Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Interesting Myths and ways of the Maasai People in Kenya

The Maasai tribe is the most authentic ethnic tribe of Kenya. The Maasai tribe is a unique and popular tribe due to their long preserved culture. The Maasai's distinctive culture, dress and strategic territory along the game parks of Kenya and Tanzania have made them one of East Africa's most internationally famous tourist attractions.

The Amboseli National Park, Nairobi National Park, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, and Tsavo National Parks in Kenya are some of the major tourist sites where you can see the Maasai people and their culture.

Some of their distinct practices is their way of dressing. Today, typical Maasai dress consists of red sheets, (shuka), wrapped around the body and loads of beaded jewelry placed around the neck and arms. These are worn by both men and women and may vary in color depending on the occasion.

Ear piercing and the stretching of earlobes are also part of Maasai beauty, and both men and women wear metal hoops on their stretched earlobes.

They eat meat, drink milk and, on occasion, drink blood from their most treasured possession-their cattle. Bulls, oxen and lambs are slaughtered for meat on special occasions and for ceremonies. The by-products of the animals - skin and hides - are used as bedding while cow dung is used for building (it is smeared on the walls). The Maasai's entire way of life truly revolves around their cattle.

The Maasai believe that if you were travelling in distant lands and you were caught up by nightfall you could sleep at your agemate’s house whether he was there or not, after planting a spear outside to announce your presence.

Another myth is that young Maasai children play a game of placing rocks on a sleeping rhinoceros; the last one to put a rock on it before it wakes up being the winner.

There is a forest near Mau known as Medung’i, which means in Maa ‘Never cut.’ It was believed that if you cut a tree in the area, blood, and not sap, would ooze from it.You would also hear wails of mourning as if in real death. It is this cultural belief which has kept the natural environment largely intact in Maasailand.

There are also practices that are unique to the Maasai. Take house building, for example. Whereas in many other parts of Kenya, it is the man who builds the house for his family, among the Maasai, this is the woman’s responsibility.

Kenya's safari tours enable both visiting tourists and native Kenyans to enjoy the country's wildlife, while also exploring the Maasai's rich cultural heritage by visiting their homes and attending Maasai cultural shows. These tours are held in Kenya's various game reserves, in particular, the Masai Mara National reserve.

Tours also provide an ideal opportunity for participants to take part in the Maasai dance and buy traditional Maasai jewelry, art and crafts to take home as souvenirs.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Ole Sereni Hotel

Tranquility is the word associated with this spectacular hotel that borders the Nairobi National park offering its guests a view of animals in their natural surroundings at the waterhole in the park from the restaurants, bar, swimming pool and other parts of the hotel. The hotel is strategically positioned close to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Wilson Airport making airport transfers very easy. It is also very near to the the city center, offering world-class facilities and personalized services to business as well as leisure travelers.

Ole-Sereni Hotel has a total of 134 exquisitely furnished, air-conditioned rooms and suites spread over three floors. Guests will have the opportunity to relax and unwind at the Roof top heated swimming pool that overlooks the park, the Gymnasium and Aerobics Room or the Sports Lounge. One could also enjoy special therapies and treatments at the Massage Centre. The Sauna & Steam Facility and Unisex Salon are other places guests can visit to pamper themselves.

Currency Exchange, Laundry/Dry Cleaning Services, Baby Sittering (available on request), 24 Hours Room Service, fully equipped Business Center, Automatic wake up phone system, Wi - Fi Spots in the public area and a travel desk are some of the services that guest at the hotel get to enjoy during their stay.

Ole Sereni has 5 restaurants and also features a bar/lounge and a coffee shop/café. A complimentary breakfast is served each morning. High-speed wired and wireless Internet access is available for a surcharge. Business amenities at this 4.5-star property consist of a 24-hour business center, technology support staff, and audio-visual equipment.

Kenya travel destinations

Leave your Work in The Office- Enjoy a Holiday

By TANIA NGIMA

Research shows that if you give in to the temptation to work from home, even if it is to check an email, you end up burning out and losing everything.

Imagine a scenario where the minute you get home your boss and co-workers call you incessantly with queries, requests and work. While this may seem like your work-life boundaries are being thwarted, it is exactly the same thing when you decide to do ‘just a bit of work’ from home.

We live in an era where the Blackberry and email-enabled phones and laptops create mobile offices for us while we’re on the go. Unfortunately, research shows that if you give in to the temptation to work from home, even if it is to check email, you end up working longer hours. This leads to lower long-term productivity.

