Traveling to Kenya is an absolute dream vacation destination that is completely bursting with incredible things to do. And to me, Kenya is also the ultimate trip for families!
In Kenya, you can discover magnificent wildlife while on safaris, have unforgettable up-close animal encounters at conservation centers, interact with native tribes in their villages, stand in the north and south hemispheres at the same time on the equator, and so much more!
This past summer our family spent 2 incredible weeks traveling throughout Kenya, and I would love to share with you our favorite sites and experiences. Kenya was a perfect destination for our family and I hope that our information and tips can help you more easily plan your own trip-of-a-lifetime to Kenya as well.
10 AMAZING THINGS TO DO IN KENYA
1. NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK
Nairobi National Park is an fantastic safari park located right next to the bustling capital city of Nairobi. It is extremely convenient to get to, since many people fly into or out of Nairobi when traveling to Kenya, but it is also absolutely bursting with animals. On top of this, Nairobi National Park features a one-of-a-kind city backdrop behind the freely roaming wildlife that is unlike anywhere else in the world!
Nairobi National Park was our family’s first safari park in Kenya, and I was honestly surprised by just how many different animal species we found so close to a major city. So don’t skip this national park, thinking that there won’t be much to see.
In Nairobi National Park we saw 17 different animals species on our 1st safari drive alone and we had several unforgettable animals sightings that ended up being highlights of our entire trip!
To learn more out about how to visit Nairobi National Park, our experience and important tips for your safari, follow the link below.
Read More: Nairobi National Park: What to Expect, Top Animals & Safari Tip
2. SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST – ELEPHANT NURSERY
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is home to the most successful elephant orphan rescue and rehabilitation program in the entire world and this was one of our family’s favorite experiences in Kenya.
Located in Nairobi, by Nairobi National Park, the Sheldrick Elephant Nursery welcomes visitors for only one hour each day, to learn about and view their precious orphaned elephants. This hour-long program is extremely inspiring and seeing the baby elephants up so-close was an unforgettable experience!
The Sheldrick Elephant Nursery is an extremely popular site in Nairobi, so if you are interested in visiting be sure to reserve your spot early.
Discover more about what to expect, our visit and helpful tips in the link below.
Read More: Must-Visit Elephant Orphanage – Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
3. THE GIRAFFE CENTER
The Giraffe Center, located in Nairobi, is a wonderful facility that is dedicated to the conservation of the Rothschild Giraffe (which was once almost extinct.) Yet, through a massive breeding program, relocations and safety efforts, the Giraffe Center has helped the Rothschild Giraffes’ population grow to a total of 765 individuals (in Kenya) and helped them to avoid extinction.
But on top of this impressive conservation effort, the Giraffe Center also offers amazing up-close giraffe encounters!
During our family’s visit we were able to view, feed and interact with numerous giraffes in a non-rushed atmosphere and it was incredible!
It’s simply hard to comprehend just how tall and magnificent these creatures really are until you are standing right up next to one. They’re absolutely huge!
The Giraffe Center was a fantastic experience for our family in Nairobi and it gave us some really great memories, (and even a few funny giraffe feeding stories) that I know we’ll never forget.
To learn more about visiting the Giraffe Center (and to hear about our funny giraffe stories), follow the link below.
Read More: 5 Fantastic Things to Do in Nairobi (+2-Day Itinerary)
4. SAMBURU NATIONAL PARK/ BUFFALO SPRINGS
Samburu National Reserve (and the adjacent Buffalo Springs) are two absolutely spectacular safari destinations in Africa.
Located in Northern Kenya along the banks of the Ewaso Ngiro River, these two reserves are home to a magnificent elephant population (over 900!), Africa’s elusive wild dogs and to all three of Kenya’s sought-after Big Cats (lions, leopards and cheetahs.) It is also home to a unique mix of rare and endangered wildlife like the Somali Ostrich, Grevy’s Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Beisa Oryx and more. This is some of Kenya’s most treasured wilderness land and one of the most famous safari destinations in East Africa.
Our family absolutely LOVED our time in Samburu. And although it was really, really dry when we visited, we saw more unique animals here than anywhere else in Kenya, and that’s saying something!
To help you figure out if making the trip up to Samburu is something you’d like to do, check out my full post on this spectacular national park below.
Read More: Samburu National Reserve/ Buffalo Springs: Safari Tips & Top Animals
5. VISIT A SAMBURU VILLAGE
Visiting the Samburu Tribe in Northern Kenya was a fantastic way for our family to briefly take a step into the world of the Samburu who, to this day, continue to live a semi-nomadic and traditional lifestyle that is largely untouched by the modern world.
The Samburu are known for their brightly colored dress, beautiful beaded necklaces and wonderful dances. They are also known to be great warriors, whom we found to be extremely friendly.
During our family’s visit, the Samburu people graciously brought us into their village, their homes and encouraged us to take part in their dances (which was a lot of fun!) They shared tasks from their daily life and helped us to learn a little more about their fascinating culture.
This was a fantastic experience for our family, and a real eye-opener for our children. And it was definitely an experience in Kenya that we’ll treasure forever.
Find out more about what it’s like to visit a Samburu Village and our top favorite moments in the link below.
Read More: What It’s Like to Visit A Samburu Tribe & Village in Northern Kenya
6. OL PEJETA SANCTUARY
Ol Pejeta Conservancy is Africa’s leading conservation company, the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa and home to the two last remaining northern white rhinos in the world! It is also the only place in Kenya to see chimpanzees (they are in a sanctuary established to rehabilitate animals rescued from the black market.)
