Experience the Beauties of Mombasa Beach- Lamu the Old Town in Kenya safaris.

Lamu Old Town is a peaceful tropical island where life is lived at its own relaxed rhythm, but a place whose history is as mysterious and fascinating as the winding streets of its medieval stone town. The island itself is a beautiful place of rolling dunes and endless beaches, where tiny villages nestle among coconut and mango plantations and lateen sailed dhows ply the waters.

Lamu real attraction is its Old town. The town of Lamu began life as a 14th century Swahili settlement, but the island has seen many tourists and influences, including Portuguese explorers, Turkish traders and the Omani Arabs. All left their mark, but Lamu developed its own particular culture, which has ultimately endured.

Lamu’s narrow streets remain unchanged, and in the markets and squares around the fort life moves at the same pace as it always has. There are no vehicles on this island, and the donkey and the dhow remain the dominant form of transport.

The people of Lamu are great believers in tradition and custom, and this is a strong society built on a respect for the past. For the traveler, Lamu is a hypnotically exotic experience, made even more enjoyable by the relaxed and welcoming attitudes of the locals.

To visit Lamu is to enter another world, and the visitor finds themselves becoming a part of this world. Life slows down, and long days are spent strolling along the waterfront, exploring the town or relaxing on the beaches.

sunbathing at Mombasa beach.

Dhow safaris can take you beyond Lamu into the surrounding archipelago, where isolated villages, ancient ruins and a few luxurious and exclusive resorts lie hidden among the islands of Manda, Siyu, Pate and Kiwayu.

This idyllic island speaks to the heart and soul, and a trip to Lamu is a romantic experience that can become a lifelong affair. Most visitors to Lamu come to experience the unique culture and history of the island. But there are also opportunities for wildlife enthusiasts to explore.

The Palm forests and wetland areas of the island are excellent spots for finding coastal waterfowl and other birds. On the stretches of beach around the shore, populations of crabs can be seen, often swarming the sand in large number.

On the arid mainland opposite Lamu, there is a surprising abundance of wildlife in the Dodori Reserve, which runs adjacent to the coastline and the Kiunga Marine National Reserve. It is named after the Dodori River which flows into the ocean at Dodori Creek and was established in 1976 providing sanctuary for a huge array of marine life including sea-turtles, dugongs, giant clams, buffalo, lions and nesting birds.

 The mangrove channels here are also good for birding and spotting the occasional crocodile. Safaris  to this region can be organized from Kipungani on Lamu. Lamu has a varied range of accommodation, both within town and out, and on  its neighboring. Manda and  Kiwaayu islands. With varied luxurious  beach hotels, beautifully decorated old Swahili guesthouses, basic inns, isolated resorts and private homes to rent among others gives you an ultimate choice to travel in Kenya safaris.

Sharon  C

www.soinafricasafaris.com

Discover more of the Samburu Special Five –Samburu National Reserve

Samburu National Reserve is one of the lesser-known national parks in Kenya safaris, but is nevertheless teeming with life. Situated alongside the Ewaso Nyiro River, there is plenty to attract wildlife from the surrounding savannah plains.

The reserve lies within ecological zone V – which is classified as arid and semiarid with a moisture index of 42 to 57, which indicates that evapo-transpiration is greater than available moisture. The days are extremely hot while the nights are cool.

The dry season starts in late May, and goes up to early October when a large concentration of wildlife is found in the reserve due to availability of lush vegetation along the Ewaso Nyiro River, the main source of water to the Reserve and the nearby communities.

The reserve is rich in wildlife with an abundance of rare northern specialist species such as the Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and the beisa oryx also referred to as Samburu Special Five.

The reserve is also popular with a minimum of 900 elephants. Large predators such as the lion, leopard and cheetah are an important attraction (Kamunyak the miracle lioness that adopted the baby oryx is a resident in the reserve).

Wild dog sightings are also a common attraction to this unique protected area. Birdlife is abundant with over 450
species recorded. Birds of the arid northern bush country are augmented by a number of riverine forest species.

The Lesser Kestrel and the Taita Falcon are species of global conservation concern and they both utilize the reserve. Five species categorized as vulnerable have also been recorded in the reserve.
These are the African darter, great egret, white-headed vulture, martial eagle and the yellow billed ox-pecker. The critically
endangered pancake tortoise is also found in the reserve.

Wildlife - Rich in game with many rare species. Game includes Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, beisa oryx, elephants, lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dogs and over 450 species of birds.

Sharon C

www.soinafricasafaris.com

Adventure more on Uganda birding safaris – the land of Mountain Gorillas.

The misty peaks and fern-loaded forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda’s birding hotspot is one of the best settings to search for albertine rift endemics. Furthermore, these mountains offer perhaps one of the greatest wildlife experiences on earth. The opportunity to come face to face with one of our closest relatives, mountain gorilla, in its natural and dwindling ecosystem.

