Kenya is one of the East Africa countries where tourism is a thriving venture and holds different allure and colours for different people. OMOLOLU OLUMUYIWA, who recently explore its tourism offerings writes of the charms of Magical Kenya as the country is fondly called.
The invitation by the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) to attend the Magical Kenya Travel Expo 2015 (MKTE), an annual international tourism exhibition organised by KTB, sometime last year was heart-warming and a welcomed development. It afforded one another opportunity to explore some of the country’s tourist attractions from a different perspective as the last time one visited the country was in 2013. MKTE attracted participation from travel trade operators from the local, national, regional and international scenes, including government officials, national tourism boards and other stakeholders and experts in the business of travel. It is noteworthy to say that the visit once again confirmed that Kenya remains a top flight tourism enclave and a must see destination in a life’s time given its many simmering offerings such as friendly people, natural beauty, peaceful environment, incredible sceneries, abundance and amazing wildlife.
This happens to be one of its most suffusing and magical élan for many tourists from the western hemisphere. The trip from Lagos -Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, aboard Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa en- route Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was a relaxing and enjoyable one with good inflight entertainment, dining and wining spicing the over six hours eventful trip. One was impressed by the aesthetics of JKIA especially the high level of technological advancement and the rather improved services at the airport and the fact that it now witnesses heavy traffic inflow from across the globe. Since two years ago when one last visited, one could notice a remarkable difference especially with the visa-onarrival system now in place. The process was less stressful than one had imagined with the immigration officials on duty in the morning of arrival putting up excellent performance as they were very professional and courteous in their handling of the entire process. On handing over my passport and $50 visa processing fee, the only question asked by the immigration officer was: “How many days are you staying in Kenya?”
“Ten days,” I responded with enthusiasm and in less than two minutes, my visa was affixed on my passport and I was waved through the immigration passage. The next thing I heard was ‘Karibu’, the popular Swahili word for welcome, offered by the immigration officer with a smile. What a great way to welcome one to the bowels of Magical Kenya for yet another exciting moments of fun and pleasure, I intoned. Outside the terminal building was the welcome party from KTB who received one warmly and with broad smiles as we all exchanged pleasantries after, which I was driven to Sarova Stanley Hotel located in one of the highbrow areas of Nairobi. Suddenly, one had flashed back to the exciting time one spent at the same hotel two years ago. One was astonished by the adoring nature of the hotel and its many facilities, which instead of depreciating within the period as it is common with some other climes, rather they were on the ascendancy and very impressive to behold.
I had an early breakfast in the restaurant as there was a scheduled flight with my colleagues from Canada, China, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uganda, South Korea and India to Amboselli for safari. The flight from the Wilson Airport, Nairobi, operated by Safarilink, which was about an hour flight, was indeed a smooth journey making nonsense of my phobia for flying on smaller aircraft. A pleasant experience it was on the Safarilink aircraft, no turbulence and no technical hitches or complaints. Both the pilot and co-pilot displayed deft experience and were applauded for their excellent handling of the aircraft the moment we landed safely at Amboseli Airstrip. We walked out of the airstrip to the warm embrace of the two tour guides, Hashim and Peters, the drivers with two SUVs waiting for us. From there we rode to Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge on safari exploration of Amboseli National Park.
The allure of Amboseli Serena Lodge/ Amboseli National Park
Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge is located just out of the Amboseli National Park, with stunning view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The luxury lodge offers nature lovers a front-row view of elephants, hippos, buffalo, and other wildlife as they are easily within reach at the nearby swamps, their only source of water in this legendary national park. The architectural design of the building and the luxury en-suite rooms are accommodated in two-single stoned dedicated buildings which lie to the right and to the left. All the buildings are master pieces, quite appealing and highly fascinating. Shortly after the sumptuous lunch at the lodge, one had exploratory meeting with some of the hosted buyers from across the globe. I was pleasantly surprised to meet Fifi Rurangwa, the former Country Manager, Nigeria, RwandAir among the hosted buyers, also accommodated at same lodge.
The joy of the reunion generated a discussion on the game drive to the Amboseli National Park and the famous Elephant Conservation later in the evening. The game drive to the park that covers about 39,206 hectares in size at the core of 8,000 square kilometres ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya -Tanzania border is an enchanting natural sanctuary to behold. The park is famous for offering upclose interaction with elephants among other wildlife species. Amboseli is not all about the wildlife alone but it is also a place to meet and interact with the Masai people who are the original inhabitants of the land and are known for their exploits and catch a spectacular view of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world. The park has an endless underground water supply through thousands of feet volcanic rock from Kilimanjaro ice cap, which funnel into two clear water springs in the heart of the park. A visit to Amboseli will not be complete without a visit to the Elephant Conservation Project within the camp. Cynthia Moss is the director of the project, and has worked with and studied elephants in Kenya’s national park for over 40 years in the longest-running elephant research project in Africa. Moss as the founder of the Amboseli Elephant Research project and like many others recognise that under hand dealing in ivory is crucial in the battle to save elephants. Amboseli Elephant’s population is around 1,600. The project has established that it consists of 55 families.
