ATTRACTIONS IN KENYA

Amboseli national park 

Located in the southern region of Kenya, Amboseli National Park stands as a renowned wildlife conservation area, enticing visitors with its stunning rich biodiversity, scenic doum plants, vegetation and stunning landscapes. It is a home to iconic wildlife, hosting four members of the Big Five, from lions to the graceful black and white striped zebras and countless numbers of bird species in its swamps and wetlands habitats.

The park is a home to large numbers of African elephants, creating the perfect opportunity for an up-close view of up to fifty herds of elephants in one safari, making it a prime destination for both photographers and wildlife enthusiasts.

Its unique charm lies in its authentic and rich Maasai culture which offers unforgettable safari experience in an inspiring natural beauty of Mother Nature and making it a must visit destination for anyone looking to experience the magic of the Kenyan wilderness.

Chyullu Hills 

The lush green rolling hills of Africa, great blue skies and spectacular landscape views are what the Chyullu Hills provide nature lovers with. A magical land of black frozen lava studded with blazing red-hot poker trees and a vast floor of tall, sharp grass. On clear skies, you’re able to view the staggering view of Mt. Kilimanjaro is on the horizon mostly in the morning.

The park boasts of the world’s second longest lava tube (Kisula cave 11.5km long). The porous nature of lava rocks has helped keep the surrounding areas abundant with fresh water thus providing the perfect sanctuary for the region’s ample wildlife. Home to rare forest birds, bird watching is a great activity for bird lovers in the dense montane forest.

Hells Gate National Park

Tucked deep into the floor of the Great Rift Valley in Naivasha. Hells Gate National Park provides the ideal fun in the wild experience across all markets and ages.

From panoramic picnic sites, spectacular scenic views, abundant flora and fauna, towering cliffs, water gouged gorges, rock towers geothermal streams from Olkaria Geothermal I power station located inside the park south-west of Naivasha, the park is a bundle of fun waiting to be explored.

Nature trails, picnic sites and two circuits loop around the park offering a variety of scenic sites, cycling and wildlife viewing opportunities. There are two walking nature trails at Hobley’s Volcano and the Ol Basta Rock Tower and some scenic picnic sites at Lake Viewpoint, Moibeni, the obsidian caves, Hell’s Kitchen and Kapartania Viewpoint.

The park hosts the Ol Karia Geothermal Station and the Geothermal spa, all products of power generation projects at Ol Karia where Kenya Electricity Generating Company Limited (KenGen) owns and operates four Geothermal Power Plants. The spa is said to be rich in minerals such as sulphur and silica and is believed to cure skin diseases and ailments. This is an ideal out of town plot to getaway and indulge in a wild swimming spree.

Kakamega Forest

The only remnant in Kenya of the once great tropical rain forest that stretched across Central Africa is home to several hundreds of bird species making it an important Bird Area (IBA.) 

Teeming with over three hundred bird species, over 400 butterfly species recorded and a haven to about seven primate species, Kakamega Forest makes a perfect destination for nature lovers and bird watchers. The forest is renowned by bird enthusiasts not only in the confines of Kenya but also globally. Scenic spots easily accessible and rewarding sites worth your visit include Buyangu hill-a short sharp climb to a rocky summit from where the rolling forest canopy can be viewed to the South. Other spots include a sunrise chase at the summit of Lirhanda Hill and Isiukhu waterfalls chase. 

The forest is home to 36 unique snake species. True to the forest’s continental origins, the snakes of Kakamega are also found in West Africa. They include the Forest Cobra, The Gold’s Cobra, the Forest Night Adder, the Black – Lipped Cobra, Jameson’s Mamba, the Bush Viper, the Rhinoceros- horned Viper and the Gabon Viper.

The beautiful forest and natural glades, rich and unusual in their composition, makes it unique both nationally and globally where over 380 indigenous species of trees have been recorded.

Visitors can enjoy picnicking, camping, bird/butterfly watching, hiking, scenic viewing, cycling and cultural tourism from the rich Western Kenya communities.