Experiments by Henry Ford, an automobile manufacturer showed that working shorter hours increases the total work output and he popularised the 40-hour work week.

Proper relaxation leads to peak productivity when you get back to work; the hard part is how to ensure that you effectively relax and ‘leave work at work’.

Manage expectations

Avoid the impulse to quickly check your email or respond to a query if it is not urgent. For people who travel a lot in their line of work, there’s usually the need to fulfill your quota of tasks, all the while keeping on tabs back home.

Use the ‘out of office’ auto reply. There is a reason it was created. Unless yours is a one-man office and you’re the one man, leave instructions for who can be consulted in your absence and give a number to be reached on only in case of emergencies. Or don’t leave a number at all; office emergencies tend to be created, not real.

If you’re away on a holiday in Mombasa, leave as many gadgets as you can back home; the laptops, Blackberry and email devices. The anxiety that comes with not knowing what is going on back in the office will dissipate after a day or two.

Create boundaries

Being able to effectively create boundaries means you have capable colleagues who can handle matters arising in your absence or make judgment calls. If you don’t have this support framework then you will need to work hard to create it to prevent every query being something only you can handle.

If you work from home, set aside a defined room or a space to make boundary setting easier. Once you are through working for the day or the morning, physically stepping out of the space or room will help you switch off from work mode. And even though you may feel the need to put in 14-hour days into a business or venture that relies only on you to succeed, the danger is that you may end up burning out and losing everything altogether.

Plan ahead

To prevent the feeling that you have so much that has not been done from following you around, learn to keep a to-do-list.

Spend a few minutes at the beginning of each day looking at it and adding any new items on and a few minutes at the end of each day reviewing your progress and creating one for the next day.

Usually, the constant thoughts running through our heads about one thousand things to be done is just noise, the physical act of putting these tasks down on paper acts as a mental shift and relaxes your subconscious.

Beach getaway

By Wambui Thimba

When you go for a beach holiday, the last thing you want is to tug around bags of clothes. Travel light when you go anywhere warm by choosing pieces that work for day and night.

For an effortless beach look, wear light comfortable clothing like a sundress, flip flops, shorts, skirts and wrap-arounds such as kikoys and lesos.

Wear key accessories for a look that is chic yet functional. Don’t forget to carry a beach bag and a pair of sunglasses.

Take very little make-up. A moisturiser and waterproof mascara will be enough. Add sunscreen, some face powder and lip balm and you are ready for a fun and stylish holiday.

The weather in Kenyan beaches is mostly hot and sunny, you therefore do not want to wear any heavy clothing that will leave you feeling very uncomfortable.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Lets Have Some Fun in Kenya!

Apart from wildlife Safaris to see animals found in Africa or mountain climbing that takes you through various Kenyan forests or adventures in Kenyan historical sites there very many other things that a visitor and local as well can do in Kenya. Kenya's entertainment scene is bursting with lots of activities for those interested. In Kenya Nairobi and Mombasa cities are the heart of the countries entertainment.

For instance Mombasa has a lot more to offer than just amazing beaches and beautiful weather. Whether you’re looking for a quiet evening out or a night of wild partying, Mombasa offers a variety of entertainment options. There are many nightclubs in Mombasa on the North Coast in close proximity to major hotels, as well as several on the South Coast. Many of these hotels such as Ngulia safari Lodge, even have their own clubs right on premises. There are also plenty of bars and clubs in the town.

On the other hand Nairobi offers the most choices for entertainment in Kenya, with an assortment of casinos, nightclubs, and movie theaters.There are also a number of theaters where one can watch local productions.

Nairobi and Mombasa both offer a good selection of dance clubs. Some clubs offer live entertainment in Nairobi, otherwise most feature discos with a DJ. Sometimes the two towns also offer live concerts featuring both local and international artistes this is mainly during holidays: April, August and December, though others run during other months.

Many hotels and lodges provide evening entertainment. Often this will include traditional tribal dancing. This is truly entertaining and not to be missed.
Hotels with such traditional shows include Sarova Lion Hill in Nakuru and Mara Explorer

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Dicounted Easter Offers you Can't Miss!!

Easter holiday is just round the corner and it is time to get down and plan a fun activity for you and your family. If you are the fun loving types then you will certainly enjoy these Easter offers by Bonfire Adventures. take a look at their fantastic offers to different travel destinations in Kenya. They will also give you an opportunity to stay at various Kenyan hotels of your choice.


