5 Best Safari Parks in Kenya: Top Picks for a Wild Escape

From incredible game-watching to exploring some of the wildest landscapes on Earth, going on an African safari is an experience everyone should have at least once in their lifetime. And of all the places you can go on safari in Africa, few countries capture the quintessential safari experience quite like Kenya. 

Located in East Africa along the coast of the Indian Ocean, Kenya hits all the highlights that make for a dream safari. Set against iconic backdrops like the golden grasslands of the Serengeti-Mara savannah or the imposing profile of Mount Kilimanjaro, spy the famed Big Five or watch the heart-pounding action of wildebeest fording the crocodile-filled Mara River during the Great Migration. In Kenya, the pioneering, trailblazing safari spirit is still alive and well, found in off-the-beaten-path private conservancies and safari parks. Here, more lenient rules permit bush walks, off-roading, and stand-out experiences like fly camping in the bush or coming face-to-face with some of the rarest wildlife on the planet.  

Not only that, but Kenya is the birthplace of the tented camp safari. With instantly recognizable white canvas walls, pitched roofs, open-to-the-elements doors, and old-fashioned elegance, these camps epitomize the African safari. They are as archetypal as a blazing sun sinking into the savannah or long-necked giraffes loping across the plains. So, where better to go on safari than the place that started it all?  

Out of over 40 national parks and reserves and more than a hundred conservancies and smaller game reserves, we’ve driven, walked, hiked, and flown the width and breadth of Kenya to curate what we feel are the country’s best safari parks. Whether you want to roam with rhinos or connect with timeless Indigenous culture, these spots are our top selections for the places you must visit on safari in Kenya. 

5 Best Safari Parks in Kenya

Maasai Mara’s Private Conservancies
Lewa Wilderness Conservancy
Samburu National Reserve
Laikipia Plateau
Amboseli National Park 

From going on game drives in search of the Big Five while traversing legendary landscapes to (literally) straying off-the-beaten-track stalking wildlife in conservancies far from the crowds, Kenya’s best safari parks offer the perfect mix of classic safari experiences and new, original adventures and activities. With intimate camps, plentiful wildlife, and captivating landscapes, these are the best safari parks in Kenya. 

Maasai Mara’s Private Conservancies

Part of the greater Serengeti-Mara ecosystem and home to the Great Migration, the Maasai Mara is one of the most popular places to go on safari in Kenya. 

While most visitors flock to the region’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, the edges of this popular park are fringed with overlooked private conservancies. The game-viewing here is just as good (if not better), but with far fewer visitors and safari vehicles jostling for the best position to spot animals. Of all the conservancies and safari parks around the Mara, three in particular stand out.  

Tucked into the northern corner of the Mara region, the Mara North Conservancy packs more game-viewing into its 70,000 acres than some of the biggest game reserves on the continent. From wild dogs to hippos to giraffes, many of Africa’s wildlife heavy-hitters can be seen here, and you also have the chance for once-in-a-lifetime sightings like glimpsing baby leopards in Leopard Gorge or taking in the drama of the Loita Hills migration. Mara North is also home to the River Pride of lions, a group that regularly hunts the hippo that stray from the riverbanks at night. These big kills are a fascinating, multi-day scene that attracts a parade of enterprising predators hoping to sneak a mouthful while a bloated-belly lion keeps a lazy guard.  

Speaking of lions, the odds are in your favor at the Olare Motorogi Conservancy. Home to two lion prides numbering roughly 40 members, it’s one of the best places in the entire Mara to spot these big cats in their element. The sheer volume of lions means many dynamics are at play, and you’re invited to watch the drama, affectionate licks, and comradery play out on the plains.  

Another prime spot for pride-viewing is Naboisho, which is the Mara’s second-biggest conservancy with between 70 and 100 lions in residence. You’re also allowed to venture off the beaten path here, literally. From bush walks with Maasai guides to after-dark game drives, the permissive rules of these conservancies give you better freedom and flexibility to observe wildlife at close range. 

Many of these conservancies are also rewilding success stories, with Maasai landowners and farmers coming together to restore grazing lands to natural habitat. As stewards of the land since time untold, human communities live side-by-side with nature here, giving you a unique look into life out on the plains. 

