Four magical views, attractions to put on your bucket list

By Ferdinand Mwongela | 3yrs ago | 5 min read

**Two Elephants and Kilimanjaro mountain.** (Photo/Courtesy)

A lot has been said about Kenya's award winning magical attractions. The spectacle of the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara and the bewitching beaches of Diani are known across the world. And for many Kenyans, a holiday isn't complete without a visit to the Coast, usually Mombasa.

While these are definitely great places to visit, there are a few other sites that would take your breath away.

Trip to the north

A trip to the northern reaches of the country, Marsabit and neighboring areas is fast becoming the next frontier for travel in the country.

This is understandable, this is the latest section of the country to ‘open up’.

Until the noughties, travel past Isiolo was a treacherous affair. Isiolo town was ‘mwisho wa lami’ and the Kenya that many knew.

After Isiolo town, the roads were rugged all weather roads only conquered by lorries, usually laden with livestock on the trip down and supplies on the trip back up.

In the event that you scored a spot in these lorries, the journey would take days, and this was not even the worst part. Insecurity on this road meant that venturing out to the north required armed police escort, with transporters preferring to wait - sometimes for days - in Isiolo town until they had enough trucks to form a decent convoy.

Then the Isiolo-Marsabit-Moyale highway was constructed and everything became a little easier and a little faster. Now, you can easily venture north of Isiolo in a small two-wheel drive car without worrying if your vehicle, or yourself, will get back in one piece.

The attractions of northern Kenya have little to do with wildlife, it is more about the scenery and the feeling of freedom on the open road, snaking across wide expanses of land.

That’s not to say that there are animals to see. The region is home to rare wildlife that are not found in many other parts of Kenya. These include the grevy zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and the Maasai ostrich.

Some of the most obvious attractions in these region include the scenic Mt Ololokwe and Chalbi desert further to the north. If you are up for a game drive, Shaba and Samburu national reserves lie right next to each other on the border of Isiolo and Samburu counties.

Then there is Mt Kulal and Marsabit National Reserve further up in Marsabit.

However, even if you’re not willing to go far off the road, there is a lot to experience.

**Sights and attractions in Northern Kenya.**

Amboseli’s wonder

A lot has been said about the Masai Mara when it comes to wildlife viewing and spectacle, but I think Amboseli should get more attention than it does.

Amboseli’s biggest attractions are its vast herds of elephants and a stunning view of Mt Kilimanjaro just across the border in Tanzania.

Wags have it that while the Tanzania has the mountain, Kenya has the view. If you went online and typed Mt Kilimajaro, more than 90 per cent of the images you get are from the Kenyan side of the border.

When the weather allows, the site of the mountain in the morning is amazing. Amboseli now has a hot air balloon provider and one of the biggest hits of an early morning jump is to see the mountain from the air.

On a recent trip to Amboseli, we went chasing the view in a hot air balloon but despite punching through a layer of clouds hoping for a clear site from above heavy clouds meant we were not lucky. Those who do, however, say it is magical.

Then there are the elephants. Amboseli is easily the home of the Kenyan elephant.

While only about 2,000 of Kenya’s 36,000 elephants are to be found in this ecosystem, this is one of the easiest places to see large herds of jumbos.

The elephants here have also provided us with the world’s most famous tuskers. from Echo the matriarch to Tim the big tusker. The star of the show now is Craig, a massive beast with equally humongous tusks born in 1972.

The elephants here are also the most researched, which has contributed to their fame and the reason many know so much about the jumbos of Amboseli. Thanks to the Amboseli Trust for Elephants.

These factors are also among what led to the first Tembo Naming Festival being held in Amboseli in October this year.

Another plus for Amboseli is accessibility. Good roads and an even terrain mean you do not have to have a beast of a vehicle to get here, although it is recommended. The roads can still do a number on the suspension of the average urban driving car.

Sweet Watamu

Back to the Coast. You can’t really talk about Kenyan travel without looking at the coastal strip. However, let’s look beyond Mombasa and Lamu, both beautiful places.

Mombasa is a quick trip, thanks to accessibility. Watamu, however, needs a little more planning. Accessibly by road from Mombasa or by air through Malindi International Airport, then by road.

The proximity of Watamu and Malindi also means that you can take both destinations at the same time.

The size of this place also means that you have to think about accommodation before you get here. I have on many times just gone to Mombasa without prior planning on accommodation and found a good place without a lot of trouble.

Watamu isn’t as expansive, which means you have to do proper planning beforehand. However, there are quite a few good affordable places, especially if you do not have to stay on the beachfront.

Quite a few hotels here also offer all-inclusive packages, which means that if all you want is a quiet time, you might not even have to get off the lounge chairs overlooking the beach.

Without the buzz of its cousin to the south, Watamu is perfect for a calm weekend.