Awesome Places - David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

The Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage is located near Nairobi National Park. This orphanage for Elephant Calves and Rhinos from all over Kenya was founded and still managed by Daphne Sheldrick, the widow of one of Kenya’s best known Game Wardens David Sheldrick.

David Sheldrick was at the centre of the 1970’s Ivory poaching wars in Tsavo National Park.

Today, the Sheldrick orphanage is a focal point for Elephant Conservat

ion.

Elephant calves orphanned by poaching are brought here from all over the country. They receive extremely specialized treatment here, and literally receive personal care 24 hours a day from highly dedicated staff who become surrogate mothers to the calves.

Eventually the calves are moved to Tsavo, where they are carefully reintroduced into wild herds.

The centre is open to the public each morning (11am-12pm)

At this time the calves are being exercised and bathed and visitors are free to watch. This is a good centre for general information on Elephants and their Conservation.

Awesome Places - Fort Jesus

Fort Jesus is an interesting place to spend a day exploring the gun turrets, battlements and houses within the walls. There is an excellent Museum and trained guides available.

Today the majestic Fort Jesus is a National Monument, standing high over the M

ombasa harbor.

Spectacular Sound and Light Show

For those who want to learn more about the struggle for Fort Jesus, the Fort plays host to a spectacular sound and light show 3 nights each week. Visitors are welcomed into the Fort by guards in flowing robes brandishing flaming torches.

They are led to a specially designed and choreographed show that uses lights, sound effects and costumed actors to bring to life the long and turbulent history of the Fort.

At the end of the show, a candlelit dinner is served in the open courtyard of the Fort, under the stars.

This wonderfully atmospheric night out is the perfect way to end the day, and learn more about the history of Mombasa.

The sound and light show can be combined with a sunset dhow cruise on Mombasa harbour.

Awesome Places - Giraffe Center

The AFEW (African Fund for Endangered Wildlife) Giraffe Centre is located in Langata, just outside Nairobi.

The centre has been ostensibly set up as a breeding centre for the endangered Rothschild giraffe, but now operates conservation/education programs for Kenyan school children.

There is good information on giraffes available here, and an elevated feeding platform where visitors meet the resident giraffes face to face.

Hand feeding giraffes is an education in itself. You will see, close at hand, how they use their long, prehensile tongues to remove leaves from prickly acacia branches.

The AFEW centre is also home to Giraffe Manor, a beautifully maintained colonial home, now an exclusive guesthouse.

The centre’s giraffe population wander freely through the lush gardens, and pay an occasional visit to the house itself, often pushing their heads through the French Windows to inspect the breakfast table.

Rock Arts in Kenya

Rock Art - Kakapel

Kakapel rock painting site is located near the base of a 200m granite outcrop (Kakapel Rock), a well known local landmark which forms part of the Chelelemuk Hills south of Mt Elgon and close to the Uganda border. The nearest major town is Bungoma.

Kakapel National Monument
In western Kenya, the Kakapel National Monument (in Busia County) is one of Kenya’s premier rock art sites, uniting a variety of styles and artistic traditions over a long perio

d of time in one location.

The site is formed by a series of three shallow, adjacent shelters located at the base of the granite outcrop, below the main Kakapel rock. These shelters face south and receive some protection from wind and rain.  Most of the rock art (paintings) is concentrated on the middle or central shelter wall; this is where the main panel is located. The left or western shelter displays a few paintings; this shelter also has an open surface suitable for habitation.  There are no visible paintings in the right or eastern shelter, an area more exposed to rain.

The artists chose this site deliberately. They recognized its significance, especially as a place of entry into the solid rock (for purposes of contacting ancestral spirits). In southern Africa, rock paintings are said to have provided access to spirits living within the rock, the art forming a door for which shamans entered to seek help in traditional healing and the control of nature.
The site was declared a Monument by Government notice 5287 of July 2004, in terms of the Antiquities and Monuments Act, Chapter 215 of the Laws of Kenya. The law provides fierce penalties for persons caught damaging the site. Photographs of the site may be taken, and visitors are welcome (8:00am to 5:00pm daily).

