Best Safari destinations in Kenya

Travel firm Lonely Planet has ranked Nairobi it’s top ranking city in “Best in Travel 2024, ahead of Paris, Montreal, Mostar (Bosnia) and Philadelphia, the only African city to make it into the top 10.

“Kenya’s capital is staking its claim as a global centre of culture, sizzling with unmissable travel experiences”, Lonely Plant’s video explaining why Nairobi is best, explains.

Lonely Planet urges visitors to check out cultural performances of traditional music and dance at the Bomas of Kenya, a walk in the Ngong Hills or the Ngong Hills Forest, and particularly recommends a safari in the Nairobi National Park.

Nairobi National Park Safari Minutes Away

On average, if you live in or are visiting Nairobi, you can be in Nairobi National Park within 40 minutes from your home or hotel, with a good chance of seeing the ‘Big 5’ – elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards and Buffalos, and much else besides in the Park’s 45 square miles (117 Square Kilometers).

Nairobi National Park is one of the most diverse and interesting Protected Areas in the world, hosting more than 500 species of plants, 100 species of mammals, 60 species of butterflies and over 520 types of birds.

Kenya’s Fantastic Bird Life – Global Survey

It is perhaps little surprise that recently Kenya has once again headed the birds list in Africa, recording 705 types of birds in a global platform survey.

On October 14, bird enthusiasts from 191 countries around the world took part in eBird’s ‘Gobal Big Day’ when over 36,000 people contributed 83,735 checklists identifying bird species.

Global Big Day is the world’s largest ‘birding event’, run twice each year since 2015 in May and October.

The 222 checklists filled in from Kenya ranked the country ninth in the world for the number of bird species, behind Peru and Columbia.

Despite its size, the United States was raked one place behind Kenya, home to 696 bird species.

The Helm Field Guides ‘Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania lists 1,089 bird species recorded in Kenya.