Search

Login
Username:

Password:
Kenya Facts

Kenya is located in Eastern Africa and borders the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania. Kenya's geographical size 582,650 sq km. The Kenya Low plains rise to central highlands bisected by the Great Rift Valley with a fertile plateau in the west. Kenya's lowest point of elevation is the Indian Ocean at 0 the highest point is Mt Kenya which stands at 5,199m. The Kenyan official languages are English and Kiswahili, there are however numerous indigenous languages spoken since Kenya has about 42 tribes.

Kenyan Map

The map of kenya

The map of kenya showing the some of the cities and towns of Kenya and the neighbouring countries.

Religion in Kenya:- a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but there is percentage of the population that adheres to Islam and indigenous beliefs.

Kenya Game Parks
  • MERU NATIONAL PARK - 350km north-east of Nairobi, bounded in the south by the Tana River
  • LAIKIPIA PLATEAU - Eastern Escarpment of the Great Rift Valley
  • MASAI MARA GAME PARK - Lying within the Great Rift Valley with Ngama Hills to the East and the Olooloo Escarpment to the West
  • AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK - South of Nairobi, on the slopes of mount Kilimanjaro, bordering Tanzania
  • LAMU ARCHIPELAGO - Situated off the coast of Kenya, in the Indian Ocean, the Archipelago is a nationally protected Marine Park
  • Lake Manyara National Park - a relatively small park divided into five distinct vegetation zones: ground-water forest, marshland and reed beds, open grasslands and acacia woodland
  • Central Island National Park - recently designated as a 'World Heritage Site', located on the western shores of Lake Turkana
  • Mount Kenya National Park - Kikuyu, one of Kenya's tribal group, believe Mount Kenya's snowy peaks to be the home of their traditional God, Ngai
  • Mount Elgon and Saiwa Swamp National Parks
  • Nairobi National Park - only a few minutes drive from Nairobi, this park is as wild and eventful as any of the other game sanctuaries in Kenya.
  • Ol Pejeta Private Game Sanctuary
    Formerly a billionaire's holiday home, this private reserve offers game viewing on the Laikipia plains within view of Mount Kenya. Game includes rhino, elephant, an astounding variety of plains game, and a chimpanzee sanctuary.
  • SAMBURU, BUFFALO SPRINGS NATIONAL RESERVE
    Altitude 2,500-4,000Ft Area Samburu 104 SQ KMS Area Buffalo Springs 131Sq KMS Distance from Nairobi 343KMS Opened 1985.

    The Reserves offer unique vistas of rounded, rugged hills and undulating plains. The mix of wood and grassland with riverine forest and swamp is home to a wide variety of animal and birdlife. Buffalo Springs record over 365 species of bird.


    Game viewing and visibility is excellent: Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, Elephant, Oryx, Somali Ostrich, Gerenuk, Buffalo, Leopard, Cheetah, Lion and Hyena.

    .
  • Shimba Hills National Reserve
    Minutes from Kenya's Indian Ocean, Shimba is the only place in Kenya where the sable antelope can be found. Elephant, buffalo, genet, civet and serval cat can also be spotted.
  • Sibiloi National Park and Koobi Fora
    Situated on Turkana's windblown eastern shores, Sibiloi's wide variety of game include northern species such as the Somali ostrich, gerenuk and oryx. The park's borders extend one kilometer into the lake, embracing some of the Turkana's resident population of Nile crocodile and hippo.
  • TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK
    Altitude 500-4,000ft. Area 11747Sq kms. Distance from Nairobi 333 kms. Opened April 1948.

    Tsavo East is one of Kenya's oldest and largest National Parks. It is accredited as one of the worlds leading biodiversity strongholds, bushy grassland and open plains alternate with semi-arid acacia scrub and woodlands. Green swathes cross the park where the river banks give rise to lush vegetation. North of Galana is a true wilderness. Camel safaris are a feature.



    Tsavo-East is recommended for photographers with its fabulous light and unbelievable views, in particular the Mudanda Rock and the Yatta Plateau the world largest Lava flow. Lugard falls on the Galana River are remarkable for the shaped water-worn rocks. Game includes the largest herds of Elephant in Kenya, Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Crocodile, Waterbuck, Gerenuk, Zebra and Hunter's Hartebeest with its lyre-shaped horns. 500 bird species have recorded in the area including Ostrich and some migratory kestrels while Buzzards stop at Tsavo-East during their long flight south.






    TSAVO WEST NATIONAL PARK

    Finch Hattons Luxury Tented Lodge

    Altitude 500-6,000FT Area 9,065sq KMS Distance from Nairobi 240 KMS Opened April 1948.

