Kenya holiday guide and offers

Visitors to Kenya are drawn to the country by the lure of Africa's traditional safari destination. Kenya combines the legendary names such as Masai Mara and Samburu National Reserve with the promise of big game and big cats.

However, there's more to the country feel than its game parks. Kenya's Beaches are some of the most beautiful of the Indian Ocean and on the planet, allowing for a complete vacation experience.

Kenya's travel regions, in the shadow of the Great Rift Valley, reflect the bush and beach experience. Kenya's main travel areas are:

Aberdare Amboseli Conservation Area Lamu Archipelago Masai Mara The Samburu Complex Mombasa Travel

Safaris in Kenya have been part of the world travel scene for decades and Kenya is obviously best known for its wildlife but there are other attractions to the country such as its genuine culture and history.

Organised cultural tours are a fascinating way to meet the local tribal people and to learn, first hand, about their traditional way of life.

Perhaps the most popular experience is meeting the famed Maasai people.

Kenya is also a renowned birding destination with one of the highest exhotic bird counts of all countries in Africa. The range of habitats allows for most bird groups to be represented while the Great Rift Valley forms soda lakes where birdlife is truely exceptional - Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha are particularly good.

Walking safaris in private reserves and hot air ballooning are available in many parks and regions of Kenya and then there's miles and miles of glorious beaches and remote tropical islands all packed with pristone water sports and great scuba diving spots: check out our Kenya Beaches feature for more information.

Bird Watching

With a staggering bird count of around 1 100 distinct species, Kenya represents one of Africa's, if not the world's best birding safari destinations - a 2-week trip should easily yield around 600 species to see. Of Kenya's bird list, some 230 are migrants (170 Palaearctic, 60 intra-African) and the country boasts around 10 endemics and depending which source you use, between 40 and 75 near-endemics.

Straddling the Equator, Kenya is dominated by the Great Rift Valley that runs through the centre of the country. This portion of the 6 000km rupture in the Earth's crust has created in Kenya various pretty large grassy or wooded valleys, fresh or soda water lakes and the mountainous region of the Central Highlands, home to some good areas of montane forest .

Kenya is home to, or at least has portions of 5 Endemic Bird Areas and has 60 IBAs covering 5.7 million hectares of vast land. Of particular importance are Kenya's forest birds which number around 230 species.

Kenya's Palaearctic migrant species arrive from October/November onwards and leave March/April.

It's not all big game out on the savannah: Kenya has a very rich cultural heritage, with many local people placing great importance on their tribal roots.

Visit, on your Kenya safari, one of the tribal villages on a cultural tour to meet the people and let them teach you about their way of life, their beliefs, their food and their traditions.

Our African Holiday Recommendations:

Amboseli Porini Camp - This splendid eco-camp delivers a big game experience as well as a cultural interaction with the local Maasai villagers.

Leleshwa Tented Camp - A luxurious tented camp offering great game viewing activities plus the opportunity to visit a Masai village.