Nairobi, Kenya’s vibrant capital, is a must-visit destination for travelers exploring East Africa. Known as the “Green City in the Sun,” Nairobi perfectly blends urban life, wildlife, and rich culture. Often mistaken as just a stopover before safaris, Nairobi is a destination full of adventure, culture, and surprises. It’s a city where modern skyscrapers meet rich history, and wildlife roams just beyond the urban sprawl.
Why Choose a Safari in Nairobi?
Go off the grid to discover Africa’s Big Five-lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, and Cape buffalos-as you explore Kenya’s stunning national parks and experience the country’s rich wildlife heritage.
- Wildlife at Nairobi National Park - Spot lions, rhinos, giraffes, and zebras just a short drive from downtown.
- Cultural Shopping at Maasai Markets - Expect vibrant stalls filled with beadwork, fabrics, jewellery, and handmade crafts.
Top Safari Destinations Near Nairobi
Nairobi National Park
Its biggest ‘park’ is in fact a 117 square kilometre swathe of undulating savannah grassland and acacia woodland. And while it doesn’t have a boating lake, it does have lions. And buffalo. And rhinos. It’s a fabulous safari destination but is woefully overlooked by international visitors to Kenya.
This is a shame, because Nairobi National Park is an excellent safari location in its own right. I have been many times, often just for a quick half-day drive from the city.
Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park is the postcard park of Kenya. This is where those photographs are taken of elephants with a backdrop of the (fast melting!) glaciers of Mt Kilimanjaro. The elephants and the scenery are the real highlights of this park.
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Lake Nakuru National Park
Just 5 kilometres from the big city of Nakaru, Lake Nakuru National Park’s accessibility makes it one of the most popular Kenya safari hotspots. The park is best known for its sometimes huge flocks of flamingos and a large rhino population. Back in the 1990’s, Lake Nakuru was the first place where I saw a really huge flock of flamingos. I’d seen the odd handful before, but the thousands upon thousands I saw here on that day sticks in my memory.
Masai Mara National Reserve
Animal Viewing - Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya during The Great Migration (July-October) nothing else comes close to this spectacle of 2 million animals searching for literally greener pastures. I saw more animals in the first half-hour of a game drive during The Great Migration than all my previous days of game drives combined.
We are visiting the Masai Mara but would like to visit another area on safari in Kenya. The most common combinations for a short add-on to the Masai Mara are Amboseli, Laikipia or the Samburu area.
Samburu National Reserve
For your requirements of a different habitat and wildlife then without doubt I would suggest Samburu National Reserve. This is a much drier and hotter area than the Mara with different vegetation and animals. And, even the animals you might have seen in the Mara are different up here with different species of giraffe, zebra and ostrich all present (and in my opinion all more beautiful than the kinds in the Mara). The park is also superb for elephants.
Samburu, though still popular, is notably quieter than the Mara and, once away from the river, it's easy to feel you have the place all to yourself (and especially if you go into the co-joined Buffalo Springs and Shaba reserves).
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Tsavo National Park
Combined, Tsavo East and West National Parks cover an enormous swathe of acacia scrub Kenyan wilderness. Despite being directly adjacent, the two parks are radically different from one another with the green hills of Tsavo East a marked contrast to the red soil and volcanic landscapes of Tsavo West. Because of their diversity and sheer size, I strongly recommend you devote enough time to the parks if you’re going to visit them.
Laikipia Plateau
The Laikipia plateau area in central Kenya is one of the most exciting places in African conservation. Laikipia hosts all the classic East African safari mammals but is best known for its rhinos, including the critically endangered northern white rhino, only two of which are left alive. Both are female and so, tragically, this is a species awaiting extinction.
Meru National Park
Meru, the country’s forgotten national park, is easily one of my favourite of all Kenya’s safari parks. Security and stability have long since returned, yet somehow this park never returned to its former fame. This is the part of Kenya in which I have spent the most time (months and months if I added it all up), and was the scene of one of my best ever travel experiences.
This is the place to see large prides of black-manned lions, bellowing elephants, grumpy buffalo and a pick ‘n’ mix box of antelope and gazelles. And that’s before we even touch on the smaller creatures and huge array of birds.
Safari Destinations in Kenya: Top 5 Places to Visit (My Recommendations)
Other Destinations
Most standardised Kenya safari itineraries reduce the entire country to the blockbuster highlights: the Mara, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru… maybe Tsavo and Samburu if they’re feeling adventurous. This does a great disservice to the country’s true diversity. For instance, out in the far west is Kakamega Forest Reserve which has more in common with the rainforests of Uganda and the Congo than the classic Kenya landscape.
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Another personal favourite that’s a world away from the classic Kenya savannah is Aberdare National Park where dense tangled montane jungle gives way to a high, cold and often bleak moorland. Unusually among Kenyan national parks, you can also get out of the vehicle here and enjoy long, lonely hikes over the moorlands.