But for our family, the complete highlight at Ol Pajeta was that we were given the opportunity to actually meet and feed a rhino!
Feeding and being able to touch an actual rhino is completely surreal! (This rhino is elderly and unfortunately blind, therefore it has lived in captivity for quite some time and is used to humans taking care of it.) But I never dreamed that I would be able to interact with a rhino like this! And so to me, this experience alone was completely worth the trip to Ol Pejeta.
Yet, also we went on a fun safari through this conservancy at Ol Pejeta. Here we saw numerous wild rhinos and a herd of extremely picturesque elephants.
And last but not least, Ol Pejeta is a great place to stand on the equator! (See below)
7. STAND ON THE EQUATOR
Standing on the equator is a bucket-list must-do activity in Kenya (especially if you’ve never stood on the equator before.)
And our family choose Ol Pejeta Conservancy for this fantastic experience.
Here at Ol Pejeta, there is a picturesque sign, it’s away from the crowds (since it’s in a park) and we were able to take our time and get all the pictures we wanted, to remember this monumental moment forever.
8. MASAI MARA
The Masai Mara is one of Africa’s greatest animal reserves and it is a top safari destination in Kenya. Contiguous to the famous Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, the Masai Mara in Kenya is world-renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, leopards, cheetah and African bush elephants.
But aside from offering amazing animal sightings, one of our family’s favorite experiences in the Masai Mara was viewing the world-famous “Great Wildebeest Migration.” This yearly event is where millions of wildebeest migrate north and cross the Mara River in the Masai Mara in late July to August and again on their return south, around the last two weeks of October through early November.
This is known to be such an awe-inspiring event that we actually timed our entire trip to Kenya around it. And it was completely worth it!
Seeing the Great Wildebeest Migration was completely mind-blowing and it was a sight that I know our family will never forget!
9. MAASAI VILLAGE
The Maasai people are known for their distinctive culture, brightly colored dress, high jumping dances and for being courageous warriors. They inhabit many areas throughout Kenya and northern Tanzania and they are Kenya’s most well-known local population. Visiting a Maasai village is an opportunity not to be missed.
Our family visited a Maasai Village near the Masai Mara and it was a great experience. The Maasai were so welcoming and eager to help us know more about their culture and way of life. And we learned a lot. Yet, I will admit that it did feel a little more commercialized than that of the Samburu Village. But none-the-less it was still very authentic and their village and homes were still true to how they live.
During our visit, the Maasai people showed us around their village, their homes and even welcomed us to participate in their dances.
Dancing with the Maasai was a true highlight for us. My husband and our children all tried to jump as high as they could, next to these highly jumping Maasai warriors in dance and it was absolutely priceless!
10. HOT AIR BALLOON
Out of all the places in the world to take a hot air balloon ride, the Masai Mara during the Great Wildebeest Migration is at the top of my list. There’s nothing quite like soaring over the grasslands, looking for African wildlife and then seeing millions of wildebeest crossing the savannah.
It’s completely unreal!
This hot air balloon ride over the Great Wildebeest Migration in Kenya, is one of my favorite experiences in all of my travels, and I know that it is one that our family will never forget!
Helpful Information When Traveling to Kenya:
Official Languages:
- Swahili and English
Major Airports in Kenya:
- Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (formerly Nairobi International Airport)
- This is Kenya’s largest aviation facility and the busiest airport in East Africa.
- A Few Other Major Airports Include: Moi International Airport, Mombasa. Malindi Airport, Malindi. Kisumu International Airport. Eldoret International Airport
Kenyan Money:
- The local currency is the Kenyan Shilling.
- The US Dollar is also accepted in most tourist areas.
- Tip: Be sure to bring clean, crisp bills that are newer than 2010.
- We first found this true in the Samburu Village when buying souvenirs, they would not accept any old or crinkled bills. We quickly adjusted which bills we used to buy things going forward.
Passports and Visas:
- Required for U.S. citizens
Yellow Fever Vaccination:
- Required if arriving from other infected countries, including travel within East Africa. (For the latest vaccine travel recommendations visit the CDC Website)
Charging your Devices:
- Electric Current is 240 volts, 50 Hz
- Kenya uses a rectangular blade plug
- Most standard adapter/ converter kits will have the necessary plug configuration to fit the outlets.
Time Difference:
- Kenya is 7 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and 10 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.
- Therefore when it is 8:30pm in Kenya, it is 1:30pm in New York and 10:30am in L.A.
Where We Stayed:
- Nairobi: The Boma Nairobi
- Samburu: Ashnil Samburu Camp (See Our Review)
- Masai Mara: Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp
A Fantastic Restaurant between Nairobi and Samburu:
Other Top Attractions: (That are on our list for a future trip.)
- Amboseli National Park
- Aberdare National Park
- Tsavo West National Park
- Tsavo East National Park
- Kiambethu Tea Farm
- Bike at Hell’s Gate National Park
I hope you enjoyed this post and found our information helpful for your own trip planning for Kenya. And maybe you even discovered a few new sites or fun experiences that you too would like to try.
Visiting Kenya truly was a dream-come-true vacation for our family. And I hope that you are able to take this trip-of-a-lifetime as well.
Have a Great Trip to Kenya with Your Traveling Feet!
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