Mysterious, Bizzare and Interesting Places in Africa That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Many travel enthusiasts recognize Africa as a great destination for wildlife safaris, beach holidays, adventure travel, and other conventional forms of vacations. But not very many people are aware of the strange, Read More »
Top 5 National Parks and Game Reserves in Africa
A safari to Africa, especially a first time visit, is never complete without viewing African wild animals in their natural habitat – the national parks and game reserves. There are hundreds of Read More »
11 Places You Must Visit in Tunisia
(NB: The recent political uprisings in Tunisia caused several governments to issue travel warnings for their citizens planning to travel to Tunisia. The situation has however improved greatly after the ousting of Read More »
Five Top Attractions You Must Visit in Egypt
Egypt is the top-most travel destination in Africa, thanks mostly to the many historical sites from the ancient days of the pharaohs. In today’s post, I highlight five of the most visited Read More »
Africa Travel: Best Kept Secrets
Among all popular travel destinations in the world, Africa is most renowned for the “safari” concept. The idea of an African safari is almost inseparable from game (wildlife) viewing and birdwatching. This Read More »
Category Archives: Kenya
New Nairobi Hotels – More Choice for Your Accommodation in Nairobi
A view of Nairobi City, the capital city of Kenya
Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is the main point of entry for most people travelling to Kenya. Whether coming for a safari, a business trip, or you are on transit through Nairobi to another destination, you’ll most likely arrive through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.
Sometimes you may not need to spend more than a few minutes in Nairobi, especially if you are proceeding on safari immediately. Other times however, you may have to spend a night or two. With its wide choice of hotels, Nairobi will not disappoint you.
Some of the best known five star hotels in Nairobi include the Nairobi Serena hotel, the Hotel Intercontinental Nairobi, Panari hotel, Nairobi Hilton hotel, and the Fairmont Norfolk hotel . There are several other hotels ranging from five star luxury hotels to budget hotels. So whatever your budget, you’ll definitely find suitable accommodation for your stay in Nairobi.
Lately, several new hotels have been constructed in Nairobi, perhaps an indication that the Kenya travel industry is recovering from the woes of the recent past. The three most notable of these new hotels are Ole Sereni, Crowne Plaza, and Sankara Nairobi hotel.
Masai Mara lodges: Who is telling the truth
Wildebeest crossing the Mara river in Masai Mara. Picture by BrianScott: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianscott/
In the past few months, one of the most predominant news item from the Kenya tourism industry has been the existence of illegal camps and lodges in the Maasai Mara game reserve. According to the Kenyan government, more than 70% of the Masai Mara lodges, safari camps and resorts are operating illegally. Kenya’s Minister for tourism, Najib Balala, went as far as threatening to shut down all these lodges (see this story).
A twin issue related to this is that some of these camps are said to be intruding in the niches of endangered species like the black rhino, threatening the already fragile ecosystem (see story here).
Of course, if these camps and lodges have not been licensed, shutting them down is a very logical action. But this would present one big problem: a drop in tourist numbers. Currently, there are approximately 108 camps and lodges in the Masai Mara area, with a total bed capacity of about 4000. If you forcefully close 70% of these, bed capacity would probably drop by the same margin (to about 1200 persons). Considering that Masai Mara is the most visited and best known game reserve in Kenya, such a reduction would affect the entire tourism sector in more than one way.
Nature Repays Soysambu Conservancy Kenya
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.
The Top Five National Parks in Kenya
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.
