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KENYA
NATIONAL PARKS
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Huge herds of elephants cross the road, from east to west. Tsavo is like a huge country with a tarmac road dividing it into two parts. In their constant search for food, the elephants criss-cross the Nairobi-Mombasa highway, occasionally forcing the motorist to give way to the mighty. Tsavo has one of the most fascinating histories in Africa . It was the vast nyika or wasteland through which the infamous Lunatic Line or the Uganda Railway was built through in the 1890's. The local people called Tsavo the place of slaughter. In 1898, work came to a standstill when the man-eaters of Tsavo, went on a killing spree, preying on the Indian railroad workers. The two lions were shot after many grueling months of a cat-and-mouse game. The cast lions can be seen in the Chicago Natural Museum in the USA . 
In 1948, Tsavo became the second national park in Kenya to protect its vast herds of elephants, antelopes, hippos and crocodiles and prides of lions, the shy cheetah and the lonely leopard and all the other animals.
Tsavo East covers an area of 11,747sq.kms and Tsavo West covers an area of 9,065sq.kms. The park has two permanent rivers, Tsavo and Athi. Interesting sites to visit are the Lugard Falls on Galana River with its water-eroded rocks and Mzima Springs with an underwater viewing hide to watch the hippo, the crocodile and the fish swimming past. The world's longest lava flow the Yatta Plateau dominates the eastern side.
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Venture
south to the famed Amboseli National Park, located
at the foot of Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro.
The snow-capped peak of the mountain dominates every
aspect of the park, providing the ultimate photo backdrop.
Amboseli covers only 392 sq km, though despite its
small size and its fragile ecosystem, the park supports
a wide range of mammals (well over 50 of the larger
species) and birds (over 400 species). After lunch
at your safari camp, spend the afternoon criss-crossing
the park in seach of lions, buffaloes, elephants,
rhino, cheetah, and of course the photo of a lifetime.
Part of Masailand, Amboseli
National Park is thus the home of the Maasai people,
those tall, proud nomads whose legendary prowess in
battle and single handed acts of bravery in fights
with wild animals has spread across the globe. Perhaps
more than any other community in Kenya, the Masai
have learned to live in complete harmony with their
environment, and coexist and thrive together with
the wildlife that surrounds them. The park and the
surrounding regions are occupied and abandoned manyatta
- Maasai villages - quickly built out of bent poles
and sticks and plastered with cow dung and equally
swiftly abandoned when the grazing is finished and
the herds must move on. It is not unusual to see the
proud Masai warrior or small children tending their
cattle as you traverse their territory.
A part of the park is
composed of a dried-up lake bed which in the shimmering
heat produces mirages. Swamps and springs, fed by
underground rivers from Kilimanjaro's melting snows,
form permanent watering places for the wildlife through
times of drought. The lake bed is subject to sporadic
floods and noxious salts in the gravel bed are dissolved
to serve as a deadly poison for what is left of the
local woods; very few of the fine acacias, once a
feature of this region, remain.
The snows of Kilimanjaro,
white and crystalline, form a majestic backdrop to
one of Kenya's most spectacular displays of wildlife
- lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, cheetah, buffalo
and hosts of plains' game, creating Kenya's most sought
after photographer's paradise. The park's best game
runs are around the swamps and there is a fine lookout
on Observation Hill which offers views over the whole
of the park and beyond.
Years ago this was the
locale around which such famous writers as Ernest
Hemingway and Robert Ruark spun their stories of big-game
hunting in the wilds of Africa. In addition, the park
that has been made famous by Cynthia Moss, the noted
American naturalist and author who has one of the
longest-running studies on elephants. You might even
see some of the elephants that Cynthia has immortalized
in her many books and award-winning film Echo of the
Elephants.
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Masai Mara National Reserve |
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The Masai Mara (also spelled Maasai Mara) is a game
reserve in south-western Kenya, which is effectively
the northern continuation of the Serengeti National
Park in Tanzania. Named for the Masai tribes people,
who are the traditional inhabitants of the area, and
the Mara River, which divides it, the reserve is famous
for its exceptional population of game and the annual
migration of the wildebeest every September and October,
a migration so immense to be called the Great Migration.
