4. National Parks and Reserves in this Guide

As stated earlier, this is not an all-inclusive guide to all the parks and reserves in Kenya. That simply wouldn't be helpful. So I'm breaking it down into 6 areas, plus Nairobi, to simplify for you.

Masai Mara National Reserve and the Mara Triangle

Side by side, the Masai Mara National Reserve, commonly referred to as "the Mara," and the Mara Triangle both border Tanzania and are an extension of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. While the animals know no difference, the two areas are governed by different entities and are therefore run slightly differently.

There are many amazing lodges in both the Mara and Mara Triangle and the wildlife viewing is excellent in both, but generally speaking, people who frequent the area will talk about the Triangle being better managed, with more oversight and protection for the animals. The Triangle is considered to have better security, anti-poaching efforts, and well-maintained roads, with limited access, making it less crowded and more exclusive.

At writing, there is no off-road driving driving in either location. It was available in the Triangle until the last few years, and the management says it will return the summer season of '26, but that remains to be seen.

The importance of off-roading is the ability to get closer to animals for viewing and photography. That needs to be offset by animal safety and environmental conservation, and can be difficult to control with too many visitors.

Many people visit the Mara and Mara Triangle for the summer migration season, and while that's a huge draw in tourism, there's been a lot of controversy in the last year about the bad behavior on the part of guests and guides, alike. Personally, I've been twice for the migration and have vowed that I will not return because of it. The chaos, danger to guests and animals and crowds is, to me, unconscionable.

If you need to see it, as it is incredible, go. But be forewarned, if can be incredibly disturbing to see all the bad behavior.

Mara Conservancies: Mara North, Naibosho and Olare Motorogi

These are the three main conservancies surrounding the Mara and Mara Triangle. Rather than run by government operations, they are run by boards representing the local Masai landowners and business partners.

Conservancies are basically community-owned pieces of land that are managed by the communities that own and live there. The communities reap the benefit in terms of finances, as well as by influencing local conservation. They set rules for the lodges, such as limiting the number of vehicles at a sighting, whether to allow night drives, off-roading, walking safaris and the like.

They also set the conditions under which the Masai can graze their cattle, and how they are compensated, should one of the cattle be killed by wildlife.

They set strict limits on the number of vehicles at a sighting at any one time (5; or fewer with cubs present, and depends on the age of cubs) and guides actually adhere to the rules, which makes for an amazing experience for both the guest and the animal. I've been at sightings where the 5 vehicles would be at a sighting with other vehicles standing by for a turn. Eventually one group will rotate out, allowing another in. Everyone understands how this works, and while you may not want to leave the sighting, you understand it's to be fair for everyone, and not stress the animal.

I've also been at a sighting at the border of two different conservancies, and all the guides work together to ensure fairness.

For my money, I'll visit a conservancy any time over the Mara and Mara Triangle. One note: unless you venture to either the Mara or Triangle, you won't see the migration, if that's important to you, as the animals don't migrate that far north. You will still see resident wildebeest and zebras, but not the huge numbers associated with the migration.

One note: In all these areas - Mara Reserve, Mara Triangle and conservancies, you have an excellent opportunity to see the Big 5.

Amboseli National Park and neighboring conservancies

Amboseli and surroundings are found south/southeast of Nairobi. A short flight from Wilson Airport in Nairobi, or a 4 hour drive away, it has a very different landscape from the Mara and surroundings.

One of the main reasons people visit Amboseli is for the huge numbers of elephants that traverse in and out of the park, estimated around 1500. A particular highlight are the Super Tuskers that can be found there, whose tusks are estimated to weigh in excess of 100 lbs each!

Each time I've been to Amboseli, I've encountered several of these gentle, aging giants and they are so impressive. The most recent visit i was able to spend over an hour with Craig, probably the most famous of the Tuskers, which was a real priviledge. Sadly, Craig passed away from natural causes a couple months ago from this writing. Yet there remain an estimated 20-30 Super Tuskers that wander between Amboseli, Tanzania and two other nearby parks.

The other huge draw to Amboseli is that this is from where you see Mt. Kilimanjaro, and have an opportunity to see and photograph elephants with the mountain as the backdrop. While Kilimanjaro is actually in Tanzania, the view from Amboseli is incredible.

As mentioned, the main animal to see are the elephants. However, you'll also find giraffe, hippos, zebra, gazelles and other typical game animals. There are no rhinos in Amboseli, and I've never seen a leopard. You have a good chance of seeing lions and I saw a cheetah one time, though they are more common than leopards. As said, the main draw here are the elephants.

Samburu National Reserve

Samburu National Reserve, on the other hand, has the 'Samburu Special Five" which are rare, arid-adapted wildlife species found uniquely in northern Kenya, particularly within the Samburu National Reserve. They include the Reticulated Giraffe, the Gerenuk, Grevy's zebra, Somali Ostrich and Beisa Oryx. You'll also find lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, and other more common animals.

Often referred to as 'northern Kenya,' Samburu is actually right in the middle of the country, but about as far north as the normal safari circuit takes you. It is a much dryer and arid area of the country.

It is primarily inhabited by the Samburu people, "cousins" of the Masai, with similar traditions. They are a semi-nomadic people, primarily raising cattle sheep, goats and camels.

While not as popular an area for safaris, and honestly, I've not found it to be as fruitful for wildlife sightings, it's a remarkably beautiful area and the customs lend themselves to a cultural experience you won't find in other areas of Kenya. So if you're looking for a different area to visit, this is one to consider.

Laikipia

Laikipia is a patchwork of fenced cattle ranches, tribal land and community-run wildlife conservancies and until recently, was pretty far off the normal safari circuit. But over the last few years, one particular leopard has drawn a tremendous amount of attention to the area: Giza, the melanistic leopard (a "black" leopard, where the spots are still visible through the dark fur).

Also known for it's conservation efforts especially related to rhinos, the area is also a haven for the Big 5, the Samburu Special 5 can also be found here.

Nairobi

Most people arrive to Kenya via the Nairobi airport (NBO) and may stay a few days, or fly out the next morning to one of the parks or conservancies. Once there, the main airport for the parks is Wilson airport, and numerous local airlines fly there throughout the day.

Nairobi, however, is worth a visit in and of itself. Home to the only city with a national park, Nairobi National Park can be visited in a day, and is a nice way to get ready for one of the big parks.

Likewise, other attractions, such as the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Giraffe Center are worthy of some time and easy to visit in a day. During my last trip to Nairobi, I visited the Karen Blixen Museum (since I loved Out of Africa, I had to see this!) Ocean Sole and MatBronze Art Gallery (amazing, and a great lunch spot!)

So there you have it, my overview of the areas I'll be covering in this guide.