Kenya

Mitt framför oss tar de en buffel. Parar sig. Eller bara slappar. Lejonen i Masai Mara tycks knappt notera vår närvaro. Men när bosättningarna kommer närmare ökar konflikterna – mellan människa och rovdjur.

Lake Nakuru is among Kenya's finest national parks. Flanked by rocky escarpments, pockets of acacia forest and at least one waterfall, the park is gorgeous year-round and is home to both black and white rhinos, lions, leopards, hippos and endangered Rothschild's giraffes. Rising water levels in 2014 forced the park's famous flamingos to flee (although a small number had returned at the time of research), and the lake is now hauntingly surrounded by drowned trees.

Set against the backdrop of Mt Kenya, the Laikipia plateau extends over 9500 sq km of semi-arid plains, dramatic gouges and acacia-thicket-covered hills. This patchwork of privately owned ranches, wildlife conservancies and small-scale farms has become one of the most important areas for biodiversity in the country, boasting wildlife densities second only to those found in the Masai Mara. It's the last refuge of Kenya’s African wild dogs and it's here that some of the most effective conservation work in the country is being done. Indeed, these vast plains are home to some of Kenya’s highest populations of endangered species, including half of the country’s black rhinos and half of the world’s Grevy’s zebras.

The final pearl in the tropical beach necklace that stretches south of Mombasa is the idyllic island of Wasini, located about 76km south of the Likoni ferry crossing. With its faded white alleyways, Swahili fishing vibe and fat, mottled trees, this tiny island (it's only 5km long) feels like a distant relative of Lamu and Zanzibar. It's ripe with the ingredients required for a perfect backpacker beachside hideaway: it has that sit-under-a-mango-tree-and-do-nothing-all-day vibe, a coastline licked with pockets of white sand and Kisite Marine National Park, the most gorgeous snorkelling reef on the coast. In fact, the only things it doesn’t have are regular electricity, banana-pancake traveller cafes, backpacker hostels and cars, and it’s all the better for it.

Dream of Africa and chances are that you dream of the Masai Mara. This huge expanse of gently rolling grassland – specked with flat-topped acacia trees and trampled by massive herds of zebras and wildebeest – is the ultimate African cliché. But for once the reality lives up to the image and the Masai Mara, which comprises not just the famous reserve but also around a dozen community conservancies, several group ranches and numerous Maasai villages, is for many people not just the highlight of their Kenyan adventure but the very reason they came in the first place.

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 elephants set against the backdrop of Africa’s best views of Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m). Africa’s highest peak broods over the southern boundary of the park, and while cloud cover can render the mountain’s massive bulk invisible for much of the day, you’ll be rewarded with stunning vistas when the weather clears, usually at dawn and/or dusk. Apart from guaranteed elephant sightings, you’ll also see wildebeest and zebras, and you’ve a reasonable chance of spotting lions, cheetahs and hyenas. The park is also home to over 370 bird species, and it has an excellent array of lodges and an agreeably mild, dry climate.

Mbita and Rusinga Island (connected by a causeway) are delightful and great places to draw near to Lake Victoria. Tiny, languid and rarely visited, they offer a glimpse of an older Africa – an Africa that moves to the gentle sway of the seasons rather than the ticking of a clock. This is the sort of place where schoolchildren abandon their classes to watch you pass by and old women burst into song at your arrival.

Mombasa, a melting pot of languages and cultures from all sides of the Indian Ocean, waits like a decadent dessert for travellers who make it to Kenya's coastline. Having more in common with Dakar or Dar es Salaam than Nairobi, Mombasa's blend of India, Arabia and Africa is uniquely enchanting, and many visitors find themselves falling for East Africa's biggest and most cosmopolitan port.

With its centuries-old Swahili settlements, a couple of gorgeous beaches, and culture and architecture distinctive from what you encounter elsewhere along the Kenyan coast, Lamu is beguiling. Whether you're looking to lose yourself in the fragrant labyrinth of tiny streets in Lamu Town and spend hours admiring carved Omani and Swahili doorways, or whether you're looking for a peaceful beachfront stay replete with yoga, art and fusion food in Shela village, Lamu has something to satisfy most travellers.

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 springs and rocky peaks to extinct volcanic cones, rolling plains and sharp outcrops dusted with greenery.