AFRICA

Nairobi is Africa’s 4th largest city and is a vibrant and exciting place and although it has developed a reputation which keeps tourist visits brief there are some fascinating attractions: its café culture, unbridled nightlife, the National Museum, the Karen Blixen Museum and most notably just 20 minutes from the City Centre wild lions and buffalo roam in the world’s only urban game reserve.

The Masai Mara together with Tanzania’s Serengeti form Africa’s most famous wildlife park. The image of acacia trees on an endless grass plain epitomises Africa for many, and then add a Maasai warrior and some cattle to the picture and the conversation need go no further. The annual wildebeest migration through the Serengeti and the Masai Mara is the largest mass movement of land mammals on the planet – with more than a million animals following the rains. But that is not where the game viewing ends; large prides of lions, elephants and giraffes in grasslands, gazelles and eland to mention but a few. Aside from traditional vehicle safaris, hot-air ballooning over the Mara plains has become almost essential and you can even do a horseback safari. Lake Elmenteita Elmenteita is a small soda lake which attracts many visiting flamingos. This is where Kenya’s most famous settler Lord Delamere lived and he was responsible for much of Kenya’s early agricultural experimentation in the fertile area. The shores are often alive with wildlife and the surrounding forests are perfect for long walks and birding.

The Ngorongoro Crater is game viewing gone crazy and it is not surprising that with is one of Tanzania’s major tourist drawcards. Within the crater rim a daily wildlife drama is played out as large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby lions, leopards, elephants and black rhinos. Outside of the crater a similar drama continues in a more spread out manner with Masai herdsmen thrown into the mix.

Famous for its gorgeous palm trees and its powder white sand lapped by glistening azure waters, Diani beach is a popular resort area resting on Kenya’s magnificent Indian Ocean shoreline. The area’s wonderfully warm waters and exquisite coral reefs provide an ideal environment for an array of exhilarating water-based activities including snorkeling, scuba diving and boat safaris where you can witness the richly diverse marine life for which the southern coast of Kenya is known. You’re likely to see turtles, mantas, barracuda and, if you are lucky, even the elusive and exceptionally large whale shark. Don’t miss: the Colobus Conservation which provides a sanctuary for these fascinating endangered primates; the Shimba Hills National Reserve which offers an exceptional and unforgettable safari experience; and the nearby Kisite Marine National Park close to the Tanzanian border.