There are places a person remembers all their life, and Kenya is one of them. When a safari promises lions, elephants and a million animals on the move across the same plain, it is hard not to be amazed. This is a continent that has no need to impress - it simply exists in its own vastness.

The best-known destination is the „Masai Mara” reserve, 1,500 square kilometres that extend the plains of the Serengeti. From July to October the Great Migration takes place here - over a million wildebeest, joined by hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles, cross the Mara river. It is one of the greatest natural spectacles on the planet, and a hot-air balloon gives a view no screen can capture.

To the south, towards the border with Tanzania, stretches the „Amboseli” national park - a place known for its huge herds of elephants. It is right here that the iconic image comes to life: elephants striding, and behind them rises Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. The Maasai people call it „Ol Doinyo Oibor”, the white mountain. The name Amboseli, meanwhile, comes from a word meaning „salty and dusty place” - a remnant of an ancient dried-up lake.

For those looking for something different, Lake Nakuru is one of the main refuges for rhinos in Africa, where both the white and black species can be seen relatively easily. Historically it was known for its pink shores crowded with flamingos, though today their presence changes from season to season. Rothschild giraffes, buffalo, lions and leopards live here too.

Farthest to the north, the „Samburu” reserve looks entirely different - red sand, thorny acacias and palms in an otherwise inhospitable landscape. There are fewer vehicles here and a more intimate experience, and the so-called „Samburu Special Five” lives here too: species not found anywhere else in the region. The indigenous Samburu people, close to the Maasai, still live with their livestock alongside the wildlife.

This is not a cheap holiday and it is not for everyone. But when a Balkan person is used to the familiar dream of the sea and the beach, it is worth knowing there is another kind of travel too - the kind that changes you, not just rests you. The only question is whether we are ready to pay for a memory instead of a tan.