I came across this website that addresses the kenya security situation in detail it says Dear Friends & Partners,
It has been a month and a half since we experienced violence in Kenya after the December general elections. Some tours to Kenya were cancelled while some visitors who chose not to let the media scare them off, continued as planned. We also managed to convince some of those who felt uneasy about Kenya to do Tanzania safaris and these were successful. Those who came to Kenya despite all the scary scenes shown on TV were quick to comment that Kenya was still safe for tourists.
to read more go to Africa Safari News
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Tanzania
Culture
Tanzania is home to over 120 culturally diverse tribes but shares a common official language of Swahili. Apart from this linguistic bond, each tribe is unique. Their manners of worship, local government, and rituals—even their systems of trade and wealth—vary greatly from tribe to tribe.
One of Tanzania’s major tribes, the Masai, dominates the northern portion of Tanzania. Residing in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, tribe members constantly seek new grazing areas for their cattle. Cattle are of great importance to the Masai, providing not only a source of food, but also serving as a symbol of wealth and prestige for their owners. The Masai wear a single toga-like piece of clothing, usually a bright red or blue color, and cover their bodies in ochre.
Geography and Climate
“In the midst of a great wilderness, full of wild beasts…I fancied I saw a summit…covered with a dazzlingly white cloud (qtd. in Cole 56). This is how Johann Krapf, the first outsider to witness the splendor of Africa’s highest mountain, described Kilimanjaro. The peak was real, though the white clouds he “fancied” he saw were the dense layer of snow that coats the mountain.
Tanzania is primarily a plateau that slopes gently downward into the country’s five hundred miles of Indian Ocean coastline. Nearly three-quarters of Tanzania is dry savannah, so much so that the Swahili word for the central plateau is nyika, meaning “wasteland.” Winding through these flatlands is the Great Rift Valley, which forms narrow and shallow lakes in its long path. Several of these great lakes form a belt-like oasis of green vegetation. Contrasting with the severity of the plains are the coastal areas, which are lush with ample rainfall. In the north the plateau slopes dramatically into Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Some of Tanzania’s most distinguishing geographical features are found in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The park is composed of many craters and gorges, as well as lakes, forest, and plains. Among these features is the area’s namesake, the Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater is a huge expanse, covering more than one hundred square miles. On the Crater’s floor, grasslands blend into swamps, lakes, rivers, and woodland. Also within the Conservation Area’s perimeter is the Olduvai Gorge, commonly referred to as the “Cradle of Mankind,” where in 1931 the stone tools of prehistoric man were found. This find subsequently led to the discovery of the remains of humans who lived 1.75 million years ago.
Serengeti Plain
Adjacent to the western edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the Serengeti Plain. Its area is approximately 5,700 square miles, and its central savanna supports many grazing animals with plentiful water and lush grasses. Its southern portion is dry, receiving an average of only twenty inches of rainfall annually. The north is wooded grassland with watercourses and tributaries to larger rivers. Only two seasons occur on the Serengeti: dry and wet. The dry season occurs between June and October and the wet season between November to May.
Animal Life
Africa is well known for its native wildlife, and there are few places it is more robust than in the great grass plains of the Tanzanian wilderness. Here you will find herds of zebra, wildebeest and gazelle, cheetahs, lions, leopards, elephants and ostriches. With such variety, Tanzania is indeed an “inventory from the ark” (Camerapix 252).
The Ngorongoro Crater is rich with wildlife, including the densest predator population in Africa. The crater is home to up to 25,000 large mammals, mainly grazers - gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest, and warthog. Many of the world’s flamingos live in the alkaline lakes of the Crater’s floor.
The Serengeti contains an estimated 3 million large animals, making it one of the last great wildlife preserves in the world. These animals take part in a phenomenal seasonal migration, an incredible concentration of moving animals. As the dry season approaches, the herbivores—mainly wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle—gather and move together to seek out new grazing lands and water. Following closely are the animals of prey. The cycle of migration repeats endlessly each year as the wet season gives way to dry.
retrieved from: CIS research
Tags: Africa Safari Tours | Hotels in Kenya | Kenya Safaris | Africa Safaris
Culture
Tanzania is home to over 120 culturally diverse tribes but shares a common official language of Swahili. Apart from this linguistic bond, each tribe is unique. Their manners of worship, local government, and rituals—even their systems of trade and wealth—vary greatly from tribe to tribe.
One of Tanzania’s major tribes, the Masai, dominates the northern portion of Tanzania. Residing in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, tribe members constantly seek new grazing areas for their cattle. Cattle are of great importance to the Masai, providing not only a source of food, but also serving as a symbol of wealth and prestige for their owners. The Masai wear a single toga-like piece of clothing, usually a bright red or blue color, and cover their bodies in ochre.
