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  3. Kenya

Kenya

Africa

Capital: NairobiJune to October, for the Great Migration

370

Documented species

17

Parks and reserves

4

Dive sites

Kenya is the classic showcase of African wildlife and at the same time a country of extreme contrasts: from the glacier of Mount Kenya, right on the equator, to the northern deserts around Lake Turkana, the largest desert lake in the world. The Great Rift Valley crosses it from north to south and lines up alkaline lakes such as Nakuru and Bogoria, whose shallow waters, loaded with cyanobacteria, feed enormous concentrations of lesser flamingo. The Maasai Mara, a continuation of the Serengeti, receives the great wildebeest and zebra migration each year with its dramatic crossings of the Mara River. In the north, Samburu holds species adapted to aridity that are not seen in the south, such as Grévy's zebra and the gerenuk, and the Indian Ocean coast contributes reefs, mangroves and turtles.

Nature in Kenya

National animal: The African lion, the country's national animal

Did you know?

At the Ol Pejeta conservancy live the last two northern white rhinoceroses left on the planet, mother and daughter, both female and guarded around the clock. With the death of the last male in 2018 the subspecies became functionally extinct, and its only chance of continuity now rests on assisted reproduction using collected eggs and frozen sperm.

Biodiversity profile

Conservation

Kenya banned sport hunting in 1977 and has developed a model of community conservancies that today protects more ground than the national parks themselves. The hirola, an antelope of the country's east, is one of the most endangered mammals in Africa.

Where and when to watch wildlife

The Maasai Mara between July and October for the migration and the river crossings. Amboseli in the dry season for elephants with Kilimanjaro behind them. Bogoria and Nakuru for flamingos depending on the water level.

Natural phenomena in Kenya

  • Great Migration: the Mara River crossing — July to October

Parks and reserves

National Park

Mount Kenya

Africa's second-highest peak, a stratovolcano with glaciers on the equator and a unique afroalpine flora.

See park
National Reserve

Lake Bogoria

An alkaline Rift lake with geysers and hot springs, where hundreds of thousands of lesser flamingos gather.

See park
World Heritage Site (Natural)

Lake Turkana National Parks

The largest desert lake in the world and the most saline in Africa, on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 2018.

See park
National Park

Sibiloi

The "cradle of humankind": the Koobi Fora sites, which have contributed more to palaeoenvironmental knowledge than any other site in Africa.

See park
National Park

Amboseli

The best views of Kilimanjaro from Kenya; home to some of the largest surviving tuskers in Africa

See park
National Park

Lake Nakuru

Once famous for its millions of flamingos; today a key sanctuary for the white and black rhinoceros

See park
National Park

Aberdare

Home to the world's first tree hotels, raised platforms for watching wildlife from the safety of height

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National Park

Chyulu Hills

One of the youngest volcanic ranges in Africa, barely 500 years old, with lava-tube caves among the longest in the world

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National Park

Hells Gate

One of the few parks in Africa where you may walk or cycle among zebras and giraffes without a vehicle or an armed guard

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National Park

Meru

The setting of the book and film Born Free, about Elsa the lioness, raised and returned to the wild by Joy Adamson

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National Park

Mount Elgon

An extinct volcano with the largest intact caldera in the world; its caves were dug out over generations by elephants seeking salt

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National Park

Nairobi

Kenya's first national park and the only one in the world inside a capital city, with skyscrapers behind the savannah.

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National Reserve

Maasai Mara National Reserve

The Kenyan extension of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, famous for its prides of lions and for the Mara River crossing during the migration.

See park
National Reserve

Samburu

Home of the Samburu Special Five, species of Kenya's arid north that are not found in the Maasai Mara

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National Park

Tsavo

Kenya's largest national park; the setting of the legendary man-eaters of Tsavo in 1898

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National Park

Tsavo East

The eastern half of Kenya's largest protected complex, with the "red elephants" stained by laterite dust.

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National Park

Tsavo West

Crystal-clear springs welling up out of the lava, volcanic cones and the Ngulia black rhino sanctuary.

See park

Diving and snorkelling

Coral reef

Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park

A marine park on the Tanzanian border, with one of the best documented dolphin populations in Kenya.

See dive site
Coral reef

Malindi Marine Park

One of the first marine parks in East Africa (1968), with well-protected coastal coral reefs.

See dive site
Reef/Tidal channel

Watamu Marine Park

One of the oldest marine parks in Africa (1968), with protected seagrass meadows and coral reefs.

See dive site
Reef/Tidal channel

Watamu Turtle Watch

A stretch of coast with a long-running sea turtle rescue and release programme, complementary to the Watamu park.

See dive site

Wildlife you can see now

What is worth looking out for this month in Kenya?

Plains ZebraLeast Concern

Plains Zebra

Equus quagga

Now is a good time: Great Migration: the Mara River crossing (July to October)

Common WildebeestLeast Concern

Common Wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus

Now is a good time: Great Migration: the Mara River crossing (July to October)

Similar countries

Where else might I want to travel?

Sudan

Same region: East Africa and the Horn of Africa

Eritrea

Same region: East Africa and the Horn of Africa

Tanzania

Same region: East Africa and the Horn of Africa

Somalia

Same region: East Africa and the Horn of Africa

Species documented in Kenya

Filter
Class
Family
Habitat
Diet
Conservation

370 species found

Related guides

  • Threatened birds of Kenya9 species
  • Carnivorous mammals in Kenya9 species
  • Fish in Kenya4 species
  • Birds of prey in Kenya4 species

Keep exploring

Based on what we already know about Kenya.

ParkMount KenyaDivingKisite-Mpunguti Marine Park

Explore on the map

Interactive map

This page in other languages: Español · Deutsch · Français · Português · Italiano
Grevy's ZebraEndangered

Grevy's Zebra

Equus grevyi

Spotted Eagle RayEndangered

Spotted Eagle Ray

Aetobatus narinari

African Savanna ElephantEndangered

African Savanna Elephant

Loxodonta africana

Grey Crowned CraneEndangered

Grey Crowned Crane

Balearica regulorum

Masai GiraffeEndangered

Masai Giraffe

Giraffa tippelskirchi

Reticulated GiraffeEndangered

Reticulated Giraffe

Giraffa reticulata

African Wild DogEndangered

African Wild Dog

Lycaon pictus

Giant MantaEndangered

Giant Manta

Mobula birostris

Humphead WrasseEndangered

Humphead Wrasse

Cheilinus undulatus

Killer WhaleEndangered

Killer Whale

Orcinus orca

SecretarybirdEndangered

Secretarybird

Sagittarius serpentarius

Whale SharkEndangered

Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus

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