Central Island National Park

Central Island N. Park is in the middle of Lake Turkana, The Jade Sea. It’s a designated world heritage site and covers an area of about 5 sq kms. Emerging starkly from the blue-green waters of the largest permanent desert lake in the world, Lake Turkana, the Central Island is made up of three active volcanoes that belch sulphurous smoke and steam. Out of this, several craters have merged to form three crater lakes namely, Crocodile, Flamingo and Tilapia Lakes. The lakes provide conducive breeding grounds for the world’s largest concentration of Nile crocodiles and home to thousands of endemic fish.

The park is a bird’s paradise that serves as a stopover for migratory birds from Europe which feed and rest here on their homeward journey. This spectacular migration happens between the months of March and May.  Resident birds like the Egyptian goose also breed here. The park is an Important Bird Area (IBA) and is home to more than 23 migrant bird species.

Lake Turkana is home to some of the world’s venomous reptiles that include the saw-scaled viper, puff adder and cobras. Species of fish include the huge Nile Perch, large Tilapia and puffer fish, the latter of which are present in seawaters which indicates Lake Turkana’s prehistoric connection to the Red Sea. 

Visitors can enjoy game viewing, camping, boating, nature trail hiking, sport fishing and sightseeing. 

Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve

Unspoiled and entirely different in terms of culture and landscape from the mainland, this peaceful island invites exploration. It features a picturesquely sculptured rocky coastline, low rag coral forest cover, numerous baobab trees and two small villages. Once below the waves, but now merely washed by the incoming tide, the surreal grey-white coral gardens in Wasini Village are run by the friendly ‘Wasini Women’s Boardwalk’. You will be able to enjoy a guided walk and then later a visit to a handicraft shop. The two and a half acres of petrified coral gardens and mangrove swamps have a meandering boardwalk through the circuit.

Beautiful and sun kissed, Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park was established to protect the scenic islands and special habitats of a wide range of endemic marine animals and breeding migratory birds. It lies in the coral gardens south of Wasini Island and encompasses three small coral rag forest islands, each with considerable areas of fringing reef.

Kisite is one of the most rewarding snorkelling locations in the coast and additionally, visitors can enjoy bird watching, diving, boat safaris, coral viewing, sunbathing and swimming with the dolphins. Marine life comprises about 250 recorded fish species, dolphins, sea turtles, and whales, a genus of corals, sea grass and gastropods. Visitors can spot seabirds in large nesting colonies and internationally significant numbers of roseate terns and crab-plover.

The marine park is famous for its population of turtles: Green and Hawksbill turtles normally spotted in their hang out, Kijamba cha Kasa.

An enchanted realm of living coral gardens, sculpted islands, wheeling seabirds and sparklingly clear waters, this world-famous Marine Park promises an underwater world of unbelievable colour and vibrancy. The reef provides food and shelter for an entire marine community. A shifting rainbow of small fish, octopus and clams hide in the gaps between the rainbow corals.

If you enjoy short hikes, you can do so on a walking trail within the upper Mpunguti Island. There is also a magical sandy beach that is used by visitors for parties and weddings but only during low tides. 

Lake Nakuru National Park

Established as Kenya’s first rhino sanctuary, the park hosts one of the largest black rhino concentrations in the country while substantial numbers of white rhino have also been introduced.

Resting squarely on the floor of the Great Rift Valley and surrounded by the characteristic woody and bushy grassland, her sky mirrored lake waters extending to an expansive mass of semi-alkaline water, Lake Nakuru National Park is a ball of beautiful sights waiting to be explored. A wide ecological diversity, varied wildlife habitats, plant and animal species await the wild outdoor lovers. 

The park is a uniquely rewarding game-viewing destination and a successful sanctuary for both the endangered black rhinos and white rhinos. 

