75+ Things To Do In Kenya for Your Travel Bucketlist

Kenya evokes the raw brilliance of Africa. It's the drumbeat of wildebeest hooves across the Masaai Mara, leopards lounging in acacia trees, and elephants contrasting the snow-capped cone of Mount Kilimanjaro. This is where African safari started and the best things to do in Kenya will immerse you in both wildlife and wilderness.

Horse Safari, Loisaba Conservancy

Loisaba Conservancy Horseback Safari Tracking Zebra

Kenya
Scenic Flight, Maasai Mara

Scenic Maasai Mara Safari Flight

Kenya
Black Rhinoceros with Calf, Ol Pejeta

Ol Pejeta Black Rhino Safari

Kenya
Karisia Walking Safari, Nyasura

Nyasura Multi-Day Mobile Camping Walking Safari

Kenya
Lion Tracking with Local Specialists, Meru National Park

Meru Lion and Leopard Tracking Safari

Kenya
Maasai Guided Walk, Maasai Mara

Walk the Mara With Maasai Warrior Guides

Kenya
Helicopter View, Kenyan Savannah

Chyulu Hills Transfer by Helicopter

Kenya
Guided Walking Safari, Samburu National Park

Samburu Walking Safari With Samburu Tracker Guides

Kenya
Leopard with Cub, Mara Region

Mara Naboisho Leopard Safari

Kenya
Aerial View of Rutundu Hill, Mt Kenya National Park

Rutundu Wildlife Hideaway By Helicopter From Lewa

Kenya

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Kenya's Most Iconic Safari Experiences

Kenya's beauty is its diversity. There are more safari destinations here than anywhere else in Africa, so the classic thing to do in Kenya is a multi-day safari across distinctive locations. Every wilderness has its own atmosphere and highlights, from the rhinos of Laikipia to the Mara River crossing. Game drives in these parks and private conservancies provide the foundations of a Kenya safari, as they get you up close with so much more than only the big five.

For many decades Kenya was the jewel of African safari. Its parks and reserves have been exceptionally preserved and ever since the 70's there's been a luxury safari industry. You can explore all the different safari habitats, from montane forest to grass plains, and iconic savannah to riverine valleys. Such diverse landscapes make Kenya a haven for almost all of Africa's great wildlife. In particular, the big cats, black rhino, elephants, and hippos. Spotting the ungulates doesn't even require safari. Especially in the center of the country you can see zebra, giraffe, and various antelope along the side of the main road.

World-renowned Maasai Mara is the unmissable destination, especially from July to September when over a million zebra and wildebeest charge across the Mara River to graze in the park. In Amboseli National Park, elephants roam beneath the evocative cone of Mount Kilimanjaro. Tsavo East and Tsavo West are excellent if you're looking for wild bushland and rugged game drives. Then there is a series of smaller parks along the spine of the Great Rift Valley, each distinguished by a unique appeal, from admiring black rhino to multi-day walking safaris with Samburu warriors.

The mature and sophisticated safari industry caters for all tastes and budgets. The range of options for luxury safari is particularly impressive. Huge private conservancies are reserved for just a handful of guests, beautiful camps offer exclusivity in famous parks, and micro flights provide connections to destinations almost inaccessible by road. The popularity of Kenyan safari had been it's only significant downfall. For example, the Maasai Mara is more crowded with safari trucks than adjacent Serengeti in Tanzania. However, a downturn in tourism works in the favor of those that do visit Kenya for safari.

Giraffe with Calf, Loisaba Conservancy

Loisaba Conservancy Afternoon Game Drive

Kenya
Wildebeest Crossing the Mara River, Maasai Mara

Mara River Wildebeest Crossing Game Drive

Kenya
Leopard with Cub, Mara North Conservancy

Mara North Game Drive

Kenya
Elephant Bull, Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park Game Drive

Kenya
Lion and Leopard Trekking, Meru National Park

Meru National Park Game Drive

Kenya
Hot Air Baloon Flight, Maasai Mara

Maasai Mara Hot Air Balloon Flight

Kenya
Leopard During Nighttime, Loisaba Conservancy

Loisaba Conservancy Nighttime Game Drive

Kenya
African Elephant, Masai Mara

Maasai Mara Game Drive

Kenya
Giraffe, Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park Introductory Safari Game Drive