    The Park is easy to reach, located off the main Nairobi-Mombasa road. It offers tremendous views with diverse habitats ranging from Mountains, River forest, Plains, Lakes and Wooded Grassland. Its plains border with Tanzania. Game includes Leopard, Cheetah, Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion, Crocodile and small mammals including Mongoose, Hyrax, Dik Dik and the nocturnal porcupine. The Park is excellent for visitors who enjoy walking, offering a number of nature trails and the opportunity to explore the Chaimu Volcanic Crater.






    Mzima Spring is a star attraction, a pool of natural spring water with underwater viewing hides for observing Hippos.

    Rhino in Tsavo West


    HELL'S GATE NATIONAL PARK
    Altitude 5,000-7,000 ft. Area 68 SQ kms. Distance from Nairobi 90 kms. Opened February 1984.

    Hell's Gate is an ideal family getaway for a day trip from Nairobi or a stopover en-route to Lake Nakuru or Masai Mara. Located just beyond Lake Naivasha, famous for it's natural hot Geysers, Eagle and Vulture breeding ground.

    Ol Njorowa Gorge in Hell's Gate

    Special location to view include Fischer's Tower the central tower and Njorowa Gorges. Two extinct volcanoes (Olkaria and Hobley's are worth a trip). Natural steam vents rise from fissures in the volcanic rock. Obsidian a striking black glassy rock formed from cooled lava is a feature of this landscape.



    Game to view includes Hyrax, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Masai Eland, Cokes Hartebeest a haven for ornithologists and rock climbers. 103 species of bird have been recorded in the Park.

  • Katavi National Park
    This remote and difficult park to reach (strictly recommended for those of an adventurous spirit) lies on a high flood plain surrounding Lake Kitavi, to the south of the Mahale Mountains. The main vegetation found here is the Miombo woodland. It has a wide variety of wildlife (crocodile, hippo, leopard, lion, roan and sable antelopes, southern reedbuck, topi, eland, elephant, and one of the largest herds of buffalo, with as many as 1,600 animals) and offers excellent game viewing with a real wilderness atmosphere. The diverse woodland, acacia bush, lakes and swamps have attracted over 400 species of birds, including large flocks of pelicans. Other attractions are Lakes Katavi and Chada, which are joined by the River Katuma. The best months to visit are July to October.
  • Karen
    On the outskirts of Nairobi, this area is named after Karen Blixen, author of 'Out of Africa'. Visits typically encompass the Karen Blixen Museum furnished mostly with her original items; a stop at the Utamaduni craft shopping place, a ceramic jewelry workshop and finally a stop a the Giraffe Manor. At this research center, visitors are permitted to feed the giraffes and enjoy an informal chat with the caretakers.
  • Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria National Reserve
    Both lakes are situated within close proximity in the Rift Valley and offer an extraordinary variety of birdlife. Lake Bogoria's shoreline is dotted with steam jets, boiling geysers and fumaroles- a clear reminder of the earth's underground activities. Lesser pink flamingoes inhabit the lake fringes along with the rare Greater Kudu. Lake Baringo also nestles close to the Rift Valley's eastern wall and is home to crocodiles and hippopotami.

  • Lake Nakuru National Park
    Popularly known as the 'Home of a million Flamingoes', the Kenya Wildlife rangers keep close vigil over its rhino population, most of whom were translocated from other game parks. The lake drains water by evaporation alone, which maintains its alkalinity and accounts for a delicately balanced ecosystem supporting one of the greatest ornithological spectacles on earth. The bird population varies according to water levels.
    Read more  
Kenya Mountains and Lakes
  • Lake Baringo

    Lake Baringo lies to the extreme north of the great Rift Valley Lakes of Kenya. With a surface area of 130 sq km, the lake is fed by two rivers, El Molo and Ol Arabel. There are no outlets for this lake and yet it is one of the two freshwater lakes in the Rift Valley. The region is habited by 470 species of bird and migratory flamingoes.
    Lake Bogoria

    Lake Bogoria lies towards the north of Lake Baringo. As it is not a fresh water lakebut rather an alkaline lake whose algae deposits attracts many flamingoes to its shores. Lake Bogoria is also known for its steaming hot water springs.
    Lake Magadi

    Magadi Lake is the southern most lake in Rift Valley in Kenya. The lake is 100 sq km in size and lies amidst the vast salt flats and is a soda ash lake. Lake Magadi has a good population around it and even has a factory on its coast for the extraction of salt and Soda Ash.
    Lake Naivasha

