Kenya attractions

On Aug. 7, 1998, terrorists planned simultaneous attacks against American Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. In Kenya, 218 people were killed in the blast, and thousands more were injured. This serene memorial park and museum is located at the site of the bombing. The site is dedicated to honoring the lives of those killed and supporting peace and reconciliation.

A pioneering facility for the protection and rehabilitation of black rhinos and African elephants, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust saves injured and orphaned animals from the wild and rehabilitates them for a return to their natural habitats. This nonprofit park was founded in 1977 and operates within Nairobi National Park.

Mount Kenya is a volcanic peak in the heart of Kenya that stretches to 17,057 feet (5,199 meters) high. The mountain is primarily a hiking and climbing destination enticing visitors from all over the world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is surrounded by different types of wilderness, complete with lakes, forests, tarns, and glaciers, and is home to some rare animal species.

Running through the entirety of Kenya, the Great Rift Valley helped form some of the country’s most distinctive landscape features. From dry deserts to sharp cliffs to algae-lined lakes, with some fertile grasslands sprinkled in between, this geographic destination is a rich and diverse natural playground. With no shortage of animal activity, national parks, and protected reserves along this natural wonder, it offers lots of choices for travelers.

Far more than just a home to archives and public records, the National Archives in Nairobi also exhibit everything from traditional art to stamps, weapons, and photography. Visitors can explore the small on-site museum, spend a quiet hour paging through a newspaper, or check out the archives’ collection of rare books from across Africa.

Gleaming silver domes and geometric minarets rise above Nairobi’s Jamia Mosque, which is among the most important religious buildings in Kenya. While the interior is generally only accessible to Muslim visitors, all travelers can enjoy outside views of the mosque, easy to do while taking in nearby downtown sights.

Located near the border with Uganda, the Kakamega Forest is the last remaining part of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest, which once covered much of Africa. This rainforest is home to 330 species of birds and 400 species of butterflies, as well as snakes, primates, and hundreds of types of trees and other plants.

With its exhilarating slides, games, rides, and pools, Wild Waters blends the thrill of an amusement park with the refreshing cool of a water park, making it an ideal place to beat the scorching Kenyan sun. Plus, a food court, bar, and coffee shop ensure you stay hydrated.

Overlooking Nairobi and Nairobi National Park, the Ngong Hills are a ridge of peaks that are popular among hikers and lovers of the great outdoors. The area is an excellent place to go for a hike without having to stray too far from the city.

Set in a rewilded limestone quarry on the outskirts of Mombasa, Haller Park is home to a wealth of wildlife. Hippos wallow in cool ponds, giraffes graze on overhead leaves, tortoises amble through the undergrowth, and staff hand-rear rare butterflies in the butterfly pavilion. Many travelers love the chance to hand-feed the resident giraffes in the afternoon.

Despite being one of Kenya’s smallest national parks, Hell’s Gate National Park has plenty of wildlife-watching opportunities and gives you the rare chance to explore on foot. Situated in the Rift Valley, it’s named for the soaring volcanic cliffs of the Ol Jorowa Gorge, where part of Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was filmed.

A certified Fair Trade organization, the Kazuri Beads Factory is an artisanal crafts studio in the green and lush Karen suburbs of Nairobi. It’s known for hand-crafted and brightly painted kiln-fired ceramic beads and pottery. What originally started as a tiny workshop in the 1970s has blossomed into a huge enterprise employing hundreds of local women, including single mothers.

During the Great Migration, Africa’s Mara River hosts one of nature’s greatest spectacles, as vast herds of wildebeest surge through the murky waters in quest of fresh territory—with crocodiles and lions waiting to snap up any stragglers. Even outside that perilous period, it’s a popular safari stop—some river stretches are alive with both hippos and crocodiles.

One of the best places in Nairobi to pick up souvenirs or photograph colorful handicrafts is the Maasai Market, an open-air market that changes location daily. Here, you'll find everything from beaded jewelry to textiles, along with carvings, baskets, and other home decor items.

The cone-shaped volcanic mount of Observation Hill is the highest hill in Amboseli National Park and the only viewpoint to afford panoramic views of the entire park. On a clear day, you can look out across neighboring Tanzania to the snow-crowned peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, and admire an aerial view over Lake Amboseli and the surrounding plains.

Part of a Kenyan archipelago, Lamu Island boasts a landscape of sandy dunes mixed with the occasional oasis. One of its main draws, though, is Lamu city. Set amid Indian Ocean trade routes, Lamu was once a bustling port established by Arabic traders. Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its maze-like streets and centuries-old buildings.

One of a web of forests that Kenya’s Mijikenda tribes hold sacred, the Kaya Kinondo Sacred Forest was once home to the Digo Mijikenda people and today still holds great cultural significance. A network of trails run through centuries-old trees that are home to bush babies and colobus monkeys, leading to the central settlement area where the Digo tribe once lived.

One of two administrative divisions of Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Triangle covers roughly one-third of the park. Home to elephants, leopards, lions, rhinos, hippos, buffalo, and more, it’s harder to reach and, therefore, less visited than the park’s southern sections. The Mara River on its border sees spectacular wildebeest crossings during the annual Great Migration.

The largest urban memorial park in Kenya, Uhuru Gardens was erected after the country gained its independence from British colonizers. Uhuru, Swahili for “freedom,” is comprised of verdant, grassy fields with three major landmarks, and is frequented by local families who like to picnic there on the weekends.

A short drive from Nairobi will take you to Paradise Lost, a nature park that feels like it's worlds away. Situated on a coffee farm, the park features caves, a waterfall, and a lake, plus activities such as ziplining and horseback riding.

Flamingos, zebras, giraffes, and buffalos are among the many animals that roam freely within Crater Lake Game Sanctuary, along with more than 150 bird species. On the west shore of Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley, this small reserve is renowned for its striking emerald-green crater lake and its tranquil setting, surrounded by acacia trees.

Wild animals roam lush gardens surrounding this Lake Naivasha lodge, the former home of conservationists Joy and George Adamson. Flame trees bloom in brilliant colors, while troops of colobus monkeys can often be spotted on the lawn. Elsamere is also a popular stop on day trips from Nairobi, and overnight stays are an option.

With their long, feathery platinum tails and blowout manes, black-and-white Angolan colobus monkeys were once a common sight in southeast Kenya. Colobus Conservation works to protect these beautiful primates, which you can usually see—alongside vervets, Sykes’ monkeys, and baboons—in the forest around their rehabilitation and conservation center.

Located near Lake Nakuru in Kenya’s stunning Great Rift Valley, Hyrax Hill Historic Site is a prehistoric archaeological site and museum containing artifacts predating the Iron Age. While the area is arguably more famous for its animals, such as pink flamingos and white and black rhinos, this small museum, boasting the remains of a Neolithic settlement, testifies to the region’s staggering human history.

Bordering Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, Nashulai Maasai Conservancy is a truly sustainable safari destination that protects elephants, lions, giraffes, cheetahs, and more—without conflicting with the Indigenous Maasai people. Local Maasai own and run Nashulai, working to restore the ecosystem, sequester carbon, reduce poverty, preserve tradition, and enhance women’s rights.