Your Kenya safari experience starts here
Kenya is the birthplace of the safari. Bordering the Indian Ocean with Mount Kenya towering over a tapestry of tiny farms, green hills and golden savanna, the East African nation began drawing tourists over a century ago, enticed by tales of wild animals.
Kenya safaris highlight the country’s dramatic landscapes, which include a range of national parks and reserves, refuge to the “Big Five” (elephant, lion, leopard, rhinoceros, and buffalo.)
Safaris remain one of the top travel experiences in the world where expert local guides and tailor-made tours are essential. At Natural World Kenya Safaris, a locally-owned tour operator, we are perfectly equipped to bring you a seamless Kenya safari tour. Our knowledgeable staff combined with our customizable, interest-driven packages deliver one of the best safaris in Kenya.
Top Kenya Safari Experiences
Masai Mara
When you think of Africa, the picture in your mind’s eye is quite likely a single acacia tree silhouetted on the savanna against a flame red horizon, inching towards infinity. That classic image is almost certainly from the Masai Mara. Kenya’s most famous nature reserve, the Masai Mara is a 583 square mile area of preserved wilderness in southwestern Kenya along the Tanzanian border made up of grassy plains and rolling hills, traversed by the Mara and Talek rivers. Its name derives from the Maasai people, ancestral inhabitants who migrated from the Nile Basin.
Other residents of the Mara, as it is called locally, include lion, cheetah, elephant, leopard, zebra, black rhino, hippo, and hundreds of bird species. Wildebeest, too, cross the Mara plains during the annual wildebeest migration in search of water in one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth. It is a jaw-dropping sight and one you won’t soon forget.
Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park, the second most visited park in Kenya after the Masai Mara, is known for its spectacular herds of elephants and stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, just across the border in Tanzania. Large herds of tusked elephants roam the plains in the morning and evening, but you will also see hippo, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hyena and the occasional lion and wild dog.
During the heavy rains, the basin at the center of Amboseli floods, luring throngs of wildlife and providing ample opportunity for eager shutterbugs. Amboseli was declared a UNESCO-Mab Biosphere Reserve in 1991, helping ensure the conservation of biodiversity within the park and the involvement of the local population.
Tsavo East National Park
Kenya’s largest national park by far, the 4,535 square-mile Tsavo East is characterized by flat, dry terrain dotted with huge baobab trees, which lends itself well to spotting the Big Five. All safaris in Tsavo East take place south of the Galana River, an area so vast that you’ll often find you and your fellow safari-goers completely alone. The Voi and Galana rivers traverse the park and the Aruba Dam, built across the Voi River, lures scores of birds.
Another interesting feature of the park is the 180-mile long Yatta Plateau, one of the world’s longest lava flows that runs parallel to Mombasa Highway. The sheer number of game in this park make it a top attraction. In addition to the more popular species, you’ll have the opportunity to view rarer animals such as the oryx, the lesser kudu, and the klipspringer, a tiny African antelope which hops from rock to rock.
Samburu National Reserve
In the far north of the country, near Mount Kenya, you’ll find the remote Samburu National Reserve. Samburu is uncrowded and offers excellent game-viewing amidst a stunning mix of hilly landscapes, riverine bush, and semi-desert terrain. Here, you won’t be surrounded by other vehicles as you might in other reserves, but you will be privy to kopjes (small hills) and enormous rocky outcrops centered around the Ewaso Ngiro River. This unique geography supports animals adapted to the drier, rockier conditions.
You might even glimpse the red-robed Samburu tribesmen, like their Masai relatives, bringing cattle to the river to drink. The Samburu live in manyattas (villages) that can be moved as they follow the grazing patterns of their livestock. This is also one of few places in Africa where you might spot a camel plodding along the arid plains.
Lake Naivasha & surroundings
A freshwater lake about an hour and a half north of Nairobi, Lake Naivasha is known for its yellow-barked acacia trees, an abundance of hippo, and over 400 species of birds including pelican, flamingoes, heron, egret, and kingfisher. Skirted by grassy banks, the rich flora around this sparkling blue lake attracts giraffe, zebra, buffalo, antelope, warthog, and monkey who come here to graze. There’s more to Naivasha than just the lake, though. You can spot game around the lake or enjoy tea in the garden at Elsamere, the former home of Born Free author Joy Adamson.
Best Safari Lodges & Tented Camps Tours in Kenya
Mara Serena Safari Lodge
Mara Serena Safari Lodge is an upscale, 4-star lodge set on a hill overlooking acacia-dotted plains of Masai Mara National Reserve where wildebeest, giraffe, and elephant roam. Rooms are styled as domed huts modeled after a Masai village, and you will look out onto sweeping savannah and the winding shore of the Mara River.
Losokwan Luxury Tented Camp
Losokwan Luxury Tented Camp in the Lemek Conservancy in the northern realms of the Masai Mara, or Mara North is a tented camp that offers an authentic African bush experience with luxury amenities. Losokwan has six sizable en-suite tents with furnished balconies, premium linens, free Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service, laundry, and a garden.
Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge
Set amidst a grove of giant acacia trees alongside a natural spring, Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge is quite literally in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. Rooms are decorated with African murals and the swimming pool is fed by melting ice from Kilimanjaro. The excellent location means you will see elephants, lions, baboons, and 450 bird species.
Ashnil Aruba Lodge
Located in Tsavo East National Park on the northern bank of the Voi River near Aruba Dam, the 4-star Ashni Aruba Lodge features 46 rooms, six tents and an outdoor pool. Numerous nearby watering holes entice wildlife to drink which makes it easy to spot game on the lodge’s flat grasslands. The lodge also has a resident naturalist and 24-hour business center
Sarova Shaba Game Lodge
Set along the bank of the Ewaso Nyiro River in the heart of the Shaba National Reserve in Northern Kenya, Sarova Shaba Game Lodge offers 85 luxury rooms with terraces, a swimming pool, and a fishpond. All rooms and the bar overlook the river, and it’s not uncommon to spot elephants and crocodiles on the riverbank while lounging at the lodge.
Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge
The 70-room Naivasha Simba Lodge sits peacefully on the banks of Lake Naivasha with Mount Longonot emitting a soft purple glow in the distance. The lodge enjoys direct access onto a private jetty from which guests can enjoy a sunset cruise on Lake Naivasha to get a closer view of the wildlife. There’s also a swimming pool, a spa, indoor fireplace, and on-site restaurant and pub on the grounds.
