Kenya

Kenya is situated right along the equator, on the eastern coast of the African continent. It is a popular tourist destination, here you can find amazing national parks and the landscape is varied; you can find everything from snow covered mountain tops to tropical beaches. The great Rift Valley cuts through the country, and you can find old volcanoes and lakes along the valley. The most fertile land is found in the highlands. During the colonization most of this land was cultivated by the colonizing powers and still today most of the land is owned by European descendants. On the plateau in the west, not far from Lake Victoria is coffee and tee cultivated. On the great savannah you will find famous national parks like Masai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo.

Economics and Politics

Kenya was a British colony until 1963 when the land became independent, after many years of struggle. Today Kenya has a multiparty system with free elections (since 1992). The main source of income is agriculture, but only a small part of the country gets enough rain to be able to cultivate, without irrigation. Kenya is one of the poorest countries in the world and more than half of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. The main problem to the economic hassles is political, but the country also suffers from an extensive corruption. Kenya is also a victim to the aids epidemic, in 2001 15% of the population were estimated to carry the virus and about 1 million children were orphaned due to aids.

Population

There are about 40 tribes and their culture and lifestyle differs a lot. Some of the tribes consist of millions of people while others only have a couple of hundred members. The largest tribe is Kikuyu, about 22% of the county’s populations is a member of this tribe. The most famous tribe however is the Massai.

The Massai

The Massais is a semi nomadic, stock-raising tribe who lives on the savannah in Kenya and Tanzania. When you travel through the region you will notice their colorful clothing, rings and jewelry. They value traditions and rituals and they have a rich culture. The Massai are known for living in harmony with nature and have lived for a very long time on the savannah.

Climate

Kenya has a very pleasant climate with a lot of sun all year around. The rainy season is between April and May, a shorter rain period occurs in November. The inland of Kenya has a cooler climate with a day temperature between 20-25 degrees Celsius. Along the coast you find a tropical climate with day temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius.

Here you can find more information about some of the parks
that we will visit during our tours to Kenya

Masai Mara

Masai Mara, is known all over the world. The park got its name from the Massai who lives in
and around the park. Masai Mara is one of the best places in the world if you want to watch wild
animals. You can see animals like zebra, giraffe, gazelle and topi here, the park also have Kenya’s
largest groups of lions. Masai Mara stretches in to Tanzania where the park is called Serengeti.
Every year the park is home for the great migration, when the rainfalls force large herds of wildebeests
and zebras to wander.

Lake Nakurus National Park

Lake Nakurus National Park is world famous for the pink flamingos that come in thousands. But here
you can also see rhinos, buffalos, and giraffes and with some luck even lions.