Boutique hotels in Kenya

The word safari comes from Swahili, and Kenya is where the modern safari was born. Its best small camps and lodges are run by families and conservationists who have spent generations in the bush, and many sit in private conservancies created together with Maasai and Samburu communities, where fewer vehicles and walking safaris make the experience more intimate.

Safari country

The Maasai Mara is the most famous reserve, with the Great Migration from July to October and big cats all year. Amboseli faces Kilimanjaro and is known for its elephants, while the Chyulu Hills and Tsavo are wilder and less visited. North of Mount Kenya, Laikipia, Lewa and Ol Pejeta pioneered rhino conservation, and the arid Samburu reserves host species found nowhere further south.

The coast

The Indian Ocean coast mixes white beaches with Swahili history. Lamu is a car-free island town of carved doors and dhows, Diani and Watamu have reefs and long beaches, and Malindi, Kilifi and Mombasa add Arab and Portuguese heritage.

Highlands and lakes

Nairobi is the gateway, with a national park on the city's edge. The Rift Valley lakes – Naivasha and Nakuru – are home to hippos, rhinos and flamingos, and far to the north, Lake Turkana is one of Africa's most remote landscapes.

When to go

The long dry season from late June to October is peak safari time; January and February are also dry and less busy. The long rains fall in April and May, when some camps close.