Where to Go on Your First Kenya Adventure?
Where to Go on Your First Kenya Adventure? Kenya consistently ranks as one of the best places to go on safari in Africa, receiving thousands of safari goers to see the country’s astonishing wildlife areas and spectacles like the Great Wildebeest Migration.
If you are planning your first Kenya Adventure, in this blog we detail the best destinations to visit on your Kenya safari.
Amboseli National Park
Tucked up against Kenya’s southern border with Tanzania with a magnificent view of Mount Kilimanjaro and just a four hour journey from Nairobi, Amboseli National Park is the most popular national park in Kenya and is one of the most accessible wildlife destinations.
Amboseli National Park is most famous for its long-tusked elephants and incredible view of snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa. Amboseli hosts one of the highest elephant populations in Kenya and the herds can easily be spotted while on game drives in the park.
In addition to herds of elephants, Amboseli is home to a wide of wildlife species including wildebeests, giraffes, zebras, lions, leopards, buffaloes and hippos. The park is also a spectacular haven for birds boasting over 425 bird species thriving in its diverse habitats of swamps, acacia woodlands and savannah. Key bird sightings in Amboseli National Park include flamingoes, pelicans, herons, martial eagle, secretary bird and crowned cranes among others.
The magnificent view of Mount Kilimanjaro makes Kenya safari in Amboseli an impressive experience. The mountain is location in Tanzania but can be seen in Amboseli. On a Kenya Safari Visit to Amboseli, you can engage in several safari experiences including balloon safaris, game drives, guided nature walks and photography safaris. As a traveler on your first Kenya adventure, Amboseli National Park is highly recommended.
Tsavo National Parks
Tsavo National Park (Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks) are recommended on your first Kenya Adventure. The parks are famous for the lion man-eaters, red dust elephants, and other safari animals as well as beautiful scenery. Tsavo first became famous in the later 1800s during the construction of the Uganda Railway Line.
Tsavo has a high lion population at the time that often attacked the Indian coolies who were involved in the construction of the railway. Much as the lion population reduced due to poaching, Tsavo is still a great place to see lions and other wildlife species. Still, Tsavo has some maneless lion species, leopards, gerenuk, and waterbucks.
Tsavo National Park are home to over 500 bird species that are spotted on birding safaris throughout the park.
Kenya safari experiences in Tsavo National Parks also include scenic tours as the park has some of the most impressive landscapes in Kenya. Tsavo comprises of Tsavo East National Park and Tsavo West National Park, the western part lies in the same tourism circuit as Amboseli and Chyulu Hills and can be visited on the same leg of the Kenya safari. Ensure to customize your Kenya safari itinerary to add Tsavo.
Kilifi
Kilifi is one of the prominent Kenya Coastal destinations, located about 56 kilometers North of Mombasa bordering the Indian Ocean to the East and has some of the finest white sand beaches in Kenya.
Kilifi boasts pristine beaches and a rich Swahili culture and is known for its laid-back atmosphere and its offers a serene escape from the hustle of city life. This coastal region is ideal for beach holidays and romantic getaways that greatly supplement Kenya wildlife safari experience. It also has a rich historical background of Coastal trade and civilization, with several ruins including those at Mnarani dating back to the 14th Century.
A visit to Kilifi offers visitors a chance to see marine wildlife including sea turtles, fish and dolphins on snorkeling, diving and boat cruise. Kenya coast is remarkable for their marine wildlife offering experience you will not have in any other Kenya safari destinations. Whether visiting Kenya for a honeymoon or wildlife journeys for the first time, we highly recommend adding Kilifi to your must –visit destinations on your First Kenya Safari.
Masai Mara National Reserve
The iconic Masai Mara National Reserve is the most popular safari destination in Africa as well as Kenya for wildlife safaris, the reserve is located in the southern part Kenya contiguous to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
Masai Mara National Reserve is famous for the Big 5 and the annual Great Wildebeest Migration, in this annual migration, over 2 million wildebeests and thousands of gazelles and zebras embark on a journey over the Serengeti-Mara Ecosystem in search of pasture.
Witnessing the Great Migration is an incredible safari experience because of the high wildlife numbers. It is very rare to find such a concentration of migrating animals in one destination. Also, the migrating herds attract Masai Mara deadliest predators including leopards, lions, cheetahs and African wild dogs. These predators take advantage of the wildlife numbers to hunt down their prey.
The Masai Mara has one of the highest lion populations in Kenya which is mainly dependent on the abundance of prey. Other notable wildlife species in Masai Mara National Reserve include hyenas, waterbucks, hippos, elands, hippos and several bird species.
A Masai Mara Safari is a must have on your first Kenya safari.
Turkana Land
Turkana Land also known as Turkana County covers the northwest of Kenya, stretching from the western side of Lake Turkana and the Great African Rift to the borders of Uganda’s Karamojaland in the west, South Sudan in the northwest and Ethiopia in the north.
Turkana Land is one of the less traveled paths in Kenya and was named after Lake Turkana, the World’s largest desert lake. The country of a land area of 6,405 square kilometers and is the fourth-largest salt lake on the planet.
The Turkana region is renowned for its archeological discoveries, it is the only place in Kenya where you can experience real-time archeological experiences. Lake Turkana hosts three national parks including Sibiloi, the Central and South Island National Parks. The parks cover a land area of 161,485 hectares and are home to several wildlife species.
Sibiloi National Park is the most famous park in the region for its hominid fossils discovered in the 1970s. Other fossil discoveries include that a giant tortoise dating back over a million years ago. Also, the park has an elephant fossil site with elephant fossil dating back 1.7 million years ago. The Turkana Land is a great place to see Nile crocodiles with an estimated population of over 10,000. The Central and Southern Island Parks are breeding grounds for snakes, hippos and crocodiles.
Turkana Land offers the most exclusive Kenya safari adventure experience and we highly recommend it for first-timers. Our Kenya safari itineraries can be customized to include any of these destinations.
