Kenya remains one of the premier east African safari destinations, most notably because of its iconic national parks and incredible natural beauty. The capital city of Nairobi plays host to famous hotels like Giraffe house, Hemingways, and famous restaurants like the Carnivore. This hub serves as the feeder aircraft to a host of national parks and private reserves. The most famous is the Masai Mara, home to the Kenyan side of the great migration, which reaches its peak in this park between August and October, it's certainly the biggest name on the Kenyan safari circuit. Next in line is the beautiful Amboseli National Park, bordering Tanzania, and looking towards Mt Kilimanjaro, just inside the Tanzanian border.
The park is famous for this iconic backdrop of a snow-capped mountain, Acacia umbrella trees and huge herds of wildlife. The finest lodges in this region include Serian, Sanctuary Olanana, Sand River Masai Mara, Governors Camp and Mahali Mzuri.
Then heading back up north is the Meru National Park, made famous by the Born Free story of rescued lions. A national park that has seen a huge comeback in the last decade from poaching and is now a haven of peace. A must-stay is Elsa’s Kopje Lodge, named after the famous Elsa lion dating back to George and Joy Adamson’s heyday of conservation efforts in this mountainous park with incredible visual appeal in terms of geography, rocky outcrops, endless views and verdant valleys.
Aberdares National Park, Mount Kenya world heritage site and the stunning Indian Ocean coastline south of Malindi and north of the Tanzanian border offer other opportunities for the more adventurous traveller, as well as the wild Tsavo East and West national parks, deserve mention but require a more robust sense of adventure, and a greater caution when travelling to, due to localized issues with poaching/ and or safety.
