Buyengo

Soon after my graduation, my mother decided to take me to visit the place where she grew up. It is right at edge of the border of Kenya and Uganda about 8 kilometres from Busia town.
What I'm talking about is actually my mother's homestead that spans to about 100 acres of land. It has a lot of vegetation and indigenous trees which provide the aesthetic value that our environment is in dire need of.
You might be thinking that you are going back in time right? Well,true and false. True to the extent that you get to enjoy a scenic view that which I guarantee you have never seen. And this is because the ecosystem is intact. It has not been tampered with,meaning you get to see lifeforms that you would ordinarily not see in your day-to-day activities. You are woken up by songs from birds which thrive in the environment created thus.
On the other hand, there are six self-contained,fully furnished cottages for your accomodation. There is a catering unit that sees to it you have the best African meals that include roast chicken, roast goat, fresh farm milk, fish and basically everything else you could crave for. My grandmother(and great grandmother) see to it that you are taken good care of so that should you want to visit anywhere in Kenya,you have an easy decision to make.

Nyeri

My father comes from the Western part of Kenya, my mother from Eastern Uganda and I was born and raised in Central Kenya. It's not that confusing just means I have many places to call home and go to when city life gets too much. There is a saying that only a fool forgets where he came from and I do not intend to forget my heritage.

Of all these places my favourite and the place I identify with most is Central Kenya. That's why whenever I get the chance, I go back to visit. My latest visit was in Nyeri, a very pleasant town that's about 2 and a half hour drive from Nairobi.
Don't be fooled to think that the drive is somewhat drab; it is the opposite infact, with scenic landscapes just begging for a kodak moment and I believe if you are not focused you will find yourself making unplanned-for stops to take photos of the countryside.

While in Nyeri I stayed at the brilliant Outspan Hotel with its veiws of Mt. Kenya and the Chania River flowing nearby. It is near the Karua Falls in the Aberdares. Outspan is also known for having accomodated famous visitors such as Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell and his wife Olave Baden-Powell from 1938 until Baden-Powell's death in 1941.

From the Outspan one can book a night at the Treetops lodge which is nearby to view wildlife from close proximity. If camping is your drink of choice there are various campsites in Nyeri specifically the Aberedares where one can camp and bond with nature.

Kakamega Forest

I have been to Kakamega Forest. Probably one of the most unique places I have visited in recent years. No kidding. You might be wondering,"um forest,trees?". Well Kakamega Forest has more to offer than just "um trees". It is under strict management and conservation by the Kenya National Forest Reserve as the only mid altitude tropical rainforest in Kenya. Being a walk through park,we went on self guided nature trail with my father who raked his brain as hard as possible to wow us with made up names for each and every single tree and beautiful vegetation that surrounded us. I have to hand to him,he did a pretty good job. The names were too hard to commit to memory though. At least I remember river Isiukhu,one of the two rivers that flows through the forest.
Did I mention there is a campsite and cottages just in case you decide to spend sometime in a forest.:) If you ever get the urge to get in touch with nature, well, Kakamega Forest is your ideal place to visit.

Kenya's wildlife in steep decline

A recent study has shown a decline in the wildlife population in Kenya due to the issues of co-existence with humans and climate change. I'm sure this problem is not unique to Kenya especially with the growing population sizes as a result of an increase in life expectancy, whereas the land mass remains static with some uninhabitable areas due to the effects of global warming. This is a serious matter that needs to be looked into, as the Maasai mara is central to the tourism industry. What is the Kenyan government and the Kenyans doing to protect their wildlife? For one, I don't understand the statement ""One of the problems is that the pastoralists own the land but the government owns the wildlife," - I thought the land is protected and so where does ownership come in?

You can read the whole article at: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/04/22/kenya-wildlife.html

The Kenyan Coast

As you may have noticed, this comes as my very first post on the blog. Don't get me wrong, I am not reneging on my responsibility as a contributor, just that I felt that I needed to get my thoughts in order before putting up something for the rest of the world to see.

I am not a taveller you know,I never really saw the big deal in moving from one place to another (It is a bit hard to remove a man from his comfort zone),until I went to the Coast for the first time ever during the Easter holidays and it blew my mind away. If you have never been to the Kenyan Coast, then you are missing out on one of the best places you could ever visit in Africa. The sandy beaches, the friendly people, and not forgetting to mention the local food that will leave you looking forward to every Easter holiday. There is a wide variety of top notch 5 star hotels to choose from as well as fully furnished villas suited to meet your comfort needs.
If you are looking for a place to sit back and unwind from office deadlines and rather erm demanding bosses, then the Kenyan Coast is the place to be.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any of us if you would like to explore the marvels that it has to offer.

"20 years from now you will be disappointed by the things you didnt do than by the things you did..so sail away from the safe harbour, catch the trade winds for your sails..explore! dream! discover!"

Maasai mara

I was in Kenya a few weeks back and decided to visit the Maasai mara. Actually, I was accompanying a friend from Europe coz why would I go to such a tourist place having grown up in Kenya? Well I was wrong and so were those who made such snide comments like, "you've only been away for a short time and you're already acting like a tourist?" Let's just say they were very wrong, I had the time of my life.

Our journey started at about 9am from Nairobi by road (we were meant to leave at 6am but that's a story for another day). We stopped for some cheesy photos at the Great rift valley which extends from the middle east to Africa and divides Kenya into east and west - truly spectacular. We also had a good view of mount Longonot (dormant volcano) as we haggled with hawkers who saw a good opportunity to peddle us some of their wares. By this time I have to say my guest was highly impressed by the great scenery and was speaking excitedly ... louder than usual. Next we stopped at one of the small towns 'Mai Mahiu' for some R&R and to buy some Kenyan art. Loaded with an almost life size wooden carving of a maasai woman's head, carved fruit bowls and other paraphernalia, we then set out to our destination satisfied that we'd made a great bargain and oblivious of the adventure awaiting us.

We arrived at our beautiful and tastefully decorated tented camp at the maasai mara in time for a quick lunch before heading out for our first game drive. The unfenced national park was right next to some maasai villages (manyattas) ... apparently the maasais and the wildlife have some kind of an understanding, almost like a treaty???? Right at the beginning of the park, our experienced tour guide spotted a leopard resting on a tree branch. We spent the next few hours watching the animals in awe. Apart from the elusive rhino, we managed to spot 4 of the big 5 (Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo) plus many antelopes, zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, ostrich etc. Our experienced guide had more than 30 years experience as a tour guide and knew his animals well. He was also an avid photographer and took us to areas where we could take the best picture shots. Did I mention how we shamelessly spent 1 hour following a lion and lioness that were about to mate? To our disappointment, they turned out to be a bit shy and we had to give up this noble ambition.

After sunset, we went back for a nice meal and some tuskers (arguably the best beer in Africa;). The nights were quiet apart from the occasional growl in the dark that punctuated the stillness. At dawn, we'd wake up to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of fresh dew. That was the best sleep I have had in a long time, lights off at 9pm, no music, no radios and most of the times no mobile phone network coverage.

On day 2 of our safari, we were out by dawn to go watch the sun rise and 5 minutes into the game drive, spotted a pack of cheetahs. The following day we went on a drive to the Tanzanian boarder to watch the wildebeest migrate to Kenya in search of greener pastures (wildebeest migration happens between July-October).

Overall, we had a fantastic time and how could I forget the hospitality of the maasai people ... welcoming tourists into their manyattas for a little fee and energetic children running after the vehicles wearing big smiles and waving furiously.

Would I go back? Yes, yes, yes, yes.

So, if you've not been on safari, you are missing out big time.