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The bleeding obvious Kenya activity is the safari, but there are many ways to safari. For something different, camel safaris - in the Samburu and Turkana tribal areas between Isiolo and Lake Turkana - must rate as the most unforgettable.
The most southerly of the Rift Valley lakes in Kenya, Lake Magadi is rarely visited by tourists because of its remoteness, although it actually makes an easy day trip if you have a vehicle. The most mineral-rich of the soda lakes, it is almost entirely covered by a thick encrustation of soda that supports many bird species and gives the landscape a weird lunar appearance.
A causeway leads across the most visually dramatic part of this strange landscape to a viewpoint on the western shore. It's worth a drive if you have a 4WD, otherwise you can head to the hot springs further south. The springs aren't particularly dramatic, but you can take a dip in the deeper pools, and there are large numbers of fish there that have adapted to survive in the hot water. You may run into local tribesmen, particularly Maasai, who will offer to show you the way and 'demonstrate' everything for you for a fee.
(135km (84mi) SW of Nairobi)
car the best option as public transport is almost non-existent
bus a matutu leaves Magadi for Nairobi in the morning and returns in the evening
Hell's Gate is an experience indeed. The park is truly unique, as it allows you to walk or cycle unguided across its breadth. Sure you can still drive, but why would you? Senses are heightened tenfold when you're face to face with grazing zebras, towering giraffes, galloping gazelles and massive eland antelopes.
There's a 22km (13mi) round trip that can be done by car, bike or foot in a day, or you can hike off the beaten track along the Buffalo Circuit. Camping is highly recommended.
(10km (6mi) S of Naivasha)
tel info 050 2020284
| full | US Dollar 15.00 |
| child | US Dollar 5.00 |
The Gede ruins are one of the principal historical monuments on the Kenyan coast. Hidden away in the forest, the ruins are a vast complex of houses, palaces and mosques, made all the more mysterious by the fact that there are no records of Gede's existence in any historical texts.
Excavations have uncovered Ming Chinese porcelain and glass, and glazed earthenware from Persia, indicating not only trade links, but a taste for luxury among Gede's Swahili elite. Within the compound are ruins of ornate tombs and mosques including the regal ruins of a Swahili palace.
off main Malindi-Mombasa Rd
(4km (2.5mi) from Watamu)
bus Watamu-bound matutu
| full | Kenyan Shilling 200.00 |
| child | Kenyan Shilling 100.00 |
This superb small slab of virgin tropical rainforest is home to a huge variety of birds and animals and is becoming particularly popular with independent travellers. The wildlife is a major attraction, especially the birdlife, with more than 330 species recorded. Tribal practices in the forest, such as circumcision rituals, persist.
Official guides, trained by the Kakamega Biodiversity Conservation and Tour Operators Association, are well worth the money. Not only do they prevent you from getting lost (many of the trail signs are missing), but most are excellent naturalists who can recognise birds by call alone and provide information about numerous animals.
A1 Highway
(44km (27mi) NE of Kisumu)
bus Matutus on Kakamega-Kitale Rd pass the access road 18km (12mi) N of Kakamega town. It's a 2km (1.2mi) walk from there.
| full | US Dollar 10.00 |
| child | US Dollar 5.00 |
This world-renowned reserve, which stretches over 1510 sq km (938 sq mi) of open rolling grasslands, is backed by the spectacular Esoit Oloololo (Siria) Escarpment, watered by the Mara River and littered with an astonishing amount of wildlife.
Of the big cats, lions are found in large prides everywhere, and it is not uncommon to see them hunting. Cheetahs and leopards are less visible, but still fairly common. Elephants, buffalos, zebras and hippos also exist in large numbers.
The ultimate attraction is undoubtedly the annual wildebeest migration in July and August, when millions of these ungainly beasts move north from the Serengeti. While you're more likely to see endless columns grazing or trudging along rather than dramatic TV-style river fordings, it is nonetheless a staggering experience.
(60km SW of Narok)
bus matutu
plane
car
| full | US Dollar 30.00 |
| child | US Dollar 10.00 |
At 392 sq km, Amboseli has huge herds of elephants, and to see a herd of them making their way sedately across the grassy plains, with Tanzania's Mt Kilimanjaro in the background, may be a real African cliche but it's an experience that certainly leaves a lasting impression.
Kenya's capital is cosmopolitan, lively, interesting and pleasantly landscaped. Its central business district is handily compact and it's a great place to tune into modern urban African life. Unfortunately, it's also a great place to get mugged. Security, especially at night, is a definite concern.
Originally little more than a swampy watering hole for Maasai tribes, Nairobi grew with the advent of the railway and had became a substantial town by 1900. Five years later it succeeded Mombasa as the capital of the British protectorate. Today it's the largest city between Cairo and Johannesburg.
Like most cities, Nairobi has its crowded market, trading and transport areas, its middle class/office workers' suburbs and its spacious mansions and flower-decked gardens for the rich and powerful. The first - on and around River Rd - is an area full of energy, aspirations and opportunism where manual workers, exhausted matatu (minibus) drivers, the unemployed, the devious, the down-and-out and the disoriented mingle with whores, shopkeepers, high-school students, food vendors, drowsy security guards and those with life's little illicit goodies for sale. The motley mix makes it one of the city's hotspots for petty theft and robberies. North of the centre the scene quiets down, as manicured lawns give way to the expat-dominated Westlands shopping and residential area.
Lamu is a place of fantasy and other-worldliness wrapped in a cloak of medieval romance. With an almost exclusively Muslim population, Kenya's remote and self-contained oldest living town has changed little in appearance or character over many centuries.
This once thriving port town is now a gloriously relaxed and relaxing destination. No other Swahili town, other than Zanzibar, can offer you such a cultural feast and uncorrupted traditional style of architecture - if you can ignore the TV aerials.
A couple of hours spent in the waterfront Lamu Museum is an excellent introduction to the town's culture and history. And if the museum stokes your interest in Swahili culture then you should also check out the beautifully restored building nearby housing the Swahili House Museum. One of Lamu's quirkier attractions is the Donkey Sanctuary - no doubt a haven for all those donkeys seeking political asylum. Taking a trip by dhow is almost obligatory.
Kenya's most spectacular annual event is organised by an unlikely group - wildebeests. Literally millions of these ungainly antelopes move en masse in July and August from the Serengeti in search of lush grass. They head south again around October. The best place to see this phenomenon is at the Masai Mara National Reserve. Kenya's more orthodox annual events include public holidays such as Kenyatta Day (20 October) and Independence Day (12 December).
