Kenya is the most famous destination for safaris in the world for endless reasons, the scenery, the incredible opportunity for viewing all African wildlife in particular the ease in which to see the ‘Big 5’. It is still the best country for adventure travel in Africa; it offers high levels of service; it still offers 'Out of Africa' scenic beauty, diverse cultures and abundant wildlife.
Safari is however, by no means the only reason to visit Kenya, the coastline and tropical beaches are amongst the world’s most beautiful.
Name: The Republic of Kenya
Time Zone: GMT + 3
Capital City: Nairobi, meaning “place of cool waters” in the Maa language
Independence gained on: 12 December 1963 (from Great Britain)
National Language: Kiswahili
Official Language: English
Currency: Kenyan shilling (KES) and cents
Land Area: aprox.586,600km sq
Drives on the: Left
Country Code: + 254
Location
On the Equator on the eastern coast of Africa. Kenya is bordered by Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west, Somalia and the Indian ocean to the east, Ethiopia to the north and Sudan to the northwest.
Population & People
The population is estimated at 43,500,000 as of 2013.
There are about 52 tribes in Kenya.
Vegetation & Special Natural Features
Kenya is home to the famous Masai Mara game reserve, Mount Kenya and Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake).
The Great Rift Valley, which runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa, bisects the country from North to South and is dotted with lakes and extinct volcanoes, is one of Kenya's most fascinating physical features.
Kenya’s natural vegetation is diverse. Truly a ‘world within one country’. Tropical rainforests, sandy beaches, snow-capped mountains, desert, wide savannah plains teeming with wildlife, freshwater lakes and salt lakes.
Kalama Community Wildlife Conservancy, an exclusive and collectively-owned 95,000 hectare-large wildlife Conservancy, borders the Samburu National Reserve in Northern Kenya. It also borders Ngutuk Ongiron Group Ranch to the west, Namunyak Community Conservation Trust to the north, and Sera Community Wildlife Conservation to the northeast. Kalama is part of the Northern Rangelands Trust. The Samburu ecosystem is a well-known area in central Kenya comprising of Buffalo Springs National Reserve, Samburu National Reserve, and Kalama Conservancy. The natural environment is arid and semi-arid; open scrub and grasslands with significant environmental variation based on altitude. The area is home to the ‘Samburu Special Five’ – indigenous species only found in this area namely the Beisa oryx, the gerenuk, the Somali ostrich, the Grevy’s zebra, and reticulated giraffe.
The Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy lies nestled in the Matthews Mountain Range, spreading over 340,000 hectares at the heart of Kenya. The conservancy is run by the local Samburu community, said to be one of the lost tribes of Israel who celebrate Judaic culture and live in close harmony with the land, plants, and animals. The landscapes here, characterised by mighty purple peaks, vast bushlands and forests of cycad and juniper, have slowly welcomed back several threatened animal species, and visitors can look forward to seeing buffalo, leopard, lions, Grevy's zebra, De Brazza colobus monkey, reticulated giraffe, kudu, and wild dog. In the northern part of the conservancy, the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is home to large numbers of these gentle giants. Activities not-to-be-missed at Namunyak include guided forest walks, night-time game viewing, birdwatching, and taking part in Samburu traditional activities.
Mara North Conservancy is a beautiful private wilderness area of more than 74,000 acres. It is home to a spectacular array of plants, reptiles, birds and mammals; including elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah and large concentrations of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle and other migratory wildlife. Leopard Gorge, in the heart of the conservancy, is famous as the setting of countless BBC Big Cat Diaries and National Geographic documentaries. Bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve, the conservancy is vital for sustaining the famous Serengeti wildebeest migrations and the highly threatened African wild dog and black rhino.
