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KENYA is home to the greatest concentration of free-ranging wildlife on earth. Kenya's national parks and game reserves have long been famous for their variety and wealth of flora and fauna.
Kenya is a geographical and natural wonder with the Great Rift Valley slashing the country from north to south. Within and surrounding the escarpments of the valley lie a wonderland of savannahs, deserts, lakes and the finest game reserves each with its own unique features and a vast array of wildlife.
ABERDARE NATIONAL PARK
The Aberdares is a wonderland of strange alpine plant mutants, dense stands of rare afro-montane forests and some spectacular waterfalls. 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.
AMBOSELI
The snows of Mt. Kilimanjaro provide a magnificent backdrop for the spectacular wildlife that abounds near the swamps and natural springs characteristic of this area. 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
The most popular reserve in Kenya, renowned for the migration that occurs each year as millions of wildebeest and zebra migrate north from the Serengeti plains searching for greener pastures.
Maasai tribespeople live on the reserve's fringes and are co-owners of the reserve, sharing in revenues from tourism. This 1 672kmē reserve is one of Africa's premier wildlife destinations and boasts all the big game species.
TSAVO NATIONAL PARK
At 21 000kmē, this is Kenya's largest park. Most of the land is open savannah and bush woodlands inhabited by buffalo, lion, antelope, gazelles, giraffe and zebra. 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.
SHABA AND SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVES
Set in stark country in the hot and arid fringes of Kenya's vast Northern region along the Uaso Nyiro River. Shaba National Reserve, the most scenically beautiful, is where conservationist Joy Adamson introduced her leopard to the wild.
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Savannah grassland interspersed with thorn bushes becomes acacia woodland giving way to isolated crags and natural springs cascading onto the riverbanks.
MOMBASA
The island city of Mombasa 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.
MALINDI
Malindi with its stretch of beautiful hotels and vibrant nightlife lies north of Mombasa. Offshore are the Malindi and Watamu Marine National Parks, home to some of the finest scuba diving and snorkelling in Africa. 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.
THE SOUTH AND NORTH COASTS
The south and North coasts are famous for beautiful and safe beaches and spectacular diving, fishing, surfing and magnificent marine reserves. |
