Things to do in Kenya

The 18 best things to do in Kenya

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1. 1Maasai Mara

   Watch the Great Migration in the Maasai Mara

   The Maasai Mara takes its name from the Maasai people, the traditional inhabitants of the area, and from the Mara River, which cuts through it. It is a vast grassland with all of the Big Five: lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino. It is best known for the Great Migration, a year-round loop of wildebeest, zebras and other grazers between the Mara and Tanzania's Serengeti in search of water and fresh grass. The most dramatic part comes from July to October, when millions of animals cross the Mara River into Kenya, past crocodiles and up steep banks, while lions and hyenas wait nearby. The reserve lies in Narok County, where tourism and herding are at the heart of local life.

   Tip: Plan the trip for July to October if river crossings are the goal, and travel with a reputable, licensed safari guide or operator, since the reserve is remote and help is far away.

   USD[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Tourism Board (magicalkenya.com); Kenya Tourism Board (magicalkenya.com); Narok County Government (official); Government of Canada
2. 2Maasai Mara

   Float over the Mara plains in a dawn balloon

   A hot air balloon flight is the classic way to see how big the Mara really is. You wake before dawn, lift off as the light comes up, and drift over open savannah, riverine forest and rolling hills while herds move below. Pilots know the local wildlife, terrain and weather, and they point out what you are seeing as you go. Flights end with a hearty breakfast out on the plains. A suggested five-day Mara plan from the national tourism board sets the balloon on day two, after a first Big Five game drive, and follows with a Maasai village visit, a night drive and a warrior training session.

   Tip: Book the flight ahead through your camp or safari operator, since flights leave before dawn.

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Magical Kenya (Kenya Tourism Board, official); Kenya Tourism Board (magicalkenya.com)
3. 3Nairobi

   See Amboseli's elephants against Kilimanjaro

   Amboseli National Park, gazetted in 1974, is known for close encounters with large elephant herds, with Mount Kilimanjaro rising behind them. Its open grass plains, acacia woodland, swamps and marshes hold big game, and the Amboseli lake basin draws flamingos. It is one of Kenya's 60 Important Bird Areas, with over 400 bird species, 40 of them birds of prey, and a UNESCO Man and Biosphere reserve. Climb Observation Hill for a view over the whole park, and visit a Maasai manyatta or cultural center nearby. By road from Nairobi it is about 204 km via Emali to Iremito Gate, or 220 km via Namanga to Meshanani Gate.

   Tip: Stay near the park so you can enter when the gates open at 6:00 AM, and keep at least 20 meters from the elephants, as park rules require.

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   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Wildlife Service (kws.go.ke)
4. 4NairobiBook ahead

   Meet the orphaned elephants at the Sheldrick nursery

   The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues and raises orphaned baby elephants and rhinos, and its nursery inside Nairobi National Park is where each orphan's journey back to the wild begins. Every day except December 25, from 11 AM to noon, visitors with a confirmed booking spend an hour with the nursery herd, and the visit helps fund each rescue. Daily places are limited, so it pays to reserve early. You reach the nursery through the Kenya Wildlife Service Mbagathi Gate on Magadi Road, and since every visitor pays the national park entry fee there, it makes sense to follow the visit with a game drive.

   Tip: Email the Trust to book up to three months ahead (no same-day visits, and bookings sold by third-party sites are not accepted), pay the park fee online beforehand, and arrive early because the hour starts on time.

   Minimum entry donation, age 12 and over: $20 · Book by email; donation paid in cashFee changed?

   Last verified Nov 7, 2026

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
5. 5Nairobi

   Spot rhinos against the skyline in Nairobi National Park

   Nairobi National Park, gazetted in 1946, is Kenya's first national park and the oldest in East Africa, and it sits about 8 km from the city center along Lang'ata Road. In its 117 square kilometers live over 100 animal species, including four of the Big Five (all but elephants), three lion prides and a rhino sanctuary that has long protected black rhinos. More than 400 bird species have been recorded. The park also holds the historic ivory burning site. Its open plains and riverine habitats give you wildlife framed by skyscrapers on the horizon, a rare mix of city and wilderness.