Thousands of wildebeest die in the crossing due to
crocodile attacks. The Great Migration is one of the
most impressive natural events worldwide, involving
an immensity of herbivores: some 1,300,000 wildebeest,
360,000 Thomson's gazelle, and 191,000 zebra.
With an area of 1510
km sq., the Masai Mara is not the largest game park
or reserve in Kenya, but it is probably the most famous.
The entire area of the park is nestled within the
enormous Great Rift Valley that extends from the Mediterranean
Sea to South Africa. The terrain of the reserve is
primarily open grassland, with clusters of the distinctive
acacia tree in the south-east region. The western
border is the Esoit Oloololo Escarpment of the Rift
Valley, and wildlife tends to be most concentrated
here, as the swampy ground means that access to water
is always good and tourist disruption is minimal.
The easternmost border is 224 km from Nairobi, and
as such are the most accessible and visited regions
are the reserve.
The Masai Mara is perhaps
most famous for its lions, though the other members
of the "Big Five" (leopard, buffalo, elephant,
and rhinoceros) are as well found. This said, the
population of black rhinoceros is severely threatened,
with a population of only 37 recorded in 2000. Hippopotami
are found in large groups in the Masai Mara and Talek
Rivers, and many cheetah, zebra, impala, gazelles,
hartebeest, warthog, ostrich, topi, the unique Masai
giraffe, among other mammals, all consider the “Mara”
their home territory. As well, the large Roan antelope
and the nocturnal bat-eared fox, rarely present elsewhere
in Kenya, can be seen within the reserve borders.
Like in the Serengeti, the wildebeest are the dominant
inhabitant of the Masai Mara, and their numbers are
estimated in the millions. Around July of each year
these ungainly animals migrate in a vast ensemble
north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh
pasture, and return to the south around October. These
numerous migrants are followed along their annual,
circular route by a block of hungry predators, most
notably lions and hyena.
The Maasai Mara is a
also major research centre for the spotted hyena.
Additionally, over 450 species of birdlife have been
identified in the park, including vulture, marabou,
secretary bird, hornbill, crowned crane, ostrich,
long-crested eagle, and pygmy falcon.
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The Samburu National Reserve, situated on the banks
of Uaso Nyiro River (meaning brown water), is located
in the Samburu district of the Rift Valley province,
approximately 350 km north of Nairobi. With an area
of 188 km sq, Samburu National Reserve was established
in 1948 as part of the enormous Marsabit National
Reserve. This region is referred to as the Northern
Frontier District because of the war in the 1960's
and early 70's with the Somali people. The reserve
offers good views of nearby Mount Koitogor and Mount
Ololokwe, and thanks to its proximity to the Uaso
Nyiro river, a vast variety of animals consider the
area encompassed by the reserve their home territory.
There are over 50 species
of wild animals in the reserve, including the “Big
5”. In addition, the reserve is home to numerous
unique species such as Gravy Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe,
Besia Oryx, Grater and Lesser Kudu, Gerenuk, Somali
ostrich, and the pancake tortoise. With roughly 450
indigenous bird species in the reserve, and many aquatic
species in the Uaso Nyiro River, this reserve is one
of the most diverse in Kenya. It also has a wonderful
mixture of acacia, riverine forest, thorn trees and
grassland vegetation.
The local population
of the neighbouring communities are of the Samburu
tribe, a clan of the Masai people. Historically nomadic
people, the Samburu live in a tradition largely untouched
to modern development.
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Mt. Kenya and the Aberdares |
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In the early days, the people who lived around Mt. Kenya , the Gikuyu (Kikuyu) believed that god lived on the mountain. Only god could live so high where the jagged tooth of the mountain was always covered in snow and impossible to reach. And from this mountain, Mumbi (Gikuyu mother) had nine daughters from whom the nine tribes living around the mountain descended from (married to). Mt. Kenya is Kenya 's tallest mountain at 17,058ft and it is now declared a world heritage site because of its immense diversity of flora and fauna. On its slopes, lies the world famous Mt. Kenya Safari Club. It is one place where you can see the shy bongo, a beautiful antelope with ivory tipped horns. Almost exterminated in the wild, they have successfully bred in the sanctuary of Mt. Kenya and perhaps will be released at some point back into the old forests. Surrounded by forest lies another lodge built on stilts called the Mountain Lodge where the animals of the wild come to lick the salt off the ground and wallow in the muddy pools. If you are so lucky you may be staring at an elephants trunk or toe only inches away from the underground viewpoint.
