Why Kenya Deserves a Slot on your Bucket List

Kenya is known to many as 'the wildlife safari country'. It is, after all, the birthplace of African safaris and, in addition, is home to numerous wildlife parks, some among the largest and most attractive in the world! However, there is more to the Kenya Safari story than the abundance of wildlife. Beautiful landscapes, a moderate climate and pristine white-sand beaches set beside blue, ever-warm ocean waters are the additional ingredients to the enduring allure. Classic urban and rustic hotels of all shades and sizes; good travel connections and most importantly friendly, welcoming people also spruce up its world-famous tourist label.

Indeed Kenya offers splendid holiday-making experiences that would persuade anyone to put a Kenya Safari on their travel bucket list:

Kenya's Landscapes and their Treasures
Kenya's landscapes vary widely in nature and size. Their diversity gives the visitor the feeling of being in a different geographical zone within short distances. There is the Great Rift Valley, the mountainous highlands, the western plains and the northern drylands. These are complemented by pristine coastal forests and beaches lapped by warm ocean waters and abundant terrestrial and marine life.

The landscapes include lush, arid, and semi-arid savannah vegetation, tropical and equatorial forests, coastal forests and beaches, and at least half a dozen large lakes:

The Great Rift Valley

The Great Rift Valley originates in the Middle East and cuts through the country along its length, from North to South. It leaves in its wake not only enchanting ridges and valleys but also seven large scenic lakes teeming with millions of birds and thousands of large mammals. The latter include the legendary 'Big Five' of lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant.

Thanks to the savanna grasslands and forests in the Valley, visitors can view its wild inhabitants with ease. The beautiful, salty and freshwater lakes that dot the Valley’s floor are home to rich wildlife that includes mammals and birds. The lakes make up some of Kenya’s most popular tourist hotspots.

Furthermore, in spite of its moderate size measuring 580,000 square kilometres, Kenya is a birder's paradise: Its bird species count numbered 1,134 as of March 2020.

The Mountains

Above the Rift Valley is a lush green plateau that rises into a hilly region that hosts the mountain the country is named after. The tart high-quality teas and coffees that make Kenya a famous soft beverage source market - the biggest exporter of tea in the world- are grown here. Behind the hilly plateau are mist-shrouded forested ranges. The alpine grasslands and moorlands finally become rocky, snow-capped peaks of Mount Kenya which stands just short of 5000 meters above sea level.

The plateau and lowlands west of the Valley have a pleasant climate for crop and animal farming. It makes a significant portion of Kenya's food basket.

The Rift Valley and the Central Highlands are well-known agricultural zones. They are home to the horticulture farmlands that make Kenya the largest exporter of cut flowers in the whole world.

Below Mount Kenya on the North lies the Laikipia Plateau. Laikipia offers a unique set-up for wildlife conservation and eco-tourism. It is the birthplace of organized non-governmental wildlife and environment conservation in Kenya. The privately owned wildlife conservancies and sanctuaries found here mainly serve tourists seeking privacy and luxury in the wild. There are community-owned wildlife conservancies too that extend to the northern parts of the country. Pastoral communities have used these to turn their arid lands into wildlife sanctuaries and eco-tourism hotspots. Their model is replicated in the coastal and southern parts of Kenya resulting in a national tally of over one hundred community-run wildlife and nature conservancies.

The Northern Deserts
Most of Northern Kenya is a jumble of arid and semi-arid scrubland, rugged, spectacular hills and valleys. The parched often-rocky lands host many scenic physical features and rare wildlife species. The dry North holds some of Kenya's most beautiful landscapes.

Among these is Lake Turkana, also known as 'The Jade Sea' for its green-bluish waters. It is the largest desert lake in the world. Anthropologists have discovered many pre-historic fossils around the Lake and labelled its general location 'The Cradle of Humankind'.

Colourful and elegant cattle, goat and camel-rearing pastoralists and inhabit the region. There are lots of wildlife too, some only found in this part of the world.

However, it is not all dry and dusty in the North. There are islands of greenery. The thick Ngare Ndare and Marsabit forests are two such examples. Marsabit National Park, which is one of Kenya's most iconic wildlife parks, is located here. The remote Samburu Reserve, touted as Kenya’s ‘undiscovered wildlife safari gem', also sits here.

