Are you planning to visit a country in Africa? Well, finding the best country to spend your seven days or one week in is vital. A place where you will enjoy the diversity of the country. That is the adventures of every kind, from wildlife to beaches. Mountain trekking to unique tribal culture. These are among what you will find in this great country Kenya at the most affordable cost.
Kenya is one of the best countries in Africa as far as tourism is concerned. It is a sector that the country has invested in. In the past two years, Kenya has been receiving over 2 million international visitors due to diversity in tourist attractions.
On my recent trip to Kenya with my family, I really enjoyed it. I never thought that it would be that awesome. I was starting from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where I landed. One of the most secure airports with a great reception from the staff. It was a trip worth it.
In this article, I have compiled for you a seven-day and 14 days itinerary in Kenya. I spent three weeks in the country and got the best exposure.
How do you get to Kenya?
I am from Europe, and I found an excellent deal to land in Kenya. It took me 9 hours only, and I was there. I spent $ 600. If you are from New York, you can travel to Nairobi via Istanbul. You will land at Kenya’s main gateway, which is Jomo Kenyatta International airport which is around 18km from Nairobi’s CBD. On the JKIA, there is a vast of umber to traverse around the town. There are many places you can book to spend your night. Around the country, there are large buses that operate at an affordable rate.
What is the most recommendable time to tour Kenya?
Do you love wildlife? I do, if you too like, then July to October is one of the best periods to go and view wildlife at its best. During this period, the wildebeest are usually at Maasai Mara, where they migrate at the end of October. At this period, there are usually considerable crowds in Kenyas Parks. Also, it’s a peak season meaning that prices are a bit high.
If you are considering your budget, November to February is one of the best times to visit Kenya. During this time, you do not see vast animals, but you will enjoy many other physical features in the country.
Kenya Itinerary: a guide for seven days in Kenya
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Days 1-2: Nairobi
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Days 3-4: Maasai Mara national reserve
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Days 5-6 Mombasa
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Days 7- Fly home
Kenya Itinerary: a guide for two weeks
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Days 1-4 Nairobi
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Days 5-6 Nakuru
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Days 7-8 Maasai Mara National reserve
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Day 9-13 Mombasa
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Day 14- Fly Home
Things to see and enjoy in Kenya
1. Nairobi City
Your first destination will be Nairobi. It is the capital city of Kenya and has vast tourist attractions. When I arrived, I couldn’t afford to skip Nairobi since I had researched various places to enjoy there. I boarded a taxi to Karen, where I had booked for a night. There are other places that you can consider to book to spend your night at Nairobi, such as Langata Nairobi National Park, among others. In Nairobi, these are places you can consider visiting. You can consider touring Nairobi with a taxi for as low as $30.
Giraffe Centre
Do you love giraffes? Would you like to get a cross-view? Then this is the first place to land. I love giraffes, and I had to explore for myself. I had an opportunity to hand-feed and kiss them. An experience I will never forget. There are a lot more we enjoyed for only $15 per person.
Bomas of Kenya
Love to learn the culture of the country? Bomas of Kenya is a one-stop open-air museum that you need to consider. There are recreated traditional villages with homesteads that reflect the country’s ethnic groups. There are always traditional dances which are performed on a daily basis.
Nairobi National park
If you had chosen a different hotel apart from national park as we did. You only need to book a 1-day tour that includes pickup from your hotel. The national park is one of Kenya’s oldest national parks. It is the home to the big five. We had a great experience here and got vast knowledge from the guide. We saw rhinos, lions, ostriches, buffalo, wildebeest, among others. This was one of the areas that I personally enjoyed.
Karura Forest
Karura forest is one of the most extensive forests around the globe. It will give you an opportunity to enjoy a leafy green respite from the hustle. You also enjoy the serenity of nature in a quiet environment. The forest is secure and marks one of the best places for hiking.
Nairobi National Museum
Want to know the history of Kenya? Then this is the place to traverse. Nairobi National Museum has located 2km from the city. It is surrounded by shady trees and sculptures. It contains the history of various ethnic groups in the country. It contains over 1000 stuffed birds and mammals. You only need to pay $15 and get access to the snake park, where you will also see crocodiles, tortoises, and snakes. The museum is one of the largest in East Africa.
Others
There are a lot more places to consider visiting that as Kenyatta international conference center, Kibera Slum, the hub Karen, the village market, among others.
