5 Best Sights in Kenya

Established by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW), this unique giraffe sanctuary is a wonderful excursion for children and adults alike. Located in Nairobi's western suburb of Langata, it has greatly contributed to boosting Kenya's population of rare Rothschild's giraffes—after being born and raised at this center, many have been relocated to the game parks and reserves. The original house of the founders is now the very impressive Giraffe Manor hotel. You can climb a giraffe-height tower for an eye-to-eye view and it's not unheard of for a giraffe to give a friendly and grateful lick as you feed them—great for photos. There's a café and a short nature trail where you might also spot warthogs, as well as a souvenir shop.

Take the morning excursion at 11 am, which you can book through your tour guide or hotel concierge, to this amazing elephant rescue center and orphanage on the edge of Nairobi National Park. It was set up by Dame Daphne Sheldrick after the death of her husband, David, who was famous for his anti-poaching activities in Tsavo East National Park. You'll be able to watch baby elephants at play or having a bath, knowing that one day when they're old enough they will be successfully reintroduced into the wild. It's an absolutely unmissable and heartwarming experience. Make a donation, however small, or go for gold and adopt your own baby elephant.

The center is only open from 11 am–noon. If you miss the 11 am tour, you won't be able to visit until the following day.

The only way to get here is by boat, past kingfishers and pelicans, from one of the lakeshore hotels to Crescent Island Game Sanctuary, where you can see (and walk with) giraffe, zebra, and other plains herbivores; there are no predators so it's quite safe. On the way to the crater keep your eyes open for hippos as you are on the outer rim of a volcanic crater, which is also the deepest part of the lake.

Donkeys are the main transport in Lamu. The sanctuary was started in 1987 by Elisabeth Svendsen, a British doctor who founded The Donkey Sanctuary in the UK. Its main function is to protect and look after the working donkeys, and it's managed by the Kenyan branch of the charity. There's a treatment clinic where locals can get their donkeys wormed, a training center, and a resting place for a few of the old animals that can no longer work. The staff will show you around in the mornings, otherwise you can eyeball a few donkeys over the low wall in front of the yard. An annual prize is given to the Lamu donkey in the best physical condition.

Eight giraffes were first translocated here in 2004, and the population now stands at 20, and some are a cross of the Rothschild and Masai giraffe species. You can come as close as two meters away at the enclosure where the handler does the feeding.You will also find elands and tortoises, and once a haven for ostriches, the numbers have since dwindled. The giraffe enclosure is about 1.5km (about a mile) from the gate, and your taxi or tuk tuk is allowed to drop you there without an extra car charge, or you can walk. The road leading to the gate is really rough, and almost impassable when it rains. You can also hike or hire a bike and cycle through the woodlands and wetlands of what was once an uninhabitable wasteland, and spot up to 250 species of birds.