John Hunwick

Being the second highest mountain in Africa, Mt Kenya stands tall at 5199m above sea level and Situated 16km south of the equator. This mountain in Central Kenya Highlands is within the Mt Kenya National Park, and is among the most beautiful landscapes in Africa. With three mountain peaks i.e., the Batian, the Nelion and the Lenana providing the perfect backdrop for a fun and adventurous Kenyan mountain vacation. Visitors can go camping in the vast wilderness surrounding Mt Kenya, stay in historic hotels not unlike the dwellings of the area’s early settlers, or stay in a modern, state of the art resorts and Lodges Like The Ark, Nyeri, Treetops and the Mountain Lodge.

The Batian and Nelion are the lowest of the three peaks but surprisingly can only be reached by skilled mountain climbers. Lenana, although the highest peak can be reached by the normal trekking group, though reaching the top could be more challenging than you ever thought of, but with a good guide reaching the peak can become a reality. The glaciers surrounding the mountain, the mist, and the snow covering the top of the mountain yields numerous number of streams down to the base of the mountain. For those who plan to climb the mountain leisurely, you may need four to seven days. Its advisable to carry a tour guide and a porter both of which can be arranged by the Shelter car hire & tours Personnel in Nairobi.

There are a variety of trailed routes to the top of mt Kenya. Visitors wishing to Climbing Mount Kenya can use one of these routes each of which has its own features and characteristics. Each route will exhibit different topography, flora and fauna. These routes are the Sirimon route, the Picnic Naro Moro route, the Burguret route, the Timau route and the Chogoria route which meet at Minto’s hut at 4300m above sea level and overlooking Lake Michaelson. Each entry point to Climbing Mount Kenya is Conveniently dotted with a variety of resorts and camping sites.

It would be important to note that Climbing Mount Kenya can be done with relative ease. Within a Short while you will have risen more meters above sea level than is medically advisable. The Sudden Loss of Oxygen could be disastrous for the less skilled trekkers who could result to headaches and vomiting and could eventually lead to death if not monitored. Many have died climbing Mount Kenya. My Advice is take it slowly. Do it for four to seven days, but you have to strike a balance between your health and the cold temperatures which have a habit of hitting -10 degrees celcius, the rain and the cold winds.

The weather is very harsh in the Mount Kenya region especially during the period from March to August. I would definitely not advise you to climbing Mount Kenya during these periods. But if you do, carry a good sleeping bag, very warm clothing, good quality boots, headgear and gloves. Make sure all your clothing is waterproof since this region rains every other day and sometimes heavily.

A Mt Kenya mountain vacation is a great idea for a group, or as a romantic getaway. Its also a great idea for anyone looking to escape the stressful fast pace of city life. The beautiful scenery and fascinating wildlife attractions will please anyone.

Lucy
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Tanzania, as a wildlife safari destination, is known as the home of the famous Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. These two wildlife conservation areas together with many others in Tanzania, provide homes for the ever-threatened African wildlife. In fact, more than one-quarter of Tanzania is under some form of protection to preserve its biodiversity.

Some of the wildlife conservation parks in Tanzania and the animals that they provide a safe haven for, are given here:

Lake Manyara National park

The cleavage, known as the Great Rift Valley, can be identified from space as the most distinctive feature of the African continent. The seam of this cleavage has developed a series of fascinating and beautiful lakes. One of these lakes is called Manyara. Lake Manyara is also a national park. Manyara is a fantastic big game park. The variety of habitats parallels its exceptional scenery.

Every imaginable East African animal is found here in abundance. There are great herds of buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and several varieties of gazelle. Mahogany, sausage tree and croton are alive with blue monkeys and vervet monkeys. Some of the most amazingly large pods of hippos congregate at the rivers emerging into the lake, and the birdlife is plentiful. Lake Manyara is also known for its “treeclimbing” lions.

