Must-see attractions in East Africa

  • Katavi National Park, Tanzania
Lioness (Panthera leo) resting chin on cub's back - stock photo

    Katavi National Park

    Western Tanzania

    Katavi National Park, 35km southwest of Mpanda, is Tanzania’s third-largest national park (together with two contiguous game reserves the conservation…

  • Blue Wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus in Serengeti.

    Serengeti National Park

    Northern Tanzania

    Few people forget their first encounter with the Serengeti. Perhaps it's the view from the summit of Naabi Hill at the park's entrance, from where the…

  • Mt. Kilimanjaro from Amboseli National Park.

    Mt Kilimanjaro National Park

    Northern Tanzania

    Since its official opening in 1977, Mt Kilimanjaro National Park has become one of Tanzania’s most visited parks. Unlike the other northern parks, this…

  • Chimpanzee, Mahale Mountains, Tanzania.
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    Mahale Mountains National Park

    Western Tanzania

    It’s difficult to imagine a more idyllic combination: clear, blue waters and white-sand beaches backed by lushly forested mountains soaring straight out…

  • Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, mountain gorilla

    Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

    Southwestern Uganda

    Home to almost half the world’s surviving mountain gorillas, the World Heritage–listed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of East Africa’s most…

  • Tarangire National Park

    Northern Tanzania

    Welcome to one of Africa's most underrated parks. Thanks to its proximity to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, Tarangire is usually assigned only a day visit…

  • A car stopped on an african road in the amboseli park under mount Kilimanjaro while a giraffe is crossing the road

    Amboseli National Park

    Kenya

    Amboseli belongs in the elite of Kenya’s national parks, and it’s easy to see why. Its signature attraction is the sight of hundreds of big-tusked…

  • Common Chimpanzee - Scientific name - Pan troglodytes schweinfurtii portrait at Kibale Forest National Park, Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda, Africa
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    Gombe National Park

    Western Tanzania

    With an area of only 56 sq km, this is Tanzania’s smallest national park, but its famous primate inhabitants and its connection to Jane Goodall have given…

  • The Ngorongoro Conservation area in Tanzania.
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    Ngorongoro Conservation Area

    Northern Tanzania

    This astounding conservation area and Unesco World Heritage Site encompasses the Ngorongoro Crater, Oldupai Gorge and much of the Crater Highlands. It can…

  • Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania - January 1, 2007: A group of tourists is hiking down from the  top of Ol Doinyo Lengai into the green Rift Valley, in the background the Escarpment of the Rift Valley is visible. In the foreground there is some volcanic smoke coming out of a crack.

    Ol Doinyo Lengai

    Northern Tanzania

    The northernmost (and youngest) volcano in the Crater Highlands, Ol Doinyo Lengai (2878m), ‘Mountain of God’ in the Maasai language, is an almost perfect…

  • Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Kenya.

    Fort Jesus

    Mombasa

    This 16th-century fort and Unesco World Heritage treasure is Mombasa’s most visited site. The metre-thick walls, frescoed interiors, traces of European…

  • Locals and tourists enjoying the Sheldrick Trust Elephant Orphans Project on a cloudy day in Nairobi, Kenya.

    David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

    Nairobi

    Occupying a plot within Nairobi National Park, this nonprofit trust was established in 1977, shortly after the death of David Sheldrick, who served as the…

  • Zebras in a field at Nairobi National Park with Nairobi city in the background.

    Nairobi National Park

    Nairobi

    Welcome to Kenya’s most accessible yet incongruous safari experience. Set on the city’s southern outskirts, Nairobi National Park (at 117 sq km, one of…

  • Entrance of Nairobi National Museum.

    National Museum

    Nairobi

    Kenya’s wonderful National Museum, housed in an imposing building amid lush, leafy grounds just outside the centre, has a good range of cultural and…

  • Visitors at the Kigali Genocide Memorial.

    Kigali Genocide Memorial

    Kigali

    In the span of 100 days, an estimated one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were systematically butchered by the Interahamwe army. This memorial honours…

  • A Masai Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchii aka Kilimanjaro giraffe) and her calf in Nairobi National Park with the city in the background.
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    Giraffe Centre

    Nairobi

    This centre, which protects the highly endangered Rothschild’s giraffe, combines serious conservation with enjoyable activities. You can observe, hand…

  • Empakaai Crater in Tanzania, Africa.

    Empakaai Crater

    Northern Tanzania

    Lake-filled Empakaai Crater, 23km northeast of Olmoti Crater, may not be as famous as Ngorongoro, but many travellers consider it to be its match in…

  • The Lamu Museum in Lamu, Kenya.

    Lamu Museum

    Lamu Island

    The best museum in town (and the second best in Kenya) is housed in a grand Swahili warehouse on the waterfront. This is as good a gateway as you’ll get…

  • Misali Island, Tanzania.

