Kenya’s most iconic safari destination, the Masai Mara unfolds across sweeping short-grass plains that teem with diverse wildlife. Known for its big-maned lions, swift cheetahs, elusive leopards, and over a thousand elephants, “the Mara” is also the stage for the Great Migration, when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebras make their treacherous river crossings, shadowed by predators. The Mara’s 1,500km² expanse is divided by the Mara and Talek rivers into three distinct areas: the Mara Triangle, Musiara, and Sekenani sectors, each offering unique landscapes and sightings. While morning and afternoon game drives allow for in-depth discovery of the sector nearest to your lodge, full-day drives open up the chance to cross into a new area.

Encircling the reserve are private conservancies that are a pioneering model of community-based conservation. Here, Masai communities have converted former livestock lands into wildlife sanctuaries, where tourism coexists with occasional traditional grazing. These conservancies provide a more intimate safari experience, limiting visitor numbers to minimise impact and offering other experiencs, such as bush walks. Free from fences, the Masai Mara and its conservancies support a healthy, balanced ecosystem, where wildlife roams as it has for centuries.

Samburu, a hot and arid region marking the gateway to Kenya’s northern deserts, is home to the Samburu people and an extraordinary array of wildlife. Drawn by the Ewaso Nyiro River, northern Kenya’s largest and most reliable water source, animals and people alike depend on its riverine forests of acacia and doum palms. The landscape is defined by rocky ridges and scrubland, with iconic features like the knife-edged Koitogor and the towering mesa of Ol Olokwe.

This region is a must-visit for its unique wildlife, including the “Samburu Special Five”: Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk, Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, and reticulated giraffe, alongside big cats and a thriving elephant population extensively studied by researchers. The Samburu people, closely related to the Masai, maintain a traditional yet adaptive lifestyle, and visitors have opportunities to connect with local culture through Samburu-run camps, guided tours, and handicraft markets.

Situated between the Great Rift Valley and Mount Kenya, Laikipia’s high plains offer some of Kenya’s most rewarding safari experiences. Often described as Kenya’s Central Highlands, this was once a landscape of large private livestock ranches but Laikipia is now a network of private conservancies dedicated to successfully combining wildlife conservation with low-impact cattle ranching and community-driven initiatives, fostering sustainable tourism and local economic development. It’s also home to roughly half of Kenya’s black rhino population and has become a stronghold for endangered species. Located within Ol Pejeta Conservancy is the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which is a welfare refuge for more than 40 confiscated chimp pets and orphans of the bush meat trade from several central African countries, notably Burundi but as far away as Iraq and the United Arab Emirates. Compass Odyssey travellers can enjoy a ‘Behind the Scenes’ tour of the sanctuary, followed by a visit to the enclosure of the world’s last remaining northern white rhino.

Kenya’s Great Rift Valley is home to dramatic landscapes and a chain of lakes, each a haven for wildlife and scenic beauty. Lake Naivasha, the closest Rift Valley lake to Nairobi, is a freshwater gem set against a backdrop of acacia woodlands and colonial estates. Known for its tranquil waters and high altitude, it’s a perfect stopover for visitors exploring Kenya.

At Lake Naivasha, boat trips are a highlight, where you can glide past hippos, papyrus reeds, and a diverse array of water birds. Guides often attract fish eagles to dive for fish, making for incredible photo opportunities. Night game drives on nearby estates like Loldia Ranch reveal zebra, giraffe, and impala, with occasional sightings of hyena and, if lucky, leopard or aardvark. With a mix of serene natural beauty and wildlife encounters, Lake Naivasha offers a relaxing yet engaging Rift Valley experience.

One of Kenya’s classic national parks, what makes Lake Nakuru so special is the presence of large mammals in a contained area where sightings are as reliable as you could hope for anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa.

Game drives here are very rewarding, with good populations of leopard and black rhino in the park’s woodland while out on the plains south of the lake, the park’s many southern white rhinos are easy to spot along with buffalo and some not-so common species, such as eland and waterbuck along with the rare Rothschild giraffe. Lion are regularly seen and the only notable ‘big’ absentees are elephants and cheetahs.

Lake Nakuru was once famed for the massive flocks of pink flamingos that covered its shallow waters. However, following severe flooding between 2012 and 2014, very few now feed or breed here, as the deeper, less alkaline waters don’t sustain the saline ecosystem they need. Still, visitors will find some flamingos and a wealth of other bird species – more than 400 in total – including pelicans, fish eagles, Verreaux’s eagle, and Narina trogon which can all be potentially spotted on an early morning boat safari.