Kenya is an independent state. It is located in East Africa on the equator line. Former British colony. On December 12, 2003, the 40th anniversary of Independence Day was celebrated. One part of the country is in the northern hemisphere, the other in the southern.
The capital – Nairobi – is the economic, financial and political center of East and Central Africa with a population of 2 million people. The city was founded in 1899 during the construction of the railway and became the capital in 1905. The business center of the city consists of wide three-line streets with high-rise offices, hotels and apartments. Right there in the city there are several parks with exotic flowers, shrubs and trees, as well as a snake nursery, the African Railway Museum.
In the suburbs of Nairobi, 20 km from the center, there is the Karen Blixen Museum. The writer’s house will help you plunge into the atmosphere of the past and see a piece of Kenyan history with your own eyes. A visit to this museum can be combined with a trip to a giraffe farm. Not far from the city center is an ostrich farm and park, and, of course, Nairobi National Park.
The city has 6 casinos, 2 theaters and several cinemas. One of the most famous restaurants in Africa – “Carnivore” offers a wide selection of meat dishes prepared from exotic animals (crocodile, giraffe, zebra, ostrich). It is very profitable to buy precious stones in the capital of Kenya: especially malachite, tanzanite, blue agate and blue diamond.
In terms of tourism, the National Museum is very interesting and worthy of attention, which presents exhibits dedicated to the finds of the remains of prehistoric man, various tribal religions and a section of the richest flora and fauna of Kenya.
The official languages are English and Swahili.
Climate – in the central regions of the country (1200-1400 m above sea level) – dry subtropical. Rain is rare. The climate in the central part of the country (highlands) is drier and cooler, while on the coast of the Indian Ocean it is hotter and more humid. The period of long rains falls on March – mid-May, the period of short rains – in the first half of November.
Geography and landscape
Despite its modest size, Kenya impresses with its extremely diverse topography. The country can be conditionally divided into four main zones: the coast, with hot and humid weather all year round. The second zone covers part of the world’s largest system of fault basins, occupied by lakes, along the edges of the mountains and extinct volcanoes. Dense mountain forests cover the peaks. The so-called Great Rift Valley crosses Kenya from north to south. This ancient fault begins in Jordan and extends to Mozambique. It is a mixture of mountains and plains, stretching for many hundreds of kilometers. These vast territories are inhabited by numerous herds of animals grazing in fertile glades, as well as their permanent neighbors, wild predators.
The western part of Kenya, with tea plantations, gradually turning into a semi-desert to the server, and to the south into the Masai Mara National Park. In the north and east of the country, wide semi-desert landscapes prevail, where it rarely rains, and it is difficult to meet anyone else besides cattle and shepherds. These are the lands of Samburu and Turkana.
Until now, Kenya is active in geothermal terms, thermal springs can be visited on the lakes of Magadi, Bogoria.
Equator, that’s something else Kenya can be proud of, amazing things can be seen there. Using the example of water, you can see for yourself how the laws of physics change if you step over
a yellow line dividing our globe of the earth into two halves: southern and northern.
How to choose the time for the trip?
When to go depends on your goals. If you want to see the animals, it is best to go in January, February – the weather is dry, the animals concentrate at watering places, the vegetation has already dried up, and the animals are clearly visible. From May – June to September the grass begins to turn green, many flowers begin to bloom, the vegetation is not yet very lush, the animals are clearly visible.
If you want to combine a safari with a holiday on the coast of the Indian Ocean, then you can go from August to February.
If you like rain, you should go in April.
Locals:
It is not recommended to take pictures of locals without their permission and to visit the dwellings of locals, especially the Maasai, on your own (without a guide). Ignorance of local ethnic customs can lead to misunderstandings or even conflicts.
Fauna and flora:
Tourists can observe all the richness of flora and fauna in the national parks of the country. Among the representatives of the animal world there are huge herds of gazelles, zebras, black-maned lions, leopards, hundreds of elephants, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, various types of antelopes: wildebeest, kob, impala and many other species. Near the lakes you can see cormorants and thousands of flamingos.
The flora of Kenya is very diverse. The exceptions are the northern and northeastern regions, where deserts stretch. The coastal plains and inland plateaus are mostly savannahs overgrown with acacias and baobabs. Palm trees grow on the coast, and mangroves can be seen in the mouths of the rivers. Evergreen raster grows in the interior. Forests in the mountains resemble equatorial forests, very tall trees and ferns grow there. At an altitude of more than 3000 m, you can see unique equatorial vegetation: lobelia, whose leaves look like ostrich feathers, and a giant ragwort, reaching 8 m in height.
