Discover Kenya: 10 Awesome Things to See and Do

1. Track Down the Big Five at Maasai Mara

Of course, one of the main goals of a safari trip is to see some wild animals. And when you are in Africa, you are going to have to see all the Big Five of Africa, which include leopards, lions, elephants, buffalos, and rhinos. There are no better places to see them than at Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Maasai Mara is part of the Serengeti ecosystem that overlaps the Tanzanian and Kenyan borders, and millions of animals, who do not see borders the way we do, roam around freely across the plain. You will see all kinds of animals here, from the Big Five to rarer animals like serval cats, elands, and more.

I have to say, I found Maasai Mara to be one of the best places in the world to go on a safari. It is here that I finally had close encounters with all the Big Five, including the elusive leopard.

Since the Maasai Mara isn't a national park, it doesn't adhere to the stick-to-the-road rule. Thus, drivers can get extremely close to these animals, allowing you to see them up close without disturbing them – something you are not able to do elsewhere.

There are many tours that will take you to the Maasai Mara, but since it is a 6-hour drive from Nairobi, I highly recommend you go with a 3-day itinerary which will allow you to really make the best out of your trip there, as well as a chance to spend 2 nights in a tented camp.

With a 3-day tour, you will spend your first evening on a game drive and then an entire 12-hour day the next day driving around the national reserve, tracking down all the animals you want to see. There will be plenty of time for all the Big Five to pop out for you to see.

2. Visit a Maasai Village

Most of the multi-day visits to the Maasai Mara will often include a trip to a Maasai Village where you will be able to see how the Maasais live off their lands, how they construct their mud houses, and why they need to move every 3 months (due to termite problems).

You will be guided through the village by a real Maasai, and he will explain all the local knowledge of the land, including traditional medicines, how they make fires, and more.

Initially, I was against this type of activity, but I went anyway with a group of people. And even though the part where we had to pay to get in and then tried to sell us trinkets was a little forced, I found the experience as a whole quite eye-opening.

I mean, how many times do you get a chance to be invited by a Maasai to their village and learn about their lives, right? If you haven't been to a Maasai Village before, you will find this activity extremely interesting.

3. Spot Black and White Rhinos at Lake Nakura

One of the Big Five that I had yet to see up close before my trip to Kenya was the rhinos, and it only took 5 minutes into our game drive at Lake Nakuru to spot a black rhino. It took only 15 more minutes to see a family of white rhinos roaming along the banks of the lake.

White rhinos are plentiful at Lake Nakuru, and you would have no trouble seeing them along the main road, chomping on grasses and bushes. They are quite habituated and are not shy towards humans, unlike their close relatives, the black rhinos.

Black rhinos are extremely private, and they prefer to be isolated and away from animals and people. Therefore, you will have a bit of a harder time seeing them anywhere. Thankfully, Lake Nakuru isn't very big, so it is only a matter of time before you stumble upon one.

The lake itself is also a wonderful place to see some flamingos and all kinds of bird species you never knew existed. Seriously, I never heard of a spoonbill until now, and guess what? Their beaks really do look like a spoon!

If you want to visit Lake Nakuru as well as Maasai Mara, all together in a single tour, I highly recommend you go with a 4-5 day itinerary that will often stop by Lake Nakuru on your way back, as well as Lake Naivasha, which we will discuss next.

4. Go on a boat safari at Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha is another freshwater lake not too far from Lake Nakuru. It is often part of a multi-day itinerary, following visits to Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru. This is the place where you will be able to go on a safari via boats.

Eagles, hippos, and all sorts of birds can be found here, which will probably be a welcome change if you have already gone on 3 days' worth of overland game drives in Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru.

If you wish to include Lake Naivasha in your itinerary, you are going to have to go with a 6-7 day itinerary which will also take you to Hell's Gate National Park and Amboseli. These are some of the most beautiful places in the country, and you should definitely not miss them if you have the time.

