Kenya: The Perfect Place To Answer Africa’s Call Of The Wild

First Stop: Nairobi
To start off the adventure, the capital Nairobi is more than just a pit stop to refuel before a safari adventure or coastal retreat; it’s a starting point to any Kenyan escapade the traveller has in mind. Nairobi is a city that conjures up all the adventure and romance left from its colonial days as the capital of British East Africa. Actually, it’s a mix of colonial and tribal, and you can see remains from its colonial era in some of the buildings, along with large modern skyscrapers scattered around the city. For safety concerns, it’s best to tour Nairobi through a tourist agency, which will provide you with a guide who can explain the numerous attractions.

Nairobi holds many museums that are mainly connected to the country’s history, museums such as the Nairobi National Museum and Kenya’s living museum, Bomas of Kenya. “Bomas” mean farms and the museum is significant in how it showcases the colourful tribes of Kenya. Visitors can learn about the art, lifestyle, music, crafts and culture of each tribe, with live shows at special times as well. The large complex even displays recreated traditional villages with bomas built in their traditional forms, reflecting the cultures of each ethnic group.

Top Places For Wildlife Lovers
Who wouldn’t want to watch lions, elephants, zebras, flamingos and so many other fascinating animals thrive in their habitats? It so happens Kenya is one of the best countries in the world to take a safari. Known for its vast savannahs, peppered with immense herds of wildlife, and its snow-capped mountains (yes, in the equatorial plains), it’s a great location to discover the African bush.

To get a taste of a safari adventure, Nairobi is the only city in the world that has a wild national park in its outskirts. Nairobi National Park is a diverse ecosystem with giraffes, rhinos, lions, cheetahs, leopards, zebras, hippos and a countless number of bird species. The grounds provide safari walks and accommodation for those who do not wish to stay in a hotel downtown, with eight luxurious tents with en-suite facilities. The park also holds a nursery for baby rhinos and another for orphaned baby elephants. Dame Sheldrick, the nursery’s founder, has been raising orphaned baby elephants since the 1950s and moved into Nairobi National Park in the 70s. Visitors have the chance to pet and watch the animals feed and have mud baths as they grow accustomed to their surrounding habitat, away from the prying eyes and guns of poachers.

Would you want to have a giraffe share your breakfast table? It can be done. Visitors can stay at the Giraffe Manor Hotel at the Giraffe Centre, a breeding centre for the rare Rothschild’s giraffe, found only in East Africa. The centre helps giraffe population growth, which then enables them to be successfully released into the wild. It also provides lodging for visitors, and yes the breakfast area accommodates those graceful animals as well.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is one of the world’s most beautiful game reserves, named after the red-cloaked Maasai people who live in the park and graze the animals there as they have done for centuries. The park is famous for the Great Migration, when thousands of wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle travel from the Serengeti, Tanzania. It is best seen from July to October. The park has one of the largest mammal varieties, and amazingly large numbers of bird species are spread all around the park grounds. There are a number of campsites that are very accommodating and pleasant to stay in for a real life safari experience.

Amboseli National Reserve is another wildlife reserve jewel, crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. The park, which borders Tanzania and the Serengeti, is one of Kenya’s most popular tourist parks. The name comes from the Maasai word meaning “salty dust,” an apt description for the park’s parched conditions. The park is centred around Observation Hill, which offers great views of the plains below. It’s about a four-hour drive from Nairobi by road and there are scheduled flights to an airport nearby. Giraffes, lions, hippos, cheetahs, elephants, grey crowned cranes and many more animals can be seen roaming the park freely, as it’s one of the most cared for reserves. Animal reservations are on an increase in Kenya due to the mass education of the importance of protecting these animals, some of which are on the world’s most endangered species list due to illegal poaching. There are many educational advantages to these safari excursions, along with the fun of viewing such magnificent animals graze in their habitats.

Flamingos are a sight to behold on their own, so imagine thousands of flamingos perched on one leg atop a lake. Lake Nakuru National Park is home to huge flocks of flamingos. There are over an estimated 1 million flamingos enjoying the alkaline waters of this shallow lake along with many more species of birds. The park is also home to the endangered white rhinos, warthogs, giraffes, hippos, ostriches and lions. The lake is about three hours out of Nairobi and is truly a beautiful sight to see.

The best time to visit Kenya is during one of the dry seasons, January through March or July through October. With the scarcity of water during the dry seasons, the animals tend to gather in more concentrated numbers around water holes, rivers and lakes which makes them easier to find.

Other Things To Do In Kenya
After the thrill of a safari excursion, it’s a good idea to unwind on one of Kenya’s beautiful pearl sand beaches. Heading southwest of Kenya, Malindi and Watamu are two of Kenya’s top attractions. In the town of Malindi, the beaches are lined with villas and small resorts located south of the town. It’s a fabulous place for snorkelling. Malindi evokes visions of a great historic town that has journeyed through ages. The town has moved through different eras with ease and became what it is today. You can still see touches of the early Chinese, Arab traders, Portuguese sailors and European settlers here and there.

Further south lies the town of Watamu, considerably a national park with two main lagoons, Turtle Bay and Blue Lagoon, with plenty of hotels and resorts popular with tourists. Well-liked activities include sunset sailing on a traditional sailboat (dhow), dolphin watching, diving and all sorts of water activities.

Kenyans are some of the most hospitable and friendly people, always welcoming visitors and tourists and making their experiences memorable. Lots of tribes live in the outskirts of large cities and a trip there is definitely worthwhile. You are always embraced when you visit tribal villages, which can give you a new perspective on life and take you back in time as you experience everyday life in these communities that are semi-disconnected from the technology-filled world we live in. The experience will surely bring back colour and soul to your busy life.