This trip will start by the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe, exploring its Botanical Gardens (the setting of Weissmuller’s Tarzan movies), moving onto the reedy and dense channels of Mabamba and Kamengo swamps in search of the mythical Shoebill. We then “trek” north to the open game plain of Murchison Falls where large game such as elephant, giraffe, kob and hippos await. We will also have a chance to enjoy the Albert Nile Delta and its prolific birdlife and Murchison Falls, arguably Africa’s most powerful waterfall. Here, the Nile forces its way through a gap in the rocks, only 7 meters wide, and tumbles 43 meters, then flows westward into Lake Albert. Next will be Kibale forest, one of Africa’s best primate exploration enclave and indeed the site where you will have a chance to come up, close and personal with one of your closest relatives – chimpanzees. Great forest birding will be complemented with awesome waterfowl birding at Kasinga Channel in the nearby Queen Elisabeth National Park.

From here we climb towards Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP where birding for the famed albertine rift endemics will be spiced with the ultimate wildlife encounter and experience Uganda has on offer…the unique and ultra special chance to trek and come face to face with the primal, hulking and ever humbling mountain gorilla. Offering 24 of the 26 albertine rift endemics recorded in Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, spans an ecotone from Buhoma’s lowlands to Ruhiza’s highlands. At Buhoma, pitta-like short-tailed warblers and kivu ground thrushes skulk in the mossy undergrowth. African grey parrots fly overhead while chimpanzees shriek from deep in the forest. At Ruhiza, the cloud-swathed Virunga volcanoes (of Diana Fossey fame) loom in the distance. Here we’ll search for the near mythical African green broadbill and Grauer’s rush warbler. It is even suggested that at least one undescribed species might even be lurking in the park!

Mburo NP down in the Acacia clad plain near Lake Victoria will beckon us last, and our trip will end birding and game viewing this interesting habitat and birding its papyrus stand for some classic papyrus specials. The trip ends back in Entebbe.Uganda is one of the friendliest and safest African countries to visit. After its distant and devastating political past, it is now recovering fast and emerging with a renewed outlook, tourism infrastructure and an enthusiastic and contagiously positive attitude people.

www.soinafricasafaris.com                                                                       

Maasai Mara, Home of the Great Wildebeest Migration

The annual Wildebeest Migration at the Maasai Mara is a natural cycle that replenishes and renews the grasslands of East Africa. Each June, around 1.3 million Wildebeest gather in the Serengeti to calve. 

They slowly mass into a huge single herd, until the dry season withers their supply of fresh grass.
The scent of rain to the North begins to draw the herd throughout July, and soon the planet’s greatest animal migration is underway.

This is one of the remarkable wildlife attractions that make's Kenya one of the best wildlife destinations in the world. Kenya’s most popular attraction, the Mara was awarded its title for its sheer volume and variety of game. One traveler summed up the appeal of the Maasai Mara Reserve; 

This is the total sensory experience holiday. Your senses are constantly stimulated by the sights, smells and sounds of the Mara and its many inhabitants. The thrill of leaving camp at dawn, in search of big cats is an experience that is difficult to repeat.”
There is no better time to visit the Mara than during the Great Migration. The sound of the approaching herd is a deep, primal rumbling of thundering hooves and low grunts.

The sight of the wildebeest is staggering- a continuous charging mass that stretches from one horizon to the other this endless grey river of life is mottled with black and white as zebras join the throng. Over the course of the migration, visitors to Kenya will have the opportunity to follow the progress of the herds and experience the full grassland cycle firsthand.

In the Maasai Mara, Africa’s largest concentrations of predators are drawn to this perfect opportunity for easy hunting. Lions are frequently seen attacking the herds - especially at night- dragging down straggling individuals. At the same time, packs of Hyena freely weave throughout the herds, singling out and separating the young and the weak.

Predators are not the only obstacles that the wildebeest face. Kenya’s heavy rainfall in the highland Mau escarpment has turns the Mara River into a raging torrent. 

As happens each year, the herds will gather at the banks in preparation for the most perilous stretch of their journey. As sheer pressure builds, the herds are finally forced to surge into the river, often hurling themselves off high banks.

In the struggle across the Mara River, many are drowned or swept away by strong currents. The crossing attracts massive crocodiles who each year awaits this season of bounty.  By September the herds will begin reaching their goal, and spreading out to graze across the expanse of the Mara. The Migration is the planet’s last great epic of life and death. Of all the calves born in the Serengeti, two out of three will never return from their first and most demanding migration.

Kenya’s Maasai Mara reserve has a wide range of accommodation and travel options. There are luxury lodges, exclusive tented camps, campsites and more available that suite your safaris in Kenya

The migration can be experienced on early morning game drives in customized vehicles, walking

safaris with Maasai Warrior guides, horseback safaris in areas surrounding the Mara, or even from hot air Balloon safaris over the herds.

Sharon.  C

www.soinafricasafaris.com