Amazing Safari Destinations in Kenya

1. Masai Mara national Reserve

This is considered to be Africa’s greatest wildlife reserve. This reserve is located on a 200sq miles of plain land, home to many exotic animals- some of them being zebra, gazelle, giraffe and topi in the grassland while hippos and crocodiles are present in abundance in the Mara and Talek rivers. Every year Mara witnesses one of the world’s greatest wonders, migration of the great wildebeest from the Serengeti. This can be seen anytime from July to October so you may want to visit around this time.
Mara is also very popularly known as T’he kingdom of Lions’, and cheetahs, hyenas and jackals are also common sight in these lands.
Apart from game drives and walks some camps here also offer balloon safari! It is a must visit location and a spectacular Kenya safari destination for all the Kenya tourists.

2. Amboseli or the Land of Giants

The most extraordinary view of the snow peaked cap of great Mt Kilimanjaro can be seen from here. During the dawn, the light turns the mountain in shade of purple and its snow into incessant pink! Apart from this Amboseli is home to large herds of African elephants and bulls. Apart from zebras and wildebeests, impala can also be seen grazing here.
On a social note, the tourists are also given opportunity to spend time among the Massai people which helps in cultural expansion.

3. Nairobi National Park

This is the only national park that is in a protected area with variety of birds and animals close to a capital city- Nairobi. It is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Nairobi’s skyscrapers can be easily seen from the park. The man made dams attract many animals during the dry seasons. One of the major attractions of this park is the black rhino which is a threatened animal on the verge of extinction; it is only here that tourists can be confident to see them in their natural habitat.Other than this, over 80 species of animals and 400 species of birds have been recorded and believed to reside here. A visit to the Nairobi National Park would blow your mind as it is one of the best Kenya safari destinations.

4. Hell’s Gate National Park

About 90 km from Nairobi, this park is unique as the visitors are allowed to walk or cycle without a guide! The Elsa Gate and the Olkaria Gate are the two gates of this park that are used by the visitors. The wildlife of this park includes eland, lion, impala, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle, klipspringer, rock hyrax and Chanler’s mountain reedbuck etc. Hiking, camping, rock climbing are among the many adventurous activities in which the visitors are allowed to take part.

5. Tsavo National Park

It is the largest national park in Kenya. The twin national parks of Tsavo east and Tsavo together form the Tsavo National park. The 10 million acres of this park consists of an extensive river system and pure wilderness with hills and ranges. With the numerous species of birds present here, it is a birdwatcher’s heaven. Birds like weavers, hornbills, rollers, sunbirds and many more can be seen here. The volcanic Mzima springs in this location produce about 50 million gallons of fresh water daily! These waters are home to barbel and Hippopotamus and waterfowls. The most exciting part is when the tourists can see these creatures in their natural environment underwater as there is an underwater laboratory built specially for this purpose.

6. Laikipia Conservancy

Laikipia is covered with private ranches, where the cattle share the lad with the wild. The local community of Laikipia has created sanctuaries where Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Buffalo and many endemic Northern species roam about freely. Some of the ranches here have become breeding sanctuaries for rhinos. It always promises an amazing view.

7. Mt Kenya Forest

Mt Kenya, Africa’s second highest peak, is surrounded by large forest and this makes it one of the most fascinating Kenya safari destinations. The trek of Mt Kenya takes around 3-5 days and is an exciting experience full of wildlife, unique mountain vegetation and promises one of the world’s rarest sights, equatorial snow.

8. Kakamega Forest

Kakamega forest is always promises an interesting Kenya safari experience as this is a significant primate reserve that is full of various species of birds. Beautiful chameleons can be seen here easily. At night, Kakamega is a whole new world in itself, bats can be seen everywhere in the air, croaking of frogs, sound of night birds and giant forest squirrel can be heard! Kakamega is a retreat for nature lovers from the busy-noisy world. If you love the wild with all that it presents, Kakamega is the place to be.

9. Shimba Hills

It is a national reserve located just 48 km from the coast. The reserve is both grassland as well as rainforest, so you can well imagine the amount of wildlife diversity that can be witnessed here! Some of the rare species found here are the roan and stable antelope, black and white colobus monkey, red duiker and suni antelope. This place is a treat for birdwatchers as well, with species like Honey guides, Turacos, woodpeckers and Sunbirds present here.

10. Samburu National Reserve

It is one of the lesser known parks but “lesser” does not mean that it doesn’t have much. The fact that it is not so popular makes it even more special. The calm and serene lands are filled with rare species like leopards, lions, Somail Ostriches, and more than 450 species of birds. This undisturbed part of the world is definitely one of the top Kenya safari places ever.