Parks
Some parks forgive children. Some do not.
The difference is drive times, heat, and whether there is anything to do outside the vehicle.
The good ones
Where families do well
Ol Pejeta
Rhino close to reliably, a chimpanzee sanctuary, short drives, and reachable by road from Nairobi. The best first stop in Kenya with children.
Ol Pejeta guide
Laikipia
High and cool, lower malaria risk than the low parks, riding and walking, and family houses you can take whole. Our usual first suggestion.
Laikipia guide
Lake Nakuru
Small, fenced, two and a half hours from Nairobi. Rhino and giraffe without a long journey. An easy first or last night.
Nakuru guide
Masai Mara
From about eight. The density means something is always happening, which matters far more with children than with adults.
Mara guide
Diani Beach
The other half. Warm shallow water at the right tides, pools, and a low tide that will occupy a six-year-old for two hours.
Diani guide
Nairobi National Park
Twenty minutes from the city, rhino and lion with the skyline behind. A perfect half-day on arrival or before a late flight.
Harder with young children
- Amboseli — dusty and hot in the middle of the day. Fine for two nights with over-eights; hard work with a four-year-old.
- Tsavo — big, thick and lower density. Long drives between sightings test patience.
- Samburu — genuinely hot, and a long way. Wonderful with teenagers; punishing with toddlers.
None of these are impossible. They are just not where we would start.
The shape we suggest most
- One night in Nairobi to absorb the flight
- Two nights at Ol Pejeta — rhino, chimps, short drives
- Three nights in Laikipia or the Mara, depending on age
- Four or five nights at Diani
Ten or eleven nights, two moves, one flight, and it ends in a swimming pool. It is the itinerary families come back happiest from.
More from our Kenya guides
Specialist guides across our Kenya network
Each of these is a focused guide we publish. Same Kenya specialist behind every enquiry.
Ready to turn this into a real itinerary?
Send us your dates, who is travelling and roughly what you want to spend per person per night. Our Kenya specialist comes back within 24 hours with a plan built around them and a costed quote.