ABOUT KENYA

Kenya is the heart of African safari country, housing the most diverse collection of wild animals on the continent. Kenya has some of the world’s most spectacular wildlife parks, beaches, coral reefs, mountain scapes and ancient Swahili cities. However, game parks are the largest tourist attraction.

The main parks in Kenya are Masai Mara National Reserve,Samburu, Amboseli, Tsavo, Nairobi, Lamu, Marsabit National Park & Reserve and Mombasa.

Masai Mara National Reserve is the most popular game park in Kenya. It is a massive 1672-sq-km reserve including the local people reserve, which is filled with wildlife. The national reserve covers 1510-sq-km. Here you will spot lions, elephants, buffalos, zebras and hippos. You may also catch the lions hunting. As it is a reserve rather than a national park the Maasai people are allowed to graze and hunt animals here.

Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and is a great place to get a taste of urban African life. The main places to visit here is River Rd, the National Museum, the Snake Museum, the National Archives and the Nairobi National Park.

Lamu is situated on Kenya's upper East Coast. Lamu is a relaxed medieval style area. While here you should visit the Lamu Museum, the Swahili House Museum and the Donkey Sanctuary. You should also experience the trip by dhow.

Marsabit National Park & Reserve has one of Kenya’s most scenic and tranquil camp sites. It is almost essential to camp here to see all of what the park has to offer because of the abundance of thick forest. The larger mammals reside in this park including lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, buffalos, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, hyenas and gazelles.

Mombasa is the largest port on the coast of East Africa. It is packed with spectacular wooden shopfronts and balconies, which will amaze you. The most popular attraction is Fort Jesus, which dominates the harbour entrance. A string of beautiful beaches line the coast just south of the town.

Culture

There are over 70 tribal groups amongst the Africans in Kenya.

English and Swahili are the main languages spoken throughout the country, however, there are many other tribal languages. Another language you might come across is Sheng, spoken by the younger members of society. Sheng is a mixture of Swahili and English along with a few other languages.

Most Kenyans are Christians, however, most of those on the coast and in the eastern part of the country are Muslim. Muslims make up some 30% of the population. In the more remote tribal areas you'll find a mixture of Muslims, Christians and those who follow their ancestral tribal beliefs.

Kenyans love to party, and the music style is known as benga. It originated among the Luo people of western Kenya and became popular in the area in the 1950s.

Kenyan cuisine generally consists of stodge filler with beans or a meat sauce. Kenyans love beer almost as much as their dancing and there's a huge local brewing industry.

Currency

The currency in Kenya is the Kenya Shilling.

Transport

The easiest and quickest way to travel around Kenya is by flying. With around 250 airports and plenty of airlines connecting Nairobi with Mombasa, Kisumu, Nanyuki, Malindi, Lamu and the national parks/reserves of Amboseli, Masai Mara and Samburu. Another good way to travel is by train, these operate to most places around Kenya and are fairly reliable. Buses are also available and are equally reliable as trains. Car hire is readily available, however it can be expensive. You may prefer to take the more scenic route and sail along the East African coast on a dhow.

Visa Information

All visitors require a visa except citizens of some Commonwealth countries and citizens of selected countries such as Denmark, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, South Africa and Sweden.