   Tip: Go early, as gates open at 6:00 AM, keep to the 40 km/h limit, and stay in your vehicle except at designated spots.

   USD[fee]; pay online, no cashKnow the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Wildlife Service (kws.go.ke)
6. 6Nairobi

   Feed a Rothschild giraffe at the Giraffe Centre

   The Giraffe Centre in Lang'ata grew from a rescue effort begun in 1979 by Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville, who brought two young Rothschild giraffes, Daisy and Marlon, to their home when the subspecies had lost its habitat in western Kenya. The education center opened in 1983 on a 60-acre sanctuary, and its breeding program has since released over 40 giraffes into Kenyan parks and reserves. An educator hands you food pellets of corn, wheat, grass and molasses, and you feed the giraffes face to face from the feeding platform. Stay for the short talk, then walk the 1.5 km nature trail down to the Gogo River.

   Tip: Read the feeding guidelines on the notice board by the payment booth first, and finish at the tea house, since entry fees and tea house and shop sales fund most of the center's work.

   Non-resident adult: KES 1,500 (about $12) · Pay at the gateFee changed?

   Last verified Nov 7, 2026

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) Kenya; African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) Kenya; Giraffe Centre, A.F.E.W. Kenya (official)
7. 7Nairobi

   Track black and white rhinos at Lake Nakuru

   Lake Nakuru National Park surrounds a semi-alkaline lake 156 km northwest of Nairobi on the A104, with the main gate 4 km from Nakuru city. It began as a bird sanctuary in 1961 to protect flamingos and other waterbirds, became a national park in 1968, and in 1987 became Kenya's first government-run rhino sanctuary. Today it holds one of the country's largest populations of black rhinos alongside white rhinos. Around 450 bird species have been recorded, and the park's grasslands, acacia woodland and escarpments lead to viewpoints, picnic sites and Makalia Waterfalls.

   Tip: Bring binoculars and drinking water, which park advice lists, and keep at least 20 meters from rhinos and other wildlife.

   USD[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Wildlife Service (kws.go.ke)
8. 8Nairobi

   Cycle past Fischer's Tower in Hell's Gate

   Hell's Gate National Park is a small park on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, gazetted in 1984 and covering about 68 square kilometers. Towering cliffs, water-carved gorges, obsidian caves and geothermal steam give it a raw, dramatic look, and unlike most Kenyan parks it is made for exploring on foot or by bike along its hiking and cycling trails. Fischer's Tower, a lone rock column, is popular with climbers, and the Olkaria geothermal spa sits inside the park. To get there, take the A104 to Naivasha, then Moi South Lake Road; Elsa Gate is 25 km from that junction.

   Tip: Stay the night before at one of the lodges around Lake Naivasha so you can be at Elsa Gate when it opens at 6:00 AM.

   USD[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Wildlife Service (kws.go.ke)
9. 9Nairobi to Mombasa

   Ride the Madaraka Express from Nairobi to Mombasa

   The Madaraka Express is the easiest way between Kenya's two main cities, and the reliable choice: trains run daily between Nairobi Terminus at Syokimau and Mombasa Terminus at Miritini. The morning inter-county train leaves both ends at 8:00 AM and reaches Mombasa at 2:00 PM or Nairobi at 2:10 PM, stopping at Athi River, Emali, Kibwezi, Mtito Andei, Voi, Miasenyi and Mariakani. The Afternoon Express leaves at 3:00 PM and stops only at Voi, and a Night Express leaves at 10:00 PM. Voi and Miasenyi are also the rail stops for Tsavo East, so the train doubles as a safari connection.