The Aberdares lie not so far from the Mt. Kenya . Mt. Kenya and the Aberdares have long been the range of the elephant migration. Deep in the forest is a famous lodge built on stilts like Noah's ark. Some nights the rhino will come and spend hours below and sometimes the elephants and the rhino will fight for the right to the watering hole. Sometimes the traffic is heavy and sometimes low. But there's always someone hanging around the watering hole and you can watch them from the comfort of your armchair.
Mt. Kenya has a base diameter of 120kms and the park named after the mountain is 715sp.kms. Aberdare National Park occupies 767sq.kms.
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Lake Nakuru National Park |
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Lake Nakuru itself is one of the Rift Valley soda
lakes. The lake's abundance of algae attracts the
vast quantity of flamingos, estimated into the millions,
that famously line the shore. The surface of the shallow
lake is often hardly recognizable due to the continually
shifting mass of pink. There are two types of flamingo
species: the Lesser flamingo can be distinguished
by its deep red carmine bill and pink plumage unlike
the greater, which has a bill with a black tip. But
flamingo are not the only avian attraction, also present
are two large fish eating birds, pelicans and cormorants.
The park is rich in other birdlife, including grebes,
white winged black, stilts, avocets, ducks, and in
the European winter, the migrant waders.
The park has recently
been enlarged partly to provide the sanctuary for
the black rhino. This undertaking has necessitated
a fence - to keep out poachers rather than to restrict
the movement of wildlife. The park now has more than
25 rhinos, one of the largest concentrations in the
country, so the chances of spotting these survivors
are good. There are also a number of Rothschild's
giraffe, again translocated for safety from western
Kenya beginning in 1977. Numerous other mammals can
be seen, including zebra, impala, gazelle, waterbuck,
lion, warthog, bushbuck, many buffalo, and even at
times leopard.
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A remnant of the rainforest which once stretched from the west coast through central Africa to western Kenya , Kakamega forest is a priceless forest. Full of endemic species of plant and animal life, it's a haven for any naturalist. Ancient trees reach out to the sky and the their roots weave their way on the forest floor. In some places the canopy is so thick that little sunlight can break through the leafy branches. Water droplets fall on the floor creating little rivulets because of the damp air. Overhead in the upper branches, the shy white and black colobus monkeys jump from branch to branch and the huge hornbills fly past filling the forest with their loud-pitched call. On the trailing creeper plants live a host of moths and butterflies and sometimes if you train your eye, the motionless twig could be a rare snake.
There are trained guides to take you on a walk through the forest and tell you of its hidden secrets.
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The huge caves open up in the midst of the mountain forest. It takes a few minutes to adjust the eye to look through. From the top of the cave a steady stream of water cascades down. The cave walls have been scratched. It is the work of the elephants that come to the caves in search for salt and scrape the cave walls for the precious commodity. The caves lead for miles inside through a weave of impenetrable darkness. You must carry a strong flashlight if you want to venture further field.
Mt. Elgon is one of the largest mountains of volcanic origin and straddles Kenya and Uganda . The summit reaches 14,178 feet and even though it falls short of the height for permanent snow and glaciers, the mountain slopes are sometimes covered in snow.
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Until the 1970's, the roan antelope was found from Mt. Elgon to the Maasai Mara. Today the last herd is found in Ruma National Park near the shores of Lake Victoria . This species of the roan, Hippotragus equines langheldi is not found anywhere else in the world except for Ruma and at this point there are no more than forty left in the wild. A big, beautiful antelope, its downfall is that its meat is delicious and it's easy to hunt. When startled it will turn to face its adversary, which gives it plenty of time for the hunter to stick an arrow in its throat!
