VIP Newsletter - August 08

DESTINATION: KENYA

Heres some language trivia for you: the Swahili word safari actually means journey. And its pretty much a given in travel circles that anyone who takes a journey in Kenya wont forget it in a hurry; not when you consider there are wildlife parks, coral reefs, mountainscapes, ancient cities and unspoilt beaches all thrown into the travel viewing mix.

A visit to Kenya is a journey of a lifetime that starts in the capital Nairobi where there are a number of elephant orphanages, wildlife parks and museums to explore and where you can organize your onward trips. No doubt these will largely be geared towards viewing wild game. Kenya is home to the "Big Five" ie. elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino and one of the best places to see them is the Masai Mara National Reserve. Here the massive rolling grasslands are littered with an astonishing amount of wildlife and where the wildebeest migration takes place - your camera will get a workout here!

One-tenth of Kenya is occupied by parks and reserves, including marine parks so you could also visit the Amboseli National Park for game viewing against a Kilimanjaro backdrop, head to Tsavo West National Park to spot large herds of elephants, Lake Nakuru National Park for rhinos everywhere and Sweetwaters Game Reserve for loveable chimpanzees. Or spice it up a bit and walk or cycle unguided through the giraffes and zebras in Hells Gate National Park or track elephants on foot in Samburu National Reserve.

If you fancy more exercise than being bounced around in endless 4WD trips you will definitely want to schedule a climb of Mount Kenya into your itinerary. This is Africas second highest peak and takes a good four days to climb.

Once youve done all that you could visit one of the other major sights; the Gede Ruins on the Kenyan coast where excavations have uncovered Ming Chinese porcelain and glass and glazed earthenware from Persia. There are ornate tombs and mosques inside the compound and the ruins of a Swahili palace.

The Rift Valley is another of the must sees of Kenya. Lake Magadi is the most southerly of the Rift Valley lakes and its remoteness means it is rarely visited. The mineral-rich lake is almost lunar in appearance but supports many bird species. There are hot springs to bathe in and many colourful local tribesmen to meet. Of course if you enjoy meeting tribal peoples Kenya offers plenty of opportunities to do so. The famed Maasai warriors mostly inhabit the Kajiado and Narok districts in Rift Valley Province. While the populous Kikuyu inhabit the central highlands of south-central Kenya (Central Province) from the Nyandarua (Aberdare) Range and foothills of Kirinyaga (Mount Kenya) in the north to Nairobi and the Ngong Hills in the south. Tribal practices such as circumcision rituals still persist and it is possible to visit authentic villages.

So start practising your "jambo" (hello) and book your trip to Kenya. Wherever and whenever you go VIP has plenty of accommodation choices to keep you happy and theres plenty of options if you use the VIP card for savings on accommodation, tours and services.