5. Bike Around Hell's Gate National Park

Hell's Gate National Park is one of the few places in the country, if not the world, where you will have the opportunity to observe animals as you bike around the park, surrounded by giraffes, buffaloes, and zebras.

You won't find any predators here, so you are pretty safe. That said, certain animals like buffalos can be aggressive if you approach them too closely, so your tour guide should accompany you with a jeep as you bike around the world for your safety.

The whole experience was really fun and quite a welcome change since I was sitting on my bum for several days before going on game drives. Biking around Hell's Gate National Park was a chance to finally get a little active in Kenya.

Again, you can either go on a 7-day itinerary to visit Hell's Gate National Park as part of a longer trip, or you can do it straight from Nairobi with a one-day trip.

6. Hike Down the Ol Njorowa Gorge

Ol Njorowa Gorge is a stunning gorge within Hell's Gate National Park where you would eventually end up biking if you chose to do the Hell's Gate National Park bike activity mentioned above.

The hike is a fun and engaging activity that requires a certain level of fitness to enjoy, as you will be scrambling down steep rocks with ropes to get to the bottom of the gorge. Afterward, you will be able to freshen up at one of the many small waterfalls before heading back up.

It was one of the most memorable things I did on this trip, and trust me, you won't regret doing it. The hike should take about an hour and a half, and you should loop back to the top of the cliff before leaving Hell's Gate National Park.

Again, if your tour itinerary includes a visit to Hell's Gate National Park, the Ol Njorowa Gorge hike should also be included. Again, you can either choose to go with a 7-day itinerary or a 1-day itinerary depending on how much time you have.

7. Admire Mount Kilimanjaro From Amboseli National Park

Despite Mount Kilimanjaro being located in Tanzania, the best place to see the mountain in its full glory is actually at Amboseli National Park in Kenya, as you will have an unobstructed view of the mountain towering over thousands of animals scattered around the savannas.

Amboseli National Park is probably one of the most scenic national parks out there. With all the animals spread out across the plain as a foreground, a pristine lake as a midground, and the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro as a background, you won't find a more photogenic safari trip than this.

The national park is also known for its massive population of elephants, with some of the largest elephant families residing mostly in this park. What's even better is that the conservation against poaching here is so well done that most of the elephants you see here will often sport the massive tusks African elephants are known for.

Most of the 7-day itinerary should include 2 nights at Amboseli National Park. Since the drive from Nairobi is another 6 hours in a different direction from all the other national parks mentioned here, you are going to need all the time you have to really enjoy Amboseli.

If you are short on time and would like to go on a safari trip as well as see Mount Kilimanjaro, you can also do a 3-day trip from Nairobi which should allow you enough time to really enjoy what the national park has to offer.

8. Relax at Diani Beach

Now, if you are tired of all the game drives and hiking and are looking for a place to go on a beach vacation for a few days in Kenya, there is no better place to be than Diani Beach, a small beach town an hour away from Mombasa.

Diani Beach is one of my favorite places in Kenya. I spent almost a week there just relaxing by the beach, going swimming at sunrise, and enjoying all the seafood I can afford here.

There are beaches in Mombasa, but nothing quite like Diani. There are way fewer people here, as well as beach boys and touters, and there are a ton of awesome beachfront resorts you can choose from.

If you are trying to find good accommodation in Diani Beach, I highly recommend that you find a beachfront resort where you will have direct access to the beach at any time of the day. For budget travelers, I stayed at Bahari Dhow Villas and I really enjoyed my time there. Right at the beach, spacious rooms, and a great seafood option.

For those who are looking for more luxurious options, I highly recommend that you go with either Diani Reef Beach Resort or Swahili Beach for an even more luxurious stay.

Seriously, any place that isn't right on Diani Beach is not worth staying in. The only thing to do here is the beach, and you will find that having access to the beach 24/7 is the best thing you can reward yourself with after a long epic trip around Kenya.

