Kenya has a variety of boutique and luxury hotels that will pamper the most discerning traveler. Did you know that the Kenyan coast is one of the best sites for deep sea fishing and diving? After the Congo forest, Kenya has the widest variety of birds (over 1400 species) that the Mombasa kitesurfing festival is now in its fourth year? What Kenya has been voted the best undiscovered golf destination in the world? Discover new experiences and activities and get bragging rights for going off the beaten path and beyond to the beach and safari!
The home of safari still has the most spectacular safaris, but it also has many gems to discover. If you like the water, you may enjoy boating in the creeks or getting more active and doing extreme sports. Kitesurfing, windsurfing, deep sea fishing, jet skiing, wakeboarding – the list is endless. The coral reef creates perfect grounds for snorkeling and for those who are more ambitious, scuba diving. You may also be lucky enough to see a whale shark or even swim with dolphins.
Not to be outdone, the Great Rift Valley boasts beautiful lakes just waiting to be discovered. Lake Bogoria with hot springs that can boil an egg! Lake Baringo with the highest number of birds sighted in Kenya in one day: 450 in 24 hours; Lake Nakuru with the most resplendent sight of pink flamingos – watch them in majestic flight formations. Lake Naivasha, the first airport serving Nairobi, is perfect for that lakefront wedding, as long as you don’t mind the hippos in the audience when you say ‘I do’.
Witness the great migration in the Maasai Mara between August and October. Float over the Maasai Mara in a hot air balloon, only to be greeted with a delicious champagne breakfast when you return to land. Sleep under beds of stars and listen to the roar of lions at night. There are also several eco-lodges in Kenya that you can choose from. And if conservation is close to your heart, Lewa Conservancy has guides with encyclopedic knowledge of the diverse wildlife. You will also have the chance to visit a Maasai manyatta – get up close to the rich depth of culture in Kenya.
Maybe you are a movie enthusiast and want to keep track of the different locations where movies were shot. From Karen Blixen’s ‘Out of Africa’ to John le Carre’s ‘The Constant Gardener’, you’ll have an exciting time tracking down your favorite movies. You will travel through different parts of Nairobi and towards the far shores of Lake Turukana which has the most amazing jade colored waters against a background of black volcanic rocks. And what is a trip to Kenya today without visiting the ancestral home of the new celebrity who has taken the world by storm: Barack Obama? When you’re done following in the footsteps of the stars, enjoy the sunset from your balcony overlooking Lake Victoria’s Mfangano Island.
For the discerning traveler coming to Kenya for the first time, there is much to explore. For the Kenyan connoisseur, there is still more to discover. Njema Safari!