Kenya is a vast and diverse country, with greatly varied terrain for those on a Kenya walking holiday to experience. When planning an itinerary, knowing where to start is a major challenge. The following three places are by no means the only places to visit, but might help to shape the route of a Kenya walking holiday.

Mount Kenya

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak and climbing it is a phenomenal experience, but it is too challenging for some who may prefer a gentler walk. As Africa’s second highest peak, Mount Kenya is a laudable achievement for summit-hunters – but its slopes offer opportunities for easier walks and hikes, through some of its eight vegetation bands inhabited by endemic plants and animals. The lobelia and senecio are among the most iconic flora species on Mount Kenya. Walking even just part of the mountain’s slopes is a highly recommended addition to a Kenya walking holiday itinerary.

It is also a sacred region for the four major ethnic groups living in the region. The Embu and Kikuyu peoples believe that Mount Kenya is the home of their god, and they build their houses with doors facing its peak. The famous Maasai people believe that at the beginning of time, their ancestors walked down from the mountain to dwell in Kenya.

Lake Naivasha

An under-sung beauty, Lake Naivasha is a geothermal lake that supports a wealth of wildlife, including the striking pink flamingo. Overall the lake is one of Kenya’s most attractive destinations – yet parts of it are like stepping into a different world, where the water temperature reaches 60C and the land by the shore is dotted with boiling springs that feed the lake. The flamingos wade in the lake, tolerating the temperature with their hardy legs, but those that fall in the barren, boiling springs die, leaving their bones in water that emits clouds of sulphurous air. If visitors to Kenya walking past this place feel unsettled, soon they will have left this other world and returned to the unquestionably beautiful scenery surrounding the lake.

Malindi

Kenya walking holidays need not be confined to the bush, although there is certainly plenty to see there; some of Kenya’s towns and cities also contain many interesting sights. Malindi is one of these. A coastal town 120 kilometres northeast of Mombasa, it has a diverse history that remains tangible to this day. Architecture, markets and cuisine show the mixing of Swahili, Muslim and other cultures over the centuries. Near Malindi are the ruins of Gedi, a settlement dating to the 13th-16th centuries. Visitors can see the remains of a mosque, a palace and several large stone houses situated in the beautiful coastal jungle.