    Misali Island

    Pemba

    Surrounded by crystal waters and stunning coral reefs, Misali offers some of the best diving in East Africa, while snorkelling is spectacular and easily…

  • Galana River, Tsavo East National Park, Kenya.

    Galana River

    Kenya

    Running through the heart of the park and marking the northernmost point in the park that most visitors are allowed to visit, the Galana River, which…

  • Waters of Murchison Falls.

    Top of the Falls

    Uganda

    Once described as the most spectacular thing to happen to the Nile along its 6700km length, the 50m wide Victoria Nile is squeezed here through a 6m gap…

  • A female mountain gorilla with her young baby in Volcanoes National Park in the Virunga Mountains.

    Volcanoes National Park

    Rwanda

    Volcanoes National Park, which runs along the border with the DRC and Uganda, is home to the Rwandan section of the Virungas. Comprising five volcanoes,…

  • Wild Eastern Black-and-white Colobus in Nyungwe National Park.

    Nyungwe Forest National Park

    Rwanda

    Nyungwe Forest National Park is Rwanda’s most important area of biodiversity and has been rated the highest priority for forest conservation in Africa…

  • Mzima Springs, Tsavo West National Park, Kenya.

    Mzima Springs

    Tsavo West National Park

    Mzima Springs is an oasis of green in the west of the park that produces an incredible 250 million litres of fresh water a day. The springs, whose source…

  • Landscape in Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary in Kenya.

    Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary

    Tsavo West National Park

    At the base of Ngulia Hills, this 90-sq-km area is surrounded by a 1m-high electric fence and provides a measure of security for around 80 of the park's…

  • Wild zebras in Tsavo West National Park, Kenya.

    Tsavo West National Park

    Kenya

    Welcome to the wilderness. Tsavo West is one of Kenya’s larger national parks (9065 sq km), covering a huge variety of landscapes from swamps, natural…

  • Treetop walkway in Lake Manyara National Park.

    Lake Manyara Treetop Walkway

    Lake Manyara National Park

    Enjoy a guided bird's-eye view of Manyara on Tanzania's first treetop walkway (370m). It begins at ground level and climbs gently into the canopy,…

  • The Karen Blixen house

    Karen Blixen's House & Museum

    Nairobi

    If you loved Out of Africa, you'll love this museum in the farmhouse where author Karen Blixen lived between 1914 and 1931. She left after a series of…

  • Wasini Island and Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park, Kenya.

    Kisite Marine National Park

    Wasini Island

    Off the south coast of Wasini, this gorgeous marine park, which also incorporates the Mpunguti Marine National Reserve and the two tiny Penguti islands,…

  • Elephants in Tsavo East National Park in Kenya.

    Tsavo East National Park

    Kenya

    Kenya’s largest national park, Tsavo East has an undeniable wild and primordial charm and is a terrific wildlife-watching destination. Although one of…

  • A bench with a view in Shimba Hills National Reserve, Kenya.

    Shimba Hills National Reserve

    South Coast

    This park is among the easiest to visit in Kenya, within spitting distance of Diani Beach, with numerous driving routes and a couple of hiking trails. Its…

  • Shela beach in Lamu, Kenya.

    Shela Beach

    Lamu Island

    Most people are here for the beach – a 12km-long, wide sweep of pristine white sand where you’re guaranteed an isolated spot (at least if you’re…

  • Igongo Cultural Centre

    Southwestern Uganda

    Located 12km from Mbarara on the road to Kampala, this cultural village features the best museum displays in Uganda. Set on the grounds of a former palace…

  • Kanderi Swamp

    Kenya

    Around 10km from Voi Gate, the lovely area of green known as Kanderi Swamp is home to a resident pride of lions, and elephants also congregate near here;…

  • Ngulia Hills

    Tsavo West National Park

    Rising more than 600m above the valley floor and to a height of over 1800m above sea level, this jagged ridgeline ranks among the prettiest of all Tsavo…

  • Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary

    South Coast

    This sanctuary is a good example of community-based conservation, with local people acting as stakeholders in the project. It was opened in October 1995…

  • Lumo Community Wildlife Sanctuary

    Kenya

    The innovative community-run Lumo Community Wildlife Sanctuary covers 657 sq km and was formed from three community-owned ranches in 1996, but only opened…

  • Karunguru Coffee Estate

    Kenya

    This estate has been cultivating coffee since 1928, and its five-hour tours (which must be pre-booked) are outstanding, taking in an explanation of the…

  • Kaya Kinondo

    Diani Beach

    This forest, sacred to the Digo people, is the only one of the area's sacred forests that's open to visitors. Visiting this small grove is a nature walk,…

  • Ethnographic Museum

    Rwanda

    This outstanding museum was given to the city as a gift from Belgium in 1989 to commemorate 25 years of independence. While the building itself is…