The well known image of safari, specially in the west, is inseparable from Kenya. Earlier in the last century, gifted writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Karen Blixen brought to life the vivid images and uplifting life encounter that constitutes a Kenyan safari. It is at this time that top celebrities of the day such as Teddy Roosevelt and Prince Edward traveled to Kenya on safari. And so the safari gained a specific snob appeal. The popular went because it was expected of them. And these on the make for the reason that the safari was aspect of the certification they necessary on the way up. If you want to take a peek into the mood and character of the players at that time, study Hemingway’s intriguing brief story “The Quick Delighted Life of Francis Macomber”.
In our day however, a Kenya safari is accessible to many more persons. Despite competitors from other destinations, Kenya remains the heart of the African safari practical experience. The magnificence and diversity of the wildlife and landscape is unsurpassed. You are guaranteed to tick off the full roster of the large five –lion, buffalo, leopard, rhino and elephant. Other significantly less well-identified but vital and chartered members of the savannah ecosystem are also abundant. The landscape kaleidoscope rolls out the magnificent rift valley, the central highlands, the savannah grasslands, snow capped Mount Kenya and the desolate moonscape of the north. This is perhaps why the professionals advise all those faithful lovers of wildlife and nature that at least when in their lifetime they ought to partake of a Kenyan safari.
Kenya has more than 50 national parks and game reserves where wildlife is protected. But as you already suspect, on the typical safari you can’t hope to cover all of them. It is as a result a good thing that you get pretty excellent value by going to only a couple of of them. This is unless of course you have a lot of time and can afford to take off the beaten track. The most preferred and from which those with restricted time and budget will need to pick from are- Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Aberdares, Samburu and Tsavo. Top in the off-the-beaten track category for either wildlife or back to nature activities are- Kakamega Forest, Marsabit, Meru, Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon and Shimba Hills.
Maasai Mara is the large a single. This is exactly where you should go even when all the time you can spare is two nights. This is mainly where all these wildlife videos on Kenya are filmed. The Mara, as the Maasai Mara Game Reserve is usually recognized, is portion of the ecosystem that involves the equally renowned Serengeti of Tanzania. Covering 320 square kilometers, it is nested in the southwestern corner of the country. The Mara delivers wildlife in such variety and abundance that it is tricky to believe. On a two-evening go to, I saw lions, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, giraffe, wildebeests, zebras, buffalo, warthogs, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs, buffalo, leopard, nine sorts of antelopes and elephant. The birds are also in lots –secretary birds, cranes, stork, vultures and ostriches.
It is in the Mara that possibly the most spectacular occasion of the organic planet takes place. I refer to the annual migration of millions of wildebeest and zebra from the Serengeti in search of water and pasture. The timing of the phenomena is conditional on the rains and occurs amongst June and August. The reverse journey is typically taken in October. With or devoid of the migration the Mara has abundant numbers of resident animals and you are sure to have a fantastic wildlife viewing expertise what ever time of the year you check out. If you have adequate funds, look at taking a balloon trip more than the reserve. This preferred and thoroughly memorable ride normally commences just before dawn and contains a champagne breakfast. The Mara is five hours from Nairobi by road and 45 minutes by light aircraft.
Amboseli National Park sits on the lower slopes of mighty Kilimanjaro whose peak is across the border in Tanzania. It is pretty an expertise to see the Kilimanjaro hovering above the clouds in an early morning. As the keen photography enthusiast can currently picture, the mountain gives a dramatic backdrop for animal pictures. Amboseli is renowned for its substantial elephant herds. You will also see buffalo, black rhino, zebra, wildebeest and other plain animals. Lions and other cats can be seen but are less plentiful right here than in the Mara. The park is three hours from Nairobi by road and can be approached through Namanga, the border post among Kenya and Tanzania.
Lake Nakuru’s claim to fame is anchored on its flamingo’s and the more than 400 species of birds located right here. The lake itself is a soda lake on the floor of the rift valley. The sight of the at times millions of flamingos is quite spectacular. From a distance the lake appears ringed in pink. Lake Nakuru is also host to a sanctuary for the endangered black and white rhino. Lions, Rothschild’s giraffe, buffalo and baboons are all residents right here. The park is the most accessible of Kenya’s bigger parks and is only two hours from Nairobi by road.
At Romantic safari from Nairobi as Lake Nakuru is the Aberdares National Park. The park has a diverse topography that incorporates waterfalls, rain forests and the rivers that provide water to Nairobi’s millions. The flora and fauna is quite one of a kind and is not found elsewhere in the nation, anticipate on Mount Kenya. Leopard, elephant, rhino and the rare bongo can all be identified here. But dense vegetation and inclement weather tends to make it complicated to spot animals. You are however assured to see some animals specifically elephants and buffalos at the floodlit waterholes of the two famous tree hotels, The Ark and Treetops.
Students of the history of the British royal family will recall that it was at the Treetops in 1952, where the then Princess Elizabeth was staying on honeymoon when her father, King George VI, died. She descended from Treetops to assume the backbreaking function of presiding over the far-flung dominions and colonies of the empire. If you keep at the Treetops you are bound to meet with some of her fans.
