Kenya

The Aberdare National Park is part of the Aberdare Mountain Range, a fascinating region of Kenya. Aberdares was made famous because it is unique park that Princess Elizabeth spent the night in a unique tree hotel and became Queen upon her father's death.

This park is noted for mountain ranges and peaks that soar to around 14,000 ft giving way to deep V-shaped valleys with streams and rivers cascading over spectacular waterfalls - this area is a must for landscape lovers. From its vital catchments area the Aberdare Rainforest feeds the entire local and Nairobi water supply.

Game found in this forest are:- Bongo - a rare and elusive forest antelope, eland, serval cats, elephant, buffalo, lion, rhino, leopard, baboon, Black and White Colobus and Sykes monkeys. Rare sightings have also been made of the Golden cat. Bird viewing is incredible with over 250 species recorded including Jackson's Franklin, sparrow hawk, African goshawk, eagles, sunbirds and plovers.

At 5199m high, Mount Kenya is Africa's second highest mountain. It offers easy or challenging ascents with superb scenic beauty. To the Kikuyu tribes people it is the home of the Supreme Being: Ngai, a god that resides here. Part of the mountain's fascination is the variation in flora and fauna as the altitude changes. The lower slopes are covered with dry upland forest, the true montane (mountain) forest begins at 2000m is mainly cedar and podo.

At 2500m begins a belt of bamboo forest which merges into the upper forest of smaller trees, interspersed with glades. The high altitude heath at the top (3000-3500m) is generally open, dotted with shrubs, African sage, protea and helicrysum. Animals found here are Sunni buck, Mount Kenya mole, shrew, skinks (lizard) and variety of owls. Occasional sightings have been recorded of albino zebra.

The Park is most famous as it is the setting for Joy Adamson's book "Born Free" - the story of the Adamson's life and research amongst lion and cheetah. It is an especially wild and beautiful area of Kenya, straddling the equator and bisected by 13 rivers and numerous mountain-fed streams.

It has diverse scenery - woodlands to wide open plains with wandering riverbanks dotted with doum palms. Game includes : lions, elephants, cheetah, leopard and some of the rarer antelopes, lesser kudu, duiker, dik dik - one of Africa's smallest antelopes. The rivers abound with hippo and crocodile. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded including - Peter's Finfoot which inhabits the Murera and Ura Rivers, the Pel's Fishing Owl, kingfishers, rollers, bee-eaters, starlings and numerous weavers.

All three Reserves offer unique vistas of rounded and rugged hills and undulating plains. The mix of wood and grassland with riverine forest and swamp is home to a wide variety of animal and birdlife. Game viewing and visibility is excellent. Game includes the following animals unique to this area - Reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, gerenuk. Other animals include elephant, oryx, hippo, crocodile, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena.

Recently (January 2002), in a radical departure from its instincts, a lioness protected a baby oryx, which it would ordinarily have killed for a meal, escorting it around the Samburu wildlife reserve. Unfortunately the oryx fell prey to another lion and was killed.

The same lion adopted another baby oryx a few days later, however the Kenya Wildlife Society had to intervene as the oryx was too weak to survive and they separated the couple…. is this the end or will the tale continue? Shaba National Reserve, known as the "Born Free" country is a semi desert reserve, located some 100 kms north of the equator, was made famous by Joy Adamson and her lioness Elsa. The park is also notable for its hotsprings.

The Laikipia plateau in Central Kenya is the last stronghold of romantic East Africa with vast open ranches, shadowed by snow-capped Mount Kenya and home to many communities including the Laikipia Maasai and the Samburu.The plains are fed by the Ewaso Ny'iro and the Ewaso Narok rivers and one can often see the "Big 5" (rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo).

The district is also a home to endangered animals such as the black rhino, Jackson's Hartebeest and more. It also boasts the biggest herds of elephant outside the National Parks. Wild dog, leopard, lion, cheetah and other predators hunt the plains game such as impala, gazelle, reticulated giraffe, Grevy zebra, Somali ostrich, Beisa oryx (endemic to the North of Kenya) and gerenuk.

It is world famous for, and was created a National Park to protect, its stunning flocks of lesser flamingo which literally turn its shores pink. Its birdlife is world-renowned and offers over 400 species of both aquatic and terrestrial birds.

The park offers a wide ecological diversity, from lake water, woodland to the rocky escarpment and ridges. Notable game within the park includes: Black and White Rhino, buffalo, leopard, lion, Rothschild's giraffe, White and Black Colobus monkey, eland, steinbok, impala, Chandlers Reedbuck, dik dik, rock hyrax, klipspringer, hippo and clawless otter.