Ruma National Park is an exquisite little park almost 126 square kilometers n size. Besides the roan, it is home to another rare antelope, the oribi, a tiny red-coated antelope, which marks its territory with the prorbital glands near its eyes. There's also the rare Rothschild giraffe translocated here from other areas in Kenya and large herds of topi and buffalo. Even the leopard has been spotted here many a time.
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Eco-tourism is defined as "Responsible travel to natural arears which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people."
As far as eco-tourism is concerned, we do work together to make it clear to both our clients and indigenous community the importance of bringing together Tourism, Conservation and the Community.
Actually as a company, we do accept the challenge that we still can't deliver much as far as Eco-tourism is concerned but through the help of our clients, we work tirelessly to realize it. As far as we are concerned, Eco-tourism has the potential to coexist and to support the conservation objectives in both the host community and the visitor alike through establishing and sustaining relationships between tourism industry, local communities and nature.
We partake in making the environment clean by physically involving in the cleaning process. We also do encourage our clients to buy locally manufactured products like honey and curios and this in turn helps the community to earn their livelihood from that.
Along Lake Victoria we do support the indigenous groups by offering to them affordable loans to purchase different kinds of fishing nets, which enable them to perform the task of fishing and cater for themselves. There is a regulation enacted to ensure that at intervals a certain species of fish is not over consumed, by the use of particular kinds of fishing nets at particular time of the year.
We are also working on a project to bring up a group of cultural dancers as part of conserving the culture who will also help in economic growth of the society.
We are convinced that we can only make our communities realize the use of nature conservation if we enable them realize financial, social and vocational benefits flowing to them from projects e.g. tour companies that quite often commercially exploit what the community regard as their resources and by so doing both the community, nature and our clients will appreciate the word "Eco-tourism"
The program for this tour is very muchlively and we call it extra ordinary as it goes beyond your expectations.While having lunch prepared by our professional cook we are entertained by local people.After an early break fast depart for the cultural village exchange tour. On arrival the villagers' curious onlookers who sing and dance together with children and men as they welcome the clients meet you. After a short introduction the clients start visiting the local projects, which are already running. Clients have the option to choose which pleases them most.
After lunch we assemble for the finals of one of the following:
Traditional dance by women songs competition, Children songs.
Football inter-final competition. Men teams.
Drama done by primary and secondary school children competition.
Other activities:
*Sack walking
*Needle eyeing
*Rope pulling
*Martial arts show etc.
The competition ends at 5:00PM , which is followed by presentation of the trophies and certificates to the participants. Then the closing ceremony is done by our chairman OR the leader of the community.For cultural tour our clients are able to meet the local people in a natural environment.
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For cultural tour our clients are able to meet the local people in a natural environment.
After an early break fast depart for the cultural village exchange tour. On arrival the villagers' curious onlookers who sing and dance together with children and men as they welcome the clients meet you. After a short introduction the clients start visiting the local projects, which are already running. Clients have the option to choose which pleases them most.
While having lunch prepared by our professional cook we are entertained by local people.
After lunch we assemble for the finals of one of the following:
Church songs and dance by congregation.
For the missions and the crusades we organize all the facilities and informing the people about the event. We advice that in this case it should take place on either a Saturday or Sunday afternoon from 2.00PM to 6.00PM. We also invite other local evangelists in consultation with the group tour leader / conductor so that we make surethat everything goes as it is supposed to be.We also contact the local pastors who assist with the choir and musical instruments. The mood is good and people respond in a larger number of up to 20000 people in attendance. We organize for the translators who are well versed with the bible readings and the themes of the crusade. Many souls are usually won by your efforts to plant the good word of the lord Jesus Christ.
After the crusade dinner and overnight at the lodge. The security is taken into consideration\ there is no point of fear.
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Park Towers 17th Floor, Utalii Street off Uhuru Highway
P.O BOX 75934-00200 City Square Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel:+254-20-2241595,+254-20-2241586 Fax:+254-20-2241596
Mobile Phone:+254-734-536413
E-mail: info@africa-adventures.net
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