Going West

The western region hosts Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater Lake in the world as well as Kisumu, Kenya's third largest city. The Lake spreads over the three East African countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The region is home to some of Kenya's most vibrant cultures. Its tourist attractions include three wildlife parks and Kakamega Forest, the only remaining equatorial forest in East Africa.

The western tourist circuit ends at the border with Uganda where another large mountain range, Mount Elgon juts out of the ground without much warning. It is Africa’s, fourth-highest mountain and comes loaded with more wildlife and stunning physical features.

The Beaches

Kenya's coastline is nearly 600 kilometres long. Powdery white as well as golden and silver sand beaches dot the coastline. From Diani on the southern tip to Lamu on the northern end, Kenya enjoys an abundance of splendid beach holiday resorts and locations. Their natural beauty and other attractions offer unforgettable beach safari experiences. Some often feature in popular ‘Best in the World Beaches' lists. Water sports such as water skiing, snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking, and game fishing are found in most of the resorts.

Tourist hotels and beach cottages or all travel budgets dot the habited sections of the coastline. Lamu and Mombasa represent the old urban Kenya. Lamu Town is estimated to be about 600 years old and is Kenya's oldest, continually inhabited urban area. Mombasa too is an old settlement founded around 900 A.D. The architecture and cultures in the two towns betray evidence of Kenya's past linkages with the outside world. Links to the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent, China and Europe are evident all in the Kenya's coastal urban centres. The hospitable Swahili culture complements their attraction to holidaymakers.

People and Cultures of Kenya

Kenya is a melting pot of African cultures spiced up with others from around the world. There are forty-four official ethnic cultures and even more dialects in Kenya. Displays of the cultures through art and craft, language, dress, song and dance provide an exciting social dimension to every safari.

Among the most popular of the cultures is that of the Maasai Tribe. They are cattle herders famous for their bravery. Many of them still live by their old customs. Tourists love to explore Masaai culture by visiting their villages. Their outdoor way of life enables them to live in harmony with nature. Their habitats of Kajiado, Masaai Mara, and Amboseli ecosystems in Southern Kenya, and Laikipia and Samburu in the North hold many of Kenya's best wildlife reserves.

Kenya's national language is Kiswahili, which, together with English makes the country's pair of official languages. Most Kenyans speak both languages and at least one other, usually an ethnic mother- tongue.

The first Swahili words you are likely to hear and learn on landing in Kenya are 'Jambo?'/ 'Habari?' (Hello/how is it?) ; 'Hakuna Matata '(No problem'/’Eazy’!’); 'Asante Sana' (Thank you very much) and 'Kwaheri' (Good-bye/See you). Kiswahili is an African Bantu language peppered with Arabic, English, Portuguese and Hindi.

Climate and Weather in Kenya

Kenya's climate is, for the most part, sunny, all year round. However, the high altitude in most zones mutes the tropical heat and yields pleasant mild weather in most places. The Equator cuts the country along its width so there are no extreme variations in temperatures all year round. The average daily temperatures range between 15°C and 28°C (59°F and 92°F ) in the cold and hot seasons, respectively.

Night temperatures rarely fall below 10°C except in a few highland areas during the cold season from June to August. January and February are the hottest months. Average temperatures rise to a maximum of 28°C (84°F) in the central highlands and 30°C in the western regions. The coastal belt rises to 33°C (91ºF). The sparsely populated Northern areas are hotter with average temperatures reaching 38ºC (104ºF) in the year's hottest weeks.

The high-altitude zones host most of the famous wildlife parks. Peak temperatures rarely rise above 27ºc (82ºF)in these areas. Therefore, wildlife viewing is, for the most part, done in moderate sunny weather. There are many tourist attractions in the hot North too but these receive fewer visitors due to their remote locations. However, the splendour borne of their stunning scenery, and rich and rare wildlife give them a unique value proposition that quickly melts away the strains brought by heat and distance.

Day time weather along the coast is typically hot and humid but the evenings are pleasant thanks to the breeze that blows in from the sea.

Weather changes follow the rains. The long rainy season lasts between April and June. October to December is the short rainy season. January through March is dry in most regions. All seasons are good for safari. However, the dry months in the first, third and fourth quarters of the work better for wildlife viewing.

The northern region is hot and dusty for most of the year. Its redemption is its beautiful landscapes and fascinating cultures that capture visitors' attention easily and leave you feeling lost in wonderland.

