6 Most Amazing Places to Visit in Kenya

Ah, gorgeous Kenya, we spent a few weeks here on our honeymoon and fell in love with its animal-filled national parks and white sand beaches!

For an authentic African wildlife experience, Kenya is an ideal destination. The country boasts numerous remarkable national reserves and conservancies where you can witness these magnificent animals up close.

And I’ve gotta say that Kenya is one of the most unique travel destinations we’ve ever visited, I mean, on one side you have the iconic Masai Mara National Park (home to the Great Migration), and on the other side you have the white sand beaches of the South Coast

We found the locals to be so welcoming, too, and almost everyone spoke English well, which meant traveling through here was easy for us.

Anyway, below you can read about 6 of our favorite places in Kenya that we ticked off on our recent honeymoon there…

Our Favorite Places in Kenya

1. Masai Mara

The Masai Mara is one of the most famous national parks in the world, and it really is the ultimate safari destination. On a typical day of safari in the Masai Mara – you’ll likely get to see the Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos). It’s also here that you may be lucky enough to witness the Great Migration – when millions of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles journey across the plains. This natural spectacle is a bucket-list-worthy phenomenon, best witnessed between July and October.

The Maasai Mara is home to the indigenous Maasai people, and there are many traditional Maasai Villages that you can visit (you must pay a fee), and they will show you their homes and put on a dance performance for you.

And as for safari tours here – this 3-day Maasai Mara private tour is a best seller and it includes accommodation at the luxurious Sopa Lodge. It costs from $968 USD and is likely to sell out.

🛏️ Where to stay in the Masai Mara: Mara Serena Safari Lodge offers the perfect blend of comfort and adventure. Located at the very center of the Mara Triangle, this lodge provides stunning views of the Mara River and the sweeping savannah plains.

2. Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park is a bit of a hidden gem in Kenya. And it’s often overlooked by tourists in favor of the more famous Masai Mara National Park, which is a shame. Amboseli was one of our favorite safaris we’ve ever done because it’s home to the largest population of African elephants in the world.

Plus, the view from here of Mount Kilimanjaro is amazing! It’s definitely one of the most picturesque national parks in Africa!

Would you believe that over 1,600 African elephants live in Amboseli? Not only this, but some of the biggest elephants live here, too, both in body and tusk size. This fact alone was what piqued my interest in Amboseli in the first place, as elephants are my favorite animals.

From our personal experience, spending one full day on safari in Amboseli, we saw countless African elephants (easily 100 or more). We were also lucky enough to see numerous buffalo, baboons, giraffes, wildebeest, zebras, and hyenas!

As for tours here this 3-day-2-night safari tour is awesome and it’s completely private – which means that you won’t have to share this experience with anyone else! That made it all the more magical for us! It costs from $935 USD per person.

🛏️ Where to stay in Amboseli National Park: We spent three nights in total at Amboseli, we stayed at the very unique Maasai Simba Camp. Located on the outskirts of the National Park. Maasai Simba Camp is run by the local Maasai people. It was one of the best and most authentic experiences of our entire month-long tour of Africa. Your accommodation here is a basic wooden cabin, but very clean and comfortable.

3. Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha, nestled in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, is a seriously beautiful freshwater lake, surrounded by lush papyrus swamps and gorgeous scenery. It’s a popular spot for tourists and also a crucial home for loads of wildlife. With over 400 bird species, including the African fish eagle, plus hippos and fish.

🛏️ Where to stay in Lake Naivasha: We stayed at the Lake Naivasha Country Club and it was incredible. It’s a 5-star property and our room was a large bungalow and there was loads of wildlife (especially monkeys) roaming the grounds here. We even spotted a group of monkeys jumping on the trampoline on one occasion, it was hilarious.

4. Hells Gate National Park

Hell’s Gate National Park in the Great Rift Valley is a must-see spot in Kenya with its jaw-dropping views and variety of wildlife.

Named after a narrow gap in the cliffs, the park feels almost like a different world with its massive rock formations, deep gorges, and bubbling hot springs. Unlike most parks in Africa, you can walk or bike around – as there are no predators here (no lions, cheetahs, etc.), making it easy to get up close to zebras, giraffes, and tons of birds.

