Maasai Mara
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Maasai Mara is the portion of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem that lies on the Kenya side of the border with Tanzania. It contains sweeping savannah scenery and rich wildlife, with guest accommodation in around 150 camps and lodges, spread across the National Reserve and the surrounding private conservancies.
Mara Reserve
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, the Maasai Mara Reserve is Kenya’s best known safari destination, with exceptional year-round wildlife, very high predator densities and the dramatic Jul-Oct migration season.
Nairobi
The capital of Kenya, Nairobi is a major city and the primary transport hub for East Africa. It’s a typically hectic place, but with some pleasant quiet suburbs, a good range of hotels and some interesting activities, notably the famous giraffe and baby elephant sanctuaries.
Mara North
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara North is an excellent private conservancy to the northeast of the main Maasai Mara reserve, with guest accommodation in a good range of camps and offering a wide range of safari and cultural activities.
Diani Beach
Set 30km south of Mombasa, Diani Beach is a fabulous stretch of sand and by far the most popular part of the Kenya Coast, with guest accommodation in a wide range of hotels and resorts, offering a very broad range of sports, marine and cultural activities.
Laikipia North
Set to the north of Kenya, Laikipia North is a lovely quiet safari area, with a healthy climate and a good range of wildlife. Guest accommodation is in a dozen interesting and largely owner-run camps, offering an unusually broad range of safari and cultural activities. Family friendly.
Samburu
Set 230 km north of Nairobi, Samburu National Reserve is an arid and particularly atmospheric safari area, with a full range of wildlife, notably including Grevy’s zebras, reticulated giraffes and gerenuks. Guest accommodation is in a wide range of lodges, the best of which are mostly located in the peaceful private conservancies around the periphery.
Amboseli
Set 150 km southeast of Nairobi, Amboseli is an iconic national park which is renowned for huge tusker elephants against a backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro. Guest accommodation is in a wide range of properties, a handful of which are decent quality. There are major traffic and tonality issues in core areas.
Mara Triangle
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Triangle is the sector of the Maasai Mara which is best known for migration river crossings Jul-Oct, with guest accommodation in a good range of properties and offering a decent range of safari and cultural activities. But with significant traffic issues.
Laikipia South
Set 130 km north of Nairobi, the Laikipia South is much less remote and wild than most safari areas, but does contain several important private wildlife reserves, with a notable focus on rhino conservation. Guest accommodation is in a good range of lodges.
Lamu Island
Set 140 km north of Malindi, Lamu Island is a famously authentic Swahili backwater, with guest accommodation in a selection of small hotels and upmarket house rentals, offering a range of marine and cultural activities.
Mara Naboisho
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Naboisho is an excellent private conservancy to the north of the main Maasai Mara reserve, with guest accommodation in a handful of good camps and offering a wide range of high quality safari activities.
Lake Naivasha
Set 75 km northwest of Nairobi, Naivasha is the most famous of the Rift Valley lakes, of great historical significance, but sadly faded these days. Guest accommodation is in a wide range of properties, some of which retain an element of the colonial splendour, offering a wide range of active, safari and cultural activities.
Malindi
Set 100km north of Mombasa on the Kenyan Coast, Malindi is a substantial historic Swahili port, with guest accommodation in a modest range of properties, offering a good range of marine and cultural activities. Particularly strong for diving.
Tsavo West
Set 260 km southeast of Nairobi, Tsavo West is a vast arid reserve, very scenic and interesting in parts, with a decent range of wildlife. Guest accommodation is in a wide range of properties. most of which are unfortunately large and aimed at the budget overland safari market.
Mara Sekenani
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Sekenani is one of the busiest and least attractive sectors of the Maasai Mara, with guest accommodation in dozens of largely very unattractive properties, but with a few decent options in private areas around the periphery.
Watamu
Set 20km south of Malindi on the Kenyan Coast, Watamu is a small town, with guest accommodation in a large selection of moderate properties, offering a wide range of marine and cultural activities. Particularly strong for diving.
Mathew’s Range
Set 280 km northeast of Nairobi, the Mathew’s Range is a wonderful remote safari area. Guest accommodation is in a handful of very cool camps, offering an unusually wide range of active, safari and cultural activities, notably including rhino tracking and a baby elephant sanctuary.
Tsavo East
Set 260 km southeast of Nairobi, Tsavo East is a vast arid reserve, reasonably scenic in parts, but with naturally sparse desert wildlife. The southern part of the reserve is busy with budget traffic along the Nairobi-Mombasa road, but the north is much more remote and home to a fabulous elephant rescue and rehabilitation project.
Lake Nakuru
Set 130 km northwest of Nairobi, Lake Nakuru is a small national park which is renowned for vast numbers of flamingos, but which now suffers from heavy low quality safari traffic and is sadly overshadowed by the ever-expanding adjacent town of the same name.
Mara Olare Motorogi
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Olare Motorogi is a prime private conservancy to the northwest of the main Maasai Mara reserve, with guest accommodation in a good range of camps, offering a wide range of safari and cultural experiences.
Meru
Set 225 km northeast of Nairobi, Meru National Park is a relatively little-visited area, with some decent scenery and wildlife. Guest accommodation is in just a couple of recommended lodges, which offer a reasonable range of safari activities.
Msambweni
Set 50km south of Mombasa, the Msambweni area is a lovely quiet stretch of the Kenya Coast, with guest accommodation in just one unusually high quality property, offering a good range of marine and cultural activities.
Lewa Downs
Set at the foot of Mount Kenya, 180 km north of Nairobi, Lewa Downs is an extensive private reserve and a well known conservation project, with a full range of wildlife. Guest accommodation is in a handful of high quality lodges, offering a wide range of safari and active experiences.