…Galdessa Camp Lodge/Tsavo East National Park
It was an adventurous five hours road trip from Amboseli to Tsavo East National Park for another exciting safari experience. The driver and tour guide, Peter, revealed that “Tsavo East National Park is fascinating and real. It is a place you reside with the animals.” Thus creating excitement in the people and the moment we arrived at the park, you could feel the excitement rising as not many people could wait for the time to explore the park but not before the welcome formalities as we were treated to cups of chilled watermelon fruit drink at Galdessa, the camp, which was our abode for the night and it is actually located within the park.
Galdessa is an Italian-owned makutiroofed lodge of 15 bandas, nestling under the doum palms in an isolated corner of the park. The Galana River flows by refreshingly in the middle of Tsavo’s buzzing ambience while breeze air and wind ruffle the doum palms over the bandas. Galdessa camp is a remote place, off the beaten track, where peace wraps around you like a blanket. The camp is divided into two separate entities, each with its own private lounge and dining, which can be reserved for private use. Galdessa is overwhelming with spacious bandas accommodation, ensuite bathroom, solar electricity and running water. Each banda faces the river and built on timber floor under a thatched roof, with a canvas front that opens into veranda during the day and closes at night.
The peaceful scenery, the beautiful riverine landscape and the serene feel that accompanied a stay here is an experience to remember for life. Tsavo East National Park is home to over 500 recorded species of bird life as well as most of the larger mammals, including elephants, lions, rhino, buffalo, hippo and crocodile. The park is where Tsavo and Athi River confluence meet to form the ‘Galana River’. Also, there is Lugard falls on Galana River and you can walk through to the river to view the rapids. At the Lugard falls, the Masai tribesmen showcase how they make fire by rotating a wood stick in a hole in a board with the aid of dried elephants dungs and grasses. It was simply amazing.
‘Ciao’ Italian safari route
Travelling from Tsavo East National Park to Watamu along the Mombasa route is a journey of about six hours. The trip was an interesting one offering enduring fun for people. There was a heavy downfall of rain on the day with the road muddy and slippery. Thanks to our four wheel SUV. What literally made the journey more interesting for me was the way the people, both the old and young especially the children despite the slight showers, lined the road sides with joy written all over their faces beaming with smiles, waving at us and shouting ‘ciao.’ Peter, our driver and tour guide, hinted, ciao is an Italian word for hello or goodbye. He said that the routes are commonly plied by the Italians on their way to Malindi, a favourite destination in Kenya, for the Italians. The inhabitants on the routes are so familiar with the Italian tourists and thought the only language understood by all tourists is the Italian language, irrespective of their colours.
Medina palms Watamu/Gedi National Monuments Forest
The six hours journey from Tsavo East National Park to Watamu could be energy sapping but the thrills, fun and roadside excitements did not give room for any weariness and bellyaching over the long stretched trip. Watamu is a small town located approximately 105 kilometres north of Mombasa and about 15 kilometres south of Malindi on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. The town is an eco-tourism settlement and lined with sandy white beaches and various appealing hotels as one drives through. Set on one of the world’s top 10 beaches, Watamu has long been favoured as an exclusive holiday destination. Finally, we checked into Medina Palms Hotel in Watamu, the stunning accommodation sets a new benchmark for luxury and I can easily say Medina Palms is a place to have a ‘taste of paradise.’
It is designed to re-define the holiday experience with an all en-suite hospitality inspired by the architecture of the ancient seafarers who visited this coastline. Some of its facilities include luxury penthouses and villas, set within tropical gardens with mature indigenous trees. Medina Palms has four swimming pools with interconnecting water channels, cascades and waterfalls. As we set out of the hotel the following morning, the beauty and memory of my luxurious apartment was clearly etched on one’s mind as we proceeded on the journey from Watamu to our final destination, Diani, the venue for the fifth edition of MKTE holding outside Nairobi for the first time. As we are about driving out of Watamu, we made a detour to Gedi National Monuments Forest, which is popularly known as Gedi Snakes Park under the auspices of the National Museums of Kenya.
The museum slogan is ‘Where heritage age lives on.’ Gedi is a 12th century town, which was established by the Swahili people. During its high peak time of occupation, it had a population of about 3, 000 people. This was disclosed by our host and museum guide, Alphas Randu, while conducting us round the forest and the museum. The name Gedi is a Galla or Ormo word, meaning ‘precious’ and is also used as a personal name. This national forested monument is very rich in flora and fauna. The natural forest at Gedi consists of over 100 indigenous trees. “Gedi’s forest is also an important environment for different animals,” Randu added. The relic of the Great Mosque believed to have been built in 1550AD and The Great Palace was showed to us. Randu hinted that “the town was surrounded by two protective walls, the inner wall which had a height of seven feet and outer one with a height of nine feet. The inhabitants of Gedi are known to be involved in various trading activities both locally and internationally.” This factor was supported by archeological finds, which are displayed and showed to us in the museum. Our last point of call, the Gedi Reptiles Rescue Park, an integrated entity of the National Museums of Kenya, targeting at providing awareness and education to the public and in particular the young generation with the phobia of snakes and amphibians was an avenue for us to be educated on various type of snakes.
http://newtelegraphonline.com/allure-magical-kenya/
