Why Go?Kenya is the Africa you always dreamed of: a land of vast sa-vannah, immense herds of wildlife, and peoples with proud traditions rooted in the soil where human beings emerged. The Maasai, the Samburu, the Turkana, the Swahili, the Kikuyu: these are the peoples whose histories and daily struggles tell the story of a country and of a continent – the struggle to maintain traditions as the modern world crowds in, the daily fight for survival, the ancient tension between those who farm and those who roam.

Then, of course, there’s the wildlife. From the Masai Mara to Tsavo, this is a country of vivid experiences – elephant families wallowing in swamps in the shadow of Mt Kiliman-jaro, the massed millions of pink flamingos bathing in lake shallows, the landscape suddenly fallen silent and brought to attention by the arrival of an as-yet-unseen predator. There’s nowhere better than Kenya to answer the call of the wild.

Best of Nature¨¨ Masai Mara National

Reserve (p612)

¨¨ Amboseli National Park (p623)

¨¨ Tsavo West and Tsavo East National Parks (p624)

Best of Culture¨¨ Mombasa (p614)

¨¨ Maasai village stay (p613)

¨¨ Loyangalani (p611)

¨¨ Gede Ruins (p619)

When to Go

Jul–Oct The annual wildebeest migration arrives in the Masai Mara in all its epic glory.

Jan–Feb Hot, dry weather with high concentrations of wildlife in the major parks.

Nov–Mar Migra-tory birds present in their millions throughout the country.

F DNOSAJJMAMJ

Nairobi°C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm

0/32

10/50

20/68

30/86

40/104

0

8/200

12/300

16/400

4/100

Nairobi .......................598Lake Naivasha ........... 607Mt Kenya National Park.............609Loyangalani ................ 611Kisumu ....................... 611Masai Mara National Reserve .......................612Mombasa ....................614Malindi ....................... 618Lamu ..........................620Amboseli National Park ........................... 623Tsavo National Park .. 624Understand Kenya ....626Survival Guide ...........629

KenyaPOP 43 MILLION

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

Kenya

Kenya

Kenya H

iGH

LiGH

TS

596

Taka

ba

El W

ak

Waj

ir

Moy

ale

Hab

asw

ein

Mar

sabi

t

Lais

amis

Buna

Fort

Ban

ya

Loki

chog

gio

Sprin

gsEl

iye

Nor

th H

orr So

uth

Hor

r

Wam

baM

aral

alPars

aloi

Bara

goi

Loko

ri

Kap

edo

Kal

okol

Loru

kum

uLodw

ar

Mor

oto

Sigo

r

Kita

leK

apen

guria

Mba

le

Loki

char

Tot

Libo

i

Mer

u

Mad

o G

ashi

Isio

lo

Nar

oM

oru

Nan

yuki

Loru

k

Mar

igat

Nya

huru

ru

Eldo

ret

Kak

ameg

aIs

eche

no

Mal

aba

Bute

re

Toro

ro Busi

a

Use

nge

Kis

umu

Kab

arne

t

Mal

ka M

ari

Mar

sabi

tN

P

NP

Sibi

loi

NP

NP

Sout

h Is

land

Los

aiN

R

Sout

hT

urka

naN

R

Mar

sabi

tN

R

Rah

ole

NR

Mer

u

NR

NP

Lai

kipi

aN

R

FRKak

ameg

aM

t Ken

ya N

P

Sam

buru

/Buf

falo

Spri

ngs

NR

Shab

a

Mt E

lgon

(432

1m)

(519

9m)

Lak

eTur

kana

Nga

soPl

ain

Sigi

soPl

ain

Gul

fFe

rgus

on's

V a l l e y

R i f t

E T

H I

O P

I A

S U

D A

N

U G

A N

D A

S O M A L I A

Bar

ingo

Lake

Lake

Bog

oria

Loya

nga

lani

Mt

Ken

ya

(Are

a of

Dis

pute

)Ile

mi T

rian

gle

120

mile

s20

0 km

00

Ken

ya

Hig

hlig

hts

1 E

xper

ienc

e th

e sa

vann

ah,

unm

atch

ed w

ildlif

e an

d th

e w

orld

’s m

ost

fasc

inat

ing

traffi

c ja

m in

the

annu

al

wild

ebee

st m

igra

tion

at th

e M

asai

Mar

a N

atio

nal R

eser

ve

(p61

2).

2 E

njoy

the

trem

endo

us h

ikes

an

d ja

gged

pea

ks

that

aw

ait o

n sa

cred

M

t Ken

ya (p

609)

; Ke

nya’

s hi

ghes

t and

Af

rica’

s se

cond

-hi

ghes

t mou

ntai

n.

3 C

heck

out

the

elep

hant

s an

d Ki

liman

jaro

, tw

o of

Ke

nya’

s m

ost f

amou

s pi

ctur

e-po

stca

rd

view

s, fr

om A

mbo

seli

Nat

iona

l Par

k (p

623)

.

4 E

xplo

re th

e ha

rsh

cond

ition

s,

unfo

rget

tabl

e tr

ibes

an

d th

e su

blim

e La

ke T

urka

na, t

he