Kenya fam trips for travel agents and hosts

Kenya has two dry seasons and two rainy seasons. The pattern below is general; it varies by region and from year to year.

Many hosts run fams in the shoulder months either side of the long rains, when rooms are available and the product still shows well.

Key parks, reserves, cities and coastlines in Kenya, with when to go and how guests usually get there. Each links to Google Maps.

Game reserve

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Narok County, south-west Kenya, Kenya

Kenya’s best-known safari area, a national reserve run by Narok County rather than Kenya Wildlife Service, on the Tanzanian border where it meets the Serengeti. Private conservancies on its boundaries lease land from Maasai landowners and charge their own conservation fees, which are usually built into camp rates.

Best months

July to October for the wildebeest herds, which vary in timing from year to year

Getting there

Scheduled light aircraft from Nairobi Wilson to the reserve and conservancy airstrips

Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Daniel Case, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

National park

Amboseli National Park

Kajiado County, southern Kenya, Kenya

A Kenya Wildlife Service park on the Tanzanian border, known for close views of large elephant herds with Mount Kilimanjaro as the backdrop. Its open plains, acacia woodland and swamps also make it one of Kenya’s Important Bird Areas.

Getting there

Light aircraft to the park’s Kimana airstrip, or by road from Nairobi via Emali

Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Ninaras, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Game reserve

Samburu National Reserve

Samburu County, northern Kenya, Kenya

A county-run reserve along the Ewaso Ng’iro river in Kenya’s dry north, where game drives look for northern species such as Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, beisa oryx and Somali ostrich that are rarely seen in the southern parks.

Getting there

Scheduled light aircraft from Nairobi Wilson, often combined with Laikipia

Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Panegyrics of Granovetter, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Conservancy

Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Laikipia County, near Nanyuki, Kenya

A not-for-profit wildlife conservancy on the Laikipia plateau that protects black and southern white rhinos, the last two northern white rhinos and a sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees. It runs its own game drives and behind-the-scenes visits alongside the lodges and camps on the property.

Getting there

By road via Nanyuki

Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Ray in Manila, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

National park

Lake Nakuru National Park

Nakuru County, Rift Valley, Kenya

A 188 km² Kenya Wildlife Service park around a Rift Valley soda lake, run as a sanctuary for both black and white rhinos and known for flamingos and other waterbirds.

Getting there

By road, 156 km north-west of Nairobi on the A104; the main gate is 4 km from Nakuru city

Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Syllabub, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

City

Nairobi

Nairobi County, Kenya

Kenya’s capital and the starting point for most safaris: international flights land at Jomo Kenyatta International, while Wilson Airport handles the scheduled light aircraft to the parks and reserves. Nairobi National Park lies on the city’s southern edge.

Getting there

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO)

Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Lmwangi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Heritage site

Lamu Old Town

Lamu County, north coast, Kenya

A UNESCO World Heritage Site on Lamu Island that UNESCO describes as the oldest and best-preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, built in coral stone and mangrove timber, with inner courtyards, verandas and carved wooden doors.

Getting there

Flights to Manda airstrip, then a short boat crossing to Lamu

Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Bukhit2022, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Coast

Diani Beach

Kwale County, south coast, Kenya

A long white-sand beach on the Indian Ocean south of Mombasa, lined with hotels and villas and used for beach stays after a safari.

Getting there

Scheduled flights from Nairobi Wilson to Ukunda airstrip, or by road from Moi International Airport, Mombasa

Open in Google Maps ↗

Photo: Bingar1234, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

International flights arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. Most safari routings then use scheduled light aircraft from Nairobi's Wilson Airport to airstrips in the Maasai Mara, Laikipia, Samburu and Amboseli, with flights between airstrips linking areas without returning to Nairobi.

• Maasai Mara: the reserve and the private conservancies bordering it.
• Laikipia: private ranches and conservancies north of Mount Kenya.
• Samburu and the north: dry-country reserves with species found mainly north of the equator.
• Amboseli: elephants with Kilimanjaro on the horizon, close to the Tanzanian border.
• The coast: Diani, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu, reached by domestic flights.

Road transfers are possible but long; a fam that drives between areas loses a day each time. Kenya is often combined with northern Tanzania on longer itineraries.

Kenya Wildlife Service sets fees for the national parks, such as Amboseli, Tsavo and Nairobi National Park. The Maasai Mara National Reserve is run by Narok County, which sets its own fees. Private conservancies charge their own conservation fees, which are usually built into camp rates and fund leases paid to the landowning communities.

Fees change, sometimes at short notice, so hosts should confirm current rates with the authority or the camp before budgeting a fam.

Kenya introduced an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) in January 2024, which most visitors apply for online before travel. The rules for some nationalities have changed since it was introduced, so each agent should check the current requirement for their passport on the official Kenya eTA website, and see a travel health clinic about vaccinations.

• Accommodation, meals and activities on the itinerary.
• Light-aircraft flights between Nairobi and the camps, and between airstrips.
• Reserve, park and conservancy fees.
• Game drives, guides and road transfers.

International flights, the eTA, insurance and personal extras are usually the agent's to arrange unless the invitation says otherwise.