Kenya: Landscapes, Wildlife, and Learning

info745271
3 hours ago
5 min read

A curriculum-linked travel journey for KS2 and KS3

Introduction — Why Kenya?

Imagine a classroom where the walls are savannah grasslands, the ceiling is a vast African sky, and the lessons come from lions, tectonic plates, and coastal coral reefs. In Jan 2026, I travelled to Kenya as a living classroom. This journey wasn't just about sightseeing; it was about tracing the direct connections between Kenya’s incredible environments and what you learn in Geography, Science, and PSHE.

Kenya is a perfect case study in geographical contrast. In just one week, you can move from a bustling capital city, across a valley formed by splitting continents, through grasslands teeming with wildlife, to the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Let’s explore, and see what we can learn.

Kenya is located in East Africa, bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia. Its position on the equator contributes to a range of climates and ecosystems, from highland cities to savannah and coastal environments.Curriculum Links: KS2 Geography: Locational knowledge – countries and continents. KS3 Geography: Global regions and physical geography.

Day 1 — Arrival in Nairobi: The Urban Hub

Touching down in Nairobi, you’re immediately in the heart of a modern, fast-paced city of around 5 million people. Skyscrapers, traffic, and markets pulse with energy. But Nairobi has a unique secret: it’s the only capital city with a national park on its doorstep. This highlights a key challenge and opportunity for Kenya: balancing urban development with wildlife conservation.

Caption: The bustling city of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital and economic centre. A hub of urbanisation, development, and infrastructure.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Geography: Human geography – cities and population. KS3 Geography: Urbanisation, development, and infrastructure.

Day 2 — The Great Rift Valley & Narok Town

Driving west from Nairobi, the ground suddenly falls away. You’ve reached the Great Rift Valley. This isn’t just a valley; it’s a giant tear in the Earth’s crust, formed over millions of years as tectonic plates pull apart. Looking out from the viewpoint, you’re seeing geography in dramatic action—the very process that shapes continents.

Caption: The dramatic escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, a landform created by the movement of tectonic plates.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Geography: Physical features – valleys and landforms. KS3 Geography: Plate tectonics and continental rifting.

Further along the route, we passed through Narok, a busy market town. Its growth is no accident. It’s a gateway settlement, thriving because it provides services (like fuel, food, and markets) for tourists heading to the Maasai Mara and for local farming communities. It’s a perfect example of how transport routes shape human geography.

Caption: Narok town, a settlement whose growth is shaped by trade, transport, and tourism.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Geography: Types of settlement and land use. KS3 Geography: Human geography – transport and economic activity.

Map Caption (Teacher-Facing): Travel route through Kenya: Nairobi → Great Rift Valley → Narok → Maasai Mara → Lake Naivasha → Nairobi → Diani Coast → Nairobi.Curriculum

Links: KS2 Geography: Using maps and routes. KS3 Geography: Spatial patterns and movement.

Evening Safari — First Glimpse of the Maasai Mara

Entering the Maasai Mara, the landscape transforms into endless golden grasslands dotted with acacia trees. This is the classic savannah ecosystem. On our first short safari, we saw zebra, giraffes, and wildebeest. Their adaptations are clear: long legs for long-distance movement, stripes and patterns for camouflage, and heightened senses to watch for predators in an open environment.

The vast savannah grassland ecosystem of the Maasai Mara. This open habitat determines the adaptations and behaviour of the animals that live here.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Science: Animals and habitats. KS3 Biology: Ecosystems, biodiversity, and adaptations.

Day 3 — Full-Day Safari: Behaviour and Adaptation

A full day on safari is like a live nature documentary. We saw a pride of lions sleeping in the shade. Why? To conserve energy during the hottest part of the day, as hunting is more efficient in the cooler evenings. This is a key behavioural adaptation.

Lions resting. This behaviour, called being crepuscular, helps them avoid heat exhaustion and conserve energy for hunting at dawn and dusk.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Science: Living things and their environments. KS3 Biology: Behavioural and physiological adaptations.

An elephant herd on the move. Elephants live in complex social groups led by a matriarch, which increases the survival chances of the whole family.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Science: Living things and their environments. KS3 Biology: Behavioural adaptations and interdependence.

Day 4 — Maasai Village Visit: People and Place

The Maasai people have lived alongside this wildlife for generations. Visiting their village showed how human culture is deeply adapted to the environment. Their semi-nomadic pastoralist lifestyle (relying on cattle) is suited to the grasslands. Their traditional homes (manyattas) are made from local materials like mud, grass, and cow dung. This visit was a powerful lesson in cultural identity, community, and sustainable living.

A Maasai community. Their culture, housing, and pastoralist lifestyle demonstrate a deep adaptation to the savannah environment.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Geography: Human geography – culture and communities. KS3 Geography/PSHE: Cultural identity, sustainability, and community.

Day 5 — Lake Naivasha: A Freshwater Ecosystem

Leaving the dry savannah, we arrived at Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake in the Rift Valley. The change was immediate—lush greenery, floating water lilies, and the sound of birds. On a boat trip, we saw families of hippos, which are crucial to this ecosystem. This highlights how different habitats (savannah vs. wetland) support entirely different food webs and species.

Hippos in the freshwater ecosystem of Lake Naivasha. Wetlands provide vital resources for wildlife and support different food chains to the savannah.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Geography: Rivers and lakes. KS3 Biology: Food webs, interdependence, and wetland ecosystems.

Day 6 — Return to Nairobi: Changing Landscapes

The journey back to Nairobi was a lesson in human geography. We passed from lakeside flower farms (exporting roses to Europe) to rolling wheat fields and small-scale subsistence farms. This patchwork shows land use decisions: fertile soils and access to water for irrigation make some areas perfect for agriculture, while drier regions are used for grazing.

Caption: Farming landscapes in the Rift Valley region. Land use is directly determined by physical factors like soil fertility, water access, and climate.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Geography: Land use and economic activity. KS3 Geography: Human-environment interaction and resource management.

Days 7 & 8 — The Diani Coast: A Tropical Environment

A short flight to the coast revealed a world apart: white-sand beaches and turquoise water at Diani. This is a tropical coastal environment, shaped by the Indian Ocean. The economy here is heavily based on tourism.

A "marine safari" showed the underwater equivalent of the Maasai Mara. We spotted dolphins and, while snorkelling, saw the vibrant coral reef. These reefs are incredibly biodiverse but fragile marine ecosystems. They are sensitive to water temperature (climate change) and pollution, making them a vital case study in conservation.

Caption: The coastal landscape of Diani on the Indian Ocean. Coastal environments support distinct ecosystems and economic activities like tourism.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Geography: Coastal features and tourism. KS3 Geography: Tropical environments.

Caption: A dolphin in the Indian Ocean. Marine ecosystems, like coral reefs, are biodiverse but fragile, highlighting the importance of ocean conservation.

Curriculum Links: KS2 Science: Habitats (sea). KS3 Biology: Marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation.

Conclusion: One Country, Countless Lessons

From the tectonic forces that built the Rift Valley to the elephants roaming the Mara, from the Maasai communities to the coastal reefs, Kenya is a living, breathing interconnected system. This trip showed how physical geography shapes ecosystems, which in turn influence human activity and culture. It’s a reminder that the subjects we learn in school aren’t separate boxes—they are all part of understanding the amazing world we live in.