The Original safari destination
For all those fond of viewing animals in their natural habitat, an African safari is a must do. Years ago, I had travelled to South Africa but a visit to the smallish Pilanesberg game reserve was not very successful in terms of viewing Big 5. Apart from South Africa, the two other popular destinations are Kenya and Tanzania. Countries such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana too have national reserves with Big 5(except perhaps the Rhinoceros which is rare).
Kenya is regarded as the original safari destination. Located in East Africa on the shores of Indian Ocean, the Equator passes through Kenya. The word that readily comes to mind when thinking of equator is ‘heat’ but surprisingly, the temperatures in both Masai Mara and Nairobi stays below 30 degrees Celsius, possibly due to the higher altitudes. Also interesting to note is that Mount Kenya, which is also close to the equator, has small glaciers but the snow cover is depleting fast. I understand it no longer snows in Mount Kenya.
Kenya has savannah grasslands with very limited coverage of trees/bushes and that makes it easy to spot wildlife through out the year. Tourism is a big foreign exchange earner, which is not surprising considering the prices foreign tourists have to pay!
The Great Migration
Many visit Kenya to watch the Great Migration that involves over 1.5million wildebeest moving into Mara from Serengeti in Tanzania in search of grass. Bulk of this movement happens between July to September. In Mara, they not only have to contend with crossing the Mara river but also the Nile crocodiles eagerly waiting for a meal. After the crossing, the herds gradually move to the eastern part of the Reserve before starting to move back to Serengeti from September onwards.
If you combine Serengeti and Mara, the Great Migration is actually a year long phenomena.
So if you are inclined to visit Kenya, read on to find out more.
Kenya Travel Pointers – All you need to know on planning a trip to Kenya.
Masai Mara is the most famous national reserve in Kenya. Game viewing is excellent almost throughout the year.
Nairobi, the capital, is a city of contrasts, as you would expect in a developing economy. A trip to Kenya will most likely start and end in Nairobi.