- Nakuru
After traversing Nairobi city, is now time to head to Nakuru city, 167km from Nairobi. There are vast of luxurious hotels in Nakuru you can book to stay during the visit. For us, we choose Sarova Lion hill game lodge. It is surrounded by savanna and wildlife. These hotels provide you transport to the designated tourist site. In Nakuru, you enjoy;
Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru is widely known due to its high concentration of flamingos. It has more than 400 species that you can enjoy viewing. There are also pretty of monkeys, rhinos, zebras, hippos, buffaloes, giraffes, among others. We enjoyed the view of the lake for one day before heading to Menengai crater.
Menengai crater
Menengai is one of the largest volcanic craters in the whole world. It has a beautiful environment, calm and excellent welcome by friendly Kenya wildlife security. The local community always minds their own business when you have a guide through the forest. You can easily spend a whole day watching the geothermal rigs, which most people do.
Maasai Mara
Maasai Mara is located a few kilometers from Narok town in the Rift valley. It is one of the best wildlife-rich national parks in Africa. In addition to the big five, you will encounter antelopes, giraffes, and also hyenas. In the month of July to August, there is what is known as the significant migration. During this season, over 2,000,000 wildebeests migrate from Serengeti national park in Tanzania To Maasai Mara. This makes the reserve have a considerable number of tourists. Near the reserve, there are vast of the hotel to consider bookings. For us, we had a fantastic package from bountiful safaris, where our transport, touring, and meals were sorted.
Hell’s Gate National Park
Do you love hiking as I do? If so, these great national park is one to consider. Here we had to hire some bikes to move around the park. During the ride, I encountered giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, buffalo, among others. It is one of the perfect places for hiking. I am always looking for an opportunity to go back to Kenya and have such an excellent and enjoyable hike as I did.
Lake Naivasha
This is the home to many crocodiles, bird species, osprey, hippos, etc. it’s a freshwater lake located close to the hells gate national park. It’s a place you can visit in one day when you are at Naivasha. We also had a great experience here.
- Coastal regions
From Nakuru, now we had to the great coastal region of Kenya. The most popular is Mombasa city. Most people always choose to spend their last days here. The coast is well known as a place for relaxing and enjoying the environment on the beaches. I will highlight some of the critical areas that you can consider visiting on your itinerary irrespective of the days you are visiting Kenya.
Lamu
When you get here, you will think you are in a different country than you were in before. It’s an island that can make you feel like you are in first world-class. In Lamu, you get perfect Swahili culture. It has much fun that we had to stay here for three good days. The visit to this island is worth it. There are a vast number of hotels where you can spend a night, and there are also affordable means of transport from taxi to public transport.
Fort Jesus Museum
This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Mombasa. You can’t say you visited Kenya without visiting this monumental piece of architecture that has existed since the 16th century. It has a museum that displays various artifacts whereby Mombasa served as a slave trade Centre. This was during the colonial era.
Diani Beach
In the coastal region, Diani beach is one of the most amazing places to relax and at the same time enjoy. There are beautiful clean beaches. The water there is clear, and there are vast sea creatures to observe. You also get a chance to swim with dolphins which you will never forget when you go back home. You can choose a day tour safari from the vast of safaris available in Mombasa.
Mombasa Marine National Park
Have you ever seen clear blue waters with sea creatures? This is the place to enjoy all these. Here you get a great experience from the marine tour where there are a good number of employees to help you out. There are a good number of fish species that you can enjoy seeing. Consider this national park when you travel to Mombasa, and you will never regret visiting Kenya.
Nyali beach
This is one of the quietest places to consider visiting in Mombasa. It is a great place to relax off your mind after a long day at Marine National Park or around the country. The beach has white powdered sand, and it’s close to the shopping malls. If you enjoy swimming while drinking a cup of juice, then you need not look for another beach. There are also professionals in this region to guide you through.
Other places to consider
Mombasa has vast of places that we can highlight for a couple of days they includes;
Madaraka express, Lunatic Line, Haller Park, Mombasa tasks, Old town. Bike the coast, Bombolu workshops, Bamburi beach, Nyali Cinemax, among others.
Final thought
Kenya is one of the most significant countries that you can consider for a visit. With the above places, I can tell from experience that you will always have a feeling to visit again. Life there is so cheap, and there are vast of welcoming locals who sincerely love visitors.
Their cultural outfit is also affordable, thereby making you look like one of them. Before visiting, you can book one of the best packages from various tours and travel companies in the country. Do not be worried about your safety since most safaris are accompanied by a guard. In every national park, there are security guards all over who will always ensure you are in safe hands.
We traveled to Kenya for days, and I can tell from experience that even your 1-year-old will be in safe hands. The only thing you need to consider checking is your hygiene and what you purchase from the locals. Always consider washing every fruit you purchase. This will help to avoid contaminating the disease. There are also claims of crime rate, which I can tell when you go to the ground security is tight.