Kenya
Bush Dinner For Two, Masaai Mara

Mara Sundowners and Romantic Bush Dinner

Kenya
Sunrise Game Drive, Ol Pejeta

Ol Pejeta Sunrise Game Drive

Kenya
Giraffe, Tsavo West National Park

Tsavo West Game Drive

Kenya
Waterbuck, Lewa Conservancy

Lewa Conservancy Game Drive

Kenya
Elephant buy Waterhole, Tsavo East National Park

Tsavo East Game Drive

Kenya
Cape Buffalo, Samburu National Park

Samburu Game Drive

Kenya
Flock of Greater Flamingo, Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru Rhino and Flamingos Game Drive

Kenya
Kenya Itineraries

Inspirational itineraries created by leading travel designers. Save favourites to your bucketlist with the heart. Make a trip request and we will connect you to a local travel designer to plan your trip.

Leopard in Tree, Mara Naboisho

Covid-Safe Kenya Safari

Kenya
Matusadona Private Safari, Lake Kariba

African Safari Trip of a Lifetime

South Africa

Kenya's Best Safari Camps and Lodges

Kenya's safari camps immerse you in the wilderness experience. They are not just places to stay, but front-row seats to pure wildlife theatre. You listen, smell, and feel the wild, as fabulous four-legged mammals wander straight past your suite. And you will be amazed at how much traditional luxury you can also find deep in Kenya's wildernesses.

Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp

Kenya

Elewana Loisaba Star Beds Safari Stay

Kenya

Elewana Elsa's Kopje Safari Camp

Kenya
Giraffe and the Manor, Giraffe Manor, Nairobi

Stay at Giraffe Manor, Nairobi

Kenya
Sundowner Deck, Ol Donyo Lodge

Ol Donyo Safari Lodge

Kenya

Elewana Elephant Pepper Camp

Kenya
Pool Pods, The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille

The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille

Kenya
Luxury Private Tent, Kicheche Laikipia Camp

Kicheche Camp, Laikipia

Kenya
Family Suite, Sasaab Samburu

Sasaab Camp in Samburu

Kenya
Private Porch, Sanctuary Olonana

Sanctuary Olonana Safari Lodge

Kenya

Mara Plains Safari Camp

Kenya

Ultimate Beach Vibes in Kenya

Kenya is the white-sand Indian Ocean paradise hardly anybody knows about. The coastline is sublime, endless miles of Indian Ocean paradise and hardly another soul around. Adding in a stay on the coast is a perfect complement to a Kenya safari.

Traditional Dhow, Lamu

Lamu Dhow Cruise Experience

Kenya
Mida Creek SUP, Watamu

Indian Ocean SUP in Watamu at Mida Creek

Kenya
Lagoon Pool, Almanara Luxury Resort

Almanara Luxury Beach Resort

Kenya
Kitesurf in Paradise, Almanara Luxury Resort, Diani Beach

Learn to Kitesurf at Diani Beach

Kenya
Dhow Fishing Trip, Diani Beach

Private Dhow Fishing Cruise From Diani Beach

Kenya
Diver and Whale Shark, Kenya

Diani Beach Scuba Diving

Kenya
The Lounge, The Majlis Lamu

The Majlis Lamu

Kenya
Lamu Cultural Tour, Lamu Island

Lamu Old Town Cultural Tour

Kenya

A Unique Kenyan Perspective - Next Level Safari

In Kenya you do more than see animals from vehicles. This is where you can walk, ride, fly and dine amid wildlife herds. You can explore at night, when lions chase their prey across moonlit plains. Kenya offers so many angles, from staggering volcanic mountains to a safari spa surrounded by zebra. There's a fabulous collection of adventure and exclusive things to add to your Kenya bucketlist.

Kenyan safaris can travel in multiple directions but they usually meet in the Maasai Mara. The rich choice of destinations and activities make Kenya ideal for tailored safaris and combining a variety of habitats and experiences. Road and air transport make ambitious itineraries feasible as Kenya's offers the chance to incorporate five or more safari destinations into a vacation. Good transport connections also make Kenya a base for the other world-renowned experiences in East Africa; notably gorilla trekking in Rwanda or Uganda, and Tanzania's Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Kilimanjaro.