The park is probably the most famous and most visited reserve in Kenya. The terrain consists of vast stretches of uninterrupted plains on the eastern side and as you go further the savannah spotted with acacia woodlands gives way to a more varied landscape with hills and mountains. The park is teeming with wildlife and the mostly permanent water network from the Mara-Talek rivers provides the animals with a year round supply of water.

The most spectacular feature is the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle from the plains of Serengeti that cross the Tanzanian 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, the migration provides a game viewing experience that is not equaled anywhere else in Africa. Though the seasonal migration, game viewing is excellent year round. Game includes :- elephant, Black Rhino, buffalo, wildebeest, Burchell's zebra, hartebeest, various antelope and gazelle, lion, leopard, giraffe, elephant cheetah, hippo, crocodile and much more.

Amboseli means "A place of water", is situated at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Despite its sometimes dry and dusty appearance, the park has an endless water supply filtered through thousands of feet of volcanic rock from Kilimanjaro's snow melt. The landscape is open and bushy savannah dotted with thickets and some acacias. It is an important rangeland in Maasai culture.

The park offers a wide variety of wildlife but the principal attraction is its vast herds of elephant within the park. The bull elephants here have some of the largest tusks in Kenya. Other game includes: zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, leopard, caracal and serval cat. The park boasts a rich bird life such as ibis, egret, avocet, common and saddle-billed stork, secretary bird, heron, vultures, ducks, and geese.

Game include: elephant, rhino, lion, leopard, crocodile, waterbuck, kudu, gerenuk and zebra. It is a home to some of the largest herds of elephants in Kenya. 500 bird species are recorded including ostrich and some migratory kestrels and buzzards stop at Tsavo-East during their long flight south.

This is where the notorious "Man Eaters of Tsavo", man-eating lions preyed on the railway linesman building the great Uganda railway in 1900. The park has important historic connections as a major battleground in World War I where British and German troops battled for supremacy.

It offers tremendous views with diverse habitats ranging from mountains, river forest, plains, lakes and wooded grassland. Game include: cheetah, leopard, buffalo, rhino, elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion, plains game, crocodile and small mammals including mongoose, hyrax, dik dik and the nocturnal porcupine. Mzima springs is a star attraction, a pool of natural spring water with underwater viewing hides for observing hippos.Chyulu Hills National Park is an extenstion of Tsavo West National Park.

The Chyulus are a volcanic mountain range with a mix of volcanic cones and barren lava flows, of which the most interesting in Shetani, meaning "Devil" in Swahili. Game include: buffalo, zebra, giraffe, oryx, lion, leopard and many species of birds and plants.

The perfect place for a beach holiday and some of the finest deep-sea fishing in the world. The history of the coastline goes back over a thousand years. The Indian Ocean coastline that forms the Eastern border stretches for some four hundred and eighty kilometers from Somali to Tanzania with palm fringed pearly white sandy beaches. Extending from North to South lies a spectacular coral barrier reef with wonders of under water exploration in the blue lagoons and creeks. These attractions together with superb accommodation facilities make the Kenya Coast an incomparable holiday for both beach and nature lovers. It is possible to swim in the warm clear waters of the Indian Ocean all year round. The Kenya coast is divided into distinct resorts, namely:- Mombasa, North & South Coast, Malindi and Watamu, and Lamu each having its own unique characteristics and attractions.

Mombasa has a harmonious blending of the great cultures of Africa, Asia and Europe. The Old Town with its narrow streets with fascinating place of antiquity worth seeing. The 16th century Fort Jesus is a major attraction.

The North Coast and South Coast are long stretches of idyllic beaches that are fringed with swaying palms, casuarinas, oleanders and frangipan. The Mtwapa creek with its abundant birdlife and Bamburi nature trail on the north are a must for nature lovers.

Diani/Chale Marine National Park and Reserve, Kisite Marine National Park are places with a dazzling array of technicoloured fish and coral gardens which are worth visiting.

Malindi & Watamu are renown for its beauty and diversity of marine life. Malindi's history dates back to the 12th century. Here time stands still and centuries of civilization have not altered the courtesy and charm of the people. The Gede ruins are a few kilometers from Malindi and are a fascinating glimpse of Islamic culture and village life. The ruins were mysteriously abandoned in the 17th century.

Lamu takes one back through time to a way of life that has remained unchanged for the last six hundred years and here time seems to standstill. The Lamu archipelago is the Venice of Kenya as it is linked to the mainland and other smaller islands such as Manda and Kiwayu by waterways