The Rock Art of Kakapel
Most of the rock art at Kakapel, consists of rock paintings. There are also engravings including cupules and grooves. Many of the paintings on the main panel are superimposed on other older images. Superimposition is very common in rock art. At Kakapel, at least three styles of painting have been identified. The first style consists mainly of red and white geometric images made by Twa (Pygmy) hunter-gatherers, using their fingers, possibly including two elephants, one red and one white. These paintings could be between 2000 and 4000 years old. The second style of art here consists of red and white stylized cattle paintings made by pastoralists.

The third and last style of painting consists of white geometric designs probably made by ancestors of the Iteso people during the last few hundred years (the Iteso are the modern inhabitants of Kakapel who came from Uganda more than 300 years ago). Elsewhere in Eastern and Southern Africa, Bantu speaking farmers are known to have painted and used crude white paintings in secret initiation and other rites of passage ceremonies. This third painting style may have been used for similar purposes. Direct dating (of rock art) has proved exceptionally difficult, largely because of lack of carbon content in the pigments used. Where carbon content exists, rock painting can sometimes be dated using Carbon-14 process. Most East African rock art has yet to be scientifically dated; dates provided in this booklet have been determined from general chronologies based on other archaeological factors.

How to get there.
Kakapel is a large granite outcrop in western Kenya in the Chelelemuk Hills overlooking Kakapel Village.  To reach Kakapel, which is only a few kilometers   from the Uganda border, take the Malaba road from Bungoma and drive west for 20km to a turnoff on the right (north) side of the road.  Take this turnoff and drive north for 7km on an all-weather murram road.  The route is well signposted.

Other Attractions
To showcase the Iteso heritage, the community has built a Community Cultural Centre which is modeled on a traditional Iteso house near the Kakapel National Monument. This Centre has a number of local attractions (including ceremonies, rituals, storytelling, dances, worship, pottery making, drama performances, souvenir bargains, as well as food and drink). There is a camping area next to the Centre, and on a sunny day, one can see Mount Elgon, which has the largest base area of any freestanding volcano in the world. In addition to visiting the traditional Iteso homestead, visitors may explore the Kakapel outcrops including the Big Rock (over 200 metres) looking at indigenous plants, tree species, and, of course the rock paintings and engravings. The Kakapel Community Cultural Centre, Busia County Offices, and the Teso Administrative Districts are additional attractions.

More attractions include the Kakamega Forest, Mt. Elgon National Park, Malaba River Bridge and the Chelelemuk Hills which include massive granite outcrops and boulder ideal for climbing, hiking and exploring as well of impressive caves that are home to thousands of bats, a variety of bird species and the resident De Brazza monkey. Sightseeing of traditional architecture and nature walks are options too. Visitors are sure to enjoy stunning views and serene landscapes and to have adventures.

The Rock Art of Mfangano Island, Lake Victoria

Mfangano Island is a large, mountainous island in Kenya waters, Lake Victoria, south of Kisumu and Homa Bay. TARA first recorded rock art sites on the island in the year 2000. Most of this art consists of geometric paintings believed to have been made by Twa (Pygmy) hunter-gatherers roughly between 2000 and 4000 years ago. Today’s inhabitants are the Abasuba or Suba people who used one of the sites for rainmaking rituals until the 1980s. The two main rock painting sites here are Mawanga, a huge cave with geometric paintings, not far above the lake shore, looking out towards Nsenzi Island, and Kwitone shelter which is located near the top of a mountain above a sacred forest. Access to Kwitone involves a 40 minute hike but Mawanga is only a short walk from Mawanga village where the boat jetty is located.

Rock engraving sites also found in the area include “cupule” sites where cup shaped depressions have been ground into to rock surface. Rock gongs are normally free-standing boulders balanced on the living rock which have a natural resonance, often bearing a number of cupules. When the boulders are struck with a hammer stone they emit a ringing tone like a beaten gong. Rhythmic striking produces a series of notes that carry great distances. A number of these rock gongs are found in the Lake Victoria basin and used for divining purposes.

