When the first travelers came to see wildest Africa, a Kenyan safari tour was the ultimate dream trip.

It was the birthplace of safari travel…

And many years later, travel to Kenya continues to over-deliver natural beauty, intimate cultural exchanges, and extraordinary game viewing that includes the Great Migration.

In this country, you will not only see the Big Five against the most glorious backdrops, but you can also expect the most authentic accommodation, immersive introductions to the people and the peace of mind that comes with visiting a destination that is a leader in game conservation and protection.

Travel to Kenya – what you need to know

Kenya Safari

Things to do in Kenya

You have dreamt of taking a safari to Kenya for years. (Out of Africa and Miss Dinesen has a lot to answer for!)

Maybe you have put aside your safari funds, selected the dates you would like to travel, planned to take leave and even tried out the perfect dog sitter… Now you just have to decide on what to do.

And this is often the moment when the options overwhelm you.

With all the things you can do and places you can go in Kenya, it is a very smart idea to make your first stop an experienced Travel Designer who will custom design your trip for free. Because you wouldn’t pull your own tooth or cut your own hair… (unless you are Ranulph Fiennes or Helen Mirren).

  • They can tell you how to see the mega-herds of wildebeest at the time of year that you plan to travel.
  • They will help you choose which highlights to include from Masai Mara to Samburu and
  • Suggest the best extension to your trip – from a gorilla trek to a tropical beach idyll.

Some of our favorite experiences in Kenya

  1. A scenic bush flight will wing you to the shores of Lake Turkana for the day. Immerse yourself in the daily lives of the villagers who continue to go about their activities as they have done for centuries. Cool down with a dip in the river before returning to your accommodation before nightfall. 

2. Kenya’s wonderful conservation record allows guests to enjoy both Black and White Rhino Trekking. What do many people say about their experience with rhino? ‘No one will understand how close you can come to these glorious giants’

3. They call themselves Lokop or Loikop, which some agree translates to ‘owners of the land’, but we know them by the dialect that they speak. The Samburu. The travelers who have had the privilege of joining the Samburu at their sacred Singing wells belong to one of the most exclusive clubs on earth. This mystical experience is so secret that no-one is allowed to take a single picture.

4. In South Eastern Kenya, tucked between Tsavo West and Amboseli a mountain range forms a 62 mile (100 km) volcanic field. Peter Jenkins, warden of these voluptuous green hills in the late 1940s would sit up high and idly spot rhinos – an easy job as there were thousands of them. One of the youngest mountain ranges on earth and immortalized in Ernest Hemingway’s The Green Hills of Africa when you spend an afternoon climbing the Chyulu Hills you follow in the footsteps of one of Africa’s great adventurers (no rhino hunting required).

travel to kenya©Sho Hatakeyama – unsplash.com

5. Gallop across the African plains in the company of giraffes. There are few activities on earth more exhilarating than taking the opportunity to move in tandem with the giants of the continent. Unrestricted by manmade roads, on a horse safari you are more likely to cross the tracks of a lion than run into other people.

Kenya Safari© spiritofamerica – stock.adobe.com

6. See the great migration from above. Because when around three million animals decide to up and go a hot air balloon view becomes an incredibly good idea. Not only will you spy Africa from a different perspective but it will also give you much greater scope to see the eighth wonder of the world in action from a position where you can take in the true scale of the great migration.

things to do in kenya© sutirta budiman – unsplash.com

7. Taking a walk across the Laikipia Plains with a local Samburu Guide is a mystical experience. It is about learning to read the wilderness through your guide but it is also so much more than that as you step back across time and space into a parallel existence where you were born on the plains of Africa.

8. The community-owned and run Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is an impressive conservation effort to read about. Visiting the sanctuary where you can observe the program that rescues orphaned baby elephant throughout the region to hopefully return them to their families is something else.

safari kenya©Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

9. If you like to follow through with the story of the elephants you can also spend two nights in Tsavo National Park where the elephants are released back into the wilderness.

kenya safari packages©Eric Heininger – unsplash

10. One of our favorite things to do in Kenya is to sleep out under the milky way… after dinner next to a crackling fire with your guide watching over you from a distance and keeping you safe.

Places to visit in Kenya©Loisaba Starbed

Kenya Safari Tours

When you are excited about planning your first (or the next!) safari, it can be a little overwhelming to decide what to see when and what to skip to maximize your experience of the country.

With all the things you can do and places you can go in Kenya, your first stop should always be an experienced Travel Designer who will custom design your trip for free.

They can tell you how to see the mega-herds of wildebeest at the time of year that you plan to travel. They will help you choose which highlights to include from Kilimanjaro to Samburu and what the best extension to your trip might be – from a gorilla trek to a tropical beach idyll.

Every Rothschild Safaris Kenyan Safari Package is unique. We design every safari to suit our guests’ specific needs, but inspiration begins with the itineraries on our website.

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