Destinations
Choose your country
7 parks and conservancies in Kenya, 5 in Tanzania — or cross the border and do both in one trip.
Kenya
Maasai Mara
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is Kenya’s flagship safari destination, celebrated for its abundant wildlife, iconic savannah landscapes and the spectacle of the Great Migration. It is home to the Big Five, large populations of cheetah, giraffe and hyena, and hundreds of bird species. Between roughly July and October the reserve hosts the herds that move up from the Serengeti.
Best time: July – October for the migration; good year-round
- Great Migration river crossings
- Big Five
- Big cat densities
- Hot air balloon safaris
Tanzania
Serengeti
The Serengeti is best known for the Great Migration, during which more than two million wildebeest, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, move across the ecosystem in search of fresh grazing. Beyond the migration it offers exceptional year-round game viewing across grasslands, acacia savannah, riverine forest and rocky kopjes, with the Big Five and over 500 bird species.
Best time: Year-round; calving in the south Jan – March
- The Great Migration
- Southern calving season
- Kopjes and lion prides
- Balloon safaris
Tanzania
Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area surrounds the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera. The crater floor supports a remarkably dense resident population of game, including black rhino, lion, elephant and large herds of plains animals, all within a natural amphitheatre roughly 20 kilometres across.
Best time: Year-round; clearest June – October
- Black rhino
- Crater floor game drives
- Maasai highlands
- Flamingos on Lake Magadi
Kenya
Amboseli
Covering about 392 square kilometres, Amboseli combines open plains, acacia woodland, spring-fed wetlands and seasonal lake beds. It is famous for elephant conservation and photography, offering some of the best opportunities in Africa to see and photograph elephant herds with Mount Kilimanjaro behind them, alongside lion, cheetah, buffalo and over 400 bird species.
Best time: June – October and January – February
- Elephant herds
- Kilimanjaro views
- Maasai cultural visits
- Observation Hill
Tanzania
Tarangire
Tarangire National Park is defined by the river that runs through it and the ancient baobabs that stand over the landscape. In the dry season, game concentrates along the river in large numbers — elephant in particular — making it one of the strongest stops on the northern circuit.
Best time: June – October
- Baobab landscapes
- Dry-season elephant herds
- Tree-climbing pythons
- Birdlife
Kenya
Samburu
Samburu National Reserve sits in Kenya’s dry north along the Ewaso Ng’iro river. It is the place to see the northern specials — Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and the Somali ostrich — alongside elephant, lion and leopard, in a landscape quite unlike the southern parks.
Best time: June – October and December – March
- Samburu Special Five
- Ewaso Ng’iro river
- Leopard sightings
- Samburu culture
Kenya
Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru National Park surrounds a shallow alkaline lake in the Great Rift Valley, about 160 kilometres north-west of Nairobi. Across roughly 188 square kilometres it protects both black and white rhino, along with lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and over 450 bird species. It is one of Kenya’s most important rhino sanctuaries.
Best time: Year-round
- Black and white rhino
- Flamingos and water birds
- Rothschild’s giraffe
- Rift Valley views
Kenya
Lake Naivasha
Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in the Great Rift Valley surrounded by acacia forest and dramatic escarpment views. It is known for birdlife, hippos and boat excursions, with Crescent Island, nature walks and Hell’s Gate National Park nearby — an easy, scenic stop between the bigger safari destinations.
Best time: Year-round
- Boat safaris
- Crescent Island walking
- Hippos
- Hell’s Gate
Kenya
Ol Pejeta
Ol Pejeta Conservancy sits between the foothills of Mount Kenya and the Aberdares. It holds the largest black rhino population in East Africa, a chimpanzee sanctuary, and the full complement of Big Five game across open plains with mountain backdrops.
Best time: Year-round
- Black rhino
- Chimpanzee sanctuary
- Mount Kenya views
- Night game drives
Tanzania
Lake Manyara
Lake Manyara National Park runs along the base of the Rift Valley escarpment, packing groundwater forest, open floodplain and alkaline lake into a compact park. It is known for large baboon troops, elephant in the forest, flamingos on the lake and the occasional tree-climbing lion.
Best time: June – October; birding November – June
- Tree-climbing lions
- Flamingos
- Groundwater forest
- Rift escarpment
Kenya
Tsavo
Tsavo West and Tsavo East together form one of the largest protected areas in the world. Tsavo West is the more scenic half — volcanic hills, Mzima Springs and lava flows — while Tsavo East is vast, open and famous for its red-dusted elephants.
Best time: June – October and January – February
- Red elephants
- Mzima Springs
- Lugard Falls
- Big open wilderness
Tanzania
Nyerere & Ruaha
Nyerere National Park (formerly the Selous) and Ruaha National Park make up the southern circuit: enormous, sparsely visited reserves reached by light aircraft. Nyerere adds boat safaris on the Rufiji river; Ruaha offers exceptional predator viewing and some of the largest elephant populations in East Africa.
Best time: June – October
- Boat safaris on the Rufiji
- Wild dog
- Large elephant herds
- Very low visitor numbers