Being an ornithological paradise, the park hosts approximately 450 species of birds including water, fish-eating, terrestrial and migratory birds. Key species are pelican, fish eagle, secretary bird, heron, egret, hamerkop, flamingos and grebe. 

Picnic and catch the best views of the lake from the park’s vantage points that include Baboon Cliff, Lion Hill and Out of Africa Hill. The Makalia waterfalls is a sight to behold.  It has a modern campsite which doubles as a picnic site. 

The acacia woodlands shelter herds of graceful impalas, shaggy waterbucks and the shy bushbuck. The rocky outcrops provide a perfect habitat for the rock hyrax. Present carnivores include lions and leopards. Other wildlife species include the spotted and stripped hyena, several cats as well as the silver-backed and side-stripped jackal, civet cat, genet and mongoose. Giraffes, zebras and buffalos are also present. The most visible primates are the somber olive baboons and the mysterious, black-faced vervet monkey, while dignified troops of colobus monkeys often prance among the trees.

Conspicuous hills that are ready landmarks include Enasoit Hill, Honeymoon Hill and the Lion Hill Ridge. About 550 different plant species dot the picturesque landscape and yellow acacia woodlands. 

Marsabit National Park and Reserve

Marsabit National Park features a dense montane forest and three crater lakes that provide a haven for a variety of birdlife, mammals and reptiles. The lower slopes of the mountain might be scorched and dry but the richly forested scenic views around makes it just as magical and a sight to behold. The park is a refuge for the huge, tusked bull elephants and was home to the most famous elephant named Ahmed until his death at an estimated age of 63 years. 

The patriarch, Ahmed, was accorded round the clock protection from poachers through a presidential decree in early 1970. When he died, he was found to have tusks weighing over 300kg.  A model of elephant Ahmed now stands tall at the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi. 

The park’s shallow wells / aquifers supply water to as far as Chalbi desert while the moss-covered cloud forest taps mist rainfall.

Birdlife and reptiles are diverse and rich that any bird lover would be delighted to be here. This destination is basically an ornithologist’s happy place. The extinct volcanic craters locally known as gofs around the park make Marsabit such a wonderland. Located on the eastern side of the park, Gof Bongole is the largest and the stagiest of the craters with a dizzying 10-kilometer round rim.

Lake Paradise is the most scenic and famous as it has been featured in quite a number of films. The natural amphitheatre of Gof Sokorte Guda has a 150 meters high caldera that shelters the fresh waters of Lake Paradise. Most of these craters are home to a diverse number of bird species. Visitors can enjoy hikes in the dense forest with a closed high canopy wreathed in mist, camel rides, bird watching, bush trekking, camping and visits to the singing wells, Lake Paradise and Elephant pool.

The park hosts some of the elephants with huge tusks. Also present are greater kudu, leopard and multiple birdlife.

Meru National Park

Meru Park prides itself for the history of the coming together of Joy Adamson’s best-selling book “Born Free.” The script is based on the Adamsons’ lives and research on lions and cheetahs. George and his spouse Joy Adamson are best known through the movie Born Free. The movie is based on a true story of Elsa the lioness; an orphaned cub they had rescued, raised, and later released into the wild. This story line is a great puller of safari lovers to the park.

The park teems with a variety of wildlife species including elephant, Grevy zebra, lion, cheetah, leopard, black rhino, hartebeest, hippo, buffalo, and the reticulated giraffe among others.

Remote, rugged, and prominently unspoilt, a perfect illustration of a hidden gem. Meru National Park sits on an 870 sq.km area. The park is mostly set in the wilderness yet strikingly beautiful. Few places and spaces compare to this great destination.

Visitors can enjoy game viewing, camping, picnicking, hiking, and swimming near Kinna cottages. 

Visitors can savour the rich culture of the Ameru and Borana communities in the cultural villages. Borana culture at Bisanadi gate, Tharaka culture at Ura gate.

Other attractions include: the Tana River, Nyambene Hills Ranges, Adamson’s Falls and Rapids, Elsa’s Grave, Pippa’s Grave, Mwariama Mau Mau Post Office, Mt. Kenya, The Equator, Inselbergs, Kopjes, Swamps, and natural springs.

