Things to Do in Kenya

The Mara is the safari against which all others are measured: a density of big cats that made it a film-industry regular, open savannah in every direction, and — roughly July to October — the wildebeest migration crossing its rivers. Lions, elephants and giraffe are often seen on a single drive; nothing is ever guaranteed, which is precisely the point.

It works as everything from a long day trip out of Nairobi to the centrepiece of a week-long safari.

Amboseli is elephant country — large, deeply studied herds crossing open plains with Africa's highest mountain filling the horizon across the border. Clear views favour early mornings; by midday the summit often wraps itself in cloud.

Drier and more open than the Mara, it is the photograph most people picture when they imagine Kenya.

Nairobi is the only capital on Earth with a national park on its doorstep — lions, black rhino, giraffe and buffalo living minutes from the skyline. Black rhino sightings here are among the most reliable in Kenya.

It is the perfect first or last day of any Kenyan trip: a genuine safari that fits neatly between an airport and a hotel.

Tsavo East and West together form one of the continent's largest protected areas — famous for elephants dusted red by the soil, the Galana River, Mzima's clear springs and huge, uncrowded horizons.

Closest of the great parks to the coast, Tsavo is how a beach holiday becomes a safari without a flight.

North of Mount Kenya the land becomes semi-arid and the wildlife changes with it: Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich, beisa oryx and the gerenuk — the 'Samburu Special Five' — are found here and in almost no other place on a classic safari route.

The Ewaso Ng'iro river draws elephants and leopards to its banks; the light in the north is unlike anywhere else in Kenya.

Lake Nakuru National Park is one of Kenya's most dependable rhino sanctuaries — black and white rhino are often seen — with lions, leopards and Rothschild's giraffes in its acacia woodland. Flamingo numbers rise and fall with the lake's water levels; treat the famous pink shore as a bonus, not a promise.

An easy addition to any Rift Valley itinerary from Nairobi.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia holds one of East Africa's largest black rhino sanctuaries and the world's last two northern white rhinos — conservation's most famous residents. The Sweetwaters sanctuary here is the only place in Kenya to see rescued chimpanzees.

Rhino sightings are about as reliable as Africa offers, with Mount Kenya on the horizon for the photographs.

Kenya's Indian Ocean coast is a destination in its own right: Diani's white sand and reef‑sheltered lagoon — frequently ranked among Africa's finest beaches — with dhow excursions to marine parks, rainforested hills behind the shore and Swahili history a short drive along the road in Mombasa.

The classic Kenyan itinerary finishes here: safari first, sand second.

Hell's Gate is one of the very few parks in Kenya you can cross by bicycle — pedalling past giraffe, zebra and warthog beneath red cliffs and the gorge that helped inspire film landscapes. Most visitors pair it with a Lake Naivasha boat ride past hippos and fish eagles.

Two hours from Nairobi, it is the Rift Valley's most active day out.

The Aberdare Range is Kenya's other face — high, misty mountain forest with waterfalls, moorland and wildlife you seek rather than simply find: elephants and buffalo in the clearings, colobus monkeys in the canopy, and, with a bit of luck, the rare bongo antelope.

Cool air, running water and the sounds of the forest — the counterpoint to every plains safari.

Lamu Old Town is East Africa's oldest continuously inhabited Swahili settlement — a UNESCO World Heritage Site of coral-stone houses, carved doors and lanes too narrow for cars, where donkeys and dhows still do the carrying.

It rewards travellers who want culture at a walking pace after early-morning safaris.

Mombasa's UNESCO-listed Fort Jesus has guarded the old harbour since the 1590s, passing between Portuguese and Omani rulers siege after siege. Old Town begins at its gate: carved doors, balconied houses, spice markets and coffee sellers.

It is the most accessible piece of history in Kenya — and the street food is the best reward.