The Nairobi National Park : The World's Only Wildlife Capital

It's a chilly Tuesday afternoon standing at the fourth floor balcony of the Ole Sereni Hotel's new Eagles fine dining Restaurant that overlooks a water hole. The sun gleams through the cloudy skies striking me softly with its warm rays. Before me lies a vast savannah grassland with scattered acacia trees and not-so-green grass- The Nairobi National Park . In the scope of view, we could barely see any wildlife visible to the naked eye say for the chirping covey of small birds flying above us. Through set binoculars, we could see a few gazelles grazing on some tufts of grass far away. It's all a sight for sore eyes. 

The park is the only wildlife park situated t a city being only 7km from the capital's city center. The park lies on 117 square kilometers of open grass plains with scattered acacia
bush - the predominant vegetation. The western side has a highland dry forest and a
permanent river with a riverine
forest. To the south are the Athi-
Kapiti Plains and Kitengela migration corridor which are important wildlife dispersal areas for wildebeest and zebra during the rain season.

The park accommodates a wide variety of wildlife and bird life.  Four of the big five (lion, Buffalo, leopard & Rhino) are found here among others- cheetah, hyena, Giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, elands and diverse birdlife with over 400 species recorded. 20 of these bird species are said to be European migrant species.  Other attractions include the Ivory burning site Monument, Nairobi Safari Walk, the Orphanage and the walking trails at hippo
pools.

The park has 7 gates, 2 of which are KWS service gates.
Main gate: KWS headquarters
Langata road
Cheetah Gate
Langata Gate
Maasai Gate
Mbagathi Gate (service gate)
Banda Gate (service gate)
Entrance to the park is by a safari card, which can be acquired and loaded at the gate.

Activities
Safari walk
Game drives
Bird watching
Picnics
Corporate events and team events,etc

There is no in-park accommodation although there are numerous hotels around the park and within the city. However, one can have bush dinner within the park. How cool is that? I would think of it as being one with nature. One word -exhilarating. It's definitely one worth a try.

Kenya : Cradle of Mankind http://msafirikenya.blogspot.com/2013/07/kenya-cradle-of-mankind.html

Kenya : Cradle of Mankind

I am particularly very proud to be Kenyan today ; I think every Kenyan should be. Have you noticed that in many international movies and television series you will find a mention of Kenya come up? It gets better when it's for good reasons unlike many other African countries; mostly it's about safaris. It's a fantastic feeling knowing we are among the best when it comes to
wildlife
and safaris.
Irregardless, I believe I have another reason to be proud of Kenya here. Do you believe in the theories of evolution?  Well, if you do, you have to know that
Kenya is said to be the
cradle of mankind. Nonetheless, Ethiopia and South Africa claim the same 'title'.
In respect to that, The National Museum of Kenya has a list of factual support to the 'claim' as the cradle of mankind and it is as follows ;

Kenya has the largest number of
fossil human remains appr. 1000
individuals than any other country
in Africa.

Kenya has the oldest human remains
going back to 7 million year old from
Turgen Hills, Baringo (oldest in
Ethiopia = 4.5 million years ;
S.Africa ca 3 million years, Tanzania
= 2 million years.

Kenya has some of the most
complete skeletons e.g Turkana Boy
(1.6 Million years), which provided a
great wealth of information
regarding early human physiology
than anywhere in the world.

Kenya is endowed with many
prehistory sites scattered all along
the Rift Valley (north to south) and
western Kenya.

Kenya has many earliest ape sites
particularly in western Kenya. These apes are ancestors for earliest
humans. Ethiopia has just a handful
of these earliest sites thus making
Kenya the probable place where
transition from ape-like to human-
like beings occurred.

Kenya has the longest and most
complete record of human evolution
(and possibly the link between
humans and apes).

There is a huge collection in regards
to prehistory finds. Kenya actually
has the largest collection of human
related fossils anywhere in the
world. This collection is well
documented and can be found in
one central place- National Museum of Kenya Headquarters

Not only are all species of hominids
represented but also some other
faunal and plant species that relate
to the evolutionary theory (e.g.
elephants, giraffes, crocodiles and
even the dinosaurs).