    Lake Naivasha is the second freshwater lake of the Great Rift Valley lying at an altitude of 5900 ft. The lake got its name from the local Maasai name Naiposha, which means 'rough water' because the sudden storms that arise in this lake. The surface area of the lake is 160 sq km with an average depth of 5 m but it can vary depending on the rainfall. You can spot a variety of wildlife and more than 400 species of avifauna here and particularly the flamingoes. Lake Oloiden and Lake Sonachi (Green Crater Lake) are also in the vicinity of Lake Naivasha.
    Lake Turkana, Kenya Lake Tours
    Lake Turkana

    Formerly known as Lake Rudolf, given by Count Samuel Teleki and Lieutenant Von Hohnel in 1888 AD, the name was changed to its present name in 1975. Lake Turkana is a part of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya although the northern part of the lake lies in Ethiopia. With a surface area of 6405 sq km, it is the world's largest permanent desert lake, the most saline of Africa's large lakes. The lake is fed by the rivers Omo, Turkwel and Kerio. Also referred to as the Jade Sea, the lake and the three national parks around it is home to Nile Perch, Tilapia, Nile Crocodiles,snakes, Cheetahs, Lions, Giraffe and migratory birds. The Lake itself is a natural treasure, with the world's single largest crocodile population. In Turkana these reptiles grow to record size, with some of the largest specimens found on remote windswept Central Island. The Koobi For a fossil deposits located in Sibiloi National Park are protected as an important prehistoric research site since their discovery in 1967 by Richard Leakey. These deposits, rich in mammalian, molluscan and other fossil remains, have contributed more to the understanding of paleo-environments than any other site on the continent.

    Lake Turkana is Kenya's most remote destination, but one that repays the intrepid traveller with rich rewards... The whole area is part of Mount Kulal Biosphere Reserve set up by UNESCO to study arid lands. The lake is listed as a UNESCO's World Heritage Site.
    Lake Victoria

    Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza (also known as Ukerewe and Nalubaale) is one of the Great lakes of Africa. It lies within a high plateau in the western part of the Great Rift Valley and cones under the administration of Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. With an area of 68870 sq km, it is the largest tropical lake in the world and the second largest freshwater lake as far as the surface area are concerned. The lake is also the source of the River Nile, the largest river in the world. More than 3000 islands are dotted around the Lake Victoria out of which quite a few are inhabited.

  • Mount Kenya

    Mount Kenya is a surprise waiting to be unwrapped in the heart of Kenya's wildlife. It is the second highest peak in Africa located astride the equator in Africa that has a summit standing at 5199m above sea level which is perpetually covered in ice. A haven for trekkers, hikers, and mountaineers, Mount Kenya is also popular for its wildlife too. Here, you can view elephants, bongo, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, leopards, bushbucks, duikers, giant forest hogs, and Colobus and Sykes monkeys in their natural surroundings, braving the contradictions that nature presents to them.
    Mount Elgon

    Located in the jungles near the Uganda borders, Mount Elgon is famous for the caves (Elkony) covered in ancient paintings and especially for the cave called Kitum that is a nocturnal destination for herds of elephants. It is also a great venue for organizing treks, climbs, and nature walks.
    Loroghi Hills

    Located in the stronghold of the Samburu tribe, these hills make for the perfect counterfoil to the riches of urban landscape.
    Western Highlands, Kenya Mountains Tours
    Western Highlands

    These hill ranges in Western Highlands are birdwatchers and game viewers paradise. Located in the northern Rift Valley, it is home to some of the most spectacular drops, stunning waterfalls, and species of birds and animals that could easily have gone unaccounted for in the heartland of Kenya.
    Simba Hills

    Located in the Rift Valley, Northern Kenya, Simba Hills make for perfect gateways from the arid plains and provide a great trekking route through forests, river valleys, villages, and cliffs with spectacular views of the valley beyond.
    Taita and Chyulu Hills

    Located on the edges of Tsavo National Park, these hills provide excellent opportunity for treks and hikes, as well as a great spot for bird watching and game viewing.

Kenyan Map

 


Kenya Tours & Safaris and Hotel accommodation Links
  Kenya Hotels and Lodges
  Kenya Tours and Safaris
  Kenya Picture Gallery
       Translate page
            Uganda
Uganda was described by Winston Churchill as "The Pearl of Africa". Uganda boasts of Gorilla Tracking adventures, treks in the spectacular Rwenzori and Elgon Mountains, water rafting, exotic bird life , out of the ordinary wildlife adventures...
            Tanzania

Tanzania is an exhilarating country boasting of tropical islands, the highest mountain in Africa, marine treasures, the most romantic and tropical beaches in Africa - Zanzibar and Pemba…..

         Kenya  

The East African country of Kenya rises from a low coastal plain on the Indian Ocean to mountains and plateaus at its center.
2007 © Niche Africa Holidays All Rights Reserved. Design by mwende, petros & kristin