Kenyan tribes, cultural treasures
Kenyan tribes, cultural treasures
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A unique range of cultural experiences is guaranteed on a Kenyan holiday. Learn rhino tracking skills with your Maasai guide;
be enchanted by Samburu folk tales around the fire, and wander the sacred forests of the Mijikenda. Or just immerse yourself in
the sultry Swahili culture of the coast – famous for its carved doors, historic buildings, and coconut and seafood inspired cuisine.
Learn about the fascinating heritage of Kenyan tribes such as the Turkana, Pokot, and Rendille. Visit traditional villages and
engage with the vibrant weave of traditional dance, music, storytelling, and theatre. Explore the iron age sites of the Great Rift
Valley and the ruins of ancient civilizations. And find time to visit one of Kenya’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as Lamu
Old Town of Fort Jesus. But best of all, simply make new friends.
Check out our latest articles and featured tours and come on a journey to discover Kenyan tribes and cultures.
Explore Kenya’s cultural hotspots
Cultural tours
Simba Safari – KS8A
‘Simba’ means ‘lion’ in Swahili. A budget safari that delivers optimum variety in the minimum time without…
Masai Mara Safari – KS4
For those with limited time looking for a value-added safari that highlights Kenya’s most famous sights, this…
SkySafari Kenya Classic – SSKC
This exclusive flying safari showcases some of Kenya’s most famous and most diverse wilderness areas, while travelling…
Cultural features
Kenya’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites
There are some places on earth that are so unique and culturally significant that the nations of the world have come together to protect them for generations to come. These places are the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, listed and protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Proudly protecting seven of mankind’s…
The Maasai – the keepers of God’s cattle
It’s one of Kenya’s most iconic images. The Maasai warrior, spear in hand, scarlet shuka cloak thrown over his shoulder, one leg raised to rest on the other and his gaze turned to the far horizon. Certainly the most visually striking of the many colourful tribes of Kenya, the Nilo-Hamitic Maasai are a nomadic people…
Out of Africa – Hollywood’s effect on Kenyan tourism
Helen of Troy’s face launched a thousand ships during the Trojan Wars. Sydney Pollack’s Oscar-winning film, Out of Africa, launched Kenya’s tourism career. Before Out of Africa, Kenya was the preferred but very exclusive destination of royalty, aristocracy and glitterati for whom, in the 1900s, it was THE big game hunting safari destination. It was…
The Kaya Forests of the Mijikenda: a walk in a sacred grove
A visit to a sacred Kaya – or sacred grove – is part nature walk, part historical insight and part cultural experience. But it’s a very special and privileged experience. The nine tribes of the Mijikenda Traditionally, to enter a Kaya, you would have required ritual knowledge to proceed through the concentric circles of sacredness…
Gedi ruins
Originally occupied in the late 11th or early 12th century, the ruins of the Swahili city of Gedi are located just 7 km north of Watamu. Ideal for an early morning or late afternoon visit, when you fancy a break from the beach, Gedi is deliciously cool and offers a fascinating insight into local history…
Kenya’s conservancies, the new safari experience
Ask any motorcyclist why they prefer a bike to a car and they’ll probably tell you that they prefer to be IN the moment rather than looking at life through a window. It’s the same with the safari experience and that’s where Kenya’s conservancies come in. The majority of visitors explore Kenya’s globally-renowned national parks…
The Turkana People
In the far north of Kenya, on the searingly-hot, wind-whipped shores of Lake Turkana, lives a group of people known to their fellow Kenyans as the Turkana. They call themselves The People of the Grey Bull. Tall and elegant with finely etched faces, these people speak a language called Turkan while their name, Turkana, is…
Escape to the Shimba Hills
Floating a misty-cool 400 metres above the palm-fringed beaches of Kenya’s glittering coastline, Shimba Hills National Reserve offers a unique visitor experience. The Reserve offers a blend of wood-cloaked downs, wandering elephant, breeze-fanned hills, plunging waterfalls, liana-strung jungle and the primeval stillness of one of the last remaining coastal rainforests on earth. Famed as the…
The Bomas of Kenya
The Bomas of Kenya offers an unprecedented insight into the authentic cultural heritage of Kenya. Something of a time machine, it has captured an ethnic snapshot of a fascinating range of cultures, many of which are fast disappearing under the onslaught of the technological age. The Bomas of Kenya is a highly popular day trip…
The Samburu
Kenya is a microcosm of Africa. People have migrated here from all over the African continent for centuries, and each incoming group has added to the cultural weave with a distinctive ethnic thread of their own. More brilliant than most, are the strands contributed by the Samburu, who live in the painted deserts of the…
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