Today, Kenya is leading the fight against the poaching crisis by pledging to help save more than 100,000 elephants by 2020 in partnership with the Elephant Protection Initiative, an African conservation programme to eradicate the ivory trade and stop the continued slaughter of the continent’s elephants by poachers. In honour of World Elephant Day, we’ve taken a look at some of the best trips you can take to see the Big 5 on safari and also to support conserving these beautiful creatures the world over.
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1. White Water Rafting and an up close encounter with Kenya’s wildlife on the banks of Ewaso N’giro river
One of the world’s best adventure safaris is a rafting expedition along the Ewaso N’giro river where you can see Kenya’s amazing wildlife whilst you navigate the river’s rapids.
The Ewaso N’giro river provides a home to both crocodile and hippo, with the banks attracting plenty of big game; herds of Elephant, antelope, zebra and giraffe are usually seen along the way. Each night camp is made on a sandbank, and rafters sleep under the stars, surrounded by the sounds of the African night. For the real adventure traveler, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Best time to visit: May – December
2. Mount Kenya National Park:
Mount Kenya is an impressive extinct volcano dominating the landscape of the Kenyan Highlands. The mountain has two peaks: Batian (5,200m) and Nelion (5,188m).
These beautiful high altitude plains boast pristine wilderness, lakes, tarns, glaciers, forests, mineral springs and a variety of rare and endangered species of animals; including elephants, black rhinos and over 130 recorded species of birds.
Best time to visit: All year round
3. Sky Diving with a Birdseye view of the Indian Ocean and Kenya’s famous white sands coastline
There are many ways to see Kenya on safari, but how about from 14,000 feet above the ground, falling earthwards at 120 miles per hour? For adrenaline junkies, the Kenyan coast has become the latest hot spot for aerial adventure where the equatorial atmosphere at sea level can give skydivers more than a minute of full freefall over the beautiful blue Indian Ocean, before touching down on pure white sands on one of the world’s best beaches.
Best time to visit: All year round
4. Maasai Mara
The north-east corner of the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya is well-known for their unique approach to wildlife conservation.
The Ol Kinyei Conservancy, and similar conservancies bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve is an alternative approach to wildlife conservation where the land on which the conservancies are located is leased from local communities who directly benefit from its use to naturally host and protect wildlife populations.
The privately owned and managed conservancies also offer employment to members of these communities and further opportunity of training in different areas of expertise from guides and trackers to chefs and camp management.
Strict regulation of visitor numbers and the construction of camps inside the conservancies also limit the amount of people and vehicles present at any given time, offering tourists a much more personal and exclusive experience with wildlife, while at the same time reducing stress on and the disturbance of wildlife populations, which quickly begin to return and repopulate areas and land transformed under the conservancy.
Best time to visit: All year round
5. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
Lewa is an endangered species sanctuary in East Africa and a Unesco World Heritage site, offering stunning wildlife, scenic landscapes and the indigenous Ngare Ndare Forest. Lewa is home to 70 mammals, including the elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, antelope and more. It is also home to both black and white rhino, offering vistors a truly unique safari experience.
Best time to visit: All year round
