9 reasons to visit Kenya's wild and wonderful north

Travelers looking to explore the continent of Africa now have new options when traveling from the United States.Announced this week, Delta Air Lines is expanding it's partnership with Kenya Airways allowing frequent flyers to earn miles on each other's flights when flying on the same itinerary, and provide a more seamless travel experience to 31 destinations in Africa and 57 in North America. Kenya Airways currently operates a nonstop service from their hub at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to New York's John F.

As Lonely Planet’s creative director, I have the privilege of traveling for work and getting to some pretty remarkable places.

For most travelers, entering the vast diversity of Ecuador’s Cuatro Mundos ("Four Worlds": the Pacific Coast, Andes, Amazon and Galápagos) requires nothing more than arriving with your passport.

Few visitors to Kenya can resist the siren call of its top wildlife-watching area, the Maasai Mara. Its sweeping grasslands ­— blonde and close-cropped in the dry season, green and earthy after rain — stretch for hundreds of miles. Famous for big cats and the drama of the Great Migration, this is the kind of place where a budding interest in all things safari can develop into an addiction.

We’ve all waited in a cramped airport for hours because of a lengthy layover. But what if you could ditch the busy terminal to stretch your legs on an African safari? Kenya Airways is making that fantasy a reality by offering passengers a free safari during stopovers in Nairobi.

A travel illness can ruin a dream vacation, which is why you should be sure to get vaccinated or acquire some medication before taking certain far-off journeys. A new report from GetGoing Insurance points out the most common travel illnesses and conditions to take extra precautions for, and some of the most common places real-life travelers get them.

Serengeti, Maasai Mara, Kruger – everyone who’s ever dreamt of going to Africa will know these safari big-hitters. Famous for their wildlife, they’re also famous for hordes of visitors that flock to them in convoys of Land Cruisers. If you want to get away from the masses, these are the best little-visited African national parks, each with extraordinary wildlife but far fewer humans.

‘Safari’ traditionally means journey in Swahili, but the word now describes the ultimate bucket-list trip to discover Africa’s wondrous wildlife. Yet today, that wildlife seems increasingly vulnerable, so how do you ensure your safari will be both safe and ethically sound?

Botswana’s key safari destinations — the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park — are among Africa’s best loved. For an affordable option explore by mokoro (traditional canoe) or river boat, and travel overland to public safari areas where, crucially, self-drive cars and tour vehicles are permitted. You’ll see plenty of elephants and hippos.

When you receive your Valentine’s bouquet this year, will you wonder where it came from? Probably not, but it’s possible your flowers are better travelled than you. Sitting just below the horn of Africa, Kenya is the largest exporter of flowers to the European Union, meaning your pretty petals may have crossed equators and oceans to arrive at your door. Kiki Deere visited an independent flower farm in Kenya to find out what it’s like to be an African rose.

With the recent lifting of the British High Commission’s travel ban on parts of the Kenyan coastline, you should once again think about Kilifi when planning your trip to Kenya. At this lesser-known resort around two hours north of Mombasa, you can still sail on dhows in the pristine Indian Ocean and soak up the golden sun on sugar-fine sands. Here, Harriet Constable tells us more about why you should choose Kilifi for a coastal break in Kenya.