The same care and attention given to creating a crowd-free environment for game-viewing is extended to the accommodations, with each conservancy only hosting a handful of camps or lodges. Blending into their surroundings, camps like Richard’s River Camp let you watch wildlife from the comfort of your veranda, with no sounds but the whispering of the Ntiakntiak River and the calls of birds. 

Lewa Wilderness Conservancy

While going on safari gives you the chance to see some of the rarest wildlife on Earth, few sightings are as prized or hoped-for as the black rhino. Threatened by poaching and habitat loss, only ~1,000 black rhinos are left in the wild in Kenya. But there is one place where you’re almost guaranteed to see them, as well as learn how humans are working together to save the species from extinction: the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. 

Encompassing around 62,000 acres of grasslands and woods in the heart of Kenya, Lewa was initially founded as a sanctuary for this critically endangered species before becoming a general wildlife conservation park. Within its borders, 134 black rhinos and 118 white rhinos roam freely and safely, protected by the conservancy’s elite anti-poaching team. Accounting for 12 per cent of Kenya’s total rhino population, there are few better places to encounter these incredible creatures in the wild.  

The park’s conservation work extends far beyond black rhinos. The area is also a refuge for endangered Grevy’s zebras and boasts the world’s most concentrated population of this species.  

Rhino aside, the remaining four of the Big Five—lions, leopards, elephants, and buffalo—can also be seen here, as well as wild dogs and more than 450 different species of birds.  

Checking in at one of Lewa’s classic safari lodges, like the Lewa Wilderness Lodge—which was one of the first safari lodges in the country—you never know what Mother Nature has in store for your stay. Setting off each day on Maasai-led game drives and bush walks, you may stumble upon a herd of zebra ambling across the savannah or find a mother rhino nursing her calf. Here, the rhinos are like family, many with their own names through the Adopt a Rhino program, and your guide will fill you in on each animal’s story.  

Per conservancy rules, only three vehicles are allowed at a wildlife sighting at a time, so there’s no line of Land Cruisers to detract from the magic of the moment.  

Along with game-viewing, go for behind-the-scenes looks at Lewa’s conservation work, from visiting local schools where educators teach the next generation how protecting wildlife and uplifting communities goes hand-in-hand, to meeting the anti-poaching canine unit.  

While you will walk away with memories to last a lifetime, most important is that each stay at Lewa helps support the conservancy’s vital conservation work, ensuring these endangered species continue to bounce back and flourish. Through a partnership with the neighboring Borana Conservancy, Lewa hopes to boost the black rhino population to 2,000 individuals within the next 14 years — at which point you’ll have to come back and see for yourself. 

Samburu National Reserve

From being home to some of Kenya’s rarest wildlife to giving safari-goers one-of-a-kind opportunities to go beyond game-viewing and connect with Indigenous culture, the Samburu region with its mix of national reserves and conservancies is one of the most unique places to go on safari in Kenya. 

Located along the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro River deep in the heart of Kenya, the namesake Samburu National Reserve spans roughly 64 square miles. 

In contrast to the more southerly parks and conservatories, the landscapes of Samburu are an entirely different animal. Sitting on the edge of Kenya’s arid northern deserts but kept lush by its rivers, the reserve features a diverse terrain of riverine forests, undulating valleys, and sunbaked grasslands. Wooded mountains and hills rising from the horizon make for dramatic backdrops. 

Although Samburu National Reserve contains four of the Big Five with lions, leopards, elephants, and African buffalo, as well as other coveted species like zebras, hippos, cheetahs, and giraffes, safari-goers here can chase a different game-viewing checklist known as Kenya’s Northern Five.  

Consisting of reticulated giraffes, Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, gerenuk, and Beisa oryx, these animals are extremely hard to find, making them an even more remarkable sighting than better-known megafauna. And even though rhinos can’t be found in the reserve, you can head to the neighboring Sera Conservancy to try out its rhino-tracking program and find black rhinos out in the wild.  

On many safaris, the history and culture of Kenya’s Indigenous peoples, like the Maasai, is often overlooked or takes a backseat to game viewing. But not in Samburu, where the semi-nomadic Samburu people still maintain their way of life far from modern civilization. Get a glimpse into their culture and traditions with visits to local villages, enjoy them as safari guides, or participate in a Warrior Academy.  

