A hot-air balloon drifting over the savannah at sunrise

Kenya’s parks & reserves

Kenya,
park by park.

From the Mara’s plains to the forests of the Aberdares, every park has its own season, its own wildlife and its own pace. Explore them on the map, see when each one is at its best and find the place that fits your journey.

Scroll to explore

Three ways in

Start with what matters to you.

A month, an animal or a feeling is enough to begin. The explorer does the rest, and a safari designer can take it from there.

The explorer

Choose your wild.

Pick a month, an animal or simply a place on the map. Every park opens with its season, its wildlife, the way in from Nairobi and the journeys and lodges we have there.

When are you going?
What would you love to see?

Map of Kenya with its main parks and reserves Simplified map. Park positions are approximate; the circle shows central Kenya enlarged. Nairobi Equator Central Kenya, enlarged Maasai MaraMara Lake Nakuru Naivasha & Hell’s GateNaivasha Amboseli Tsavo WestTsavo West Tsavo EastTsavo East Samburu Laikipia Aberdare Mount KenyaMt Kenya

Simplified map. Park positions are approximate; the circle shows central Kenya enlarged.

A pride of lions walking through golden grass

National reserve · Southwest Kenya

Maasai Mara

Big cats, open plains and, in season, the great migration.

Rolling grasslands on the border with Tanzania, where the Serengeti ecosystem reaches into Kenya. Big cats are the stars all year round, and from about July to October the wildebeest migration is typically here. Around the reserve, private conservancies add walking safaris, night drives and quieter game viewing.

Best time to go

Best: Jan–Feb, Jul–Oct. Good: Mar, Jun, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

The migration is typically in the Mara from about July to October. Timing varies every year.

Wildlife

Known for

  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Leopard
  • Wildebeest migration typically July to October

Also found here

  • Elephant
  • Giraffe
  • Hippo
  • Crocodile
  • Buffalo
  • Zebra
  • Rhino rarely seen

Wildlife is wild: sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 5–6 hours by road.
  • About an hour by light aircraft from Wilson Airport.

How long to stay

At least 3 nights

Good to combine with Lake Nakuru, Naivasha & Hell’s Gate, Amboseli

Don’t miss

  • The Mara River, where the herds typically cross between July and October
  • A hot-air balloon flight at sunrise, as an optional extra
  • Private conservancies with walking safaris and night drives

Journeys that include Maasai Mara

11 more journeys
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Where to stay

49 more camps & lodges
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Sunset over Lake Nakuru from a lodge terrace

National park · Rift Valley

Lake Nakuru

Rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffe and a Rift Valley lake.

A Rift Valley soda lake ringed by acacia woodland and cliffs. The park is one of Kenya’s best places to look for rhinos, both black and white, and for Rothschild’s giraffe. Flamingo numbers rise and fall a great deal from year to year, with the level of the lake.

Best time to go

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar–May, Nov–Dec.

Good all year round; the dry months are easiest on the park’s tracks.

Wildlife

Known for

  • Rhino
  • Giraffe Rothschild’s giraffe
  • Flamingo numbers vary year to year

Also found here

  • Lion
  • Leopard
  • Buffalo
  • Zebra
  • Water birds

Wildlife is wild: sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 3 hours by road.

How long to stay

1–2 nights

Good to combine with Naivasha & Hell’s Gate, Maasai Mara, Aberdare

Don’t miss

  • The view over the lake from Baboon Cliff
  • Looking for black and white rhinos
  • Pelicans and other water birds along the shore

Journeys that include Lake Nakuru

9 more journeys
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Where to stay

3 more camps & lodges
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A stone lodge on the slopes above Lake Naivasha

Lake & national park · Rift Valley

Naivasha & Hell’s Gate

Hippos by boat, giraffes on foot, gorges by bike.

A freshwater lake in the Rift Valley, fringed with papyrus and acacias, with hippos, fish eagles and boat trips in the late afternoon. Next door, Hell’s Gate is one of the few Kenyan parks you can explore on foot or by bike, between cliffs and gorges.

