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Kenya6 parks
Kenya is the country where one safari brings together the wildebeest migration, the elephants of Kilimanjaro and the last northern white rhinos. In the Masai Mara, the wildebeest cross the Mara River before your eyes from July to October. In Amboseli, 1,903 elephants walk in front of the mountain, and Ol Pejeta keeps Najin and Fatu, the last two.
Aim for July to October, when the dry season coincides with the Mara River crossings. January and February are dry too, and half the price in the Mara. The long rains fall in April and May, the short rains in November, and KWS parks charge the same rate in every season.
Start with park fees, from US$80 a day in Tsavo East to US$200 in the Masai Mara in high season. Amboseli and Lake Nakuru charge US$90, Ol Pejeta US$110. The 4x4 with a guide, the camp and domestic flights, US$183 to US$267 one way, make up the rest.
All flights from Europe land in Nairobi, and small safari planes take off from Wilson Airport, across town. AirKenya and Safarilink reach the Mara and Amboseli in under an hour, and Samburu in 90 minutes. By road, the Mara is five or six hours away, Amboseli four.
KenyaNational parkIn Amboseli, you follow the most studied elephants in the world, 1,903 animals known one by one since 1972, as they walk each morning from the swamps toward the dusty plains with Kilimanjaro behind...
KenyaNational parkAt Lake Nakuru, you drive around a soda lake lined with flamingos, in Kenya's first rhino sanctuary, where white rhinos graze in the open near the shore and black rhinos hide in the thickets.
KenyaNational reserveIn the Masai Mara, you wait for the wildebeest on the banks of the Mara River, where 1.3 million animals from the Serengeti cross past the crocodiles from July to October.
KenyaPrivate reserveAt Ol Pejeta, you get close to the last two northern white rhinos, Najin and Fatu, guarded day and night in their enclosure, while more than 165 black rhinos, the largest group in East...
KenyaNational reserveIn Samburu, you drive along the Ewaso Ng'iro, the only river in this dry north, where elephants come to drink and leopards sleep in the acacias on the bank.
KenyaNational parkIn Tsavo East, Kenya's largest park with 13,747 km² of dry bush, you look for red elephants, coated in the laterite they throw over their backs.
Kenya packs into one country what its neighbors share among themselves. The wildebeest migration crosses the Mara River before your eyes between July and October. The Masai Mara keeps a higher density of lions than most parks in Africa. Amboseli puts 1,903 elephants in front of Kilimanjaro, each one followed individually since 1972. The north adds animals the south of the country doesn't have, Grévy's zebra and reticulated giraffe in Samburu. Ol Pejeta keeps the last two female northern white rhinos. All of it is quick to reach from Nairobi, in under an hour and a half by plane or a day by road.
Three regions share the safaris, and a first trip covers two of them. The southwest comes down to the Masai Mara and its conservancies, the land of migrating wildebeest and lions. You spend three nights there, split between the river and a quieter conservancy.
The south, on the road to Mombasa, lines up Amboseli, a small elephant park at the foot of Kilimanjaro, and Tsavo East, the largest park in the country. Tsavo's elephants, coated in red laterite, roam an almost empty bush, and the coast is two hours away.
The north brings different animals. Samburu shows the Samburu Special Five, led by Grévy's zebra and the reticulated giraffe, along the Ewaso Ng'iro. Ol Pejeta, near Nanyuki, protects more than 165 black rhinos, as well as Najin and Fatu, the last of their subspecies. Lake Nakuru takes a day on the road north, for its rhinos and flamingos. A direct flight links the Mara and the north, while the Mara and Amboseli connect through Wilson.
Two dry seasons set the rhythm. From June to October, the grass is short, the herds stay near water, and the wildebeest fill the Mara. January and February give you the same conditions with fewer people, and the Masai Mara then costs half price. April and May bring the long rains, November the short rains, and the Mara's black mud and Tsavo's laterite both stick to the wheels. Each sighting has its month. The wildebeest cross the Mara River from July to October, and Kilimanjaro shows itself at sunrise in the dry season. Lake Nakuru's flamingos follow the water level more than the calendar. Samburu's elephants come down to the river every day from June to October.
The budget breaks down into four costs. Entry fees weigh the most, per person and per day or per 24-hour period depending on the park. Allow US$80 in Tsavo East, US$85 in Samburu, US$90 in Amboseli and at Lake Nakuru alike, and US$110 at Ol Pejeta. The Masai Mara asks US$200 from July to December and half that the rest of the year. The 4x4 with a driver-guide is rented by the day from Nairobi and shared. Lodging ranges from the public campsite in Tsavo East, US$20 a night, to conservancy camps, conservation fee included. Domestic flights from Wilson are the last cost. A one-way ticket in high season costs US$183 to Amboseli, US$246 to the Mara and US$267 to Samburu. A hot-air balloon flight over the Mara adds about US$450.
Entry requires an electronic travel authorization, the eTA, for US$30. You get it on the official Kenyan website at least three days before departure, with a passport valid for six months. The yellow fever vaccine is strongly recommended, and required if you arrive from a country where the disease circulates. Malaria is present in every park on this page, at a low level at Lake Nakuru and Ol Pejeta, which sit at altitude. Bring preventive treatment and a mosquito net, plus repellent. In a park, you only leave the vehicle at designated areas, at least 20 meters from the animals. Gates close at 6 p.m. Travel advisories warn against all travel to the Somali border and mainland Lamu County, and against all but essential travel to the far north: Turkana, Marsabit, Isiolo. None of these parks lies in those areas, and driving at night is still not advised.
June to October for the dry season, with the migration and the river crossings in the Masai Mara from July. January and February are dry too, with fewer people. April and May are the months of the long rains.
Park fees range from US$80 a day in Tsavo East to US$200 in the Masai Mara in high season. Amboseli and Lake Nakuru charge US$90, Ol Pejeta US$110. Add the 4x4 with a guide, lodging and flights from Wilson, US$183 to US$267 one way.
The visa has given way to the eTA, an electronic travel authorization you apply for on etakenya.go.ke at least three days before departure, for US$30. Your passport must still have six months of validity.
Yes, in the lowland parks, the Masai Mara, Amboseli, Tsavo and Samburu, and little in Nairobi, at Lake Nakuru and at Ol Pejeta, which sit at altitude. Preventive treatment is recommended in transmission areas, along with repellent and a mosquito net.
Kenya for parks close to one another, Amboseli's elephants, the north and its rare animals, and short flights from Nairobi. Tanzania for the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. The migration passes through both countries, in the Mara from July to October.
Yes. The Masai Mara is free under 9 and costs US$50 from 9 to 17. KWS parks, Amboseli and Lake Nakuru included, charge US$45 from 5 to 17. The short flights and the small Amboseli park suit families well.
Hotels, apartments and rooms around Ol Tukai, the starting point for safaris in Amboseli, with current prices.