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ABERDARE
NATIONAL PARK
Covering 766km², the Aberdares are a densely wooded mountain
range rising to over 4000m with magnificent views over nearby Mount
Kenya to the north, and the Rift Valley to the south.
The mountain slopes are covered in dense stands of rare afro-montane
forest, while the high grasslands feature afro-alpine and subalpine
heath and groundsels. The vistas are often more like those of Scotland
than of Africa. A number of crystal clear streams and rivers all
stocked with rainbow trout, criss-cross the plateau, with some spectacular
waterfalls as the rivers tumble off the escarpment. The plateau
is rich in game - elephant, leopard, lion, giant forest hog, bushbuck,
blue monkey, colobus monkey, black rhino, buffalo and suni are some
of the characteristic species.
Lucky visitors may catch a glimpse of the rare melanistic (pitch-black)
strain of leopard. This is one of the last strongholds of the critically
endangered bongo (rare spiral-horned antelope). Walking is allowed,
but only with an armed guard, as the lions here are aggressive and
there have been several attacks in the past.
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AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK
A small park by Kenyan standards, covering just under 400km²
at the centre of the border with Tanzania, 220km from Nairobi. The
view of the Amboseli
plains, with elephant moving below the snow-capped peaks of Mount
Kilimanjaro, is one of the most photographed vistas in Africa. A network
of swamps and wetlands ensure excellent game viewing year round. There
are 425 recorded bird and 56 mammal species in the park, including
lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, hippo, black rhino, Maasai giraffe,
gerenuk and zebra.
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MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
In the south-western corner of the country, 390km from Nairobi,
lies a vast rolling plain beneath the Mara escarpment striped black
once a year by millions of wildebeest and zebra migrating north
from the Serengeti plains.
During the migration season (around July to August) the Masai
Mara's resident lions lounge prominently in the sun, fat and seemingly
placid. There are 13 tented camps and two lodges in the reserve. Maasai
tribespeople live on the reserve's fringes and are co-owners of the
reserve, sharing in revenues from tourism. This 1 672km² reserve
is one of Africa's premier wildlife destinations and boasts all the
big game species. Besides the normal safari activities, it is also
possible to go hot-air ballooning across the plains, one of the finest
ways to see Africa's wildlife.
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MERU NATIONAL PARK
Situated 400km from Nairobi, this 870km² park is one of Kenya's
most remote and unspoilt, being way off the beaten, package tourism
track.
The park was made famous by George and Joy Adamson as the place
to which they brought Boy, son of the lioness, Elsa ("Born
Free"), to set him free. Here too, Joy trained the cheetah
Pippa, in how to re-adapt to the wild (as told in "The Spotted
Sphinx").
The Tana river, the largest in Kenya, abuts a small section of the
park in the east, and Adamson's Falls, at the tip of the park, are
a spectacular sight after rain. Besides all the usual big game species
(rhino excluded) this is an excellent place to see two relatively
unusual animals, reticulated giraffe and gerenuk, also known as giraffe-necked
gazelle. White rhino were reintroduced here, but fell prey to the
guns of poachers in 1988. Since then, security has been considerably
tightened up, and poaching has all but ceased.
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TSAVO NATIONAL PARK
At 21 000km², this is Kenya's largest park by far, but much
of the eastern section is closed to the public. Most of the land
is open savannah and bush woodlands inhabited by buffalo, lion,
antelope, gazelles, giraffe and zebra. Despite a drastic fall in
the elephant population in the 1970s there are still many large
herds.
Tsavo is a combination of dramatic escarpment landscapes combined
with the raw, untamed flavour of one of Africa's great wilderness
areas. Mzima Springs, in Tsavo East, is one of the best places to
watch crocodile and hippo. Here, crystal clear water bubbles out of
the ground at a rate of 500million litres (110million gallons) a day.
The spring is fed by snow melting off Mount Kilimanjaro, and a pipeline
from the springs provides Mombasa with a large portion of its drinking
water. A distinctive feature of Mzima is an underwater glass cage
built by a wildlife film crew. Here you can descend a set of stairs,
and encased in a glass hide, watch shoals of tilapia, and the occasional
crocodile or hippo glide by.
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MOMBASA
The island city of Mombasa is the headquarters for Kenya's coastal
tourist trade, but has none of the fine beaches to be found to the
north and south. Instead, this is a place to savour the history
of the East Coast of Africa, a history of slavery, pirates, war
and adventure.
The Old Town, Fort Jesus and the Old Harbour are fascinating places
to while away a few hours, especially the Old Harbour, where you can
watch majestic dhows (Arab sailing vessel), still sporting ancient
rigs, plying their trade as far afield as Yemen and the Persian Gulf.
Shopping is a delight in Mombasa, whether it be from vendors for locals
crafts, or from the merchants in Biashara Street for Kenya's almost
obligatory beach wear, kikoi and kanga cloths.
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MALINDI
Malindi lies 125km north of Mombasa and is the Miami Beach of East
Africa, with its stretch of beautiful hotels and vibrant nightlife.
Offshore are the Malindi and Watamu Marine National Parks, home
to some of the finest scuba diving and snorkelling in Africa.
The coral reefs here are strictly protected, and for non-divers, glass-bottomed
boats provide a window on an incredible marine heritage. This is one
of the few places in the world where it is possible to snorkel in
water less than three metres deep, and experience the kind of fish
life usually reserved for scuba divers. Malindi is where Ernest Hemingway
came to pursue marlin, sailfish and wahoo. Anglers can hire state
of the art boats and equipment for what is rated as the best game
fishing in Africa.
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THE SOUTH COAST
Protected by an offshore barrier coral reef, the south coast is
famous for beautiful and safe beaches and spectacular diving, fishing
and surfing.
Resorts include Likoni, Tiwi, Diani Beach and Shimoni. Shimoni
is Kenya's southern angling headquarters, with boats heading out
into the Pemba Channel in search of the denizens of the deep.
Offshore are another two magnificent marine reserves, Kisite Marine
National Park and Mpunguti Marine National Reserve, both with superb
diving. And just a bit south, are Wasini Island and the Wasini Marine
National Park, with arguably the best snorkelling in Africa. Inland
is the little known Shimba Hills National Reserve, a 192km²,
heavily forested plateau which home to, among others, elephant,
sable antelope, leopard, buffalo and hyena.
THE NORTH COAST
Stretching from Mombasa to Malindi, the north coast features a number
of resort areas hidden away down deceptive tracks. Bamburi Beach,
Kenya Beach, Watamu Beach and Casuarina Beach are some of the better
known resorts, but there are also hidden gems like Kilifi Creek, Kikambala,
Kanamai and Takaunga.
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African Safari Destinations
