I begin a series on what is hot in Kenya and why you need to visit this hidden travel gem. Kenya is a beautiful country of landscape contrasts, with pristine white and golden beaches on the Indian Ocean and magical islands that were city states for centuries, fending off the Arabs and Portuguese in various battles, long before the arrival of the British settlers.
Inland, the land appears to hold up the sky, with Mt. Kenya and the lesser-known Mt. Elgon’s snow-capped peaks. Mt. Kilimanjaro was a part of Kenya but gifted to a German Kaiser by Queen Victoria under British rule. The savanna’s wide open spaces interrupted by scrub, bush and forest, rolling into and out of the famous Great Rift Valley that straddles this country. Craters of dormant volcanoes dot the landscape. Alkaline lakes invite flamingos and other exotic fresh water birds.
This was the view on the road this morning – cool, misty and a nippy 14 celsius – signature Maasai country temperatures (above). In the photo is Mt. Kilimanjaro at dawn, as viewed from the Amboseli National Park.
Kenya is on the East coast of Africa, neighbouring Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia.
Kilimanjaro at dawn 
Local fishermen on the Indian Ocean shores
Lion (above) and zebra (below)
Kenya is a no-hunting champion and proud signatory to CITES anti-hunt campaign since 1978. We choose to call our wild animals just that, never using the term ‘game’. Our will to keep and conserve the natural beauty of flora and fauna makes us a choice for a wildlife safari. The term safari is a Kiswahili word for journey and originated in East Africa and later adopted across the globe in the early 1900s. This is still safari country and the best part of your travel are the diversity of people, speaking English and Kiswahili , in addition to their local languages. In spite of recent media reports, Kenya is one of the most peaceful nations in Africa, with the strongest economy in East and Central Africa, with a literacy rate of 81%. The climate is mostly cool in the highland areas, with pockets of humid and other dry semi-desert areas.
Attached is a recent video by a French film company on Meru National Park. Come visit Kenya and enjoy incredible and unique natural wonders of a hidden safari gem!
Related articles
- Safari & Sun : Part II (amanimeru.wordpress.com)
- Delaware-sized lake discovered beneath Kenya desert (csmonitor.com)
- Experience the new ways of trekking in Kenya. (trekkingmtkenya.wordpress.com)
- Jambo – Amboseli National Park, Kenya (travelpod.com)
- Uniting East Africa Through Music (nicholaskimani2011.wordpress.com)
- Kenya: safaris and wildlife adventures (idreamofafricablog.wordpress.com)
- From Indian Ocean to Uganda: China will build Kenya’s new rail line (csmonitor.com)
- Kenyan Connection (starrtreks.com)
- Best of Mount Kenya Trekking / Climbing Routes. (enchorowildlifecampmasaimara.wordpress.com)
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