Best time to go

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar–May, Nov–Dec.

Good all year round; walking and cycling are best in the dry months.

Wildlife

Known for

  • Hippo

Also found here

  • Giraffe
  • Zebra
  • Buffalo
  • Water birds

Wildlife is wild: sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 2 hours by road.

How long to stay

1–2 nights

Good to combine with Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara

Don’t miss

  • A boat trip among the hippos on Lake Naivasha
  • A walking safari on Crescent Island
  • Cycling through the gorge at Hell’s Gate

Journeys that include Naivasha & Hell’s Gate

1 more journeys
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Where to stay

Browse all camps & lodges
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Elephants in Amboseli beneath the snows of Kilimanjaro

National park · Southern Kenya

Amboseli

Elephants beneath Kilimanjaro.

Open plains and green swamps at the foot of Kilimanjaro, which rises just across the border in Tanzania. Amboseli is known above all for its elephants, often seen crossing the dust towards swamps fed by water from the mountain.

Best time to go

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Kilimanjaro is often clearest early in the morning and late in the afternoon.

Wildlife

Known for

  • Elephant

Also found here

  • Buffalo
  • Zebra
  • Giraffe
  • Hippo
  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Water birds

Wildlife is wild: sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 4–5 hours by road.
  • Under an hour by light aircraft from Wilson Airport.

How long to stay

2 nights

Good to combine with Tsavo West, Maasai Mara

Don’t miss

  • Kilimanjaro at first light
  • Observation Hill, for the view over the swamps and plains
  • Elephant herds moving between the swamps

Journeys that include Amboseli

4 more journeys
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Where to stay

7 more camps & lodges
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The plains and hills of Tsavo West seen from a lodge terrace

National park · Southeast Kenya

Tsavo West

Volcanic hills, crystal springs and wild space.

Volcanic and dramatic: lava flows, rocky hills and the clear pools of Mzima Springs, where hippos and crocodiles can be watched from an underwater viewing chamber. Together with Tsavo East, it forms one of Kenya’s largest protected wildernesses.

Best time to go

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Wildlife

Known for

  • Elephant
  • Hippo at Mzima Springs

Also found here

  • Crocodile
  • Lion
  • Leopard
  • Rhino in the Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary
  • Giraffe
  • Zebra
  • Buffalo

Wildlife is wild: sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 4–5 hours by road, along the Nairobi–Mombasa highway.
  • The Nairobi–Mombasa railway has a station at Mtito Andei, near the park.

How long to stay

2 nights

Good to combine with Tsavo East, Amboseli

Don’t miss

  • Mzima Springs and its underwater viewing chamber
  • The black lava of the Shetani flow
  • The Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary

Journeys that include Tsavo West

Browse all our safaris

Where to stay

4 more camps & lodges
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Elephants on the red plains of Tsavo East, seen from a camp

National park · Southeast Kenya

Tsavo East

Red earth, big skies and red-dusted elephants.

Vast, flat and wild, with red earth, doum palms along the Galana River and elephants dusted red by the soil. It is a park of big horizons and real space, and an easy match with Tsavo West or the coast.

Best time to go

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Wildlife

Known for

  • Elephant

Also found here

  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Leopard
  • Giraffe
  • Zebra
  • Buffalo

Wildlife is wild: sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 5–6 hours by road to the Voi side.
  • The Nairobi–Mombasa railway has a station at Voi, near the park.

How long to stay

2 nights

Good to combine with Tsavo West, Amboseli

Don’t miss

  • Lugard Falls on the Galana River
  • Mudanda Rock, a natural lookout over a waterhole
  • Wide, empty horizons

Journeys that include Tsavo East

Browse all our safaris

Where to stay

Browse all camps & lodges
Design my safari
A thatched lodge among golden grass and hills in Samburu

National reserves · Northern Kenya

Samburu

The arid north and its rare northern species.

