Great tourist attractions in Kenya
Kenya’s tourist attractions are countless thanks to the country’s breathtakingly diverse landscapes and fascinating culture. No other country on earth can offer the visitor so much to see and do. Within a country’s borders, you’ll find savannahs rich in big game, timeless cultures untouched by the modern world, pristine beaches and coral reefs, equatorial forests and mighty snow-capped mountains, scorching deserts and cool mountain retreats, and endless opportunities for adventure, discovery , relaxation; more than you would expect.
From powder-soft secluded beaches, national parks teeming with millions of wildlife (including the highly sought-after ‘Big Cats’ and ‘Big Five’) to lakes full of fish and birds, as well as mountains, cities and museums, Kenya truly offers the traveler an unparalleled range of options, including activities such as film production. Hollywood has a long-standing relationship with Kenya that dates back to the 1930s. Many classic adventure films have been filmed on location in Kenya, including The Snows of Kilimanjaro starring Gregory Peck, King Solomon’s Mines with Stuart Granger and Mogambo starring Clark Gable and Ava Gardner.
Top tourist destinations in Kenya
Wildlife parks
You can get an unedited look at Kenyan wildlife at the following places:
• The Masai Mara, which is the original “lion country” in Kenya (and the world). It is known for its surreal annual wildebeest migration and close encounters with Maasai warriors.
• Amboseli National Park, which offers an incredible concentration of elephants and breathtaking views of Mount Kilimanjaro.
• Tsavo west & Tsavo East National Parks, which are an excellent place for visitors who like to walk and who have time to spend days exploring the surroundings and the diverse habitats that the park provides: open plains with scattered savanna bush and semi-desert bush, acacia forests, rocky ridges and outcrops and isolated hills, riparian vegetation, palm thickets and on the Chyulu Hills, montane forest.
• Lake Nakuru National Park, which is home to significant populations of Kenyan animals, is better known for its millions of flamingos, whose feathers turn Lake Nakuru into a ‘pink sea’.
• Nairobi National Park, which offers an incredible wildlife experience in the heart of Kenya’s capital city. Equally amazing is that it is home to all the ‘Big Five’ except the mighty elephant.
Wildlife sanctuaries
• David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which runs an orphanage for elephants and rhinos. Here we get unnervingly close to some adorable orphaned baby elephants.
• Giraffe Center When we want to see a giraffe up close, pose with it and feed the tallest mammals in the world
• A family favorite and one of Kenya’s popular tourist attractions, the Nairobi Safari Drive is great for anyone who craves an almost wild experience
• Mamba Villages in Mombasa and Nairobi, which offer you the opportunity to witness Nile crocodiles jostling for meat during feeding.
• Haller Park, which is located on an abandoned cement quarry in Mombasa. It’s a fascinating lesson in reclamation. Haller Park was the site of an unusual friendship between a baby hippo named Owen and a 130-year-old male tortoise!
Beaches
The best places to laze around on Kenyan beaches, considered the best in Africa, are:
• Mombasa, which is the gateway to the Kenyan coast, home to some secluded, dazzlingly white and powder-soft beaches.
• Lamu, an island town known for its use of donkeys and dhows as its main modes of transport and its laid-back attitude
• Malindi, which is celebrated as the water sports and deep sea fishing capital of Kenya
• Watamu, home to some of the best coral reefs in the world, offering great snorkeling and diving opportunities.
Lakes and rivers
• Lake Victoria, which is the second largest freshwater lake in the world. It is great for Nile Perch and drop fishing.
• Lake Naivasha, which is a freshwater lake located in Naivasha town, about an hour’s drive from Nairobi.
• Lake Bogoria which is a salt lake located in the Rift Valley of Kenya which is famous for its geysers and hot springs
• Lake Turkana, formerly Lake Rudolph, is located in Northeastern Kenya. It is the largest permanent desert lake in the world and is home to crocodiles, vipers and even scorpions
• The Tana River, which teems with crocodiles and is the longest in the country and hosts the largest hydroelectric power plants in the country.
mountains
• Mount Kenya which is the highest mountain in Kenya. Its jagged edges offer the adventure of a lifetime for those with a flair for heights.
• Mount Elgon, which crosses the border between Kenya and Uganda. There are 5 major peaks, the highest of which is Waagagai, located in Uganda
• Mount Kilimanjaro, also known as the “roof of Africa”, which is located in neighboring Tanzania and the best views of it are in Kenya
Museums
• National Museum in Nairobi, which displays some impressive archaeological exhibits such as those of Mary and Louis Leakey, who confirmed that Kenya was the “cradle of mankind”
• Karen Blixen Museum, which is the former house inhabited by Karen Blixen, the Danish bestselling author of Out of Africa.
• Fort Jesus, which was built in the sixteenth century and was the scene of several horrific battles between the Portuguese and Omani Arabs
• Kisumu Museum, whose notable exhibits include hissing snakes, crocodiles, a Luo homestead and traditional artifacts from the Luo community
• The ruins of Gedi, which are the remains of a Swahili city built in the twelfth century. It is one of the popular tourist attractions in Kenya and is highly recommended for archaeologically inquisitive minds.
To enjoy all these stunning attractions, one must of course visit Kenya and experience a lifetime encounter where ‘the world meets the wild’.
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