Kenya’s tremendous biodiversity includes 25,000 different animal species. In the Maasai Mara, the plains darken during the annual wildebeest migration, with predators in stealthy pursuit.Kenya, in East Africa, is home to some of our planet’s most striking landscapes and wildlife.

Visible from space, the Great Rift Valley runs the length of the country from north to south, its undulating hilly landscape punctuated by the sharp peaks of mountains and shimmering lakes.

Africa’s second-highest mountain – Mount Kenya – is also found here, 150 km north-east of the capital, Nairobi. When not shrouded in mist, this extinct volcano provides a jaw-dropping backdrop to a classic savannah landscape grazed by megafauna.

The ‘big five’ – elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard – can all be found here along with a huge variety of other species, from the well-known (such as giraffe, zebra, African wild dog, and umbrella thorn trees) to many other less familiar but equally remarkable species. It is little wonder, therefore, that Kenya attracts over a million tourists every year – a great many of them heading out on safari.

• Elephant
• Buffalo
• Cheetah
• Leopard
• Lion
• Black Rhinoceros
• White Rhinos
• Wild dogs
• Giraffe
• Hyena
• Jackal
• Antelope
• Warthog
• Wildebeest
• Baboon
• Monkey
• Zebra
• Hippopotamus
• Giraffe
• Grevy’s zebra
• Vervet monkey
• Colobus monkey
• Crocodile
• Impala
• Water bucks
• Topi
• Eland
• Lesser Kudu
• Suni
• Oribi
• Duicker
• Thomas Gazelle
• Serval cat
• Genet cat
• Crocodiles
• Black leopard (A rare black leopard, caught on camera in Laikipia Wilderness Camp, Kenya. The elusive black leopard has been sighted. In Kenya, the vast majority of leopards have a light coat with dark spots. A tiny minority of them have a genetic mutation called melanism that causes them to appear all black in the daylight).

Best time for game viewing in Kenya

Kenya offers quality wildlife viewing throughout the year, but the ultimate time is in the Dry season from June to October. This corresponds with the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara. The exact timing depends on rainfall, but it’s typically in August-September when the wildebeest migration reaches the northern Serengeti, and they begin to cross into the Masai Mara. In October they make their move back into Tanzania. These months are high season for tourism. The parks are much quieter in the low season, and prices are more competitive as well.