Kenya’s arid north: red earth, doum palms and the Ewaso Ng’iro river, a lifeline for wildlife in the dry months. Together with Buffalo Springs and Shaba, the reserve is home to northern species rarely seen further south, and to the Samburu people.

Best time to go

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Wildlife

Known for

  • Northern specials
  • Leopard
  • Elephant

Also found here

  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Crocodile
  • Buffalo

Wildlife is wild: sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 5–6 hours by road, via Nanyuki and Isiolo.
  • About an hour by light aircraft from Wilson Airport.

How long to stay

2–3 nights

Good to combine with Laikipia, Aberdare

Don’t miss

  • Game drives along the Ewaso Ng’iro river
  • The “Samburu Special Five”: Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich
  • Time with the Samburu people

Journeys that include Samburu

Browse all our safaris

Where to stay

2 more camps & lodges
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A safari tent looking out to Mount Kenya

Private & community conservancies · Central Kenya

Laikipia

Rhinos, conservancies and room to roam.

A high plateau north-west of Mount Kenya, made up largely of private and community conservancies. With Ol Pejeta and neighbouring Lewa, it is one of Kenya’s strongholds for rhinos, with room for walking, horse riding and night drives.

Best time to go

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Wildlife

Known for

  • Rhino
  • Northern specials

Also found here

  • Elephant
  • Lion
  • Leopard
  • Cheetah
  • Buffalo
  • Giraffe
  • African wild dog with luck

Wildlife is wild: sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 3.5–4 hours by road to Nanyuki and Ol Pejeta.
  • Scheduled light-aircraft flights from Wilson Airport serve Nanyuki and Lewa.

How long to stay

2–3 nights

Good to combine with Samburu, Mount Kenya, Aberdare

Don’t miss

  • Walking, horse riding and night drives in the conservancies
  • Views of Mount Kenya
  • The chimpanzee sanctuary at Ol Pejeta

Journeys that include Laikipia

Browse all our safaris

Where to stay

7 more camps & lodges
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Design my safari
A tree lodge on stilts above a waterhole in the Aberdares

National park · Central Kenya

Aberdare

Misty forest, waterfalls and a night in a tree lodge.

High forest, bamboo and moorland, with waterfalls, cool air and a quieter kind of safari. The classic way to see it is a night at a tree lodge overlooking a floodlit waterhole, where elephants and buffalo come to drink after dark.

Best time to go

Best: Jan–Feb, Jul–Sep. Good: Mar, Jun, Oct, Dec. Wetter: Apr–May, Nov.

A high, rainy park: the dry months are the easiest time to go.

Wildlife

Known for

  • Elephant
  • Buffalo

Also found here

  • Leopard rarely seen
  • Rhino rarely seen
  • Colobus monkey

Wildlife is wild: sightings are never guaranteed.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 3 hours by road to Nyeri, the usual gateway.

How long to stay

1 night

Good to combine with Laikipia, Samburu, Lake Nakuru

Don’t miss

  • A night at a tree lodge above a floodlit waterhole
  • The Karuru and Chania waterfalls
  • Cool, high moorland

Journeys that include Aberdare

Browse all our safaris

Where to stay

Browse all camps & lodges
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The peaks of Mount Kenya above the moorland

National park · trekking · Central Kenya

Mount Kenya

Africa’s second-highest mountain, on foot.

Africa’s second-highest mountain rises almost on the equator, with forest, moorland, glacier-carved valleys and giant groundsels. Our treks follow the Naro Moru, Sirimon and Chogoria routes to Point Lenana, the trekkers’ summit.

Best time to trek

Best: Jan–Feb, Jul–Sep. Good: Mar, Jun, Oct, Dec. Wetter: Apr–May, Nov.

The drier months are the usual trekking seasons; nights on the mountain are cold all year.

Getting there from Nairobi

  • Around 3–4 hours by road to the Naro Moru and Sirimon trailheads; Chogoria, on the eastern side, takes longer.

