Stichting Garantiefonds Reisgelden logo

✓ Great customer reviews

✓ World class safari guides

✓ Great service, great pricing

Kenya: birthplace of safari

Kenya is the birthplace of safari as we know it today. The romantic notion of spotting wildlife on an outstretched savannah has tickled the imaginations of millions of travelers ever since colonial times. World famous novels like Out of Africa by Karen Blixen have enhanced this. Written in 1937, it talks about breathtaking landscapes and adventures in nature reserves full of wild animals.

Kenya is the land of the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve and its annual migration of hoofed animals. Picture thousands and thousands of wildebeests and zebras as they cross the planes of the Masai Mara and the Mara River – one of the greatest natural spectacles in the world. Kenya is also the land of the colorful Masai culture, safaris at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and snow-white beaches on the Indian Ocean.

Range of experiences

Kenya is still among the favourite safari destinations in Africa today. With reason, as it offers a wide range of experiences. You can fly to remote areas in the Masai Mara or make a road-trip to various national parks. You can stay in your car, or get out for safaris by foot, boat, bike or horse. Consequently, explore the city and white beaches of Mombasa, or discover Diani Beach with its beautiful blue Indian Ocean.

Kenya has all the ingredients for an amazing safari- and beach holiday. Feeling inspired? Feel free to contact our safari experts – they happily compile the ultimate safari for you…!

Most popular Kenya safari itineraries

View our best and most beautiful Kenya itineraries below:

Ask your question here

What can I expect from an African safari in Kenya?

A perfect safari day begins with a lovely early morning rise with African savannah sounds. After a strong, healthy breakfast, you head out in a safari vehicle with your personal driver. This is THE time to look for wildlife – since these early hours, and the last hours before sunset, are when animals are most active. You go on exploring the savannah until it’s time for lunch. Here you can opt to go back to the camp, or to have a picnic along the way. You go on exploring the wild until just before sunset, when you stop for the famous safari sundowner. Watch the sunset while you nurse your favourite drink and reminisce about the day. You arrive back in camp in time to freshen up. Then it’s dinner, and off to bed early. Because at sunrise the next morning it all starts again.

When is the best time to visit Kenya?

June to October is an excellent time for Kenya tours. During these months, the weather is generally dry (although it can get really hot in October and the tail-end of September) and most trails are open. This also coincides with the wildebeest and zebra migration in the Masai Mara. June to October is the dry season, and as it progresses, water sources for animals tend to dry up and become fewer. Animals draw in numbers to the remaining waterholes, allowing for the perfect possibility to spot many of them. One downside is that, apart from June (which is a beautiful month to visit), high-season prices apply. Crowds are also larger, which leads to queues of safari vehicles. During the migration especially, some areas of the Masai Mara can be completely overwhelmed.

Visiting from November to February also has its devotees – migrating birds arrive, the rains rarely disrupt travel, and the country is also transformed into a lovely shade of green. Most travelers avoid March to May because heavy rains are always possible and can transform safari trails into muddy bogs. That said, prices are lower and and many times there are very few other visitors.

The beauty of Kenya

Kenya is one of the worlds’ most famous and popular safari destinations. Famous for the Great Migration on the Masai Mara Game Reserve, with its thousands and thousands of wildebeests and zebras following the rains and green pastures. And, of course, for the Big Five. With 24 national parks, 15 national reserves and quite a number of marine parks and conservation areas, this is a country that puts conservation of wildlife on top of its list. To top it off the country also has some amazing tropical beaches, lining the Indian Ocean – perfect to relax your mind after some intense days of safari!

Facts about Kenya

  • Population: 54 million
  • Languages: English, Swahili and some tribal languages
  • Capital: Nairobi
  • Currency: Kenyan Shilling (KSH)
  • National Parks: 24

Why go on safari to Kenya with Africa Safari Trips?

  • 100% specialised in Kenya
  • Skilled advice – tailor made private safaris
  • World class safari guides
  • Private vehicle and great customer satisfaction for best price

Why visit Kenya, and what are the major attractions?

A multitude of outstanding wildlife is the main reason to visit Kenya: this is the Masai Mara country, famous for the great migration of wildebeests and zebras. But while this can only be seen a few months a year, Kenya is excellent for game viewing (and thus visits) all year round. National parks and game reserves are numerous, and so is the number of different animals to spot.

Apart from the Masai Mara, there’s Amboseli, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Tsavo East and Tsavo West, all with superb wildlife watching almost guaranteed. Kenya is Big Five territory, with healthy populations of elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards and rhinos. The birdlife is also outstanding, as is the cultural element – this is the land of the Maasai, Samburu, Turkana and other tribes. The sheer number of habitats, too, make for wonderful scenery: think endless horizons in the Masai Mara, tropical forests in Kakamega, starkly beautiful parks in the north of the country, and peerless Kilimanjaro views from Amboseli.