   Tip: Book online or by phone up to 60 days ahead, carry your original ID on the journey, and reach the station at least 60 minutes early, since platform gates close 10 minutes before departure.

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Railways (krc.co.ke); Kenya Railways (krc.co.ke); Government of Canada; Kenya Wildlife Service (kws.go.ke)
10. 10Mombasa

    Look for Tsavo's red elephants in Tsavo East

    Tsavo East, established in April 1948, is Kenya's largest national park at about 13,747 square kilometers, and together with Tsavo West it forms a conservation area of around 22,000 square kilometers. It is a semi-arid wilderness where dust-red elephants roam the plains, and the Galana River cuts through dry bush below the Yatta Plateau, described as the world's longest lava flow. Look for Mudanda Rock, Lugard's Falls and the Aruba Dam viewpoint, and for Tsavo's maneless lions. Over 500 bird species have been recorded. Voi Gate is 156 km from Mombasa on the Mombasa to Nairobi highway.

    Tip: Ride the Madaraka Express to Voi and meet your safari vehicle there, and plan on full days, since the park is huge and the gates open at 6:00 AM and close at 6:00 PM.

    USD[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Wildlife Service (kws.go.ke)
11. 11Mombasa

    Walk the ramparts of Fort Jesus in Mombasa

    Fort Jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built by the Portuguese between 1593 and 1596 on a coral ridge at the entrance to Mombasa's harbor and designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Cairati. Its five bastions and thick walls follow Renaissance ideas of proportion based on the human body. The fort changed hands many times, falling under Omani Arab, Swahili and British control; Omani forces besieged it from 1696 to 1698, and the British used it as a prison from 1895. It became a museum in 1962, with finds from excavations at the fort and other coastal sites such as Gede and Manda.

    Tip: Ask at the gate about the weekly sound and light show, which tells the fort's story in an animated performance.

    KES[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: National Museums of Kenya (museums.or.ke); National Museums of Kenya (museums.or.ke)
12. 12Mombasa

    Get lost in the lanes of Mombasa Old Town

    Mombasa's Old Town is a maze of narrow streets lined with Swahili houses whose carved wooden doors and ornate fronts show centuries of Arab, Persian, Indian and European trading influence. Wander past mosques and old landmarks, and browse the stalls of local artisans and merchants for spices, textiles, handmade jewelry and souvenirs. Guided food tours link the Old Town with Swahili breakfasts in the Majengo neighborhood, the spice bazaar at Mackinnon Market and snacks on Mama Ngina Waterfront, a good way to hear the stories behind the streets.

    Tip: Carry little cash and keep valuables out of sight, since official travel advice asks visitors to take extra care in and around the Old Town.

    Free to visit
    Sources: Kenya Tourism Board (magicalkenya.com); Kenya Tourism Board (magicalkenya.com); Government of Canada
13. 13Mombasa

    Snorkel coral gardens and watch dolphins at Kisite

    Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Protected Area lies off Shimoni on Kenya's south coast, near the Tanzanian border and about 90 km from Mombasa. Set up in 1973 and gazetted in 1978, it covers Kisite Island and the Upper and Lower Mpunguti islands. Kisite Marine National Park, about 28 square kilometers, is a full no-take zone, so its coral gardens are well protected, and swimming with dolphins is one of its big draws. Look out too for turtles at the turtle haven known as Kijamba cha Kasa, and for birdlife on the small islands and beaches. The park lies 11 km offshore, so you reach it by boat from Shimoni.

    Tip: Pack snorkel gear, sunscreen, drinking water and beachwear, which park advice lists, and leave single-use plastic behind, since it is banned in Kenya's national parks.