How long

4–6 days on the mountain, depending on the route

Good to combine with Laikipia, Samburu

Don’t miss

  • Point Lenana (4,985 m), the trekkers’ summit
  • Giant groundsels and lobelias in the alpine zone
  • Glacier-carved valleys such as Mackinder’s Valley

Our Mount Kenya treks

All about trekking Mount Kenya

Where to stay

Browse all camps & lodges
Design my safari

A note on nature: seasons and animal movements vary from year to year. This guide describes typical patterns, and your safari designer will check the latest conditions for your dates.

At a glance

Ten places, ten characters.

Every park and reserve in one view: what each is known for and when it is usually at its best.

  1. National reserve

    Maasai Mara

    Big cats, open plains and, in season, the great migration.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jul–Oct

    Known for Lion · Cheetah · Leopard · Wildebeest migration

    Explore Maasai Mara on the map
  2. National park

    Lake Nakuru

    Rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffe and a Rift Valley lake.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct

    Known for Rhino · Giraffe · Flamingo

    Explore Lake Nakuru on the map
  3. Lake & national park

    Naivasha & Hell’s Gate

    Hippos by boat, giraffes on foot, gorges by bike.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct

    Known for Hippo

    Explore Naivasha & Hell’s Gate on the map
  4. National park

    Amboseli

    Elephants beneath Kilimanjaro.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct

    Known for Elephant

    Explore Amboseli on the map
  5. National park

    Tsavo West

    Volcanic hills, crystal springs and wild space.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct

    Known for Elephant · Hippo

    Explore Tsavo West on the map
  6. National park

    Tsavo East

    Red earth, big skies and red-dusted elephants.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct

    Known for Elephant

    Explore Tsavo East on the map
  7. National reserves

    Samburu

    The arid north and its rare northern species.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct

    Known for Northern specials · Leopard · Elephant

    Explore Samburu on the map
  8. Private & community conservancies

    Laikipia

    Rhinos, conservancies and room to roam.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct

    Known for Rhino · Northern specials

    Explore Laikipia on the map
  9. National park

    Aberdare

    Misty forest, waterfalls and a night in a tree lodge.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jul–Sep

    Known for Elephant · Buffalo

    Explore Aberdare on the map
  10. National park · trekking

    Mount Kenya

    Africa’s second-highest mountain, on foot.

    Best Jan–Feb, Jul–Sep

    Explore Mount Kenya on the map

Side by side

Two parks, one decision.

Choose any two and see how they differ: season, wildlife, the way in from Nairobi and how long to stay.

Maasai Mara

National reserve

Character

Big cats, open plains and, in season, the great migration.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jul–Oct. Good: Mar, Jun, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Known for
  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Leopard
  • Wildebeest migration
Also found
  • Elephant
  • Giraffe
  • Hippo
  • Crocodile
  • Buffalo
  • Zebra
  • Rhino
From Nairobi
  • Around 5–6 hours by road.
  • About an hour by light aircraft from Wilson Airport.
How long to stay

At least 3 nights

Good to combine with

Lake Nakuru, Naivasha & Hell’s Gate, Amboseli

Open on the map

Lake Nakuru

National park

Character

Rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffe and a Rift Valley lake.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar–May, Nov–Dec.

Known for
  • Rhino
  • Giraffe
  • Flamingo
Also found
  • Lion
  • Leopard
  • Buffalo
  • Zebra
  • Water birds
From Nairobi
  • Around 3 hours by road.
How long to stay

1–2 nights

Good to combine with

Naivasha & Hell’s Gate, Maasai Mara, Aberdare

Open on the map

Naivasha & Hell’s Gate

Lake & national park

Character

Hippos by boat, giraffes on foot, gorges by bike.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar–May, Nov–Dec.

