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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
FEW GENERAL TRAVEL INFORMATION
GEOGRAPHY
Kenya lies on the equator and shores of common borders with Tanzania and Uganda, which makes up the region of “ East Africa”. Kenya is 582,650 sq km (224,962sq mi) includinig 11,230sq km (4,336 sq mil) of water; roughly the size of Texas or Spain.
The Great Rift Valley
The term ‘rift valley’ was introduced by J.E. Gregory speciifacally for the Great Rift Valley. This is the visible part of continental uplift when continental plates push together forcing the land up and then the middle parts lag behing and fall back. There are disagreements over the age of the Great Ritf, but between 20-30 million years is good. It’s appromately 6,000 km (3,700) in length and runs from northern Syria in Southewest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa.
Great Rift is segmented into;
1. The Lake Rudolf and Ethiopian section
2. The Gregory or Eastern Rift (east of Lake Victoria)
3. The Albertine or Western Rift (L. Tanganyika-Kivu-Edward-Mobutu)
4. The southern Rift-L Nyasa and slits to the south
PEOPLE AND LANGUAGE
There are 42 tribal ethinic groups,each with their own dialects though most people in the country speak swahili and they own tribal language. English is also well spoken. Both English and Swahili are the official language spoken. In the major towns, young people like any other country, young people have developed they unique language called ‘Sheng’ which is a slang. It’s more of Swahili but with different ‘swagger’ as the youth will say. It’s a mixture of local language to international; swahili,kikuyu,kamba,luo
which mostly have major influence in it to french. Example. Kumanga is actually swahili and french mean to eat. “Ku” is swahili part and “manga” is actually supporst to be “manger” but due to french complication in pronouncing it, youth end up with kumanga. Sheng is dynamic and varies from one neighbourhood to the other.
CLIMATE.
Kenya enjoys a tropical climate. It is hot and humid at the coast and hot and dry in L.Victoria, temperate inland and very dry in the north and northeast parts of the country.
The average annual temperature for the coastal town of Mombasa is 30.3 C maximum and 22.4C minimum, the capital city, Nairobi( altitude 1,661) 25.2C maximum and 13.6C minimum, Eldoret (alt.3,085) 23.5C maximum and 9.50C minimu, Lodwar (alt.506) and the drier north plainlands 34.8C and 23.7C minimum.
Over the country there are two rainy seasons:
· The short rains which occur from late october through Novemer.
· The long rains which occur form late March to early June.
The month of July and August are the coolest monthss and are often overcast especially in the morning. From December till mid March are the warmest time of the year.
NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK.
Let start closer home my friends. How many of you have been to Nairobi National Park? Not Animal Orphanage or Nairobi Safari walk. Ok,how many of you have ever heard of Mervyn Cowie? It thanks to him that a few kilometres from city centre,animals live in total freedom where visitors can see them.
At the beginning of the centrury, the situation had become critical for the fauna. many colonialists and travellers passing by indulged themselves in hunting with no limits.
Mervyn Cowie, a former hunter himself, realised the danger of extinction which plagued the fauna of this vast plain to the south of nairobi. He set up the idea of developing a park similar to the ones opened in the USA since 1870, and then fought for his idea. Finally,in 1933 a royal comission accepted the idea and the “Nairobi Commonage” was formed. But soon after the hunters, nomads who used this land for grazing their herds became a new menace. Cowie held public meetings to spread his opinion on the survival of the park. During the same periodm he also tame groups of lions and particularly one lioness which he named “Lulu”’
In 1939 war broke out. A millitary camp was set up to the west of the park at Mbagathi (langata) with 8,000 men who settled there! Not surprisingly, poaching soon became their favourite pastime. Unfortunately, a soldier was killed one day by a lion. Cowie’s lions were accused and they were all killed including “Lulu”, who was later stuffed and can be seen on display at the Nairobi Museum.
After ther war,the park sprung into life and Cowie was named to head it. The NNP was officially opened to the public on the Christmass eve of 1946. It was the first National Park in Eastern Africa ( Tsavao Park was later opened in 1948).
The park covers 117 sq km and measures 24 km at it’s longest dimension. It’s altitude varies between 1,525 and 1,740 metres. Savannah is the main vegetation but has some lovely forests on the extreme West. It has two main rivers run across it: the Kisembe and the Mokoyeti which are seasonal and often dry during the dry season.
The Mbagathi, a lovely river, forms the Southern boundary of the Park for a long distance and flows at several spots across sumptuous gorges. But it also dries up sometimes. It then flows into the Athi River. In the park you can see 100 species of mammals and 400 species of birds. Out of the big fives, elephant is not found in NNP due to it size. A single elephants is know to feed on 400 Kg of grass per day.
On the Western and northern boundaries, the park is fenced towards Nairobi town. But towards the south and the east, the animals are completely free to migrate outside of the park and to come back. Towards the south-east, they can go as far as the Amboseli or Tsavo Parks, to the vast Masai Mara or Serengeti plains.
Nairobi National park also offers places like Orphonage and Safari Walk. Unlike the Park itself, this two place you are not require to have a vehicle to visit. Board a Matatu and tell them to drop you at the Nairobi Naitional Park. While you are there, just walk to any of the above receiption and pay your fee there. Here animals are caged and you will be able to see them at a close. Nairobi safari walk is much more of an educational centre entiling all three type of habitat we have in kenya. i.e savannah,forested and riverine. Here animals though are confined, they are more free unlike Orphanage. All in all, if you love nature, out and about activities, this is the place to be.
Enjoy your visit. Make most of it my friends. That’s why am here, to inform you on where to go and what to expect.
Gk
Bibliography.
Philippe Oberle. 1991,On Safari 40 Circuits in Kenya Rift Valley-Highlands-Mountains, Nairobi Kenya.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
First time in Masai Mara
Masai Mara has always been amazing place to many. No matter how many times you've been there. Many says you will always find something different from the previous visit. Many comes here for the great migration of the gnus, some for the big five and the list is endless. The place has much to offer for everyone. No matter the age, race or religion. Many are those who fall in love with Masai Mara the first time they visit the place.
My first time in Masai Mara i was in form two and we had gone there as group. Members of Wildlife Club. We camped at sand river ( on the border between Kenya and Tanzania.) for two days. The first day was fun; we took a shallow swim on the few waters remaining on the river because it was dry season. The fun, exiting, scaring part, was when it was time for us to hit the sleeping bag. No one wanted to sleep on either side of the tent. Just in case lions decide to feed on us, you don't want to be the first one to go. he he he. So struggle it was until me and the like decided to stop it. If it was meant to be then, then it was. Death will find you anywhere anyway :) .
Sometimes early in the morning, lions decided to wake us all. Like i mentioned earlier, we had pitched camp just beside the river. You can imagine how afraid we were are. The deafening roaring sound made by the territorial males. I swear i could hear my friend teeth's shaking; not that i wasn't afraid myself, but was sure nothing would happen to us. The rangers were withing the range and the fire was still lighting.
Second day was much better because we all had accustom to the place and the game drives we took we so amazing. It was my first time to see an elephant at a close range. Talk of a moving house. That was my description. The lions, countless gnus, impalas, Thomson gazelles and zebras. It was my dream come true.
I knew i would be in this industry when i was 10yrs old. Thanks to my uncle. He has been my role model since and i have never looked back. During admission in high school, the deputy principal asked me what i want to be in live and when i told him i want to be a professional safari guide, he was shocked. Everyone was all about doctor, engineer, lawyer etc. I was the unique one.
Well my belove people, thats why i love adventure, traveling and anything that involves out door activity.
Gk
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