SCHEDULED DEPARTURES EASTER WEEKEND 22nd to 25th APRIL 2011

Bush and Beach - (North Coast) 4 days 3 nights Getaway TSAVO West and Mombasa staying at Ngulia Safari Lodge and Mombasa Beach Hotel ON 22nd TO 25th April 2011 @ Kshs. 24,500/-($310) PER PERSON.
This package cost includes Return transport in luxury safari shuttle, accommodation in 4 star hotels - 1 night at Ngulia Safari Lodge and 2 nights at Mombasa Beach hotel, meals on full board in Tsavo and half board in Mombasa, 2 game drives in Tsavo West, half day excursion to Mombasa Marine Park in a glass bottom boat, Easter Last supper will be a candlelit beach dinner. The cost excludes drinks and park entry fees.

MT. Kenya Reagion 4 days 3 nights getaway - Aberdares , Shaba and Samburu. Staying at Treetops and Sarova Shaba Game Lodges on 22nd to 25th April 2011 @ Kshs. 24,500/- ($310) per person.
The package includes transport luxury 8 seater open roof tourvans, accommodation in 5 star hotels – 1 night at Treetops Game Lodge and 2 nights at Sarova Shaba Game lodge, Meals on full board, game drives in Aberdares National Park, Shaba and Samburu Game reserves, . It excludes lunch on departure and return day, drinks and tips.

Bush and Beach (South coast) 4 days 3 nights getaway Diani Beach and Shiba Hills staying at LTI Kaskazi Beach Resort and Shiba Hills Game Lodge on 22nd to 25th April 2011 @Kshs. 21,000/-($265) Per person.
This package cost includes Return transport in a luxury safari shuttle, Accommodation in 4 star hotels - 2 nights at LTI Kaskazi beach hotel and 1 night at Shimba hills Game lodge, Meals on half board in Diani and full board in Shimba hills, full day excursion to Wasini Island and Kisite Marine Park, 2 game drives in Shimba Hills, Easter Last supper will be a candlelit bush dinner. Cost excludes drinks and park fees.

Great Rift Valley Region 4 days 3 nights getaway Staying at Elementaita Country Lodge and Lake Bogoria Spa Lodge on 22nd to 25th April 2011 @Kshs. 24,500/-($310) Per person.
Accommodation in 4 star hotels – 1 night Elementaita Country Lodge and 2 nights at Lake Bogoria Spa Resort, meals on Full board, Boat Ride in Lake Naivasha and crescent island walking safari on Day 1, Game drive in Lake Nakuru on day 2, Visit to the hot springs on day 3 and boat ride in Lake Baringo on day 4. It excludes park fee and drinks.

For more information visit http://bonfireadventures.com or contact bonfireadventures@gmail.com.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Africa Point Reduces 2011 Safari Prices to Kenya andTanzania

Kenya and Tanzania are by far the best travel destinations in Africa with thousands of locations including game reserves, mountains, beaches, Islands and so on. Tours and Travel companies are focusing a lot more on these two countries and travelers can take advantage of the offers being offered in an attempt to beat competition. One such offer to grab this Easter season is by Africa Point Ltd, one of the leading travel agents in Africa. The company has announced a significant reduction in safari prices to the two countries for the year 2011.

The offer entails a 13-day luxury safari traversing through Kenya's and Tanzania's best game parks and reserves starting from US$ 3,280 down from US$ 4,470 per person based on a minimum of two people. This saves each visitor US$ 1,190 (based on the current exchange rate of the Kenyan Shilling).

Dubbed the Big Cat Safari Kenya and Tanzania, the 13-day safari takes you to Amboseli, Ngorongoro, Serngeti, Lake Manyara, Aberdares, Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara giving you rewarding opportunities to encounter the most diverse and abundant wildlife in the whole of Africa.

Included in the price are complimentary transfer to and from the airport, such a Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya and Julius Nyerere International Airport in Tanzania, accommodations on bed and breakfast basis, park entrance fees where applicable, service of an English speaking driver guide, transport based on a 4WD safari vehicle with pop up roof for game viewing in both Tanzania and Kenya. Also included are meals and accommodation while on safari, one way shuttle bus ticket from Arusha to Nairobi, dinner on the last day of the tour, game drives as per itinerary, driver allowances and all government taxes.

The reduced prices are a great incentive not only for international tourists, but also for local residents who will now be able to enjoy weekend breaks in any of the Kenya and Tanzania safari destinations and plan more vacations all year round. It is also a way of attracting new local tourists who have a negative attitude on vacation by terming it as an expensive and unaffordable venture.

So go on book a safari today!