The Maasai Mara deserves its reputation, but Kenya has a great deal else. Five parks that reward travellers willing to look past the obvious.
The Maasai Mara is genuinely one of the best wildlife destinations on earth, and it is also where almost every first-time visitor goes. If you have a little more time, or you have been before, these five are worth building an itinerary around.
Samburu National Reserve
North of the equator the country turns dry and rocky, and the species change with it. Grevy zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich — the "Samburu Special Five" — occur here and essentially nowhere else in Kenya. The Ewaso Ngiro river draws everything to a narrow green strip, which concentrates the game beautifully.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
A working conservancy on the Laikipia plateau with the highest predator density in Kenya and serious rhino conservation work you can actually see up close. Night drives are permitted here, which they are not in national parks.
Tsavo East and West
Kenya's largest protected area by a wide margin, and startlingly empty of vehicles. The elephants are famously red from dust-bathing in the local soil. Mzima Springs in Tsavo West has an underwater viewing chamber where you can watch hippo from below.
