You could (and some would argue you should) spend days eating and drinking your way through Nairobi’s buzzy bars and restaurants. Set your sights on these few standouts: Beit e Selam offers pan-African cuisine in a setting that feels like a secret garden – think fairy lights twinkling above a foliage-filled courtyard. Hero Bar, a playful superhero-themed drinkery, earned a spot on The World's 50 Best Bars list in 2022. For something uniquely local, head to Sierra Brasserie, East Africa’s answer to the craft beer movement, where the house-brewed beers pair perfectly with their excellent dining. Tucked into a historic residence, Talisman serves globally-inspired fusion with South Asian influences, surrounded by an ever-changing collection of local art. Offering “film, food & a view,”
Unseen Nairobi puts on independent cinema screenings and serves tasty sandwiches from its rooftop terrace.

Most of Nairobi's best spots require reservations, especially on weekends. Book ahead or ask for your hotel concierge’s help.

Amid the grassland, iconic acacia trees, and dusty terrain, large herds of elephants roam through Amboseli National Park. You may spot them keeping cool in the marshes or framing themselves so perfectly in front of snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro that it seems like they’re posing for your photo.

Amboseli may be most famous for its elephant population, but they share the stage with a supporting cast of stars: lions lounging in the grass, cheetahs scanning the plains, and giraffes browsing among the treetops. Plan to spend at least two full days here — morning and evening game drives offer the best viewing opportunities, while midday breaks let you relax at your lodge and watch wildlife visit nearby waterholes.

For a completely different kind of wildlife spectacle, head north to Lake Nakuru where the cotton-candy-colored flamingos congregate by the thousands, creating one of Africa’s most photographed wildlife scenes. The best displays are during the dry season (June to September) when the lake's alkaline waters concentrate the algae that the birds eat. Beyond the flamingos, you'll spot white rhinos grazing near the lakeshore and troops of baboons in the surrounding forests.

The Seregeti’s southern plains draw crowds during the dry season (June-October) for the Great Migration. This time of year offers lots of sunshine and the possibility of catching the iconic wildebeest river crossings.The northern Serengeti, on the other hand, offers a more intimate safari experience. The Lamai Wedge has resident wildlife year-round, including the largest population of Rüppell's griffon vultures in East Africa.

The rocky hills serve as sun-warmed perches for lions and leopards, while the Mara River's lesser-known crossing points see dramatic wildebeest action without the tour vehicle bottlenecks common in the south. If the Great Migration isn’t on your must-see list, visit instead during green season (November-December) when newborn gazelles wobble across rain-freshened grasslands and you’ll contend with fewer fellow tourists.

The island of Zanzibar is a worthwhile diversion from your safari-filled days. Its glittering waters invite visitors to while away the hours swimming or sunning on the white sand shores. Don snorkel gear and head off on a hired boat to spot schools of fish navigating coral gardens and watch dolphins jump and play in the Indian Ocean.

Beyond the beach, Zanzibar's UNESCO-listed capital of Stone Town has multicultural heritage on full display – carved doors tell stories of Indian merchants, while the muezzin’s call to prayer echoes off Portuguese-era walls. Start at Darajani Market where spice traders hawk vanilla and cloves, then weave through narrow alleys to the former slave market site, now a powerful memorial. Take a dhow (a traditional wooden boat) to Prison Island, where giant Aldabra tortoises roam the grounds of the former yellow fever quarantine station. Time your visit to catch sunset from the rooftop tea house at Emerson on Hurumzi, where the evening prayer call mingles with African jazz.

At Murchison Falls, the Nile squeezes through a 23-foot gap before plunging 140 feet, creating the world's most powerful waterfall. The surrounding national park — Uganda's largest — offers a classic East African safari experience, with dense woodland and grasslands hosting 75+ mammal species, including large herds of elephants, giraffes, and Uganda's largest population of Nile crocodiles.

Take a boat safari below the falls where elephants drink alongside rare shoebill storks. The best views come at dawn when rainbow-lit mist rises from the gorge. Most tourists skip the hike to the top — but if you’re capable of it, don't miss this. The trail offers close-up views of the falls' raw power and resident rock hyrax colonies.

Lake Bunyonyi's mirror-like surface stretches between terraced hillsides in southwestern Uganda, where local farmers have sculpted the landscape into a patchwork of small plots climbing up from the shoreline. The lake has 29 islands which create a maze of waterways best explored by traditional dugout canoe (motorized boats are also available if you're short on time).

In the local Rukiga language, Bunyonyi means "place of many little birds.” You’re likely to spot African kingfishers, grey-crowned cranes, and weaver birds building their elaborate nests in the papyrus reeds. At 6,500 feet above sea level, the lake's high altitude keeps temperatures pleasantly cool and, more importantly, there are no crocodiles or hippos to worry about, making it one of the few African lakes where you can safely swim.

The falls are just the beginning of what Livingstone (Zambia's tourism hub) has to offer. Late afternoon presents a tough choice: drift down the Zambezi on a sunset cruise, spotting hippos wallowing in the shallows and elephants coming to drink at the river's edge, or head into Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park to track white rhinos with armed rangers.

For those seeking an adrenaline rush, the Batoka Gorge becomes your playground – whether you're tackling the grade-5 rapids by raft, free-falling into the gorge on the swing, or taking in the falls' full majesty from a microlight soaring through the morning air.

Covering a significant swath of Mahé island, this park offers the archipelago's most challenging hiking with actual elevation gain – a rarity in the Seychelles. The Copolia Trail (which takes 2-3 hours to complete) delivers the best effort-to-view ratio, leading to a granite plateau with 360-degree views across the island and Indian Ocean. Start hikes before 7 am to avoid both the heat and the afternoon clouds that typically obscure the peaks. You can hire a local guide (book through the Seychelles National Parks Authority) to access lesser-known trails and spot endemic plants like the endangered jellyfish tree.