Kenya’s national parks are among some of the most famous and renowned safari destinations in the world. But, with so many iconic wildlife parks to choose from, how do you decide which to visit?
We asked our team of knowledgeable African travel experts what Kenyan national parks are best to visit, and here are their top 5 selections...
The striking scenery at Hell’s Gate National Park is as powerful as its name suggests!
With towering cliffs, dramatic gorges, and rock towers, not to mention plumes of geothermal steam rising from the scenery, this place has to be seen to be believed!
There’s no question that this top Kenyan national park is worth visiting for the spectacular scenery alone, but there’s another factor that makes Hell’s Gate totally unique too.
One of the most atmospheric national parks in Africa, Hell’s Gate isn’t home to any dangerous predators, which means it is actually possible to enjoy both walking and cycling safaris in this amazing spot.
Hiking safaris are usually undertaken with the help of local guides, who explain the history of the park - an ideal way to take in and make sense of, the breathtaking scenery.
Cycling safaris, on the other hand, are usually undertaken independently and are a really special and unique way to get close to some of Africa’s most wonderful creatures.
Imagine riding peacefully through a geothermal landscape as you pass grazing zebras, giraffes, impala, gazelle, antelope, and buffalo just meters away!
There’s no doubt that cycling in this park really is an amazing experience like no other and thankfully bikes can be hired from the entrance.
The looming cliffs and rock towers of Hell’s Gate also offer opportunities for keen climbers, and scaling them is a great way to get the best view of the surrounding gorges and lime-streaked cliffs.
Just a 90-minute drive from Nairobi, Hell’s Gate is an ideal safari day trip from Kenya’s capital. Many of our tours there even include a visit to the nearby hot springs and geothermal health spa, making this a definite top Kenyan safari spot!
The Masai Mara National Reserve is undoubtedly one of the most famous, best national parks in Africa and one of Kenya’s most popular with tourists too.
Situated in the southwest of the country, along the border with neighbouring Tanzania, the reserve continues sprawling beyond this boundary where it becomes known as the Serengeti!
Despite the national border, the animals are able to roam freely across the two national parks, and the wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles populations of this area, in particular, make some seriously epic annual migrations in search of fresh grass grazing lands.
These immense wildlife migrations are one of the things the Masai Mara is most famous for, and probably the most dramatic of these spectacles is the wildebeest migration (aka the Great Migration) when up to 2.5 million wildebeest make their way from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara.
Usually travelling through the months of July and August, the huge herds of wildebeest then arrive in the Masai Mara in September. This means if you want to see this world-famous scene, late summer is the best time to visit this Kenyan reserve and many of our tours are designed to include sightings of this epic event.
This Kenyan national park is also one of the best national parks in Africa for seeing big cats. The grassy plains and regular rainfall support a huge population of herbivores and, in turn, attract many predators too. Even the very elusive leopard and cheetah are common sights here.
Visiting this incredible place also gives you a unique opportunity to see the Maasai tribe - an indigenous ethnic group of semi-nomadic people that live in Kenya and northern Tanzania - world-famous for their distinct traditions, customs, and dress.
It takes approximately 6 hours to drive to the Masai Mara (often referred to simply as “the Mara”) from Nairobi and it’s worth spending 2-3 days here as it’s huge with a lot to see!
Amboseli National Park is the second most popular of Kenya’s national parks.
Famous for its huge elephant population, Amboseli is known as one of the best places in Africa for getting close to these magnificent and giant creatures. Indeed, the population here is so robust that sightings are absolutely guaranteed!
But it's not just elephants you’ll see at Amboseli, as all of the Big 5 are resident here too, along with many more wildlife species.
The park also encompasses a huge range of landscapes - from wetlands, savannah, woodlands, and thorn-bush through to the dry lakebed of Lake Amboseli. This diverse set of ecosystems ensures great numbers and diversity of wildlife.
The bird life is equally rich, especially in the park’s marshes and lakes, so expect sightings of pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, egrets, and even the Madagascar heron!
Located very close to the Tanzanian border, Amboseli National Park is also a photographer’s paradise.
The magnificent Mount Kilimanjaro forms a jaw-dropping backdrop to your safari pictures, so if you’ve ever seen photos of elephants gracefully framed by snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, they were probably taken here!
As the highest free-standing mountain in the world, Kili (as she is colloquially known) towers over this beautiful park like a gatekeeper - an awe-inspiring sight that definitely makes Amboseli a top Kenya safari destination.
The reserve is a 4-hour drive from Nairobi and is relatively close to the beaches of the Kenyan Coast, which means you can easily combine a trip here with a visit to some of the country’s beautiful white sand beaches too.
Located in the Great Rift Valley, just a three-hour drive from Nairobi, Nakuru is a shallow, saltwater lake boasting an abundance of wildlife and spectacular landscapes.
The lake, which sits 1,754m above sea level, became a wetland site of international importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1990 and was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2011.
It is most famous for its vast flamingo population, which can be seen year-round, sometimes in such large numbers that the lake appears pink!
Sadly, since 2012, heavy flooding has severely impacted the flamingos’ breeding and feeding grounds, really reducing the numbers that live here. However, there have been some promising signs of numbers increasing again recently, so we do hope this will continue.
But even with flamingos not as abundant as they once were, there's so much other wildlife to see in this reserve that it remains a top 5 Kenyan national park in our eyes!
Indeed, Lake Nakuru National Park is actually one of the best places in Kenya to see rhinos in the wild – a rare and special occurrence. Both white and black rhinos live here and the park was declared a Rhino sanctuary in 1983.
Lions, cheetahs, hippos, buffalos, waterbucks, impala, giraffes and zebras are among the many other species you can spot in this great Kenyan national park, and the reserve also has a strong reputation for leopard sightings - creatures that are notoriously tricky to spot!
Finally, it’s worth noting that Lake Nakuru is also a birding hotspot, with hundreds of species drawn to the water and surrounding wetlands.
Established in 1946, Nairobi National Park was the first of Kenya’s national parks.
Often overlooked for Kenya’s bigger, more renowned safari spots, this little gem is actually one of the most accessible wildlife destinations in the country, which is why it’s on our list of top 5 Kenya national parks.
Very easy to reach, many of our tours to Nairobi National Park include half-day or full-day safaris here, as well as visits to some of Kenya’s other top destinations including Mombasa, Amboseli National Park, and Tsavo East National Park.
Located just 7km outside of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi National Park hosts 4 of the Big 5, is home to 100 mammal species, and is also a registered rhino sanctuary, used for breeding these endangered animals too. This makes it a brilliant place for spotting the rare black rhino, as well as for capturing some unusual wildlife shots - with Africa’s most iconic animals regularly being framed by the towering cityscape of Nairobi in the background.
So there you have it - our African travel expert’s top recommendations for the 5 best national parks for Kenya safaris.
When it comes to exceptional national parks, Kenya has several and wonderfully, you needn’t choose between them! Many of our affordable safari tours enable you to easily combine two or more of this country’s unmissable parks, along with some of East Africa’s other top highlights.
Check out our range of Affordable Kenya Safaris or speak to our team of African travel experts today for advice on your trip.
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