For a complete travel guide to Diani Beach, check out:How to Get To Diani Beach, Kenya

9. Explore the Mombasa's Historical Town

Mombasa is also worth a visit if you are interested in learning more about the untold history of coastal Africa, how it was influenced by colonial Europe, the Middle East, and even India, and why places like Lamu, Zanzibar, and Mombasa are so similar.

There are many awesome tourist attractions in Mombasa that I highly recommend you visit, like Fort Jesus, where you will be able to walk around in an old 16th-century Portuguese colonial fort with museums and exhibitions displaying Kenyan archaeological finds.

Places like Mandhry Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the country, and the Elephant Tusks Monument, a popular landmark to take photos with, are also must-visits if you are in Mombasa.

If you really want to see the true Mombasa and avoid the problematic and corrupted police that often extort tourists, I highly recommend you go on a walking tour instead of exploring independently. It will save you a giant headache if you were to stumble upon these corrupted policemen, as I did.

Looking for a complete guide to backpacking Mombasa? Check out:7 Best Things to Do in Mombasa

10. Conquer Mount Kenya

Now, if you are looking for the ultimate adventure, you can conquer the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kenya, standing at over 5,199 m above sea level.

The journey to the top of Mount Kenya will take about 4 days along the Sirimon route, the easiest route of all. Since the route is located on the dry side of the mountain, you will get to see some really impressive scenery as you hike up to the top.

If you are planning to hike Mount Kenya, I highly recommend you go with a 4-day Sirimon route itinerary for the best chance of success. Hiking in an alpine mountain can be dangerous, so be sure to prepare yourself and your gear accordingly.

Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to start planning your trip! Here are some resources to help you get going:

Flights: Skyscanner and Expedia are the best places to start looking for cheap flights and great deals from your home country.

Accommodation: Hostelworld, Booking.com, and Agoda.com are the ultimate go-to platforms to search for amazing hostels and hotels at affordable prices.

Travel Insurance: Heymondo covers theft, medical emergencies, cancellations, and more during your travels. Get a 5% discount if you sign up today.

Transportation: For buses, I always go with Busbud when traveling in Kenya while for trains, Omio is my go-to place to book all my train travels in advance.

Car Rental: DiscoverCars.com is a great and reliable platform to find rental cars.

Internet: Airalo is the best way to get a sim card and has reliable internet access for your trip. All you need is an esim compatible smartphone, install it on your phone prior to your trip, and you are all set.

VPN: To stay connected with people at home, I always make sure to have ProtonVPN, installed before traveling. It's FREE, and I can gain access to services that may be blocked in certain countries.

Safari Tours: SafariBookings is hands down, the best website to look for safari tours in Africa. You can compare prices and find the perfect tour operator for your African adventure.

Day Trips & Tours: Viator, GetYourGuide and TripAdvisor are great platforms to search for trips and tours to join.

Tickets & Deals: Klook is always my go-to website when I want to find cheaper deals for entrance tickets to tourist attractions.

Are you planning to travel independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.

Further Reading for Kenya

I have plenty of articles to help you with your trip planning for Kenya. Here is a selection of articles that you might find useful:

• Planning to visit Kenya for the first time? Here are the 10 best things to do in Kenya.
• Looking for a complete itinerary for backpacking Kenya? Check out: 7 Days - 2 Weeks Backpacking Kenya Itinerary.
• Diani is one of the best beaches you can visit in Kenya. Here is a complete guide on how to get to Diani Beach.
• You never thought that it would happen to you until it did. Here is my story on how I got robbed in Kenya in broad daylight... by the police.
• Want to visit the historical town of Mombasa in Kenya? Be sure to check out: 7 Best Things to Do in Mombasa.
• To see all articles about Kenya, visit our Kenya Travel Guide page.
• Want to travel to the entire East Africa? Check out all our East Africa Travel Guides.
• Looking for more travel guides for Africa? You can find more on my Africa Travel Guide page.
• For more of my travel guides, visit my Destinations page.