Is Kenya safe for a safari? Practical advice on parks, Nairobi, wildlife, health, road travel and choosing a licensed operator. Check your government's travel advice.
Kenya's main safari areas, including the Masai Mara, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Naivasha, Samburu and Tsavo, receive large numbers of international visitors every year, and organised safaris with a licensed operator are a well-established way to visit. Follow your guide's wildlife rules, take normal city precautions in Nairobi and Mombasa, and check your government's current travel advice before booking.
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Stay in the vehicle unless your guide says otherwise, keep arms inside near animals, and never walk around camp alone at night. Ask staff to escort you. Follow speed limits and park rules.
Use registered taxis, ride-hailing apps or your operator's transfers, keep phones and valuables out of sight on the street, and avoid walking alone at night. Hotels and tour transfers make this easy.
Talk to a travel clinic about malaria prevention and vaccines, use insect repellent, drink bottled or filtered water, and get travel insurance that covers medical evacuation.
Book with a company licensed by Kenya's Tourism Regulatory Authority, ideally a member of a body such as KATO. Check that vehicles are insured and guides are experienced. Read how to choose a tour company.
Many solo travellers visit Kenya on organised safaris. Join a group departure, use trusted transfers and follow local advice. See our solo safari tips.
The 3-day Masai Mara group joining safari is the most affordable way to see the Mara: you share a pop-up roof vehicle with up to 6 other travellers, leave Nairobi daily, stay two nights in a budget tented camp and get a full day of game driving in search of the Big Five.
A Nairobi National Park half-day tour is a 5-hour guided game drive in the only national park inside a capital city, 7 km from Nairobi CBD.
The 7-day Kenya budget safari is a complete first-timer's circuit from Nairobi: two nights in the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru's rhinos, a Lake Naivasha boat ride and two nights in Amboseli, staying in budget camps with all meals included.
Written by the Seemore Tours & Travels team in Nairobi. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will update it.
