Africa Travel Information

Pelicans and other birds in Lake Elementaita

I previously posted information about the KWS plans to translocate over 1000 Zebras from the Soysambu ranch in Kenya to Amboseli National park. In the post, I was looking at it as a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

But it seems that nature has not frowned upon this private wildlife conservancy. The Standard newspaper reports that about 400,000 migratory birds (white storks) from Europe have found a temporary home in Lake Elementaita, right at the middle of the ranch. The lake has in the past hosted a few of these birds, but not in such substantial numbers as this time. You can find full details of this story in the online edition of the Standard here.

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Flamingoes in Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Ask most Africa travel enthusiasts, and they’ll easily tell you that Kenya is the real home of the African safari. To this day, the country’s diverse wildlife and magnificent landscapes continue to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. This is despite the rising competition from countries like Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia.

Of course wildlife safaris are Kenya’s biggest attraction, which is why in today’s post, I write about what, in my opinion, are the five of the top national parks and game reserves in Kenya.

1. Masai Mara Game Reserve
Certainly, no other Kenyan game reserve or national park can rival the Maasai Mara in terms of fame and popularity. I can attribute a huge chunk of this fame to the annual wildebeest migration between the Mara and the neighboring Serengeti national park in Tanzania. This great migration takes place between June and September, and remains the top draw for tourists into the Mara.

But that does not mean the migration is all that the Mara has to offer. In fact, you can travel to the reserve almost anytime of the year, and still have a great safari experience. The reserve has a great concentration of animals including all the big five. It may sometimes be hard to spot rhinos and leopards in the Mara, but you can be sure you will see plenty of elephants, lions, and buffaloes all year round.

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Cape Town South Africa

If there is one African city that is the envy of all other cities in the continent, it is Cape Town in South Africa. Situated in one of the most beautiful locations in the world, Cape Town is bestowed with such natural splendor that almost seduces travelers to stay even when all they had planned was just a short visit.

Among the many gifts of nature surrounding the city, the iconic table mountain is without doubt Cape Town’s most impressive and most definitive symbol. Capetonians consider this 1086m high flat-topped mountain as the spirit of the city, without which Cape Town would not be Cape Town.

Apart from being the gorgeous and imposing natural backdrop of the city, Table Mountain is the center of scenic and adventure travel in Cape Town. It has a number of world-class hiking trails, and mountain climbing and abseiling crags. And if you are not the adventurous type, you can still get to the top of the mountain by table car. From the top of the mountain, you get to enjoy the amazing scenery of Cape Town and the surrounding regions below.

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NB: I originally posted the article below in qondio, a content website where people share lots of “intel” on various topics. I post as africantraveler at qondio.

The True Gems in Africa Travel

Maletsunyane falls near Semonkong in of Lesotho

In a previous post on Africa travel, I mentioned some of the most preferred Africa holiday destinations, among them Kenya, South Africa and Egypt. While these countries may be the favorite destinations among many travelers, their attractions are not necessarily superior to those in other less-traveled African countries. In fact, in my opinion, there are some countries that offer a more satisfying African safari experience, often with the added advantage of being less crowded. These include: Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, and Mozambique

Lesotho
This landlocked country is neighbored on all sides by South Africa. One of the things that make Lesotho a unique travel destination is its beautiful mountainous scenery. The entire country lies at over 1000 meters above sea level, and has arguably some of the best hiking trails in Africa. The traditional way of life of the Basotho is, to say the least, very fascinating. The best way to enjoy a holiday in this country is on horse back.
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Zanzibar Beach

If you are enthusiastic about the culture of the Swahili people of Eastern Africa, you may already know about the Sauti za Busara Music Festival in Zanzibar. This annual event showcases the best of East African music, especially Swahili music. Performing artists come from Zanzibar, mainland Tanzania, Kenya, and Burundi, as well as from other African countries.

While taarab is arguably the most recognized genre of Swahili music, there are lots of other equally entertaining music varieties, all of which are performed at the festival. They include the kidumbak dances, traditional ngoma music, rumba, swahili mystical/religious music, bongo flava, and afro-fusion.

Sauti za busara is a big event, attracting thousands of East African residents and international visitors. For the residents, it is a great way to get entertained and celebrate culture. For the artists, Sauti za Busara provides a unique chance to interact with each other and share ideas. And for international tourists, it gives the rare opportunity to see the best of the Swahili culture in one place.

The carnival at Stone Town is one of the highlights of the event, setting a very friendly mood, followed by four days of music heaven in the Stone Town Old Fort. During that time, visitors also get to enjoy delicious Swahili foods. What better way is there to enjoy a beach holiday in one of Africa’s finest beach destinations.

You may find more information about the festival at its official website. If you have not yet made your Zanzibar hotel and flight reservation for this year’s event, it may be a bit late now. The festival has already started, and ends on the 16th of February. But be sure to attend next year’s event if your schedule allows.

Hotel Booking for Zanzibar

If you plan to travel to Zanzibar anytime soon, you may want visit the hotels combined reservation web site and book your hotel in Zanzibar.

Elephants in Amboseli National Park. Mt Kilimanjaro is in the background. Image by Disdero in Wikimedia commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elephants_Kili_2.jpg

I read a very interesting report in the Daily Nation today. The Kenya wildlife service (KWS) plans to trans-locate about 7,000 herbivores, mostly zebras and wildebeest, from some private ranches and game reserves in Kenya to the Amboseli national park. Apparently, following last year’s drought in Amboseli, the herbivore/carnivore balance in the park was severely disrupted. The predators are now attacking the livestock of the neighboring Maasai people. You can read full details of the story here.

Looking at it from a different perspective, the KWS action raises a number of questions. Is it fair to the game reserves from which the zebras and wildebeest will be taken? What will happen to the predator/prey balance in these ranches? I know, KWS may rightly argue that in these reserves, that “balance” was largely skewed in favour of the herbivores. After all, species trans-location is an acceptable and proven animal conservation strategy. There have been several animal translocations in Kenya in the past, though not on such a large scale. One past translocation that comes close in scale was the fairly successful translocation of 228 elephants from Shimba hills national park to Tsavo East (see story).

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