Choosing Your Safari Style
There are almost as many different ways of doing a safari as there are stripes on a zebra and how, when and where you safari makes a huge difference to what you pay. Expect to pay anything from $150 to $1,000+ per person per day. You can find very low budget two or three day safaris to the Mara from around $250 all in, but these are generally rushed, crowded and uncomfortable.
Tour Operators
There are three broad categories of safaris in Kenya. The first and easiest option is to book a week(s)-long, multi-stop itinerary through a tour operator, either locally-based or international. This provides the most hand-holding and support for cautious visitors, plus more protection should things go wrong. The potential downside is getting shunted onto one of the more formulaic itineraries and simply following the crowds around the most popular parks.
Secondly you can simply show up and book a safari tour once in-country from the hundreds of operators in Nairobi. There’s nothing inherently wrong with doing it this way but I strongly advise you don’t just book something in the street. Do your homework first and find a reputable, responsible operator.
Self-Drive Safaris
Thirdly, and probably my recommendation for all but the most cautious of visitors, is to book the accommodation yourself, rent a car (or a car plus driver), and head out solo. You can take your own camping gear or book into lodges or camps (booking ahead is essential!), or mix camping with more comfortable nights in lodges. I strongly advise renting a vehicle plus driver. It’s often cheaper plus you get an unofficial local guide who knows the ropes.
Yes, it's perfectly easy to do a self-drive Kenya safari. When you ask if it's "safe" that depends a little on what you mean. If you mean are there bandits, car jackings, dangers from wildlife, etc, then no you are quite safe. I'd recommend hiring a car with a driver, which can be a cheaper and, in my opinion, a much better option.
Almost any tour company in Nairobi or Mombasa can organise a private vehicle with a driver. Standards and prices vary hugely, so explain to the tour company exactly where you want to go and get in writing exactly what is and isn't included. Pay particular attention as to whether fuel, and the drivers food and accommodation is included in the rates.
Conservancies vs. National Parks
National parks, reserves and conservancies are mentioned a lot in this guide, but just what is the difference and why does it matter? A national park or reserve is a government or local council run protected area. Most of the best-known protected areas in Kenya fall into this category. These areas are run solely for the benefit of wildlife and tourism, sometimes at the expense of local people.
Tourism in these areas creates jobs, but locals are often forbidden from entering these protected areas other than for work reasons and communities were often (but not always) removed from their land when the parks and reserves were created. Corruption can be a problem with the money generated by these parks not always going where it should.
A conservancy is a different affair. A conservancy is normally located on either communal land owned by the community as a whole or on private ranch land and has no official government status. On a community conservancy the tourism stakeholders (i.e. the safari camps) lease the land from the local communities on the condition that the land is managed in a manner that is of benefit to both people and animals.
The (normally very high) fees you pay to stay in a conservancy go toward paying the land leasing fees as well as various community and environmental projects. Other conservancies may be located on private ranchland, in which case they have to make enough money for the landowner to financially justify turning his land over to wildlife conservation over cattle ranching.
In other words, a conservancy is run for the benefit of both wildlife conservation, tourism and the needs of local communities (in many cases local people are allowed to continue to graze their cattle on a conservancy but in a controlled and sustainable manner).
Cultural Experiences
In my opinion, one of the big problems with the safari industry is the way it prioritises seeing wildlife over having meaningful connections with local people. In fact, other than being served by their guides, drivers and camp employees, a typical safari-goer might not have any interaction with a local at all. To me, this is the exact opposite of how it should be done!
In my experience, a good trip to Kenya isn't just about seeing wildlife: it should put intimate, authentic interactions with local people at the heart of the whole experience. You can make genuine connections and real friendships as you sit around, sharing stories, laughing and learning from each other.
On the other hand, mainstream Kenya safaris are often sold with "village tour" or even "slum tour" add-ons. These "goldfish bowl safaris" as I call them are unethical and nothing short of exploitation. They violate the privacy, integrity and dignity of local communities and undermine sustainable development by perpetuating a myth of backward, poverty-stricken people.
Maasai Homestays
For a cultural experience you’ll never forget, try spending a night at a Maasai homestay near the Masai Mara. Finding authentic, community-run homestays can be a bit of a minefield.
Tips for a Great Safari
My single most important tip for Kenya safari first-timers is to avoid the mistake of non-stop game drives. Standard tour operator itineraries shuttle you from park to park with a gruelling schedule of game drives. Yes, this is the best way of seeing large mammals up close, but the bumpy tracks, early starts and long hours quickly exhaust even the most ardent wildlife-watcher. And there is so much more to safari in Kenya that you’ll miss from racing around in a jeep.