What does a Kenyan safari cost?

It all depends on what sort of safari you want and can afford. Kenya has more variety than most African safari destinations, with excellent options at the lower end of the pricing scale (from 175 USD per person per day) and ofcourse on the higher end with luxury Kenya safaris (up to 1000 USD per person per day).

Whilst accommodation is partly what determines the cost for many travelers, the price you pay for your safari also depends on how you wish to travel between the various parks. Road travel is the easy choice and relatively cheap. Air transfer is expensive, but dramatically reduces the amount of time you spend on the road and maximizes the amount of time in the parks themselves. Lastly, it’s good to realize that most Kenya safari packages include accommodation, food, national park fees and game drives.

How is the wildlife viewing in Kenya?

It varies from park to park. Most of the more popular parks – Amboseli, Masai Mara, Samburu and Lake Nakuru – have fabulous wildlife-watching opportunities. Dense wildlife populations in all of these parks make them good all-round safari destinations that enable you to see many animals and species in a short period of time.

Other parks are more specialist – such as Kakamega with its birds and primates, or Saiwa Swamp with the sitatunga, a swamp dwelling antilope. These parks allow you to tick off hard-to-find species of the list, usually without crowds of tourists surrounding you. A more exclusive Kenyan safari experience is possible in for example the conservancies of the Laikipia district. Here you pay more, but (with the exception of Ol Pejeta Conservancy) crowds are non-existent and wildlife watching is excellent. As most of these conservancies are former farmlands, you can get off-road as well, meaning that you’ll get a lot closer to the animals than you will in a national park.

How safe is a Kenya safari?

For the most part, a Kenya safari is safe, but there are some important things to know. Nairobi and, to a lesser extent some other Kenyan cities have a reputation for violent crime. Most people visiting these cities hardly notice this, but it does happen often enough to mean that you should always be careful and follow local advice when it comes to your safety. You can minimize the risk by spending little time in Nairobi and other cities – Kenya’s charm rarely resides in its major urban centers – and by never traveling at night.

The danger from wild animals is minimal; most Kenya safari trips and operators have excellent safety records, and you should be fine if you follow the safety briefings and instructions from guides.

How do I select a reliable Kenya tour operator?

The best way to choose a Kenya safari is to read all about the safari experiences of other travelers – the chances are that their reviews will answer many of your questions (before you’ve asked them) as well as speak to the professionalism of the various operators with whom they’ve traveled. Otherwise, it’s extremely important that you contact any tour companies with whom you are considering traveling before you make a booking, and ask any questions you may have. This could be anything from the mode of transport, frequency of meals or daily safari schedules to the languages spoken by your guide or how many other travelers will be in your vehicle. Be as specific as you can. Not all operators offer customized Kenya tours, it’s true, but there’s no substitute for being informed. The operator’s willingness to answer questions can be a good guide to their dealings with people on safari.

What sort of hotel can I expect on a safari?

As a general rule you can say the higher your Kenya safari prices, the better your hotel. At the lower end, campsites are usually basic, sometimes crowded and not always in the best locations within the national parks or reserves. They are however well priced and often have ample facilities such as showers and toilets.

Lodges are the mainstays of the Kenya safari scene and the quality varies considerably – many lodges within the reserves and national parks have excellent locations but are ageing and in need of renovation, while others are luxurious and recently overhauled. In tented camps, including mobile camps, you’ll sleep in large, walk-in tents – they’re like lodge rooms in terms of size but with canvas for walls and floor. Canvas tents mean that you can hear the sounds of the African night. Most lodge rooms and tents of this kind have comfortable (not camp) beds, sometimes a desk and usually a private bathroom; some even have an outdoor shower with no roof but walls that protect your modesty.

National Parks

View the beautiful national parks which you can visit down below.

Activities and Excursions

View the fun activities & excursions down below.

Simple steps to book online

  • Step 1

    Select number travellers + departure date

  • Step 2

    Select national park(s) + island (s) and send

  • Step 3

    Together we create your dream holiday

  • Step 4

    After the payment, you will get your once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Travel blogs

Read our blogs about Kenya: full of travel tips what to do, where to go and how to prepare.

Kenya: Facts and Useful Tips

Kenya – the country of savannahs full of lions, zebras and giraffes and endless white beaches on the coast. It is also an uprising country where things are a bit different (adventure!) to what the average Western traveler is used to. On this page we give you some tips and stories that will help you […]