Kenya
Safari Land
Nature lovers know Kenya as Africa's most popular destination for safaris-a Swahili word meaning quite simply 'journeys'. In this case it implies adventures in 4-wheel drive vehicles and minibuses among the continent's finest wildlife: the Big Five (lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros and Cape buffalo) and many, many more. The country has more than 50 game parks and reserves.
In the south, the Masai Mara is famous for the sheer numbers and diversity of its game, Amboseli for its enchanting location on the Tanzania border at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and Tsavo for its splendid elephants. In the centre, Lake Nakuru is host to millions of pink flamingoes. The densely forested park of Mount Kenya-straddling the equator but snow-covered-provides the special excitement of treetop views at the animals' waterholes; Samburu's semi-deserts boast crocodiles at cocktail-time, rare views of leopard, and Africa's most handsome giraffe.
The country's neighbours are Ethiopia and Sudan to the north, Uganda to the west, Tanzania to the south, with the Indian Ocean and Somalia to the east. Cutting through the western interior is the Great Rift Valley. Vast expanses of northern desert give way to richer agricultural highlands to the west of Mount Kenya, notable for their tea and coffee plantations. The hot and humid coastal region provides relief for bathers on its sandy beaches. Its rich past is evident both at the old Arab trading counters at Malindi and Lamu and in the ever-bustling city of Mombasa, where Indian and Arab cuisine continues the tradition of the port's eastern trading partners.
The cooler and calmer (despite its population rapidly approaching 2 million) capital of Nairobi lies at the heart of the country. This crossroads of East Africa's international organizations, with an appropriate share of governmental and commercial skyscrapers, makes the point that Kenya (population over 25 million) is also a modern state looking to the future.