Mt. Elgon National Park

Towering about 4,222meters above sea level, covered in mist and drizzle Mt. Elgon is a soaring volcanic giant that is a remarkable sight! The lush montane forest is thick and evergreen on the floor, but as you hike up, the foliage changes and the best place to see the forest is on the Chelulus circuit of the park. Mixed bamboo and Podocarpus is the next forest zone which is a common feature on the mountain. The heath zone is characterized by dense scrub and wildflowers. The alpine moorland zone boasts of the highest number of endemic plant species on the mountain while the open moorland grassland is dotted with clusters of giant groundsel and high-altitude lobelia plants that are unique to East Africa.

The salt-mining elephants of Kitum Cave are a spectacle. Tonnes of elephants, dubbed ‘the troglodyte tuskers’ stream down the cave to dig out salt elements from the ground. The park boasts of caves formed from ancient lava tubes namely Kitum, Making’eny, Chepnyalil, Ngwarisha and Kiptoro. 

Cave exploration and excursions in the bat infested caves are common with outdoor junkies that love the thrill of being in the wilderness. Making’eny cave, located about 1.5km from the Kitum caves, has a spectacular waterfall over its mouth. A hike up is refreshing and the views breathtaking. The park has two internationally recognized designations; Important Bird Area (IBA) and UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) sites.

Mt. Elgon offers great opportunities for hiking to Endebess Bluff and Koitoboss peak, Picnicking and Cave exploration, Primate and Bird watching, Cross border tourism, Horse riding, Botanical diversity, Spectacular waterfalls and beautiful picnic sites, Photography, walking tours at nature trails and hot springs at the border of Kenya and Uganda.

Mount Kenya National Park 

Mount Kenya is the second highest peak in Africa and is an ancient extinct volcano. 

The Kikuyu people, who lived around present day Mt Kenya, referred to it as “Kirinyaga” or “Kerenyaga“, meaning mountain of whiteness because of its snow-capped peak. Mt Kirinyaga, which was the main landmark, became synonymous with the territory the British later claimed as their colony.

It was created approximately three million years after the opening of the East African Rift. Before glaciation, it was 7,000 m (23,000 ft) high. It was covered by an ice cap for thousands of years. This has resulted in very eroded slopes and numerous valleys radiating from the peak.

There are twelve remnant glaciers on the mountain, all receding rapidly, and four secondary peaks that sit at the head of the U-shaped glacial valleys. With its rugged glacier-clad summits and forested middle slopes, Mount Kenya is one of the most impressive landscapes in East Africa. 

There are about twenty glacial tarns (small lakes) of varying sizes, waterfalls, giant table mountains, enormous mushroom rocks, scenic valleys, clean freshwater rivers and mesmerizing moorland vegetation and numerous glacial moraine features between 3,950 m and 4,800 m. The highest peaks are Batian (5,199m) and Nelion (5,188m). The third peak is Point Lenana (4,984m). 

The scenery and ecological formations surrounding this designated World Heritage Site is breathtakingly beautiful. The park is also a Biosphere Reserve. 

The Animal Orphanage

Set amidst the lush green vegetation of Nairobi National Park, the Animal Orphanage is a world-renowned facility for its efforts in nurturing orphaned, aged, injured, and abandoned wildlife.

The facility is also a conservation education hub for schools, higher learning institutions and the public. Conservation education conducted here is to foster and rally Kenyans and the public at large to take part and contribute to conservation of our wildlife heritage for the present and future generations and for the world.

The wildlife enclosures are designed in such a way that the visitors get an up-close view of the animals from a safe distance. The description boards on the cages offer more information about the animal in the enclosure/cage thus allowing the visitors to derive a better experience from their visit.

Visitors can enjoy guided tours and game viewing. The Orphanage also acts as a wildlife research centre especially to students/learning institutions. 