Geography and Climate
“In the midst of a great wilderness, full of wild beasts…I fancied I saw a summit…covered with a dazzlingly white cloud (qtd. in Cole 56). This is how Johann Krapf, the first outsider to witness the splendor of Africa’s highest mountain, described Kilimanjaro. The peak was real, though the white clouds he “fancied” he saw were the dense layer of snow that coats the mountain.
Tanzania is primarily a plateau that slopes gently downward into the country’s five hundred miles of Indian Ocean coastline. Nearly three-quarters of Tanzania is dry savannah, so much so that the Swahili word for the central plateau is nyika, meaning “wasteland.” Winding through these flatlands is the Great Rift Valley, which forms narrow and shallow lakes in its long path. Several of these great lakes form a belt-like oasis of green vegetation. Contrasting with the severity of the plains are the coastal areas, which are lush with ample rainfall. In the north the plateau slopes dramatically into Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Some of Tanzania’s most distinguishing geographical features are found in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The park is composed of many craters and gorges, as well as lakes, forest, and plains. Among these features is the area’s namesake, the Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater is a huge expanse, covering more than one hundred square miles. On the Crater’s floor, grasslands blend into swamps, lakes, rivers, and woodland. Also within the Conservation Area’s perimeter is the Olduvai Gorge, commonly referred to as the “Cradle of Mankind,” where in 1931 the stone tools of prehistoric man were found. This find subsequently led to the discovery of the remains of humans who lived 1.75 million years ago.
Serengeti Plain
Adjacent to the western edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the Serengeti Plain. Its area is approximately 5,700 square miles, and its central savanna supports many grazing animals with plentiful water and lush grasses. Its southern portion is dry, receiving an average of only twenty inches of rainfall annually. The north is wooded grassland with watercourses and tributaries to larger rivers. Only two seasons occur on the Serengeti: dry and wet. The dry season occurs between June and October and the wet season between November to May.
Animal Life
Africa is well known for its native wildlife, and there are few places it is more robust than in the great grass plains of the Tanzanian wilderness. Here you will find herds of zebra, wildebeest and gazelle, cheetahs, lions, leopards, elephants and ostriches. With such variety, Tanzania is indeed an “inventory from the ark” (Camerapix 252).
The Ngorongoro Crater is rich with wildlife, including the densest predator population in Africa. The crater is home to up to 25,000 large mammals, mainly grazers - gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest, and warthog. Many of the world’s flamingos live in the alkaline lakes of the Crater’s floor.
The Serengeti contains an estimated 3 million large animals, making it one of the last great wildlife preserves in the world. These animals take part in a phenomenal seasonal migration, an incredible concentration of moving animals. As the dry season approaches, the herbivores—mainly wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle—gather and move together to seek out new grazing lands and water. Following closely are the animals of prey. The cycle of migration repeats endlessly each year as the wet season gives way to dry.
retrieved from: CIS research
Tags: Africa Safari Tours | Hotels in Kenya | Kenya Safaris | Africa Safaris
Friday, February 22, 2008
Ruma National Park
This park is not very popular and it is for this reason i have decided to feature it here. Established in 1966 and initially named Lambwe Valley Game Reserve. It is located in Suba district Nyanza and is 425 kilometers from Nairobi and about 10 kilometers east of Lake Victoria . The park is relatively humid due to its close proximity to the lake. It is mainly covered by savanna grassland and woodland mainly acacia trees. Some of the wild-game that can be spotted there include buffaloes, giraffes (Rothschild's), hyena, monkeys, impalas, antelopes and numerous birds. Some of the lodges and local hotels that surround it include Oribi Guest house- located at the top of the escarpment overlooking the park, Lake Victoria Safari Lodge at the shores of the magnificent Lake Victoria the largest fresh water lake in the East African Region, Sunset Hotel a large hotel near Kisumu town, and the Imperial Hotel. Next time you consider a Kenya Safari Ruma national park might be an option.
Tags: Africa Safaris
Tags: Africa Safaris
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Book a Kenya Hotel online
Online hotel booking is quickly becoming a necessity for hotels in Africa and few have embraced this opportunity many are still dragging their feet crying security or the lack of it, lack of customisable solutions and all sorts of reasons.
One of the limitations of travelling to Africa is the slow pace with which its travel industry has in embracing the use of technology. Many would be travels today are more comfortable on making a payment by use of a credit card for the following reasons
1. At the top of the list is the fact that i can pay for it now look for the money and 30 days later refund the credit card company.
2. It is less cumbersome as traditional methods of payment require one to go the bank and transfer the money while a credit card payment can be done from my home or desk-top
3.It is thus much easier and faster to finalise the transaction.
4. I can then say it cost less in terms of time and money as opposed to traditional ways since you do not have to queue at the bank, burn fuel to get there and then make phone call follow-ups.
5. Credit card payment is today a much safer way of transacting since a third party 'the merchant’s involved. It is for this reason that a number of African organisations are quickly taking up this idea of enabling credit card processing on their website and acquire a competitive edge against those who have not yet done the same.
