Top 10 Kenya Activities

Nothing prepares you for the staggering sight of over 1.5 million wildebeest, accompanied by thousands of zebra, giraffe and antelope. The Great Migration is, with no exaggeration, the single greatest wildlife spectacle on the planet. From your sumptuous tented camp you will be absorbed in the romance of a Kenyan safari as you look out across plains, herds in their thousands stretching as far as the eye can see.

But the migration can be a treacherous journey. Heading to the banks of the Mara River, you may catch sight of an infamous river crossing where mounting pressure sees hundreds of wildebeest crash through the crocodile infested waters in search of fresh grass.

We’re at our best when we connect with our fellow humans, learning about each other and appreciating our similarities despite different traditions, beliefs and ways of life. You’ll love spending time with the Maasai, Samburu and Turkana people of Kenya; all the more so because the fascination will be both ways. You’ll also find that most of your guides come from the local area offering valuable insights into their culture, if you show an interest.

An unforgettable anthropological experience is to travel up into the Mathews Mountain Range to Sarara Camp where you can enjoy the privilege of visiting the Singing Wells: so private is this encounter that guests respectfully agree not even to take photographs.

Snorkelling and swimming amongst a myriad of tropical fishes in the warm Indian Ocean, you will be experiencing a different type of safari from the rest of your Kenyan adventure. From luxury properties including Alfajiri Villas, Kinondo Kwetu and Manda Bay, you can enjoy the variety of water-based pleasures that the Indian Ocean has to offer.

Step aboard a traditional sailing Dhow at sunset, visit fishing communities, experience the thrill of deep-sea fishing or just snooze in a hammock. Turquoise waters, the sounds of the breakers and the feel of white sand between the toes are the ingredients for complete relaxation.

At Journeysmiths we work with properties that take a proactive approach to conservation, including community engagement, and just by visiting these spectacular locations you are contributing to conservation efforts. A stay at Lewa will give you a front-row seat to the running of a modern conservation initiative, including seeing the work of anti-poaching patrols, demonstrations of tracker dogs, and seeing conservation education in local schools.

For those with a particular interest in elephants, spend a day paired with an elephant keeper at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary where you will help to feed and nurture their charges. Looking after orphaned and abandoned elephants, the keepers – all of whom are locally recruited – care for and rehabilitate the young elephants until they can be released back into the wild, where they belong.

A Super Tusker is a bull elephant with tusks that can grow up to 2.5m long and weigh up to 45kg (almost 100lb). Very few populations still carry the gene for these massive tusks as they have been targeted by poachers over the decades, but some remain in the Amboseli region of southern Kenya.

With the backdrop of mighty Mt. Kilimanjaro, a view of a Super Tusker puts you in the land of the giants.