Kenya Travel Guide — Visas, Climate & Attractions

Kenya Travel GuideThe country that defined the idea of African safari — the Masai Mara and the greatest wildlife spectacle on Earth, the Swahili coral towns of the Indian Ocean coast, Mount Kenya's snow-capped peaks above the equator, the flamingo lakes of the Rift Valley, and a people of extraordinary diversity from the Maasai plains to the Luo shores of Lake Victoria.Key Facts

Capital: Nairobi

Currency: KES (Kenyan Shilling)

Language: Swahili, English

Time Zone: UTC+3

Top Places to Visit

Masai Mara National Reserve — The Kenyan extension of the Serengeti ecosystem — extraordinary big cat concentrations year-round, and the annual wildebeest river crossings from July to October that represent the most dramatic wildlife event anywhere on the planet.

Amboseli National Park — Africa's most iconic view — enormous elephant herds moving below the snow-capped summit of Kilimanjaro. Amboseli has some of the largest tuskers in Africa and extraordinarily well-studied elephant families.

Lamu Archipelago — The best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa — a living medieval city of coral stone, carved doors, and donkey-narrow lanes, with no cars, extraordinary Swahili architecture, and a 700-year relationship with the Indian Ocean trade.

Samburu National Reserve — The arid north of Kenya's special five — reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, gerenuk, and Beisa oryx — found only in this semi-desert riverine ecosystem that the Ewaso Ng'iro River makes possible.

Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria — The Rift Valley soda lakes — Lake Nakuru with its rhino sanctuary and millions of flamingos, and Lake Bogoria's geysers and boiling hot springs with the continent's greatest flamingo concentrations.

Local Food

Nyama Choma — Roasted goat or beef — ordered by weight from a mbuzi (goat) centre, slow-roasted over charcoal and served with kachumbari (fresh tomato and onion salsa), ugali, and sukuma wiki (kale). The Kenyan social feast.

Biryani and Pilau — The Swahili coast's spiced rice tradition — biryani with slow-cooked beef or chicken, scented with cardamom, cloves, and saffron; pilau Mombasa-style cooked in spiced stock with caramelised onions.

Ugali with Sukuma Wiki — The Kenyan everyday — stiff white maize ugali served with sukuma wiki (braised kale with onion and tomato) and a piece of nyama (meat) or fish. Eaten with the right hand, from a plate shared across the table.

Grilled Prawns and Coconut Fish — Malindi and Diani's beach restaurants serve whole grilled tiger prawns and fish cooked in coconut-tamarind sauce — the Indian Ocean's ingredients filtered through 2,000 years of Swahili coastal trade.

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