    USD[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Wildlife Service (kws.go.ke)
14. 14Mombasa

    Swim off Diani Beach and meet its colobus monkeys

    Diani, on Kenya's south coast, is known for its pale sands, coral reefs, marine life, good restaurants and lively nightlife. It is also home to Colobus Conservation, a not-for-profit group founded in 1997 after road accidents began killing the Angolan black and white colobus, a monkey listed as Vulnerable. The team rescues and rehabilitates injured primates and works with locals to protect the coastal forest. Inland, Shimba Hills National Reserve, home to sable antelope and forest elephants, has its main gate 31 km from Diani by road.

    Tip: Ask locally about sea conditions before you swim, since riptides are common on the Kenyan coast and beaches are generally unsupervised, with no warning system.

    Free to visit
    Search tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Tourism Board (magicalkenya.com); Colobus Conservation (official); Kenya Wildlife Service (kws.go.ke); Government of Canada
15. 15Mombasa

    Eat your way through Mombasa's Swahili street food

    Mombasa's food tells the story of centuries of trade, and much of the best of it is sold on the street. In the Old Town, try mahamri (sweet fried bread), viazi karai (spicy fried potatoes) and mishkaki (grilled meat skewers). Along Mama Ngina Drive, the waterfront promenade, stalls sell fresh seafood, grilled meat, cassava crisps and bhajias, and tours stop there for madafu and kachri. Around Mwembe Tayari you find chapati, samosas and nyama choma. A guided food tour of about 3.5 hours strings these together, starting with breakfast in Majengo or a coffee by Fort Jesus in the evening.

    Tip: Book a guided food tour early in your stay and go hungry, since the routes cover the spice market and Old Town as well as several tasting stops.

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Tourism Board (magicalkenya.com); Kenya Tourism Board (magicalkenya.com)
16. 16Nairobi

    Visit Karen Blixen's farmhouse below the Ngong Hills

    The Karen Blixen Museum, about 10 km from central Nairobi, was the farmhouse of the Danish author of Out of Africa, who ran a coffee farm here and lived in the house until 1931. Built in 1912, it was bought by the Blixens in 1917 as the center of a 6,000-acre farm. The Danish government bought the house in 1964 and gave it to Kenya as an independence gift, and it opened as a museum in 1986, after the Oscar-winning film based on her book. Guided tours run throughout the day through rooms with some of her original furniture, then out to old farm machinery and a garden that looks to the Ngong Hills.

    Tip: Save time after the house tour for the labeled nature trail, where tree hyraxes and many birds live, and for the farm machinery on show outdoors.

    KES[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: National Museums of Kenya (museums.or.ke)
17. 17Nairobi

    Meet early humans at the Nairobi National Museum

    The Nairobi National Museum on Museum Hill, about 20 minutes from the city center, began in 1910 with a group of naturalists and opened on its current site in 1930. After a major rebuild it reopened in 2008. Start in the Cradle of Humankind gallery, with early human finds and Stone Age tools, then move through the Story of Mammals, a hall of East African birds, the History of Kenya from early communities to independence, and the Cycles of Life gallery of traditional objects. Botanical gardens and places to shop and eat surround the building. It is open every day from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM.

    Tip: Come on your first morning in Nairobi, since the history and cultures galleries give useful background before you head out on safari.

    KES[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: National Museums of Kenya (museums.or.ke)
18. 18Nairobi

    Walk to waterfalls and caves in Karura Forest

    Karura Forest, in the north of Nairobi, covers 1,041 hectares and is one of the largest gazetted forests inside a city anywhere. Marked trails lead to waterfalls, rivers and the Mau Mau caves, past bamboo groves and small wetlands. About 200 bird species live here, including crowned eagles and Hartlaub's turacos, along with Sykes' monkeys, bushbucks and duikers. The forest also recalls Professor Wangari Maathai, who campaigned here against the illegal grab of forest land. You can walk, cycle, run or picnic, and the main entrance is on Limuru Road, reachable by matatu from the city center.

    Tip: Buy your ticket at the gate between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM, wear good walking shoes, and keep to marked paths, since it is easy to lose your bearings in the forest.

    KES[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kenya Forest Service

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