The Masai Mara together with Tanzania's Serengeti form Africa's most famous wildlife park. The image of acacia trees on an endless grass plain epitomises Africa for many, and then add a Maasai warrior and some cattle to the picture and the conversation need go no further.

The annual wildebeest migration through the Serengeti and the Masai Mara is the largest mass movement of land mammals on the planet with more than a million animals following the rains. But that is not where the game viewing ends; large prides of lions, elephants and giraffes in grasslands, gazelles and eland to mention but a few. Aside from traditional vehicle safaris, hot-air ballooning over the Mara plains has become almost essential and you can even do a horseback safari.

Lake Nakuru National Park was created to protect the Lake and its flocks of Lesser Flamingo which are drawn to the algae that flourishes in the saline waters of the soda lake. The national park is home to hippos, black and white rhino, Rothschild giraffe, buffalo and eland.

Samburu is remote, hot and arid with rugged hills and undulating plains. And like most wildlife areas in such environments Samburu's life blood is the Ewaso Ngiro River, and its riverine forests, which forms its boundary with the Buffalo Springs National Park. This is one of the few areas in Kenya where you can spot southern and northern dwelling species together with highlights being reticulated giraffe, the long necked gerenuk, Somali ostrich and Grevy's Zebra. Samburu was one of the homes of Elsa the Lioness, star of the bestselling book and award winning movie Born Free.

The landscape of Amboseli is dominated by the snow cap of Mount Kilimanjaro, open plains, acacia woodland, swamps and the massif of Ol Doinyo Orok. Renowned for its excellent Masaai giraffe, elephant, lion and cheetah viewing and not surprisingly it is one of Kenya most popular parks. The birding is excellent especially near the lakes and swamps. The park is famous for being the best place in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants among other wildlife species. Other attraction of the park includes opportunities to meet the Maasai people and also offers spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

The Aberdare National Park was created to protect the forested slopes and moors of the Aberdare Mountains, the peaks of which soar to 3930m and deep valleys are home to cascading streams and rivers. The park has elephant, lion, rhino, black leopard and the very elusive bongo antelope that lives in the high bamboo forest. The highlands are ideal for hiking and the environment so like a moorland one could be forgiven for thinking that you had temporarily left Africa.