Break it up. Look for operators who offer bush walks, village visits, and conservation projects. My other big Keny safari tip is to spend as much as your budget allows on fewer nights in better conservancies and camps.
Wildlife Viewing
Seeing all the big five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo & rhino) in one park is hard. Only Lewa and some of the conservancies in Laikipia can honestly claim to offer easy sightings of all five. But, who cares! This fixation on racing around to tick off just five species is an anachronism from colonial-era big game hunting days.
Traveling with Children
If most of the children in your group are very young, your options are fairly limited as the reality is that a longer, multi-day safari can be a bit much with very young kids. I first did a safari with my kids when they were five and two years old and although it was good I probably wouldn't do it again!
Past the age of about eight or nine the safari experience gets much easier, as they'll will tolerate sitting in a jeep on a bumpy road for longer. Do be aware that some safari camps don't accept children below the age of 12. These are normally the unfenced camps and it's done for safety reasons.
You will also need to keep in mind that you will either need several safari jeeps and to travel in convoy or a bus (and these aren't always allowed in some parks). Because you will be travelling with so many children I would suggest small safari camps which you can book out for your group alone. Some of these are more child friendly than others.
As for specific parks and reserves the Masai Mara area is good because there's a lot of animals to see everywhere you look which keeps children interested. Also good are Nairobi and Narok national parks because of easy access and good roads.
Best Time to Visit
High season in Kenya is the peak summer months of July to September, before the rains begin.
Game Drives
Game drives are at the heart of a safari experience - and the more time you are in a vehicle searching for animals, the better. The best times for viewing are the 30 minutes before sunrise and 60 minutes after sunrise, as well as 60 minutes before sunset and 30 minutes after sunset. Look for camps that provide the most game drive time.
One final piece of advice, it is far better to go on a game drive first and eat breakfast after you have finished your drive. Request if this is possible - and if it isn’t, find a camp that allows you to do this. That period for half an hour, either side of sunrise is when animals are most active.
Night Safaris and Sundowners
Some areas allow you to go on a Night Safari - this is when many animals (such as predators) are most active. The vehicle carries at least one very powerful light that illuminates a wide area. The only time I’ve seen an active lion hunt was during a night safari, as lions mostly rest during the day.
Note that there is a particular type of game drive called a Sundowner - this is when you head to a viewing point to watch a sunset with a drink of wine and some food. For those who want the African sunset experience, this is a fantastic way to end your day.
Local Drivers
I love driving myself around - and much prefer it to have someone drive me due to the freedom it allows. However, the exception to this rule is on a game drive in Africa - and it is far better to be driven by a local person with knowledge of the area.
Local drivers have a network to find the best animal sightings - Local drivers within a National Park have a network. You will regularly see drivers talking to other drivers as they pass each other (even if they are from competing accommodation places), and drivers from the same accommodation will keep in contact with each other by two-way radios. In every one of these conversations, drivers will share information as to where animals are being found.
Other Ways to Explore
There are other ways to get around a park than being in a vehicle. Horse and camel safaris are available in certain areas, and though you see a lot less, the experience is incredible. Sometimes, one can visit animal sanctuaries, where animals at risk are placed under protective care.
Walking safaris are also available in certain parks, but these only occur where there are no predators and no elephants. You will always have a guard with you, so safety is not an issue. This gives you a chance to look closely at trees, plants, animal tracks, and resting places for certain creatures as well.
Choosing the Right Vehicle
The two key aspects of having the right vehicle are comfort and viewing.
- Minivan - if you find a very cheap safari operator, it is likely they will use these vehicles.
- Standard off-road vehicle (such as the Toyota Land Cruiser) - they may be comfortable and suitable great for most outdoor activities.
- Modified off-road vehicle - these sit higher and have a longer wheelbase than a standard off-road vehicle.
- Modified windowless off-road vehicle - these are very similar to the previous vehicle but have no window frames at all and thus provide the best visibility.
What to Pack
Whether you're journeying through the sweeping plains of East Africa or the diverse landscapes of South Africa, having the right items packed ensures a comfortable, convenient, and effortless travel experience.
- Bring neutral and pastel-coloured clothes - avoid wearing anything bright.
- Safari locations can get cold at night, so bring a light pair of thermals and/or a jacket.
- Bring sunscreen, a hat and avoid too many short clothes (skirts, pants, shorts). Longer clothes protect you against the sun and from potentially malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
Important Information
Health and Safety
Adhere to all instructions by your safari guides and hosts whether you are in the camp or on a game drive - their primary concern is your safety, and they have the experience to support it. If they tell you to not wander around your safari camp on your own - don’t do it.
Never, ever leave a vehicle during a game drive unless permitted by your safari guide or driver. In most cases, if a wild animal is near and you are on the ground - don’t move.
