Introduction

For tourists Kenya is quintessential Africa. Seemingly endless blue skies over-reach red savannahs, where the big five animals still roam freely. Most visitors of course come here to go on safari, the Swahili word that has become synonymous with the country.

Taking a safari during your stay is essential. The wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara is quite rightly proclaimed one of the animal kingdom’s most impressive phenomena. The plains they sweep across are just one of a myriad of terrains found within the nation. Wetlands are home to crocodiles and hippos while the mineral rich lakes of the Rift Valley attract vast flocks of pink flamingos, which come for the small fish that thrive here.

However, it is a mistake to think of Kenya merely as one big safari park. There is a lot more to this fascinating country. It is known as the “Cradle of Civilisation” for it was here that the most ancient remains of early man were found in the 1920s, at the Hyrax Hill site near to Lake Nakuru by renowned anthropologist and archaeologist Louis Leakey. You can see many of these and other findings in the Kenyan National Museum in Nairobi.

Quick Facts – Kenya

Language: English, Swahili
Currency: Kenyan shilling
GMT: GMT + 3
Electricity: 240V AC, 50Hz, three-pin plugs
Capital City: Nairobi
# Cultural Tribes: 52 different tribes
# National Parks: 54 parks and reserves & home to the Great Rift Valley