About Mfangano Island
Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the source of one of Africa’s mightiest rivers, the Nile. Its northern shores are situated just below the Equator and three countries – Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – share its waters. Looking out from the shores, visitors have the impression of being at the edge of an ocean, for it is impossible to see the far side. Many islands punctuate this vastness, most of them in Uganda and Tanzania, although a few are on the Kenyan side. Two of these, Mfangano and Rusinga, with their adjacent shores, provide the nucleus of Suba District. The largest island, Mfangano, rises steeply from the great lake, a hunched-over giant, clothed with green vegetation. Its rocky backbone rises over 300 metres (1,000 feet) above the lake and is exposed as tall red cliffs in some places. The shore is edged by black rocks with overhanging fig trees, beaches with black volcanic sand and narrow stands of reeds. The people reside in homesteads along the narrow shoreline and on the steep slopes of the mountainous island.

How to get there
One can reach Suba District by road, boat or by air. Air charters are available directly to both Rusinga and Mfangano islands from Nairobi, Kisumu and the Maasai Mara. Rusinga is also accessible by road through the Mbita causeway that links it with the mainland. Mfangano is accessible by road and then boat: a good road runs along the north shore of the Winam Gulf from Kisumu to Lwanda K’Otieno, where there is a ferry service to Mbita. From Mbita, there is a regular motorboat ferry service to Mfangano, and boats can also be easily hired.

Other Attractions
There are several visitor activities to do in this area which include; boating, fishing, bird watching and hiking amongst others. Other attractions around here include; Ruma National park, the Tom Mboya Mausoleum, Rusinga Island amongst others.

The Rock Art of Namoratunga

Situated near Lokori, between Lake Baringo and Lake Turkana (Great Rift Valley) this is an area known for its rock engravings. To the west of the Kerio River north of Lokori are several rocky hills with large numbers of engravings, some of which may have been made by Twa (Pygmy) hunter-gatherers. Most of these engravings consist of geometric designs dating back over 2000 years, although there are also some animals such as elephant and giraffe. Some of the geometric images are very similar to paintings recorded in eastern Uganda and western Kenya.

How to get there.
The best way to reach Lokori is to drive to Eldoret and Kitale and to descend the Marich Pass. Then take a road to the right to Lokori. There is an airstrip at Lokori which is the fastest way to reach this fairly remote area.

Other attractions.
Kenya’s northern Great Rift Valley is known for it’s wild country and spectacular scenery. Namoratunga is situated about 100kms south of Lake Turkana, Africa’s largest desert lake, an area often known as the Cradle of Mankind due to the many early human fossils found along its shores. This lake is believed to have once been connected to the River Nile.

The Rock Gongs of Lewa Downs

The Lewa Downs Wildlife Conservancy is situated on the northern slopes of Mt Kenya (5200m) with spectacular views north over the Samburu reserve and Ewaso Nyiro River towards the Mathews Range and the precipice of Mt Lolokwe. This wildlife paradise is also a place with an ancient past including a lakebed where many hand axes have been found dating back several hundred thousand years. And there is rock art in the form of Rock Gongs, rocks which were recognized in ancient times for their resonance and which were used for divining purposes and ritual communication. If struck in different places with hammer stones these gongs produce different tones like a musical instrument. They can often be recognized for the large numbers of cupules (cup-shaped depressions carved into the rock). The ritual significance of such cupules has been lost in the mists of time. Cupules are very common at Lewa and are not only found in association with rock gongs. Visitors interested in seeing the gongs and cupules as well as other archeological sites at Lewa should contact Calum and Sophie Macfarlane at Lewa House (calum@lewahouse.com) who are specialists in the ancient
archeology of Lewa.

How to get there.
There are daily scheduled flights to Lewa Downs from Wilson Airport in Nairobi. (Air Kenya & Safarilink). It takes approx four and a half hours to drive to Lewa from Nairobi. There are several very nice safari camps and lodges at Lewa which are highly recommended, otherwise cheaper hotel accommodation can be found in the town of Isiolo.

Other Attractions.
These include; wildlife viewing on Lewa, horse riding, hiking, camel safaris, climbs up Mt Kenya and trout fishing on the mountain.

Rock Art in the Nairobi National Park

The rock art site is located in the southern part of the Nairobi National Park, in the Mokoiyete Valley. The paintings are believed to have been made either by Masai pastoralists and/or by Wanderobo (hunter-gatherers) and may be 100 years old or more. Some of the paintings may have been made during Masai meat feasting (initiation) ceremonies which still take place in other Masai and Samburu areas of Kenya. In most of Kenya this art takes the form of abstract finger paintings but in northern Tanzania and parts of southern Kenya it consists mainly of painted shields. Some of the older paintings may have been made by Wanderobo.

