KENYA SAFARI.

Kenya often described as the Land of contrasts, lies astride the equator and occupies an area of 582,644 sq. km. roughly the size of France. Kenya has a population of 31.5 million of which 3.5 million live in the Capital Nairobi, a modern city with International Conference facilities. Mombasa the largest port and commercial center. 

From the pre-historic splendor of the Rift Valley to the beautiful beaches of the Indian Ocean, the culture hub of Nairobi to the Game Parks of Tsavo, Samburu, Amboseli and Masai Mara, this country is a travelers heaven.

The climate is pleasant and temperatures are moderate, ranging from 15 to 27 degrees in the higher altitudes, and from 22 to a maximum of 32 degrees at the sea level.

 

DESTINATIONS KENYA SAFARIS:

Nairobi National Park:

Nairobi, as a capital city, is unique in having a wildlife park on its doorstep. The southern perimeter it is possible to photograph a rhino, browsing peacefully among the whistling thorn with high rise office buildings in the background. Some of the wildlife is migratory and when there is grazing and water outside the park it moves out into Maasai-land through the unfenced southern boundary.

There is also a resident population of plains game and carnivores so a visit at any time of the year is rewarding. Well laid our, with exceptional well-maintained roads, the park is a model for all others, geographical and administratively, of the most popular species only the elephant is absentee. But the rest of the Big five - leopard, lion, buffalo and rhino - as well as a multitude of other creatures are all well represented.

 

Aberdare National Park:  

The Aberdare National Park is part of the Aberdare Mountain range, a fascinating region of Kenya. According to traditional Kikuyu folklore they are one of the homes of Ngai (God). Mountain ranges and peaks soar to around 14,000ft., giving way to deep V-shaped valleys with streams and rivers cascading over spectacular waterfalls.

From its vital catchment's area the Aberdare Rainforest feeds the entire local area and Nairobi water supply. Other features are the giant alpine varieties of lobelia, groundsel and heather. It is ideal for walking, picnics, camping and trout fishing in rivers. Animals abound in the forest, they include elephant, buffalo, giant forest hog and Kenya's indigenous and endangered Black Rhino. The entire forest is being fenced off to protect farmers from animal raids and create a rhino and forest sanctuary.  

Game viewing is very rewarding, lion, leopard baboon, black & white colobus and Sykes monkeys are abundant. Bird viewing is a big attraction with more than 250 species recorded including Jackson's Francolin, sparrow hawk, African goshawk, eagles, sunbirds and plovers.

 

Mount Kenya:  

 

Mount Kenya is the country's highest mountain. Sitting astride the equator its icy summit reaches to 5199m (17,058 ft). The entire mountain above the 3200m contour forms a national park. In fact the mountain consists of three principal zones; the rocky peak area, actually an eroded  volcanic plug, with its mantle of glaciers and snowfields; the alpine zone with its distinctive giant vegetation, and the vast gentle lower slopes drenched in mountain forest and bamboo jungle 

It is no wonder that awed farmers at its foothills considered this remote majestic wonderland as God’s domain. Many rivers flow from the perpetual snows, among them the mighty Tana, Kenya's largest and longest river and source of much of Kenya's electricity supply. Most visitors are content to marvel at the mountain's beauty but some will want to attempt to reach the peaks, a feat requiring considerable rock climbing skill. But the mountain's lesser peaks and glaciers can be scaled and walked by the fit and the adventurous. Point Lenana, 4985m, can be easily reached. In fact the majority of visitors go to the mountain to enjoy the walking and especially the high level hut-to-hut hike round the mountain with its humbling vistas.

 

Lake Nakuru National Park:

Lake Nakuru is a very shallow strongly alkaline lake 62 km2 in extent. It is set in a picturesque landscape of surrounding woodland and grassland next to Nakuru town. The landscape includes areas of marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky hillsides covered with a Euphorbia forest on the eastern perimeter.

The lake catchment's is bounded by Menengai crater to the north, the Bahati hills to the north east, the lion hill ranges to the east, eburu crater to the south and the mau escarpment to the west. Three major rivers, the njoro, makalia and enderit drain into the lake, together with treated water from the town's sewage works and the outflow from several springs along the shore.

Lake Nakuru was first gazetted as a bird sanctuary in 1960 and upgraded to National Park status in 1968. A northern extension was added to the park in 1974 and the lake was designated as a Ramsar site in 1990. The foundation of the parks food chains is the cyanophyte spirulina platensis which can support huge numbers of lesser flamingo. 

 

Maasai Mara Game Reserve:

The Maasai Mara Game Reserve is administered by local country councils. It is probably the most famous and most visited game reserve in Kenya. It offers breathtaking views as seen in the film Out of Africa, much of which was filmed here an extraordinary density of animals including the "Big Five" and many varieties of plains game.

An impressive feature is the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle from the plains of the Serengeti that cross the Tanzania border and rivers to reach the mara's grasslands from late June, tracked by predators: lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and circled by vultures as the journey unfolds. Their dramatic river crossing is a reality for tourists visiting in early July-August.

Apart from the seasonal migration, game viewing is excellent year round. Game includes: elephant, Black Rhino, buffalo, plains zebra, hartebeest and the big cats; the rivers are home to hippo and crocodiles, 452 species, 53 of which are raptors. Accommodation ranges from stone built lodges to luxury tented camps.

Amboseli National Park:  

 

Amboseli lies immediately North West of Mt. Kilimanjaro, on the border with Tanzania. Amboseli was established as a reserve in 1968 and gazetted as a National Park in 1974. The Park covers 392 km2, and forms part of the much larger 3,000 Km2 Amboseli ecosystem. Large concentrations of wildlife occur here in the dry season, making Amboseli a popular tourist destination. 6 communally owned group ranches surround it.

The National Park embodies 5 main wildlife habitats (open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush country, swamps and marshland) and covers part of a pleistocene  lake basin, now dry. Within this basin is a temporary lake, Lake Amboseli, that floods during years of heavy rainfall. Amboseli is famous for its big game and its great scenic beauty - the landscape is dominated by Mount Kilimanjaro.

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