Known for
  • Hippo
Also found
  • Giraffe
  • Zebra
  • Buffalo
  • Water birds
From Nairobi
  • Around 2 hours by road.
How long to stay

1–2 nights

Good to combine with

Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara

Open on the map

Amboseli

National park

Character

Elephants beneath Kilimanjaro.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Known for
  • Elephant
Also found
  • Buffalo
  • Zebra
  • Giraffe
  • Hippo
  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Water birds
From Nairobi
  • Around 4–5 hours by road.
  • Under an hour by light aircraft from Wilson Airport.
How long to stay

2 nights

Good to combine with

Tsavo West, Maasai Mara

Open on the map

Tsavo West

National park

Character

Volcanic hills, crystal springs and wild space.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Known for
  • Elephant
  • Hippo
Also found
  • Crocodile
  • Lion
  • Leopard
  • Rhino
  • Giraffe
  • Zebra
  • Buffalo
From Nairobi
  • Around 4–5 hours by road, along the Nairobi–Mombasa highway.
  • The Nairobi–Mombasa railway has a station at Mtito Andei, near the park.
How long to stay

2 nights

Good to combine with

Tsavo East, Amboseli

Open on the map

Tsavo East

National park

Character

Red earth, big skies and red-dusted elephants.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Known for
  • Elephant
Also found
  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Leopard
  • Giraffe
  • Zebra
  • Buffalo
From Nairobi
  • Around 5–6 hours by road to the Voi side.
  • The Nairobi–Mombasa railway has a station at Voi, near the park.
How long to stay

2 nights

Good to combine with

Tsavo West, Amboseli

Open on the map

Samburu

National reserves

Character

The arid north and its rare northern species.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Known for
  • Northern specials
  • Leopard
  • Elephant
Also found
  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Crocodile
  • Buffalo
From Nairobi
  • Around 5–6 hours by road, via Nanyuki and Isiolo.
  • About an hour by light aircraft from Wilson Airport.
How long to stay

2–3 nights

Good to combine with

Laikipia, Aberdare

Open on the map

Laikipia

Private & community conservancies

Character

Rhinos, conservancies and room to roam.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jun–Oct. Good: Mar, Nov–Dec. Wetter: Apr–May.

Known for
  • Rhino
  • Northern specials
Also found
  • Elephant
  • Lion
  • Leopard
  • Cheetah
  • Buffalo
  • Giraffe
  • African wild dog
From Nairobi
  • Around 3.5–4 hours by road to Nanyuki and Ol Pejeta.
  • Scheduled light-aircraft flights from Wilson Airport serve Nanyuki and Lewa.
How long to stay

2–3 nights

Good to combine with

Samburu, Mount Kenya, Aberdare

Open on the map

Aberdare

National park

Character

Misty forest, waterfalls and a night in a tree lodge.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jul–Sep. Good: Mar, Jun, Oct, Dec. Wetter: Apr–May, Nov.

Known for
  • Elephant
  • Buffalo
Also found
  • Leopard
  • Rhino
  • Colobus monkey
From Nairobi
  • Around 3 hours by road to Nyeri, the usual gateway.
How long to stay

1 night

Good to combine with

Laikipia, Samburu, Lake Nakuru

Open on the map

Mount Kenya

National park · trekking

Character

Africa’s second-highest mountain, on foot.

Best months

Best: Jan–Feb, Jul–Sep. Good: Mar, Jun, Oct, Dec. Wetter: Apr–May, Nov.

Known for

—

Also found

A trekking destination: the mountain itself is the draw.

From Nairobi
  • Around 3–4 hours by road to the Naro Moru and Sirimon trailheads; Chogoria, on the eastern side, takes longer.
How long to stay

4–6 days on the mountain, depending on the route

Good to combine with

Laikipia, Samburu

Open on the map

Four questions

Which park is yours?

Four quick questions and we will suggest where to begin. It is a first idea, not a verdict: your safari designer will shape it with you.

01 / 04When are you travelling?

Made for you

Tell us the month. We will find the park.

Share your dates, who is travelling and what you would love to see. A safari designer will turn the parks into one private journey, at your pace.

Design my safari