Mombasa
Set on the Kenyan Coast 450 km southeast of Nairobi, Mombasa is an historic Swahili port city, now massively enlarged, with some modestly attractive beaches and resorts to the north and south.
Borana Conservancy
Set to the east of the Laikipia Plateau in northern Kenya, the Borana Conservancy is a large private reserve, with guest accommodation in five high-end lodges and offering a range of safari and cultural activities. Particularly renowned for horse-back safari.
Kilifi
Set 55 km north of Mombasa, Kilifi is a relatively low key coastal town, popular with expats and the boating fraternity, but lacking in highly rated hotels and therefore featuring in trips very rarely.
Chyulu Hills
Set 180 km southeast of Nairobi, Chyulu Hills is a peaceful safari area which has the same iconic views of Kilimanjaro as Amboseli, but without the visitor traffic. Guest accommodation is in just a handful of high quality lodges, offering an unusually wide range of safari, active and cultural experiences.
Lake Magadi
Set 80 km southwest of Nairobi, Magadi is the most southerly of the Great Rift Valley lakes in Kenya, a remote place with a couple of interesting places to stay, offering some unusual safari and trekking options.
Kinondo and Gazi
Set 40 km south of Mombasa, Kinondo and Gazi is a relatively quiet stretch of the Kenya Coast, with guest accommodation in a handful of moderately interesting lodge options, offering a wide range of marine and cultural activities.
Mara Talek
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Talek is one of the busiest and least attractive sectors of the Maasai Mara, with obvious and deeply upsetting human encroachment and guest accommodation in a range of largely poor quality properties.
Mara Olderkesi
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Olderkesi is a relatively remote private conservancy to the east of the main Maasai Mara reserve, containing one particularly well-known upmarket camp.
Il Ngwesi Valley
Set to the east of the Laikipia Plateau in northern Kenya, the Il Ngwesi Valley is a surprisingly remote area, a genuine backwater, but with relatively sparse wildlife. Guest accommodation in just a couple of cool camps, offering a good range of safari activities and particularly strong Samburu cultural experiences.
Lake Turkana
Set 500 km north of Nairobi, Lake Turkana is a very remote area of fabulous volcanic scenery, tribal people and important ancient hominid excavations. Unfortunately the whole area remains completely off limits due to serious security concerns.
Lake Victoria Northeast
Set 320 km west of Nairobi, Lake Victoria Northeast is a scenic area which contains a couple of decent island lodges and some interesting cultural interaction, but which are largely focused on sport fishing.
Mara Ol Kinyei
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Ol Kinyei is a relatively small private conservancy to the northeast of the Maasai Mara, with guest accommodation in a handful of unusually earthy camps.
Mount Kenya
Set 140 km north of Nairobi, Mount Kenya is the second highest peak in Africa. Although it’s very much less visited than Mount Kilimanjaro, the mountain arguably offers a greater range of scenery and contains an excellent network of relatively little-used trekking trails.
Shimoni
Set 75 km south of Mombasa, Shimoni is the location for some of the best diving in the region, but is usually visited on day trips from lodges further north since there is so little in the way of highly rated accommodation down here.
Mara Ol Choro Oiroua
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Ol Choro Oiroua is one of the least attractive of the private conservancy areas in the Maasai Mara, with a real shortage of decent accommodation options.
Tana Delta
Set between Malindi and Lamu on the Kenya Coast, Tana Delta is a wonderfully remote location, with guest accommodation in one outstanding lodge, offering a very wide range of safari, marine, active and cultural activities.
Shimba Hills
Set 20 km inland from Diani Beach, on the Kenya Coast, Shimba Hills is a modestly interesting reserve which is best known for its elephant population, but which is of peripheral interest to most travellers and is short on decent accommodation options.
Mara Ripoi
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Ripoi is a relatively small private conservancy to the northeast of the Maasai Mara, with guest accommodation in just one relatively simple camp.
Mara Olarro
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Olarro is a modest private conservancy a little too far to the north of the main reserve, with weaker wildlife, human encroachment issues and only a modest range of accommodation options.
Mara Lemek
Set 200 km west of Nairobi, Mara Lemek is a modest private conservancy which is a little too far removed from the main reserve, suffering from human encroachment and with a very modest range of accommodation options.
Marsabit
Set 430 km north of Nairobi, Marsabit is a remote outpost on the Great North Road, home to the Rendille people and with some interesting but marginal wildlife areas.
Aberdares
Set 100km north of Nairobi, Aberdares National Park protects important highland forests and some interesting wildlife, but is of peripheral interest to the vast majority of visitors. Guest accommodation is in two very famous but incredible dated lodges.
Lake Baringo
Set 240 km north of Nairobi, Baringo is the most northerly of the main Rift Valley lakes, a peaceful and scenic place with great birding and cultural interaction, but lacking in good quality accommodation.
Lake Bogoria
Set 200 km north of Nairobi, Bogoria is the most remote of the main Rift Valley lakes, renowned for its hot springs and flamingo-hunting baboons, but these days rarely visited and completely lacking any decent accommodation options.
Maralal
Set 265 km north of Nairobi, Maralal is a dusty frontier town, of little interest other than as a resupply stop for trips heading into the remote north.
Shaba
Set 230 km north of Nairobi, Shaba Reserve is a scenic and atmospheric semi-desert conservation area, but one which is famously badly managed and suffers from continued poaching and grazing pressures, meaning that it’s low on wildlife and doesn’t have any highly rated accommodation options.
