Kenya is renowned for its extraordinary wildlife ranging across the acacia-covered savannah of game parks, such as Amboseli, the Masai Mara, Samburu and Tsavo, Kenya is a safari-lover's dream come true; vast national parks and reserves encompass one-tenth of Kenya's surface, spanning desert, grasslands and dense mountain forest.

Kenya's human population is equally diverse: around 40 different tribes live in Kenya, including the Kikuyu, the Luo and the proud and beautiful red-clad Masai, who still lead a semi-nomadic lifestyle of cattle-herding along the southern border.

On the balmy Swahili coast, African and Asian culture blends together, the result of a tradition of ocean-going commerce which stretches back for centuries.

Excavations in Kenya suggest that the region is the cradle of humanity, the home some 3.25 million years ago of Homo habilis, from whom Homo sapiens descended. What is certain is that, in more recent times, Kenya was the settling place of a huge number of tribes from all over Africa, with a long history of migration, settlement and conflict.

Mount Kenya National Park

Mount Kenya, which is an extinct volcano sitting on the Equator, is Africa's second highest mountain and stands at a height of 5199m (17,058ft). Opened as the Mount Kenya National Park in 1949, the mountain has been revered by local inhabitants for generations and is the official home of 'Ngai', the Kikuyu tribe's Supreme Being.
A wide variety of wildlife inhabits the park, some unique to it, including Sykes and Colobus monkeys, buffalo, elephants, black rhinos, leopards, the elusive Bongo antelopes and giant forest hogs.

Hot air ballooning

Float over herds of game in the Masai Mara National Reserve. The hour-long trip sets off at dawn and ends with a champagne breakfast. Almost all the lodges in the reserve offer this experience.

Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

Watch baby elephants play at this important sanctuary, where orphaned and abandoned elephants are hand reared before being re-released back into the wild.

All major roads are paved but vast areas of the north still suffer from very poor communications.

Care should be taken when leaving trunk roads as the surfaces of the lesser roads vary greatly in quality, particularly during the rainy season.

In non-residential areas, speed limits are 120kph (75mph) and 60kph (35mph) in built up areas. It is compulsory to wear a seat belt and obligatory that all vehicles carry two red triangles to be placed 20m (66ft) in front and behind the vehicle in the event of a breakdown.

Kenyan Shilling (KES; symbol KSh) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of KSh1,000, 500, 200, 100 and 50. Coins are in denominations of KSh20, 10 and 5.

Health insurance is essential. Part of the African Medical and Research Foundation, the Flying Doctor Service have introduced a special Tourist Membership, which guarantees that any member injured or ill while on safari can call on a flying doctor for free air transport. There are good medical facilities in Mombasa and Nairobi.

Baggage porters kshs 50- 100 Airport Transfer Driver. Kshs 100 Bar staff kshs 20-30 per round of drinks Food Waiter kshs 50 - 100 Safari Guide kshs 500 per person per day Room Staff kshs 50 per day Taxi drivers expect 10% of the fare

Bottled water is available and is advised for the first few weeks of the stay.

Kenya Railways Corporation runs passenger trains between Nairobi and Mombasa; trains generally leave in the evening and arrive the following morning after a journey of around 13 to 14 hours. Tickets can be booked at Nairobi and Mombasa railway stations or through local travel agencies.

Shared minibus taxis (matatus) hop from town to town, starting and finishing at bus stations. Fares are paid to the conductor. Private taxis can also be hired for long-distance journeys.
The newer fleets of taxis, which are usually white with a yellow band, are very reliable and have meters. The older all-yellow taxis do not have meters, so fares should be agreed in advance. In Nairobi, there is also a fleet of London-style black metered cabs. Taxis cannot be hailed in the street but they are found parked up at intersections and outside hotels and restaurants.

Nairobi and Mombasa have efficient bus systems, with regular buses running along set routes and single tickets are sold on the bus by conductors. There are also frequent matatus, 15-seat light pickups and minibuses, that run up and down main roads and charge similar fares. The three-wheel bajaj auto rickshaw or tuk tuk of South-East Asia is becoming increasingly popular.

In Kisumu, cycle rickshaws and bicycle taxis are popular. They are locally known as boda-bodas (from the time when they used to take people across no-mans land on the border with Uganda).

Mon-Fri 0900-1500, Sat 0900-1100. Banks in Mombasa and the coastal areas open and close half an hour earlier.

Electricity in Kenya is 240 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second. If you travel to Kenya with a device that does not accept 240 Volts at 50 Hertz, you will need a voltage converter.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/