How to get there.
Since visitors are not normally allowed to leave their cars inside the game park the rock art site can only be visited in the company of an armed ranger (who may need to be hired/paid). Visitors must arrange in advance with the Park Warden’s office in order to organize such a site visit.

Other Attractions.
The site is located inside a Game Park with abundant wildlife including lions, buffalo, rhino and giraffe as well as numerous beautiful birds. In the south west corner of the park is the David Sheldrick elephant sanctuary which is accessible from the Magadi Raod north of the Mbagathi River. Another attraction is the Narobi Animal Orphange bear the Park Headquarters as well as the nearby Nairobi Safari Walk which is well worth a visit.

Recommended reading.
– Guide to the Nairobi National Park – www.africanrockart.org (Publications:Rock Art in East Africa)

Rock Art at Loiyangalani

Marti Rock art site is the closest rock art site to the town of Loiyangalani. It is located North East of the town and has giraffe engravings which show that there was once a wetter climate in what is now the Chalbi desert. There are other rock art sites in the region.

How to get there
Please enquire from local guides on how to get to Marti rock art site as well as of other sites.

Other Attractions
Other attractions in the area include Elmolo villages, Sibiloi National park as well as Central and Southern Island of Lake Turkana National Parks.

Kenya set to hold annual birds watching festival

Kenya will be hosting an annual birds’ watching migration festival following a discovery of bird migratory corridor in Tugumoi area, the border of Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.

Already the two county governments have are creating awareness among the locals on how to turn the phenomenon to a seasonal annual event equivalent to wildebeest migration observed annually in Maasai Mara.

Last week the two counties hosted a team from Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) and Nature Kenya on the launch of bird watching awareness campaigns ahead of a debut annual bird watching season set to begin towards the end of the month towards the end of the year.

According to the county governments, the event will bring together local and international bird lovers to the spectacular migratory birds’ flyway observatory site located at Tugumoi ridge. The migratory birds are believed to be running away from winter weather currently experienced in Europe to seek refuge in tropical regions.

Kenya is a beneficiary of the Great Rift Valley corridor, ideal for the migratory birds “We are certain this migratory will place not only the two counties on the global map, but kenya as a birding destination,” says William Kimosop,  Baringo county Chief Warden.

The event will also include lots of interactive activities such as bird watching excursions at nearby sites, birding presentations, bird facts and quizzes, drama songs and dances.
Kenya is a home to different species of birds, and the annual bird watching in Tugumoi area is expected to enhance country’s destination as a birds’ sanctuary.

Meru National Park

Meru National Park is wild and beautiful. Straddling the equator and bisected by 13 rivers and numerous mountain-fed streams, it is an especially beautiful area of Kenya. It has diverse scenery from woodlands at 3,400ft(1,036m) on the slopes of Nyambeni Mountain Range, north east of Mt. Kenya, to wide open plains with meandering riverbanks dotted with doum palms.

Game to view includes: lion, elephant, cheetah, leopard black rhino, zebra, gazelle, oryx and some of the rarer antelope, Lesser Kudu and duiker, also the more common Dik Dik, one of Africa’s smallest antelope. Large prides of lion can be seen and some of Kenya’s largest herds of buffalo. The rivers abound with hippo and crocodile, fishing for barbus and catfish is permitted at camp sites and along the Tana River. In the mid 1980’s, the Park suffered from poaching, however KWS armed wildlife security patrols have driven out the poachers and the elephant population has stabilised with breeding herds settling down.

Over 300 species of birds have been recorded, including: Red-necked falcon, Heuglins courser, brown-backed woodpecker, sunbirds Peter’s Finfoot, inhabiting the Murera and Ura Rivers; Pel’s Fishing Owl, kingfishers, rollers, bee-eaters, starlings and weavers.

The Park is most famous as the setting for Joy Adamson’s book “Born Free”, the story of the Adamson’s life and research amongst lion and cheetah.

“Elsa” the lioness was the most well-known and her grave is marked here. There is one lodge (132 beds) and two tented camps are planned. There are 8 special campsites which must be pre-booked, one public campsites;Elsa camp, KWS self-help bandas and Leopard Rock bands.