A few websites in Kenya, Egypt and South Africa are already offering holiday makers an easier way of booking their accommodation and saving time spend calling hotels and agents to get bookings.
One of the limitations of travelling to Africa is the slow pace with which its travel industry has in embracing the use of technology. Many would be travels today are more comfortable on making a payment by use of a credit card for the following reasons
1. At the top of the list is the fact that i can pay for it now look for the money and 30 days later refund the credit card company.
2. It is less cumbersome as traditional methods of payment require one to go the bank and transfer the money while a credit card payment can be done from my home or desk-top
3.It is thus much easier and faster to finalise the transaction.
4. I can then say it cost less in terms of time and money as opposed to traditional ways since you do not have to queue at the bank, burn fuel to get there and then make phone call follow-ups.
5. Credit card payment is today a much safer way of transacting since a third party 'the merchant’s involved. It is for this reason that a number of African organisations are quickly taking up this idea of enabling credit card processing on their website and acquire a competitive edge against those who have not yet done the same.
A few websites in Kenya, Egypt and South Africa are already offering holiday makers an easier way of booking their accommodation and saving time spend calling hotels and agents to get bookings.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Hotel bookings online
An online hotel booking firm in Kenya has launched a new interactive website to promote Kenya’s tourism establishments. The firm, Central Reservations Bureau East Africa Limited (CRB) announced it had installed a technology platform to generate real-time hotel bookings and provide a payment gateway.
CRB director, Mr Barongo Rukara, said the Into Kenya website is expected to play a major role in the generation of hotel bookings for the hospitality industry.
Tourism minister, Mr Morris Dzoro, said globalisation and the great strides in the ICT, websites are becoming the first point of contact between a hotel and a customer.
"As far as ICT is concerned, we have no choice but to embrace it in order to harness the benefits of sustainable economic and social development that it always brings," he said in a speech read by Tourism assistant minister, Mr Raphael Muriungi during the launch of the website in Nairobi on Wednesday.
Dzoro said Internet is now the premier source of information and bookings for tourists and generates revenue of over $50 billion annually globally.
Retrevied from the East African Standard 27/4/07
CRB director, Mr Barongo Rukara, said the Into Kenya website is expected to play a major role in the generation of hotel bookings for the hospitality industry.
Tourism minister, Mr Morris Dzoro, said globalisation and the great strides in the ICT, websites are becoming the first point of contact between a hotel and a customer.
"As far as ICT is concerned, we have no choice but to embrace it in order to harness the benefits of sustainable economic and social development that it always brings," he said in a speech read by Tourism assistant minister, Mr Raphael Muriungi during the launch of the website in Nairobi on Wednesday.
Dzoro said Internet is now the premier source of information and bookings for tourists and generates revenue of over $50 billion annually globally.
Retrevied from the East African Standard 27/4/07
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Maasai Ostrich Resort
I recently was able to visit the Maasai Ostrich Resort populary know as the ostrich farm. I usually like going there coz of the tasty ostrich game meat that is served there. It has a swimming pool for the children to play in and the farm is open to all to see how these magnificent birds are reared of course for a small fee. The ostrich farm is located 45 kilometers from Nairobi on the thi River/ kitengela plains about thirty minutes drive from the Jomo Kenyatta International airport in Nairobi and about 1 and half hours drive from the tanzania border.
It also has some accomodation facilities although i have never used it. Initially it was a ranch house, the resort offers luxury accomodation whith spacious ensuite double rooms, taste fully furnished and private. The large american styled ranch house is surrounded by beautiful gardens of mixed wild and exotic plants and a green manicured lawn. over time the resort has become a haven of eace to trad a popular and ideal spot for family outings. At the farm there are guides who offer educational tours on the aspect of rearing ostriches. finally there is a shop that specializes on ostrich souvenighers ranging from leather belts and bags, wallets, egg shells, feather dusters and key holders. From my visits there i have learned ostrich farmers never throw anything away as waste. The skin makes wonderful leather products, the feathers are used to make head regalia for African traditional dancers, the eggs are eaten and are indeed large and the shells painted to make household decoration and the meat makes tasty nyama choma a swhali word for rasted meat
It also has some accomodation facilities although i have never used it. Initially it was a ranch house, the resort offers luxury accomodation whith spacious ensuite double rooms, taste fully furnished and private. The large american styled ranch house is surrounded by beautiful gardens of mixed wild and exotic plants and a green manicured lawn. over time the resort has become a haven of eace to trad a popular and ideal spot for family outings. At the farm there are guides who offer educational tours on the aspect of rearing ostriches. finally there is a shop that specializes on ostrich souvenighers ranging from leather belts and bags, wallets, egg shells, feather dusters and key holders. From my visits there i have learned ostrich farmers never throw anything away as waste. The skin makes wonderful leather products, the feathers are used to make head regalia for African traditional dancers, the eggs are eaten and are indeed large and the shells painted to make household decoration and the meat makes tasty nyama choma a swhali word for rasted meat
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)