Nairobi National Park 

Beyond the towering skyscrapers and the deafening music, lies a haven of peace and tranquillity. The park is about 8km drive out of Nairobi city and its the only national park that is in the country’s capital in the world. It plays host to a wide variety of wildlife including the big four, birdlife, and the best scenic views from the park and beyond. The park is a popular outing space for families, couples, and organized groups.

Tsavo West National Park 

Upon mile of cloud shadowed African savannah, Tsavo West National Park is the second largest protected area in Kenya and is a famous for the man eater lions who to date carry a bizarre history long after they terrorized, maimed, and killed construction workers of the Kenya-Uganda Railway in 1898. The most voracious and insatiable man-eating lions abruptly halted the railway construction.

The first World War Site-East African Campaign, and perhaps the most bizarre campaign of the world war was fought in the “Bundu” (Bush) – the barely explored wilderness of thorny shrub and dense forest of Tsavo West. This last ‘gentleman war’ was waged under the code of honour-sometimes; or under guerilla tactics adopted from African tribal fighters.

The spectacular Mzima Springs is an impressive sight of a million gallons of crystal-clear waters gushing out of the under parched lava rocks forming the most welcoming and lovely scenes from Africa’s rolling jungle. Painted on a sprawling canvas of endless skies, emerald hills, liquid lava flows, palm fringed rivers, teeming wildlife and sparkling oasis set against the impressive backdrop of a mile.

Glorious game drives; Tsavo West offers some of the most magnificent game viewing experiences in the world; Spot the Leopard, cheetah, buffalo, rhino, elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion, plains game, crocodile, mongoose, hyrax, Oryx, lesser kudu, Klipspringer, and the nocturnal porcupine. The prolific bird life features six hundred recorded species.

The Park features over 1,000 plant species and a mixed habitat of bush, grasslands and acacia woodlands dotted with baobab, ivory palm, saltbush, doum palm, tamarind, and fig trees. Cave exploration at Shetani lava flow is also another activity visitors can enjoy. The molten lava that forms Shetani lava spewed from the earth about two hundred years ago and according to local folklore, the fiery fury was work of the devil.

The Poacher; Lookout and roaring rocks is a panoramic vantage point from which to catch a bird’s eye view of the scenic topography and the movement of wildlife. Lake Jipe that lies astride the Kenya and Tanzania border teems with aquatic life while bird watching is also a major activity for bird lovers around the lake. The picturesque identical five sisters of Tsavo hills are a volcanic feature that provides a scenic backdrop for wildlife photography. Chaimu Hill is a unique one that stands on its own.

Maasai Mara Game Reserve

Established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1961. At that time, it included the Mara Triangle. In the same year, the sanctuary was extended to the East and turned into a game reserve in 1974, the game reserve became a National Reserve but with 159 square kilometres returned to the Masai Community. By 1984, the overall size of the reserve had reduced after more land was returned to the local Masai community.

The Masai Mara is known for the highest concentration of wild animals in the world. More than 40% of Africa’s larger mammals can be found here. However, there is more to the Masai Mara than endless plains. 

Every year between July and October, the Masai Mara becomes the backdrop of one of the most spectacular wildlife shows on earth – the Great Migration. The sight of so many animals dotting the plains is almost spectacular. The rolling savannah’s sunburnt grasses become home to more than 1.5 million zebra, wildebeest and antelopes trekking from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara in search of greener pastures and water. The Great Migration is unique to the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. There is nothing else quite like it. There are no guarantees, but if you would like to witness this breathtaking spectacle at the Masai Mara keep the following in mind:

Mid July: the herds enter the Masai Mara and embark on their fateful Mara River crossing. Crocodiles and hippos living on the banks of the Mara River are only two of the dangers the wildebeest and zebra encounter upon crossing the river.

September – October: this is the time of year in which you will see a mind-blowing number of wildebeest enjoying the feasts of their Labor on the endless plains of the Masai Mara.