In addition to the fossil record,
there is a long record of
technological evolution (with tools as
old as 2.3 million years).
There is a wide environmental
representation (open and closed
sites) in regards to evidence of
fossils and tools. Each region in
Kenya has a story to tell in regards
to the story of human origin. Varied
environments that may have been
instrumental in the evolution of both
humans and other species.

There is a wide genetic
representation among some of its
people (Turkana) pointing to the fact
that humans have been here for a
very long time.

There is a connection with the Far
East through the Red Sea where
humans are believed to have
dispersed from to other regions of
the world.
There is evidence of other factors
that relate to the evolution of
humans (e.g. humanity made fire as
far back as 1.8 Million yrs, footprints at
1.55 million yrs).

The study of human evolution began
in the early 20th century and
continues to present.
Kenya has about 20 Miocene (23.03
million years ago -ma to 5.3 Ma)
sites while Ethiopia has only two at
the moment.

I think the evidence is pretty credible. The Rift Valley especially has most sites and in consideration to the area's local climate, I second that evidence.
Some of the prehistoric sites that have been sources of fossil evidence are ;

Enkapune Ya Muto
Enkorika
Hyrax Hill
Ileret
Kapthurin
Koobi Fora
Ngenyn
Olorgesailie

Numerous fossils and tools collected from these sites are well preserved at the prestigious National Museums of Kenya which are distributed all over Kenya. Headquarters are located within the busy capital -Nairobi.

Aside from the prehistoric sites, Kenya boasts a rich archaeological history that has caught interest of many archaeology tourist especially with a particular interest to study that history. Some of the sites are:

Jumba la Mtwana
Kiongwe
Lamu
Mambrui
Manda Island
Namoratunga
Pate Island
Ruins of Gedi
Takwa

Each of these sites plus many more have a uniquely tasteful history that all together make the country that is Kenya is today. These sites are priceless riches that we should continue guarding for our benefit and generations to come.
Facts source : National Museum of Kenya
© Msafiri Kenya Blog

Wasini Island : The Kenyan Dolphin Waters

Ever had a place in your life or a destination that you would consider 'heavenly' or
simply put 'paradise on earth'? I guess I finally found one that does the magic for me ; Wasini Island.
A beautiful coral island located in the south east Indian Ocean
coast of Kenya near Shimoni and 10 km away from Kisite- Mpunguti Marine park, this island has a lot to offer a tourist.
A tour in this area would encompass a great variety of wild adventures in a wild coral
island.
With the scarce local population,wild mangrove forests and practice of eco- tourism, the island is almost intact and perfect for adventure.
Wasini Island is well famed as an excellent place for spotting for dolphins. For the adventure- seeking msafiri, you wouldn't want to miss a chance at snorkeling while having a swim with the dolphins- probably the most intelligent sea creatures. I'd bet this experience is one worth the history books.
If you'd ever want an experience fishing here, there are a lot of sports fishing
vessels that go straight through the
Pemba Channel, and it is a fishing
ground that’s well-known in Kenya,
World IGFA, and All Africa fishing
records with bountiful fish varieties.

Take an adventure walk of its own kind in the coral gardens on
the Western end of the island,
women groups have set up a nature
walk in it. Here you get to view plenty of colourful fishes in the sapphire oceanic waters. The proceeds go toward
Wasini benefactors, including Wasini
students. Here tours are usually packaged prior to the visit to the island hence making
it easier to include all activities in your package. This tour won't take much of your time
so you could make a detour visit in your planned tour. What's more? Clean Sun- kissed empty beaches around it,
definitely an escape from crowded beaches, would
certainly do for a peaceful afternoon.
Finally,
what's a tour to Wasini Island without a visit to the exquisite Charlie Claw's Restaurant?
Get served with finger-licking seafood delicacies at a
fair price here to complete the tour of this paradise.
This is the one island that would beg the question,
'what better place could you ever visit? ' Given a chance,
I would sacrifice all savings just to seize this exhilarating, once in a lifetime experience- seriously , it's worth the praise.

