Africa is a home of welcoming persons, impressive storybook pets or animals, and an amazing good sense of heritage together with power.

And just where better to start up your African voyage than a safari vacation in Kenya? Considered home of the best – if not the very best – safari parks on the globe, Kenyan safaris offer some extraordinary adventures with typically the world’s most extraordinary animals.

And even though quite a few men and women head direct to the Masai Mara for it is comprehensive range involving big game, there are much more to see that you head further more afield.

Best time to go:

June to March. This is the dry season, plus the wildebeest migration generally reaches the Masai Mara in July and would not move on until October, when they will come back to the Serengeti, Tanzania. Check out below which parks you want to visit and plan accordingly.

What to pack:

Put on greens, khakis, sensible walking shoes, the warm jacket along with a scarf. Long sleeves and pants are good, and avoid army camouflage and brilliant colors alike, which includes whites. And do not forget to bring your own binoculars, camera, sun screen and head flashlight.

Maasai Mara, also sometimes spelled Masai Mara and locally known simply as The Mara, is a large national game reserve in Narok, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named in honor of the Maasai people, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from the Nile Basin. Their description of the area when looked at from afar: “Mara” means “spotted” in the local Maasai language, due to the many short bushy trees which dot the landscape.

Maasai Mara is one of the most famous and important wildlife conservation and wilderness areas in Africa, world-renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, African leopard, cheetah and African bush elephant. It also hosts the Great Migration, which secured it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and as one of the ten Wonders of the World.

The Greater Mara ecosystem encompasses areas known as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Triangle, and several Maasai Conservancies, including Koiyaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Mara North, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet.

Naturally, the Masai Mara is among the most renowned safari parks in Kenya. Recognized for its great herds of plains’ game – including the exceptional population of Masai lions, Africa leopards and Tanzanian cheetahs – it is also the best spot to see the Great Migration: the yearly movement of zebra, gazelle and wildebeest to and from the Serengeti in Tanzania. It has many elephants and practically every other kind of wildlife found in Kenya. This particular park is also known for having the most approachable animals.

When to go: June to October

In order to get there: Local airlines give you a 40-minute flight from Nairobi, or your traveler guide can manage a five-hour drive through the capital.

Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley lakes at an elevation of 1,754 m (5,755 ft) above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park. The lake’s abundance of algae used to attract a vast quantity of flamingos that famously lined the shore. Other birds also flourish in the area, as do warthogs, baboons and other large mammals. Eastern black rhinos and southern white rhinos have also been introduced.

The lake’s level dropped dramatically in the early 1990s but has since largely recovered. In 2013, the lake received an alarming increase in the water levels that led to the migration of flamingos to Lake Bogoria in search for food supply.

Nakuru means “Dust or Dusty Place” in the Maasai language. Lake Nakuru National Park, close to Nakuru town, was established in 1961. It started off small, only encompassing the famous lake and the surrounding mountainous vicinity, but has since been extended to include a large part of the savannahs. Lake Nakuru is protected under the Ramsar Convention on wetlands.

Flamingoes. More than a million pink flamingoes flock on Lake Nakuru shores, along with white rhinos, warthogs, giraffes, zebra, hippos, ostriches and lions. Essentially African, Lake Nakuru National Park is merely 170 kilometers north-west of Nairobi.

When to go: Year-round

How to get there: The park is a three-hour drive from Nairobi.

Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is a national park in Kajiado South Constituency in Kajiado County, Kenya. The park is 39,206 ha (392.06 km²). In size at the core of an 8,000 km² (3,100 sq mi) ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. The local people are mainly Maasai, but people from other parts of the country have settled there attracted by the successful tourist-driven economy and intensive agriculture along the system of swamps that makes this low-rainfall area, average 350 mm (14 in), one of the best wildlife-viewing experiences in the world with 400 species of birds including water birds like pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hamerkop and 47 raptor species. The park protects two of the five main swamps, and includes a dried-up Pleistocene lake and semiarid vegetation.

This majestic Mount Kilimanjaro is a Kenyan safari must-see. It has mist inside that comes out early morning, while some of the greatest tuskers you’ll ever discover graze at her feet, and will give you a nice view of big herds drinking water from surface springs. This National Park houses over 370 species of birds and you will have an opportunity to see zebras, wildebeest, hyenas, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, buffalo, warthogs, impalas, jackals and even leopards.

When to go: June to October

How to get there: It’s a four-hour drive or a short flight from Nairobi.

The meaning of the word ‘safari’ is ‘journey’, and Samburu is the perfect location to start an adventure. Starting with game drives, it offers a view of elephants, buffalos and leopards, you will spot Samburu’s own ‘Special Five’: the Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, gerenuk and reticulated giraffe. You can also opt for a camel safari a famous African adventure you will never forget.

When to go: June to October

How to get there: Daily flights from Nairobi or a full-day drive.

Collectively, Tsavo’s two national parks create the biggest greatest protected wildlife sanctuary in Kenya. More remote compared to Kenya’s other safari parks, the substantial area offers huge landscapes to explore. The sight of elephants spraying the blue waters involving the Galana River on themselves is one you’ll cherish for lifetime. You can as well spot the giraffe, cheetah, lion, serval cat, leopard, oryx, gazelle, buffalo, black fox, stripped hyena, antelope and approximately 500 species of birds. Tsavo East is home to two iconic trees, the baobab and the doum palm.

When to go: May to October

How to get there: Both parks are approximately 10 hours’ drive from Nairobi and are also accessible by charter flight.

More Kenya Safari Tours

Kenya is big nation – almost dual the size of Italy – and even although we’ve stated a notable amount our most liked tours above, generally there are still a lot of fantastic Kenya safari tours available.

Ready to Start Planning Your Kenya Safari Tour?

Chat using someone who’s recently been there. Speak to one of our Safari Experts to aid you in making tailor-make Kenya safari that fits your needs, interest, time and budget.