Hotels in Kenya

Kenya has a vibrant and experienced hospitality industry. Several global hospitality brands have branches here that complement several thousand indigenous hotels and restaurants. Many of these offer excellent services. Indeed, positive reviews and international awards by travel experts to Kenyan hospitality brands are quite common.

All but a few game parks have lodges or accommodations. Rustic lodges and tented camps of the ordinary or luxurious kind provide a marked change from the urban hotels located in the cities. In addition, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) runs self-catering lodges and tented camps in many wildlife parks too.

There are hospitality options for every budget in small and big urban centres. Budget travellers may choose neat town hotels, beaten roadside inns, or camp in one of many camping facilities in the tourist circuits.

Transport and Communication
Moving around Kenya is easy and affordable too! Travel is for tourists is by road, rail and air. For rail travellers, there is a new modern railway line to the coastal regions from Nairobi. An old iconic railway also traverses leads to the Western and Central Tourist Circuits.

In each of the travel modes, you can travel luxury, or spartan, and everything in between. Because of the relatively good transport network, travel distances do not matter much.

The mobile communication network is good and affordable and the internet works fairly well in most regions with 5G level connection in major urban centres.

Urban Life in Kenya

Nairobi is Kenya's capital city. The city sits on the southerly part of the country at an elevation of 1,800 meters (5,889 ft/ meters) above sea level.
Nairobi in the Maasai language means 'place of cool waters. The city lives up to its name thanks to its pleasant moderate climate. It is a modern bustling city and among the better-known ones in Africa. It is also a major office-site of the United Nations Organization as it hosts the United Nations Environment Programme and UN-Habitat head offices. Besides, the city hosts the African head offices of several international corporations.

Nairobi prides itself on being the only Capital City with a natural wildlife park. The Nairobi National Park is located seven kilometres from the City Centre. For this, Nairobi calls itself 'the safari Capital of the World'.

There are many other tourist attractions to enjoy in the city. Elegant hotels and restaurants, as well as good health and social services, are available too. However, like every growing City, Nairobi faces many challenges. For instance, traffic jams are frequent and severe. There are ongoing infrastructure projects that the Kenya government is implementing to make life better for the city's residents and visitors alike.

Each of the other four large towns has its distinct character and brand. Mombasa is a famous holiday resort and seaport. Kisumu, a Lake-side Port, is a growing business and tourist city. Nakuru is a tourist town and home to the famous Lake Nakuru National Park. Eldoret is the home of Kenya's champion runners!

Setbacks and Recovery
Kenya has the potential to be a major tourist hotspot. However, it has not been all rosy with the Kenya tourism industry over the years: Competition from other African countries has grown a lot over the last three decades. Also, cyclical financial crises in Kenya's source markets have seen reduced visitor numbers for several years. Worse, security concerns over terrorist incidents and threats nearly crippled the industry a few years ago.

2338887790. the recovery following sustained measures by the government and tourist stakeholders has gone well. The World Travel Awards voted Kenya as the top safari destination in the world for 2019. Many interest tourism experts and influencers continue to include Kenya among in their 'Top Places to Visit this Year' lists.

Which Kenya Safari?

There is not doubt that Kenya offers a full plate of tourist attractions that would make travel enjoyable for any discerning holiday maker: There are rolling savannah bushes and grasslands roamed by large herds of wildlife and mountain forests with birdlife and shy reticent carnivores. There are lakes, teeming with millions of birds and aquatic life. High moors, a snow-peaked mountain and other mountain ranges, not to mention beautiful, soft, snow-white and golden sand beaches tucked along coastal groves and forests that hold back clear blue ocean waters.
There are stony, parched yet stunning northern deserts. The lowlands on the western side are rich river and lake basins home to vibrant peoples and cultures.

These enticing physical features exist in harmonious order and are home to abundant wildlife and vibrant, friendly people on every side of the country.

The result is a rare, utterly stunning air, water, earth, things and people experience!

Yet this diversity poses a severe choice problem for any traveller. 'What am I better off seeing? 'Where do I start?' are questions any new or experienced traveller would consider before choosing a Kenya safari. Choosing your safari after you know your options will help you get the best out of your Kenya trip. Our task is to help you know and understand Kenya's safari choices before you choose your preference and set off on your holiday.

We will be sharing all that we know about Kenya safaris, which is a lot! Keep in touch with us - come check out our blog as often as you can!