Repost : Events tourism - Events Kenya

Events Kenya : Events tourism http://msafirikenya.blogspot.com/2013/07/events-kenya-events-tourism.html

Events Kenya : Events tourism

Events - we get invitations to them daily, we attend them daily, we hear about hundreds of them monthly. From glamorous affairs - fashion events, eat outs, barbeques, book signings ,wedding affairs to adrenaline-filled events - kids festivals, safari rallies, sport events, from music festivals and concerts and house parties and traditional theme nights to art galleries and exhibitions, name it all.  They've coloured Nairobi's bustling party scene and nightlife, attracted people from all walks of life and perhaps earned Nairobi the name 'the city that never sleeps'.

At least I can attest that every one of my friends has attended an event or so, if not, that's probably a black sheep in this city. Personally, been to
quite a number, maybe sampled almost every category, say for a few although I would really love to attend a barbeque and a cake tasting, or possibly hold one- not bragging, I have been told my chef skills ain't bad at all.
Anyway, let's consider the few that have really created quite a buzz to the Nairobi party scene. Here, social events have starred strongly with Muthoni 'the drummer queen's Blankets & Wine leading in my opinion , followed by 'The Mingle ' and 'The Circle'. I would particularly applaud Muthoni's idea of Blankets & wine- it's very authentic, well thought and executed especially for the reknown artistes who perform music with an impeccable touch of Africa in their swing and beats -always breathtaking. The crowds that turn up tell it all: it leaves out no race, meaning it certainly has international capability. I understand that it has already touched base in neighboring Uganda. Another close second are the themed 'traditional ' nights like mugithi & mulembe nights. Despite the simplicity in their execution, they've managed to attract all communities ,
even the 'mzungu' in song and dance over finger-licking traditional delicacies.

Make a point attending several and you will get a taste of the Kenya's idea of 'celebration'. A typical Kenyan youth will celebrate to pretty much anything - be it completion of exams at school, end of a stressful week at work or school, a job promotion or even a mere day off work.
Thus, event organizers have made a pretty good effort at commercializing this industry, but are they aware it's a recognized form of tourism? Yes,it is
and it's known as events tourism.
Apparently, it has been more commercialized in other countries especially Europe
with a  country like Singapore holding beer festivals that
attracts a multitude of tourists from all over Europe for a single event, maybe one week long. We are no strangers to sports tournaments, premier leagues, marathons and world cups all over the world. These
simply are perhaps the biggest events ever as millions of fanatics flock into stadiums to
watch their teams play, but that's a discussion for another day.

All in all, Kenya is an indisputably rich country in talent and resources. Visit an art gallery or two, you
will see it firsthand or consider it a one in a few chances if you witness the artists working on hand. Back last
year, I happened to visit a gallery in Lonrho building right within the busy city center . A particular portrait of a peacock drew my eye and since then I could only imagine it standing as a magnificent centre piece in my living room one day.
The idea of original works of arts being executed into huge international events is appetizing. Currently, the existing ones are small scale projects, facing financial hurdles and in need of sponsors.
The ministry of tourism and the ministry of Sports,the arts and cultures have a responsibility to boost the industry and it should start with what's at hand. Event organizers also come to play where they should start focusing on events with a positive touch, to show that it's not about partying every time but we also need to appreciate what's worth and also sell our idea of 'sherehe' - Swahili connotation for 'Celebration'- and sell it internationally. Private sectors and local investors need to be called in to fund and nurture local talent and transform it to business. In the end, it's all win-win.
Finally, to my talented fellow youth, why not grab this opportunity? We are definitely supercharged and define talent way better than our older generations. Ideas are limitless, possibilities endless. All we need is a leap of faith,to take a first step on that journey of a thousand miles.
I say power to Kenya!!

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