Isolation and being off-the-beaten-path are among Samburu’s chief draws, but that doesn’t mean you have to rough it. Luxe lodges like Saruni Samburu bring high-end hospitality to the heart of Kenya with its elegant, hilltop villas, where you can watch wildlife roam on the plains below from the comfort of plush couches and comfy beds. But you can also feel the thrill of hearing elephants walk right past your tent at the rustic Elephant Watch Camp, part of the famous Samburu Elephant Project from renowned conservationist Ian Douglas-Hamilton. 

Laikipia Plateau

It’s hard for an area that’s nearly the size of Wales to feel like a hidden gem, but that’s the reality of going on safari on the Laikipia Plateau. Characterized by hills and rolling valleys at the base of Mount Kenya, this vast region in central Kenya is close to popular parks like Meru National Park but receives a fraction of the attention, flying under the radar for most travelers. But their loss is your gain, as you get to discover this safari park star on the rise. 

Meaning “treeless plain” in the Maa language, the Laikipia region is made up of a jumble of private conservancies, cattle farms, game reserves, and livestock grazing spaces.  

With its mixed-terrain landscape of rocky hills, undulating valleys, and rising escarpments, safari-goers feel the thrill and suspense of the chase as you and the local wildlife play hide-and-seek while on bush walks and game drives. Unlike the wide savannahs of the Maasai Mara where you can spot wildlife from far off, trying to catch glimpses of animals here puts the “game” back in game-viewing as you track radio-collared wildlife like wild dogs and lions or stalk leopards through the undergrowth. 

But the ultimate prize on a Laikipia safari is seeing the region’s rare white and black rhinos. Threatened by poaching, rhinos are notoriously hard to find in the wild, and Laikipia’s conservancies, like Loisaba and Ol Pejeta, offer some of the best odds of a sighting. You can even meet the last two northern white rhinos left in existence, who are protected 24/7 in their own enclosure. 

From classic game drives to conservation-focused wildlife encounters and experiences like learning how tracker dogs help anti-poaching teams protect endangered fauna, Laikipia offers ample ways to see and interact with its wildlife. But as with other private conservancies, rules here differ from national parks and reserves, so you can step outside the safari norm and try something new.  

Skim across mountain spines on a helicopter safari, take part in traditional Samburu ceremonies, sleepout beneath the stars for a night of fly camping or in a star bed, saddle up for a horseback safari, amble along a riverbed on a camel safari, and much more. 

Not only that, but Laikipia is home to some of Kenya’s most luxurious and intimate safari lodges and camps. Find a moment of respite from all the safari action in the garden-swathed villas at the Segera Retreat, gaze upon panoramic landscape views from the hilltop Ol Lentille Lodge, and step into the warm embrace of the family-run Old Malo Lodge, a Kenyan icon going back generations. 

Amboseli National Park

Few places capture the romance and grandeur of the African safari like Mount Kilimanjaro. Towering some 19,000 feet high with its broad slopes and snowy summit, Kilimanjaro is one of the most iconic landmarks of the East African landscape. Although the continent’s highest peak is located across the border in Tanzania, one of the best places to view this world-famous mountain is from Kenya’s Amboseli National Park. 

Sitting right next to the Kenya-Tanzania border, just a stone’s throw from Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, the 151-square-mile Amboseli National Park boasts one of the best vistas of the mountain thanks to its flat terrain and sparse vegetation. With few trees and sweeping grasslands, safari-goers have a direct line of sight toward Kilimanjaro. The only thing that might interrupt this postard-perfect portrait are the park’s large herds of elephants and zebras, which, with the mountain in the backdrop, makes for the perfect African safari tableau. With all this, it’s easy to see why Amboseli inspired the likes of Ernest Hemingway in his dreamy depictions of life in Africa. 

Known as “the home of the African Elephant,” Amboseli’s most famous residents are undoubtedly its elephants—including some big tuskers. Lumbering around the plains in big family groups, these pachyderms often stroll close to roads for unbelievable close-ups.  

But Amboseli has a wealth of other wildlife, including cheetahs, lions, giraffes, leopards, and over 600 bird species including vast flamingo flocks at Lake Amboseli.  

As a national park, bush walks aren’t allowed and leaving your safari vehicle is prohibited, but the wide-open terrain makes it easy to spot game. 

A popular choice for a national park safari in Kenya thanks to its proximity to the capital city of Nairobi, crowds are sometimes an issue here. But you can easily stay at camps and lodges like Tortilis Camp in neighboring conservancies, where it feels like it’s just you, the animals, and Kilimanjaro on the horizon.