What is Kenya known for? Ten reasons to visit Kenya

Why do tourists visit Kenya? Tourists visit Kenya for many reasons, including going on safari and visiting its spectacular coastline around Mombasa. Wildlife such as giraffes, elephants, and lions are Kenya’s main tourist attractions.

Many people associate Kenya with safaris, elephants, lions and rhinos, the Maasai tribe, and unusual landscapes but the heart of East Africa has more than what we think. Read about what other reasons encourage tourists to spend their holidays in this Great Rift Valley African country.

Have breakfast with a giraffe

For a fabulous breakfast, head to the Giraffe Manor Boutique Hotel just outside Nairobi. Giraffes here are not only not afraid of people but also gladly let themselves feed. In the morning, they look into the mansion’s windows with the hope of a treat, and in the afternoon, they calmly walk around the hotel grounds. The hotel itself is a colonial-style estate built-in 1932. The hotel locates on the grounds of the Giraffe Center nursery, where endangered giraffes raise.

Visit safari and see wild animals in their natural habitat

Safari and Africa are inseparable. Every year, about 250 thousand tourists go to Kenya to ride jeeps on the prairie. Initially, the purpose of the safari was hunting; now, these are peaceful excursions to the savannah accompanied by a guide. Safari is an exciting adventure, a way to dive into the wild and see animals such as lion, leopard, rhino, zebra, elephant, buffalo, and others in their natural habitat.

A safari can last from several hours to several days, during which time you can take pictures of animals and observe their life. By the way, safari can be done in a jeep or minibus and a hot air balloon or a small plane. In this case, the opportunity to see natural landscapes of extraordinary beauty from an unusual angle opens up.

Visit Maasai Mara National Reserve

The Maasai Mara national reserve name comes from the name of the nomadic African Maasai tribe and the Mara River, teeming with crocodiles. It is worth visiting the reserve for at least three reasons. First, to be imbued with the life and traditions of the Maasai tribe, which lives without the most primitive benefits of civilization.

Secondly, to see the annual migration of antelopes, zebras, and gazelles, moving in search of pastures along a path more than 1,500 thousand kilometers long. Third, look at hippos and crocodiles on the banks of the Mara River. Since the reserve is located 220 km from the capital of Kenya, Nairobi, it is the most visited park in the country, and the best time to see it is August-September.

Visit Amboseli National Park and the highest mountain in Africa (Kilimanjaro)

Amboseli Park is one of the most stunning places in Kenya: it offers incredible views of the plain and the mountain range with the highest point – the Kilimanjaro Volcano, which best admires sunrise and sunset. Although the volcano locates in the territory of Tanzania, the most favorable angle for its survey opens just from the region of Kenya, from Amboseli Park.

This place is famous not only for its breathtaking landscapes; here, in addition to many wild animals, there are more than 400 species of birds, among which a rare species is the marabou stork. Amboseli Park is the only place in Africa where you can get close to grazing elephants or see the black rhinoceros on the verge of extinction.

See baobabs and umbrella-shaped trees

To see with your own eyes the red disc of the setting sun against the background of baobabs and umbrella-shaped trees, it is worth going to Tsavo National Park, which spreads over a vast territory of 20 thousand square meters. Km between Nairobi and Mombasa.

In addition to diverse flora and fauna, Tsavo Park is famous for its stunning natural attractions – picturesque plateaus, waterfalls, rivers, and gorges. You can see crocodiles hunting for animals in the park that has come to drink near one of the many rivers flowing through the reserve.

Watch the sunrise at Lake Nakuru and pink flamingos

Lake Nakuru itself is shallow and salty, and its shores are swampy. It is what exactly attracts millions of pink flamingos who are looking for food here. Since young flamingos have white feathers and turn pink only by the third year of life, a complex but lovely mixture of all shades of pink appears on the lake. A sleepy pink flamingo standing alone on one leg in the rays of the dawn sun is a truly idyllic picture for which you can fly from the other end of the planet.

Taste Kenyan cuisine in Nairobi

The Carnivore restaurant offers its visitors such unusual dishes that they cannot taste anywhere else in the world. The menu includes antelope fillet, crocodile meat, elephant stew, ostrich steak, buffalo steak, and many other curiosities. The restaurant’s highlight is the brazier, which locates in the center of the hall, and visitors can see how this or that dish being prepare.

The restaurant works on the buffet principle: after paying for the entrance to the establishment, you can try any soup, salad, or meat. For those who are not ready to try such unusual dishes or are a vegetarian, it will be interesting to visit the coffee plantations where the famous Kenyan Arabica is grown – here, and you can watch the process of collecting, processing, and roasting beans or try freshly brewed coffee.

Watering hole of animals at Lake Victoria

The majestic Lake Victoria is the second biggest globally (after Lake Superior in the United States). It locates in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The lake was discovered and named after Queen Victoria in 1858. Due to the scorching and humid air near Victoria, a unique microclimate is favorable for plants such as reeds and banana palms, and various insects.

Crocodiles and hippos love the shores of the lake, and the lake water attracts millions of timid antelopes and gazelles to drink. Reed thickets are home to many birds, including herons, storks, ibises, cormorants.

Visit the 16th-century Spanish-built Fort Jesus

The Portuguese built Fort Jesus in 1593 to protect merchant ships and guard the harbor entrance. The walls of the fortress are built of coral, making it one of a kind. Inside the fort, there are narrow streets, colonial-style houses, and craft workshops.

The city of Mombasa itself is also valuable for tourists: the former capital of Kenya harmoniously combines Portuguese, Persian, Arab, and African traditions and architectural styles. In addition to all this, Mombasa is an attractive resort with white beaches of the Indian Ocean, hotels, and entertainment complexes for every taste and budget.

Dive into the coral reefs at Watamu Marine national park

Watamu is a marine national park and a prestigious resort in the coastal waters, of which there are magnificent corals, a variety of marine life, and tropical fish. The underwater world of Watamu attracts divers from all over the world, and tourists go on dive safaris and boat trips with a glass bottom. Watamu is a small fishing village, so there is a measured and calm atmosphere that invites you to enjoy the beauty of the ocean.