Experience The Beautiful kenya

When Kenya is mention, people cannot help but think about the long distance runners which have indeed elevated Kenya to fame. Apart from her great runners, Kenya has a lot of other things to offer, that have not gained much of the media’s attention. Kenya has several wonderful attractions sites which include the beautiful landscape, wonderful people, variety and amazing wildlife, rich lakes with over 450 species of birds, mountains and just gorgeous weather. Kenya also enjoys the diversity of various cultures, traditions, customs and religions. Experiencing Kenya would be worthy every time and every penny spent. The adventure will be a great opportunity that will enable you to experience a different perspective of life especially when you get out of your comfort zone and experience a “Safari” of a life time.

Location.

Kenya is located in East Africa, neighboring Ethiopia to the North, Somalia to the East, Indian Ocean to the South East, Tanzania to the South West, Uganda to the West and South Sudan to the North West. The exact Geographic location is 1 00N, 38 00 E, and it covers a total of 580,367 sq km i.e. 569, 140 sq km of land and 11, 227 sq km of water (Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], Kenya, 2012). Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya, and its time zone is 8 hours ahead of United States Standard Time. The country is divided into seven provinces; Western, Riftvalley, Central, North Eastern, Nyanza, Coast and Eastern province. Once the new constitution is fully implemented, Kenya will have forty seven counties.

Experience Great Hospitality.

In most cases, people have this preconceived misconception about African as a continent and African countries in general. The positives of a country sometimes fail to be recognized because it has been overshadowed by the negative implications. At the mention of any African country, thoughts of poverty, backwardness, high rates of illiteracy and all the negative connotations we can think of flashes through people’s minds. But Kenya has wonderful people who can make your visit there an adventurous one. Kenya might have her own share of setbacks just like any other country. She may have some bad apples mixed up with the good ones. But the majority of Kenyans are very welcoming. During meal time, the mothers who are the main cooks of the family will always prepare food that is more than enough in case a visitor shows up during that time. Even when a visitor shows up after meals, they will still be given something to eat. This is all in the culture. Currently, a few changes have taken place, but several years back, it was considered very unkind to even ask a visitor if they needed something to eat or drink. It was expected, that a visitor should be handed something to eat/drink and they can refuse it if they have eaten already. In some cases, if a visitor were to ask for water, he/she is supposed to be given a glass of milk instead. Another kind gesture is the fact that family saves the best utensils, beddings' etc to be used only when there are visitors.

Experience 43 plus Languages.

There are more than forty three different languages and dialects spoken in Kenya and are divided between tribal lines. These are considered the first languages, the indigenous, mother tongues or vernacular. Kiswahili or Swahili is the second language and is considered as the official common language spoken by all Kenyan tribes. This language unites all tribes in Kenya. It is the main language used for communication in the public arena especially in political forums or any gatherings of people from different backgrounds. British English is another official language spoken and written by Kenyans since Kenya was colonized by British. I considered this to be the third language (it could be the second). This is the main language of instruction in schools. When Kenya gained independence in 1963, she maintained the British educational system. There have been a few changes over the years, but the language of instruction has remained the same. English is used to teach all courses in schools, colleges and universities except Kiswahili language course, mother tongues and other foreign languages that are offered as electives. So every Kenyan is multilingual; at least every Kenyan speaks three languages.

In Kenya, you will get to experience all kinds of Safaris. The word ‘Safari’ is actually a kis/swahili word meaning “adventure or Journey”. It all began as the real home or the “original Safari Holiday”. Maasai Mara, which is located to the south-western part of Kenya, is considered the greatest wildlife reserve in Kenya and an iconic destination for East Africa (Maasai Mara, 2012). This reserve provides an experience of a life time watching all wild animals, birds and crocodiles and hippos, Mara and Talek Rivers (Magic Kenya, 2012). One can also experience another vast array of wildlife as they experience the Kenyans beautiful lakes.

Experience the great lands and mountains.

There are also the beautiful highlands gorgeous weather and great land topography that provides great soils for agricultural products especially cash crops like Tea and coffee. These two especially, brings in lots of revenue as an export product. They also provide the natives with sustainable food source and generate income that maintains the families. Tea and coffee are also known to add green beauty to the Kenyan’s highlands. One cannot leave Kenya without experiencing Mount Kenya, the home of the second African’s highest peak. This provides a great opportunity to see glaciers and admire a variety of wild animals surrounding the mountain. Mt Longonot is another one which was formed out of very soft volcanic deposits, though it has eroded over the years. The site is now a home to a variety of birds and wildlife. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the Africa’s highest mountain at 5,895m and is also located in Tanzania which is the neighboring country not far from the Kenyan border (Kenya Mountains, 2012). It provides an unforgettable sight of majestic snow-capped peak.

Experience beautiful lakes.

Kenya is blessed with beautiful Rift Valley lakes which have been one of the greatest tourist attraction site. Lakes maintain flora and fauna, create jobs, and provide fish for consumption. There is Lake Victoria which is located to the western part of Kenya. It also borders Uganda and Tanzania. Lake Victoria mainly supplies fish, thus becoming a very vital food source that helps eradicate hunger in the region and Kenya as a whole. Lake Naivasha is also known for fishing and boating. Lake Turkana provides unique winds that generate clean and reliable electricity to Kenyans using wind power. It is also the home of the world largest crocodiles. Turkwel River, which is one of the rivers that feed Lake Turkana, houses the Kenya largest hydro power plant that also generates electricity. At least Kenya is proud to generate and maintains her own energy. Lake Nakuru is the natural habitat for over one million pink flamingos and over 450 plus birds species (Lakes and mountain in Kenya, 2012). On its shores, one cannot miss to see a lion or a leopard. Lake Baringo is another amazing lake with over 450 plus bird species. The other lakes include Elmentaita, Bogoria, Turkana, Magadi, and Victoria.

Experience the parks and beaches.

Just to name a few parks and beaches, the twin National Parks of Tsavo and the coastal beaches. Tsavo East and West form what is considered to be the largest wilderness reserves. It is the home of historic railway which is considered the Africa’s greatest adventure stories. It is also considered as the birdwatcher’s paradise with various species of weavers, hornbills and sunbirds (Magic Kenya, 2012). Towards the south of Kenya, is a beautiful Beach located in Mombasa where the weather is excellent and accommodations are awesome. A trip to this location will be worth every penny spent. This is like a small heaven on earth. There are different types of hotels, different types of tourist services, tropical food, entertainment centers and different cultural experience e.g. the Indigenous cultures with their exotic dances, unique and wonderful art work i.e. carvings and paintings.

The Kenya’s attractions sites cannot be exhausted. The museums located all over the country provide in-depth knowledge of cultural practices of the Kenyan people. This is just but a glance of how gratifying a visit to Kenya can be.

Reference & Resources

Africa Safari Travel. (2011). Kenya Safari Holiday at a Glance. Retrieved from http://www.go2africa.com/kenya

Central Intelligence Agency. (2012). The World Fact Book – Kenya. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html

Imagine Africa. http://www.imagineafrica.com/countries/kenya/highlights/

Kenyan Mountains. http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/ebafactsheet.php?id=98

Magic Kenya, (2012). Jambo! Welcome to magic Kenya. Retrieved fromhttp://www.magicalkenya.com/

Maasai Mara. The Greatest Wildlife Reserve. http://www.maasaimara.com/