15 Things to do in Kenya, East Africa

Among the countries that we’ve visited, Kenya is our favorite since not everyone gets a chance to visit the country. Kenya is a country in East Africa, it has abundant wildlife, mountain highlands, Lakelands, and a rift valley.

1. Tour around Nairobi

Kenya’s capital and largest city are Nairobi. Tourists can explore the city’s famous historic sites as well as some excellent wildlife-related attractions. You can also buy beaded jewelry, Kenyan art, and wood carvings as souvenirs!

Check out some of the cool and cheap tours you could do in Nairobi.

2. Nairobi National Museum

A great one-stop spot to see exhibits on Kenya’s history, nature, culture, and contemporary art.

3. Visit Nairobi National Park

Kenya’s first national park, Nairobi National Park is a haven for wildlife. Visitors may spot lions, gazelles, buffaloes, warthogs, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, ostriches, and different types of birds. Nairobi’s skyscrapers can also be seen from the park.

4. Help save the Elephants and Rhinos at the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

Elephant calves orphaned by poaching are brought here from all over the country. You can watch baby elephants play at the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, where orphaned elephants are hand reared before being released back into the wild. The elephant babies play around in their daily mud bath between 11 a.m. and noon. Visitors can commune with these lovable creatures as they frolic in the mud and drink from giant baby bottles.  If you are lucky enough, you can also play with several orphaned rhinos.  If you’ve fallen in love with an elephant or rhino you can foster one, starting from US$50 a year. This is a good center for general information on Elephants and their Conservation.

5. Feed Giraffes at the Giraffe Center

At the Giraffe Centre, visitors can come face to face with endangered Rothschild giraffes. The visitor center has a raised platform that allows visitors to feed them at eye level with specially prepared pellets. Hand-feeding giraffes also educate people. Here You can see close at hand how they use their long tongues to remove leaves from acacia branches.

6. Gaze at the Great Rift Valley

Here the 2,000m- (6,560ft-) high escarpment walls plunge to the flat-bottomed valley floor below, which is dotted by a small string of volcanoes and brackish soda lakes. The valley is great for pictures and exploring.

7. Hike Through Hell’s Gate

The coolest thing about the park is that cycling and foot walking is permitted. Hell’s Gate offers excellent climbing and hiking opportunities with two extinct volcanoes. There you can see different types of rock formations.

8. Join Wildlife Safari and Experience Wildlife in its Natural Habitat

There’s nothing more famous about Kenya than going on a wildlife safari to one of the many national parks or reserves located throughout the country to catch a glimpse of the African Big 5 which includes lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. Observing African animals in their natural habitat is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

9. Masai Mara National Reserve and Witness the Wildebeest Migration

It’s named after the red-cloaked Maasai people who live in the park and graze their animals here as they have done for centuries. Located at the Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya, along with the Serengeti in Tanzania, it is one of the best places in Africa for seeing lions, cheetah, and leopards. It is most famous for the annual wildebeest migration and dramatic crossing of the crocodile-infested Mara River. Every year from July – October you can witness the incredible migration of millions of wildebeest and zebra in search of food and water. The captivating event is one of the few natural land migrations that remain intact in the world today. The sound of the approaching herds is a deep, primal rumbling of thundering hooves and low grunts. Lions abound throughout the park as do leopards, cheetah, hyenas, giraffes, impala, wildebeest, topi, baboons, warthogs, buffalo, zebra, elephants, and of course hippos and crocodiles in the Mara River Balloon Safaris are also offered by some. This incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience offers the visitor a fantastic view of the great plains of the Mara and the chance to drift over the great herds below.

Check out some of the cool and cheap tours you could do in Masai Mara.

10. Cultural Tours with the Maasai and Experience Maasai Culture

Learning about the culture and customs of other people is one of the great experiences of traveling. The image of a Maasai warrior is one of East Africa’s most recognizable images. Visiting a traditional Maasai village is frequently included in a safari package to the Maasai Mara.

While not an authentic experience you may still learn something about the Maasai. Also, Maasai Tribe has its way of killing goats traditionally, plus, you could learn the Maasai Dance!

11. Go wild at Lake Nakuru National Park

This park is one of Kenya’s best rhino sanctuaries. It is also dominated by a lake whose edges are frequently home to hundreds of thousands of shimmering pink flamingos that enjoy the alkaline waters of this shallow soda lake.

12. Bird and Hippo Sighting at Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha lies at the highest point of the Great Rift Valley. One of the best ways to view the wildlife is by boat. More than 1000 species of birds can be found here at Lake Naivasha. Eagles, vultures, hornbills, weavers, flamingos, ostriches, and many others have been spotted here, including Hippos that slosh in the water

13. Eat Nyama Choma

Nyama Choma, meaning “barbecued meat”, is Kenya’s unofficial national dish. Everyone that can afford meat in Kenya enjoys a good dose of Nyama Choma now and then. Nyama Choma is Kenya’s version of roasted meat on the grill. Carnivore restaurant in Nairobi offers rumps of beef, legs of lamb, chops, sausages, ribs, crocodile, ostrich, chicken livers, and gizzards. Guests sit down and bring meat hanging off Maasai swords.

14. Nairobi Java House

For a great cup of coffee head to a branch of the Nairobi Java House, one of the best coffee chains on the continent. Try the nutty Kenyan AA blend, or the Ethiopian Coffee and pick up some beans to take home.

15. Enjoy a Matatu Ride

Climb aboard and hold on as the driver races his rivals through the city traffic.

About the writer:

 I am Pamela Lorraine Valera, 28 years old, married. I am an Operating Room Nurse by profession, but I love traveling so much. When I got married to my Orthopedic Surgeon husband, I resigned from work and I am currently working as a Tele nurse. I can travel anytime and anywhere with my current job since I only need an internet connection to gain access to my work. I also love to take pictures, bake cakes and pastries and cook!

THIS IS AN ENTRY FOR THE 1ST ANNIVERSARY TRAVEL WRITING CONTEST OF THE TWO MONKEYS TRAVEL GROUP

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