Bird-watching sanctuaries can be found near the major parks and even within the parks themselves. Tour guides offer ready alternatives for bird lovers. Boating is also readily available at most of the major lakes. Sailing, scuba diving and snorkeling can be arranged at affordable prices at the coast, and hotels readily have the latest information. Kenya has many country clubs, especially around Nairobi, that offer any golf lover several options on where to play.
Beaches
Most beaches—apart from the public facilities on the North Coast—are unspoiled, clean and uncrowded, especially in smaller coastal towns such as Lamu, Watamu Kilifi and Malindi. Though there might be more people during the Christmas holidays or at the height of the tourist season, the crowds are not unbearable.
Shopping
With so much of Kenya's economy dependent on tourism, you'll have more than ample opportunity to shop for souvenirs. Every town you pass through will have a curio shop or market, and for the most part, they offer the same type of mass-produced crafts. Try to find cooperatives, where the artisans work on-site—ask if you can watch them work.
Shop for local handicrafts and art, including wood carvings of animals and people, sisal baskets, Masai and Kikuyu beadwork, handwoven kanga (sarong) fabric, Kisii soapstone, intricately carved gourds, ebony carvings, batik wall hangings, antiques (notably Arabic pieces), blue tanzanite or green tsavorite gemstones, and malachite.
If you see something you just can't live without, buy it right away. But you may want to wait until later in your trip to start shopping. That way you don't have to carry your purchases everywhere. Bargaining is the rule, though high-end stores and gift shops in Nairobi and at camps and lodges will have set prices. A good rule of thumb: Start your negotiations at a quarter of the asking price and then work up from there. (Remember that whatever price you pay, it will be considerably less than what you'd pay at home.)
We found Nairobi to have a great selection of handicrafts from all over Africa—on our first trip, we passed up some items, thinking we would find them cheaper in their country of origin, but when we got to the other countries, we couldn't find anything of similar quality because all the good stuff had been sent to Nairobi. The cheapest place to go is the Nairobi City Market. There you will find a full range of African curios, though you will need to inspect them carefully for quality. The coast also offers interesting shopping in coastal artifacts and handicrafts. You can buy old mahogany doors, chests of all sizes, and furniture of Arabian and Persian origins in Lamu.
Note: Don't plan on having souvenirs shipped home. We've spoken with several people who never received their packages. Shipping problems are probably less likely if you buy from the better galleries, but make sure they use a reputable shipping company.
Shopping Hours: Generally Monday-Saturday 8:30 am-12:30 pm and 2-4:30 pm.
Local Tours
Safaris and game tours are the most common tours in Kenya. Reputable tour companies include: Abercrombie and Kent (phone 695-0002; http://www.abercrombiekent.com), Going Places (phone 444-2321; http://www.goingplaceskenya.com), Rhino Safaris (phone 272-0610 or 272-0611), Tour Africa Safaris (phone 272-9333 or 272-9394), Let's Go Travel (phone 444-1891) and Express Travel (phone 273-4968; http://www.etg-safaris.com).
Day By Day
First-time visitors should plan to spend at least seven days seeing Kenya on an escorted or hosted tour that includes two nights in each of two game areas and a night each in Nairobi and Mombasa. However, we think the following 15-day, less-hurried itinerary is ideal, if time permits:
Day 1—Arrive Nairobi.
Day 2—Nairobi. Visit the famous Carnivore's restaurant and perhaps one of the animal sanctuaries.
Day 3—Overnight at Mount Kenya National Park.
Day 4—Depart for Samburu National Game Reserve.
Day 5—Samburu.
Day 6—Depart for Lake Nakuru National Park.
Day 7—Lake Nakuru.
Day 8—Depart for Masai Mara National Game Reserve.
Days 9 and 10—Masai Mara.
Day 11—Depart for Amboseli National Park.
Day 12—Amboseli.
Day 13—Depart for Mombasa.
Day 14—Mombasa.
Day 15—Depart Kenya.
Return visitors will want to visit the parks and reserves they missed the first time, see Malindi instead of Mombasa, and visit Lamu.