Mikumi National Park

Mikumi National Park covers 3237 square kilometers and lies within the Mkata River plain bordered by the Uluguru Mountain range to the east and the Rubeho Mountains on the west, an area of lush vegetation which particularly attracts elephants and buffalos. Open grasslands dominate in the flood plain, eventually merging with the Miombo woodland covering the lower hills. Wildlife is abundant with giraffes, zebras, buffalos, hartebeests, wildebeests, elephants, wild dogs, and smaller mammals and reptiles. Mikumi’s vegetation includes woodland, swamp and grassland with two water holes, Mkata and Chamgore. Apart form the saddle-bill stork, hammer kop and malachite kingfisher, there are also monitor lizards and a deadly python inhabiting the pools.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Ngorongoro is quite unique as its physical protection from man natural beauty ranks it among the most pristine wildernesses on earth. It is regarded as a natural wonder of the world and has been declared a World Heritage Site. It is the largest intact crater in the world, being 610 meters deep, 16 kilometers across and covering an area of 540 square kilometers. On the crater floor, grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers, woodland and mountains - all a haven for wildlife, including the greatest predator population in Africa. The volcanic crater is packed with wildlife, including all the big game. Its pride and joy, however, is that it remains the last great wild refuge for the endangered black rhino.

Ruaha National Park

The Ruaha National Park is Tanzania’s second largest park and the world’s largest elephant sanctuary. Although set in spectacular scenery with an abundance of wildlife, the park is one of the lesser visited in the country, keeping it an isolated and peaceful wilderness. Amongst the game found at the park are elephants, buffalos, giraffes, cheetahs, lions, leopards, a wide variety of antelope and over 465 recorded species of birdlife.

Selous National Reserve

Selous is one of the most remote and least visited game park in Africa, but at 15,000 square miles, it is the world’s largest game reserve. The name derives from hunter-explorer Frederick Courtenay Selous, a keen naturalist and conservationist as well as a hunter. He was killed in the First World War in the Beho Beho region of the reserve. The defining feature of the Selous is the great Rufiji River, which naturally splits the ecosystem into two distinct parts.

Selous National reserve can be explored by boat, sailing through swamps and lagoons where elephant often come to bathe, or even by foot, as the Selous is one of few Tanzanian reserves to allow walking tours. It has the world’s largest number of big game, more than 120,000 elephants, 160,000 buffaloes and about 2,000 rhinoceros. In addition, the Selous contains Africa’s greatest concentration of hippopotamus, crocodiles and wild dogs.

The Serengeti National park

The name ‘Serengeti’ comes from the Maasai language and appropriately means an ‘endless plains’. The National Park is as big as Northern Ireland, but its ecosystem, which includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Maswa Game Reserve and the Maasai Mara Game reserve (in Kenya). It lies between the shores of Lake Victoria in the west, Lake Eyasi in the south, and the Great Rift Valley to the east. As such, it offers the most complex and least disturbed ecosystem on earth.

A unique combination of diverse habitats enables the Serengeti to support more than 30 species of large herbivores and nearly 500 species of birds. Its landscape, originally formed by volcanic activity, has been sculpted by the concerted action of wind, rain and sun. It now varies from open grass plains in the south, savanna with scattered acacia trees in the center, hilly, wooded grassland in the north, to extensive woodland and black clay plains to the west. Small rivers, lakes and swamps are scattered throughout. Rising in the southeast are the great volcanic massifs and craters of the Ngorongoro Highlands. The Serengeti plains are host to a dramatic annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and numerous other species of animals indigenous to the area.

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park covers 2,600 square kilometers and is on the traditional migration route of several species of the wildlife. At dry times, the concentration of animals in Tarangire rivals that of the much better known Serengeti. Herds of migratory wildebeest, gazelle, zebra and buffalo gather along the marshy shores of Lake Natron. These pools are shared by flocks of birds: green wood hoopoes, fisher lovebirds, tallish herons, white bellied goaway birds and giant kingfishers. Resident lion, giraffe, elephant, and black rhino are common at any season;

Tarangire is noted for its baobab trees and splendid vistas of rolling savannah and acacia woodland. The strange-looking, centuriesold baobab trees are believed by the Maasai to be the first tree in creation.

Solomon Okila
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