Wanyama
Wanyama means animals.
Where to see Kenya's wildlife
Animal by animal: the best parks, the best months and how our guides find them.
Animal by animal
Where to see the Big Five in KenyaLion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, and the places where all five share the same ground.- Where to see lions in KenyaThe Mara's great prides, Tsavo's maneless males and lions with Nairobi's skyline behind them.
Where to see leopards in KenyaThe most secretive of the big cats, and the rivers, trees and night drives that bring it into view.
Where to see cheetahs in KenyaThe daytime hunter of the open plains, and how to watch a chase without spoiling it.
Where to see elephants in KenyaBig families under Kilimanjaro, red giants in Tsavo and herds on the river in Samburu.
Where to see rhinos in KenyaBlack and white rhinos, the sanctuaries that guard them and the rules that keep them safe.
Where to see giraffes in KenyaThree kinds of giraffe in one country, and where to find each one.
Where to see zebras in KenyaPlains zebras by the thousand in the Mara, and the rare Grevy's zebra of the north.
Where to see hippos and crocodiles in KenyaRiver pools, lake boats and an underwater window at Mzima Springs.
Where to see African wild dogs in KenyaKenya's rarest big predator, and the high plateau where packs still run free.
Where to see flamingos in KenyaPink shorelines on the Rift Valley soda lakes, and why the flocks keep moving.
Birdwatching in Kenya: where to go and whenMore than 1,100 species, from rainforest turacos to desert larks.
Chimpanzees in Kenya: the Sweetwaters sanctuary at Ol PejetaChimps are not native to Kenya. These ones were rescued, and this is their home for life.
Where to see sea turtles in KenyaNesting beaches, coral reefs and the Watamu community that protects them.
Whale watching in Kenya: humpbacks and whale sharksHumpbacks in the middle of the year, whale sharks around the turn of it.
Cape buffalo in KenyaThe easiest of the Big Five to see from a vehicle, and the one our walking guides respect most.
Hyenas in KenyaThe Mara's most numerous big predator, run by females, and a far better hunter than its reputation.
Crocodiles in KenyaAt the Mara River crossings everyone watches the herds. The crocodiles were there first.
Monkeys and primates of KenyaBaboons on the road, vervets at breakfast, colobus in the coast forest and bushbabies at your lodge after dark.
Antelopes of Kenya: a field guideFrom a dik-dik the size of a hare to an eland the weight of a small car, and how to tell them apart.
The Samburu Special FiveFive animals you will not see in the Mara, and the dry red country along the Ewaso Ng'iro where they live.
Wildebeest: the animal behind the Great MigrationThe bearded, grunting, rocking-horse antelope that more than a million others follow across two countries.
Warthogs in KenyaKneeling at breakfast on the lodge lawn, tails up like radio aerials when they run.
Impala: the antelope you will see every dayThe most common antelope on a Kenyan safari, and the most underrated.
Eland: the largest antelopeAn antelope the size of an ox that can clear a fence from a standstill.
Beisa oryx in KenyaThe antelope that stands out in the noon sun when everything else has gone to the shade.- Gerenuk in KenyaA gazelle with a giraffe's ambitions, browsing upright on its hind legs in the thorn bush.
Topi and hartebeest in KenyaThe antelopes standing on the termite mounds, watching the plain so the rest of it can graze.
Mountain bongo in KenyaA striped chestnut antelope that lives only in a few Kenyan mountain forests, and the people working to bring it back.
Sable and roan antelope in KenyaTwo big, scimitar-horned antelopes, each holding on in a single Kenyan park at opposite ends of the country.
Serval and caracal in KenyaThe cats most visitors miss: one hunting by ear in the tall grass, the other a ghost of the dry country.- Jackals in KenyaSmall, quick and always in pairs, trotting across the plain at dawn as if they have somewhere to be.
- Bat-eared fox in KenyaA small fox with enormous ears, listening for termites under the Mara grass at dusk.
Honey badger in KenyaSmall, low and afraid of almost nothing, including lions, cobras and your camp's kitchen bins.
Aardvark and pangolin in KenyaTheir burrows and tracks are everywhere. The animals themselves are among the rarest sightings in Kenya.
Ostriches in KenyaTwo species, one on each side of the country, and a courtship dance you can watch from the vehicle.- Secretary bird in KenyaAn eagle on stilts that walks the grassland and kills with its feet.
- Vultures in KenyaThe birds that keep the savanna clean, and why a kill without them now worries our guides.
African fish eagle in KenyaThe call that carries across every Rift Valley lake at dawn.- Kingfishers and bee-eaters in KenyaThe jewels of every game drive, and the birds that come back to the same perch for your camera.
Hornbills in KenyaFrom a turkey-sized bird that booms at dawn to the cheeky ones at your breakfast table.- Pelicans and storks in KenyaPelicans fishing as a team, storks stalking the swamps and the marabous of downtown Nairobi.
Colobus monkeys in KenyaBlack-and-white monkeys with no thumbs, a leaf diet and their own bridges over the Diani road.
Bushbabies in KenyaHuge eyes in the torchlight and a cry like a baby: the primate that visits your lodge after dinner.
Marine life on the Kenyan coastThe reef starts a few meters from the beach. Here is who lives on it, and the one animal we cannot promise.
Chameleons, lizards and tortoises of KenyaThree-horned chameleons, push-up lizards and tortoises on the park roads: the small reptiles worth stopping for.
Snakes in Kenya: the risk, honestly, and what to doYou will probably not see one. Here is what to know if you do, and why the odds are so firmly on your side.
Butterflies of KenyaA forest track in Kakamega after rain, and a puddle that lifts into the air in a hundred colors as you walk past.- Baby animals on safari: when Kenya's wildlife gives birthA wildebeest calf runs within minutes of birth. A lion cub takes two years to learn the job. Here is when to see both.
Dolphins and whales on the Kenyan coastDolphins on most mornings at Kisite, spinner pods off Watamu, and humpbacks blowing on the horizon in the middle of the year.
Night safaris in KenyaHalf of Kenya's wildlife works the night shift. Here is where you are allowed to go and watch.- Kenya's endangered species and where your visit helps themTwo northern white rhinos, 179 mountain bongo, 245 hirola: the numbers, where to see them, and what a visitor can actually do.
Three wildlife circuits
- The Big FiveLion, leopard, elephant and buffalo in the Maasai Mara; rhino in Laikipia, at Ol Pejeta and Lewa, and at Lake Nakuru. Pair the two for the full set.
- The Special FiveGrevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich and gerenuk live in the dry north, in Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba.
- Lakes and oceanFlamingos on the Rift Valley soda lakes, hippos at Naivasha, nesting turtles at Watamu, and humpback whales off the coast in the middle of the year.
No guide can promise a sighting. A good one makes it likely.
We plan the parks, the season and the hours of the day around the animals you most want to see, with experienced Kenyan guides who know where to look.
Plan a safariCommon questions
Where can I see the Big Five in Kenya?
The Maasai Mara has lions, leopards, elephants and buffalo, but rhinos are rare there. Ol Pejeta and Lewa in Laikipia hold all five, so pairing the Mara with Laikipia gives the best chance of the full set.
What are the Samburu Special Five?
Grevy's zebra, the reticulated giraffe, the Beisa oryx, the Somali ostrich and the gerenuk, all found in Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba reserves and not in the Mara.
What is the best time to see wildlife in Kenya?
The dry seasons, roughly January to March and June to October, when animals gather around water. The green seasons bring newborns, migrant birds and lower prices.
Can a guide guarantee sightings?
No. Wild animals move as they please. A good guide, enough time in the right park and the right season make sightings very likely.