We rented some bikes from the gate and spent almost a full day cycling through the park – it’s fairly flat so it was a fairly easy ride and it wasn’t too hot either. We saw zebras and giraffes mostly.

Did you know, the stunning backdrops here inspired “The Lion King.” Yup, Hell’s Gate is the real-life inspiration for Pride Rock and even though you won’t see Simba or Mufasa here (remember, there are no lions in Hell’s Gate) – what you will see are towering cliffs, acacia trees, and a beautiful river gorge. Fischer’s Tower is a highlight of the landscape here this unusual rock formation made of lava is a whopping 75 feet high. And you can rock climb up it if you’re into that sort of thing.  

5. Nairobi

Nairobi is the vibrant capital city of Kenya. And at the heart of the city lies the Nairobi National Park, a rare sanctuary where one can witness wildlife like lions, giraffes, and zebras against the backdrop of a busy city. We didn’t get the chance to tick it off as our itinerary was already jam-packed.

But we did manage to visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust – an elephant orphanage that allows visitors to learn about conservation efforts and even adopt an elephant. We also checked out the Karen Blixen Museum and the Giraffe Centre.

Our favorite things we did in Nairobi –

• The Giraffe Centre – At the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi, you can learn all about the endangered Rothschild giraffe. The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) started the center in 1979, with an aim to teach people about wildlife conservation while giving these giraffes a safe place to roam around. One of my highlights of visiting here was getting to feed the giraffes from a raised platform, an awesome way to get up close and personal with these gentle giants.

• Sheldrick’s Wildlife Trust – The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi is a well-known conservation group that looks out for wildlife, especially elephants, all over Kenya. The Trust runs one of the top programs in the world for rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned elephants. If you visit, you can see the elephants being cared for and learn all about the important work they’re doing to keep Kenya’s wildlife heritage alive.

• Karen Blixen Museum – The Karen Blixen Museum in the suburb of Karen is an interesting nod to the life and work of the famous Danish author Karen Blixen, best known for her book “Out of Africa.” The museum is in her old home, a cute farmhouse at the foot of the Ngong Hills, where she lived from 1917 to 1931.

🛏️ Where we stayed in Nairobi: We nabbed a great deal at the Sarova Stanley in Nairobi – a 5-star property that’s known as one of the best hotels in the city! Our room was luxurious and had great city views.

6. Diani Beach

When you think of Kenya, beaches likely aren’t the first thing that will come to your mind! But, actually, Kenya’s coastline is gorgeous, especially the South Coast (home to the glistening blue waters of the Indian Ocean), where you’ll find Mombasa Beach and my personal favorite beach in Kenya – Diani Beach.

Stretching over 17 kilometers, the idyllic Diani beach is the perfect blend of relaxation and adventure. You can try out snorkeling, diving, kite surfing, and deep-sea fishing here. Oh, and the sunsets here are amazing, too!

🛏️ Where to stay in Diani Beach: It boasts a range of accommodations, from luxurious resorts to charming beachfront cottages, but we love the Almanara Luxury Resort here.

Travel insurance for Kenya:

We don’t recommend traveling to Africa without travel insurance! Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you’re traveling – be it theft, illness, etc. And having insurance means that you have a safety net in place.

Travel insurance will provide you with coverage for a range of situations in Africa, including flight delays, canceled flights, injuries, illnesses, etc. Depending on your policy, you could be reimbursed for hospital stays, meals, hotel stays, transportation, or even the entire cost of your trip to Africa.

This is how we find the best travel insurance for our trip, it’s a search engine for travel insurance companies so you can find the best travel insurance for your trip. On their site, you can compare the plans side by side so you can get the best insurance for your particular trip! As I always say, no trip is the same so your travel insurance shouldn’t be too!

Thanks for Reading!

You might also like to read: our guide to Serengeti National Park, our experience gorilla trekking in Bwindi, Uganda, and our 7-day Zanzibar itinerary.

Last Updated on May 18, 2026 by snaphappytravel