Riding Ranger, Ol Pejeta

Ol Pejeta Horseback Riding With Rhinos

Kenya
Night Time Game Drive, Maasai Mara

Maasai Mara Nighttime Game Drive

Kenya
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Amboseli & Kilimanjaro Wildlife Mountain Bike Ride

Kenya
Vulcanic Terrain, Mount Kenya

Climb Mount Kenya in Six Days

Kenya
Maasai Giraffe, Satao Elerai Conservancy

Elerai Conservation Game Drive

Kenya
Teenager Safari Activities, Kenya

Mara Safari for Teenagers at Elephant Pepper Camp

Kenya
Quad Biking Safari, Kenya

Quad Bike Safari at Ol Lentille

Kenya
Safari Spa, Elsa_s Kopje

Elewana Elsa's Kopje Safari Spa

Kenya
Junior Rangers, Ol Pejeta

Ol Pejeta Junior Rangers Safari for Kids

Kenya
Mountain Boke Safari, Kenya

Loisaba Conservancy Mountain Bike Safari

Kenya
Giraffa Camelopardalis, Tsavo West

Chyulu Hills Tailored Safari

Kenya
Angry Hippo, Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha Hippo Boat Safari

Kenya
Hiking Up Mount Longonot, Great Rift Valley

Climbing Mount Longonot Volcanic Crater

Kenya
Chania Waterfall, Aberdare National Park

Aberdare Multi-Day Walking Safari

Kenya
Safari on Bike, Hells Gate National Park

Hell’s Gate Cycling Safari

Kenya
Family Safari, Kichwa Tembo

Kichwa Tembo Maasai Mara Family Safari

Kenya
Masai warrior resting in the shade of acacia trees in the Laikipia Plateau's bush, Kenya

Loisaba Conservancy Camel Safari

Kenya
Leopard Climbing a Tree, Masai Mara

Olare Motorogi Conservancy Game Drive

Kenya

Conservation and Culture Things To Do in Kenya

Conservation and culture go hand in hand throughout Kenya. Traditional tribes have helped preserved the wilderness and lived alongside wild animals for millennia. They are the gatekeepers to an animal realm and will provide a very unique local insight. Kenya also showcases some of Africa's recent conservation success stories and you can get involved with saving the world's most magnificent animals.

Anti Poaching Trekking Demonstraion, Kenya

Loisaba Anti-Poaching Sniffer Dogs Tracking Demonstration

Kenya
Young Maasai, Kenya

Maasai Cattle Walk and Cultural Connection at Elerai Conservation

Kenya
Walking safari, Ol Lentille

Laikipia Walking Safari with Samburu Warrior Guides

Kenya
Rhino Conservation, Meru Rhino Sanctuary

Meru Rhino Sanctuary Visit Guided by Rhino Conservationist

Kenya
Sudan th Last Male Northern White Rhino To Have Lived, Ol Pejeta

See the Last Northern White Rhino in Ol Pejeta

Kenya
Common Chimpanzee, Sweetwaters Sanctury

Meet Chimpanzees at Sweetwaters Sanctuary

Kenya
Panthera Leo, Ol Pejeta

Ol Pejeta Lion Tracking with Conservationists

Kenya
The Lewa Wildlife and Borana Conservancies' security teams practice using tracker dogs to find a poacher in Borana, Kenya. With poaching gangs now using sophisticated techniques to hunt down rhinos, the two teams have to equally make use of sophisticated equipment and technology to protect their rhino populations - both have a combined black rhino population of 87. Additionally, Lewa is home to 64 white rhinos. This total population constitutes 15% of Kenya's entire rhino population. Some of the equipment the teams use include night vision goggles and thermal imagery. The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is the pioneer private rhino sanctuary in East Africa, established in 1983 to protect the last of Kenya's black rhinos whose population had plummeted to near extinction. Borana Conservancy, originally a commercial cattle ranch moved towards wildlife conservation in 1993 with the completion of one of Kenya’s first eco-lodges. In late September this year, the two conservancies removed the fence separating them to establish the largest rhino sanctuary in Kenya, and possibly East Africa, in order to create more room for black rhinos to breed. Despite recording general success in increase of the rhino population in Kenya since the devastating years of the 70s and 80s, the rise in demand for the rhino horn in the Far East in recent years has put immense pressure on the country's rhino numbers, and conservationists such as Lewa and Borana have to work twice as hard to protect their vulnerable populations.

Lewa Conservancy Elephant Conservation Experience

Kenya
White Rhino, Lewa Conservancy

Lewa Rhino Safari

Kenya
Maasai Safari Guide, Chyulu Hills

Chyulu Hills Game Walk With Maasai Guides

Kenya
Cityscape, Nairobi

Nairobi Cultural City Tour

Kenya
Nyama Choma, Kenyan Cuisine

Lamu Swahili Cooking Class

Kenya