There are two routes to Meru national park from Nairobi. The first is the main road via Nyeri, Nanyuki and Meru, the second is via Embu-Meru road. It offers the best approach via the Ura gate. Dry weather route from Meru is through Mathara and Kangeta towards Maua turning left on the Kinna road leading to the National park gate. There are airstrips and leopard rock or Meru Mulika lodge.

Buffalo Springs and Shaba National Reserve

The Isiolo District lies at the northern foot of Mt Kenya rising above the expansive range lands of northern Kenya.

The arid and semi-arid zones district sits as a divide between the populous agricultural highlands of the Mt. Kenya region and acts as a gateway into the vast lowlands of North Kenya inhabited by various nomadic pastoralist communities where wildlife and livestock freely co-exist.

Together with the adjacent Samburu, and divided by the river Ewaso Nyiro, the three reserves form a very popular tourist destination because of the diverse wildlife populations they support.

Unlike other wildlife areas in Kenya’s northern tourist circuit, the reserves, which are popularly known as the Samburu Ecosystem, sustain free ranging wildlife species both within the three reserves as well as far into community lands.

Climatic Conditions – Temperatures range from 30ºC during hottest months to 20ºC between July and September. Annual rainfalls range between 100mm to 300mm on average usually divided into two seasons, short rains in October/ November and long rains between February and May.

Wildlife – Besides normal species found elsewhere in Kenya, the area is a natural home to the five rare species known as the five northern species which are endemic to this area. They are Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa Oryx, Somali ostrich and the gerenuk. Shaba is also the home for the highly endangered Williamson’s lark. All these rare species can only be found inside this game reserve.

Access – Roads: From Nairobi through Nanyuki on a tarmac road to Isiolo, then a 22km murram road. Air: Buffalo Springs Airstrip is used by scheduled flights from Nairobi each day linking the reserves to other tourism destinations.
Best time to visit – All the year round

Activities – Game viewing safari, nature walks, entertainment by pastoralist cultural dancers, and visits to cultural villages to get the experience of nomadic lifestyle in the community.

Amboseli lies immediately north-west of Mount Kilimanjaro, on the border with Tanzania. The Park covers 392 square km, and forms part of the much larger 3,000 square km Amboseli ecosystem.

Large concentrations of wildlife occur here in the dry season, making Amboseli a popular tourist destination. It is surrounded by six communally owned group ranches.

The National Park embodies five main wildlife habitats (open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush country, swamps and marshland) and covers part of a Pleistocene lake basin, now dry. Within this basin is a temporary lake, Lake Amboseli, that floods during years of heavy rainfall.

Amboseli is famous for its big game and its great scenic beauty – and the landscape is dominated by the towering Mount Kilimanjaro.

Major Attractions: Mount Kilimanjaro; Observation Hill which allows an overall view of the whole park especially the swamps and elephants; Swamp below observation hill hosts many elephants, buffaloes, hippos and a variety of water fowl like pelican; Egyptian goose; contemporary Maasai culture and indigenous lifestyle; herds of elephants.

Wildlife: Amboseli has over 80 different mammals to be found ranging from the tiny (and rarely seen) spectacled elephant shrew to the huge bulk of the African elephant. Few visitors will go home without superb elephant pictures with Kilimanjaro as a backdrop. There are over 400 bird species.

Getting there – By Road: The main road into the park is from Nairobi

via Namanga (240 km) on the Nairobi-Arusha Road, via Meshanani Gate. The road is tarmaced up to Namanga but is murram from Namanga to Meshanani Gate (75km).

The other road is via Emali (228 km) on the Nairobi- Mombasa Road. The road is tarmaced up to Emali and murram from Emali to Remito Gate (64 km) Access from Mombasa is mainly through Tsavo West via Kimana (Olkelunyiet) Gate.

By Air: The Park has an airstrip at Empusel gate. There is also an airstrip for light aircraft at the Park Headquarters (Olekelunyiet). Other airstrips exist at Kilimanjaro Buffalo Lodge and Namanga town.

Where to stay – Amboseli has a range of accommodation to suit all budgets, tastes and interests. There are very basic campsites where one can pitch a tent and sleep under canvas in the wild, well appointed safari lodges, luxury tented camps with large, fully furnished tents, small private camps for your exclusive use and much, much, more.