African Safari Package Tour: Discover the African Safari Heart - Kenia 1

African Safari Package Tour: if you want to know the reasons why Kenia is at the heart of the African safari experience, read the following article about Kenia, courtesy of AfricaPoint...

The popular image of safari, especially in the west, is inseparable from Kenya. Earlier in the last century, gifted writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Karen Blixen brought to life the vivid images and uplifting life experience that constitutes a Kenyan safari.

It is at this time that leading celebrities of the day such as Teddy Roosevelt and Prince Edward traveled to Kenya on safari. And so the safari gained a certain snob appeal. The famous went because it was expected of them. And those on the make because the safari was part of the certification they needed on the way up. If you want to take a peek into the mood and character of the players at that time, read Hemingway’s intriguing short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”.

In our day however, a Kenya safari is accessible to many more people. Despite competition from other destinations, Kenya remains the heart of the African safari experience. The magnificence and diversity of the wildlife and landscape is unsurpassed. You are guaranteed to tick off the full roster of the big five –lion, buffalo, leopard, rhino and elephant. Other less well-known but essential and chartered members of the savannah ecosystem are also abundant. The landscape kaleidoscope rolls out the magnificent rift valley, the central highlands, the savannah grasslands, snow capped Mount Kenya and the desolate moonscape of the north. This is perhaps why the experts advise all those faithful lovers of wildlife and nature that at least once in their lifetime they must partake of a Kenyan safari.

Kenya has over 50 national parks and game reserves where wildlife is protected. But as you already suspect, on the average safari you cannot hope to cover all of them. It is therefore a good thing that you get very good value by visiting only a few of them. This is unless of course you have a lot of time and can afford to take off the beaten track. The most popular and from which those with limited time and budget need to pick from are- Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Aberdares, Samburu and Tsavo. Top in the off-the-beaten track category for either wildlife or back to nature activities are- Kakamega Forest, Marsabit, Meru, Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon and Shimba Hills.

Maasai Mara is the big one. This is where you must go even when all the time you can spare is two nights. This is mostly where all those wildlife videos on Kenya are filmed. The Mara, as the Maasai Mara Game Reserve is commonly known, is part of the ecosystem that includes the equally famous Serengeti of Tanzania. Covering 320 square kilometers, it is nested in the southwestern corner of the country. The Mara offers wildlife in such variety and abundance that it is difficult to believe. On a two-night visit, I saw lions, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, giraffe, wildebeests, zebras, buffalo, warthogs, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs, buffalo, leopard, nine kinds of antelopes and elephant. The birds are also in plenty –secretary birds, cranes, stork, vultures and ostriches.

It is in the Mara that perhaps the most spectacular event of the natural world takes place. I refer to the annual migration of millions of wildebeest and zebra from the Serengeti in search of water and pasture. The timing of the phenomena is conditional on the rains and occurs between June and August. The reverse journey is usually taken in October. With or without the migration the Mara has abundant numbers of resident animals and you are sure to have a good wildlife viewing experience whatever time of the year you visit. If you have sufficient funds, consider taking a balloon trip over the reserve. This popular and thoroughly memorable ride usually commences before dawn and includes a champagne breakfast. The Mara is 5 hours from Nairobi by road and 45 minutes by light aircraft.

Amboseli National Park sits on the lower slopes of mighty Kilimanjaro whose peak is across the border in Tanzania. It is quite an experience to see the Kilimanjaro hovering above the clouds in an early morning. As the keen photography enthusiast can already imagine, the mountain gives a dramatic backdrop for animal pictures. Amboseli is renowned for its huge elephant herds. You will also see buffalo, black rhino, zebra, wildebeest and other plain animals. Lions and other cats can be seen but are less plentiful here than in the Mara. The park is 3 hours from Nairobi by road and can be approached through Namanga, the border post between Kenya and Tanzania.

Lake Nakuru’s claim to fame is anchored on its flamingo’s and the over 400 species of birds found here. The lake itself is a soda lake on the floor of the rift valley. The sight of the at times millions of flamingos is quite spectacular. From a distance the lake appears ringed in pink. Lake Nakuru is also host to a sanctuary for the endangered black and white rhino. Lions, Rothschild’s giraffe, buffalo and baboons are all residents here. The park is the most accessible of Kenya’s bigger parks and is only two hours from Nairobi by road. Continue here...

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African Safari Package Tour: Part 2 of Kenia Safari