With its long, tropical beaches and dramatic wildlife parks, Kenya has an exotic tourist image. And rightly so perhaps. For this is one of the most beautiful lands in the continent- and, whether you are travelling or touring, a satisfyingly exiting and relatively easy place to travel. The kodachrome hype may not take account of the country`s less salubrious images-its share of post colonial poverty- nor of any more diverse or contradictory reality, but it is true enough on its way.
Which is not to say that treating Kenya as a succession of tourist sights is the best or even the most enjoyable way of experiencing the country. In fact, travelling independently you can come into a more genuine and very different world; a highly contrasting land …show more content…
The country`s capital, Nairobi, lies at the edge of this region. Beyond it sprawls the Great Rift Valley, with its lakes, volcanoes, hot springs and dry, thorn tree savannah. The walls of the Rift, and Mount Kenya itself, dominate the scene for much of the time. The famous Kenyan game parks are mostly located in savannah country, watered by streams at the fringes of the highlands.
Further west, towards Lake Victoria, lays a gentler rural countryside, less often visited. In the north-one of the main surprises for many visitors- is desert (or semi-desert), broken only by Lake Turkana, a natural highlight, almost unnaturally blue and gigantic in wildness.
East of the highlands, cutting off the interior from the cost, there is more desert- the Taru, a barrier which in large part accounts for the very different shifts of history and culture. For the cost- satisfyingly predictable in its palms, white sands and warm sea – shelters a quite distinct Islamic Swahili civilization and a long historical record in its mosques and tombs and the ruins of ancient towns cut out from the …show more content…
The cost and game parks are the most obvious targets and if you come to Kenya on a package you are likely to have time divided between these two attractions. If you like the idea of walking or climbing, there are the high forests and moors of the Central Highlands and the hot, dry Rift Valley. Or for serious adventure, the north is one of the most spectacular and memorable of all African regions. More detailed rundowns on the specific characters and appeal of each region are given in the presiding posts.
As far as climate is concerned, Kenya has complicated (and unpredictable)
Which is not to say that treating Kenya as a succession of tourist sights is the best or even the most enjoyable way of experiencing the country. In fact, travelling independently you can come into a more genuine and very different world; a highly contrasting land …show more content…
The country`s capital, Nairobi, lies at the edge of this region. Beyond it sprawls the Great Rift Valley, with its lakes, volcanoes, hot springs and dry, thorn tree savannah. The walls of the Rift, and Mount Kenya itself, dominate the scene for much of the time. The famous Kenyan game parks are mostly located in savannah country, watered by streams at the fringes of the highlands.
Further west, towards Lake Victoria, lays a gentler rural countryside, less often visited. In the north-one of the main surprises for many visitors- is desert (or semi-desert), broken only by Lake Turkana, a natural highlight, almost unnaturally blue and gigantic in wildness.
East of the highlands, cutting off the interior from the cost, there is more desert- the Taru, a barrier which in large part accounts for the very different shifts of history and culture. For the cost- satisfyingly predictable in its palms, white sands and warm sea – shelters a quite distinct Islamic Swahili civilization and a long historical record in its mosques and tombs and the ruins of ancient towns cut out from the …show more content…
The cost and game parks are the most obvious targets and if you come to Kenya on a package you are likely to have time divided between these two attractions. If you like the idea of walking or climbing, there are the high forests and moors of the Central Highlands and the hot, dry Rift Valley. Or for serious adventure, the north is one of the most spectacular and memorable of all African regions. More detailed rundowns on the specific characters and appeal of each region are given in the presiding posts.
As far as climate is concerned, Kenya has complicated (and unpredictable)