As Kenya’s Wildlife, Beaches Entice Tourists to Unforgettable Experience

A team of travel agents from different countries in West Africa recently embarked on a tour of Kenya, courtesy of Asky Airlines and Jambo Jet, Kenya’s low cost carrier. Chinedu Eze who was part of the group writes on his experience

Kenya is a country in East Africa known for its wild life and endearing beaches. The country is like the Sirens whose enchantment and song you may not resist. It showcases nature. It has in abundance alluring natural endowments and modernity. No wonder it is referred to as Magical Kenya.

It has a population of 47.6 million people, according to the 2019 census. It is a country of friendship and love where visitors are pampered by the hospitality of the citizens whose verve is inimitable.

 The trip to Kenya was sponsored by Asky Airlines, a dominant carrier in West and Central Africa in collaboration with Jambo Jet of Kenya, a low cost airline and subsidiary  of Kenya Airways. The teams assembled in Lome, the operational hub of Asky Airlines and from there headed to Kenya and landed at the Jomo Kenya International, Nairobi, the country’s capital, after about five hours flight.

 The protocol at the airport was top notch as delegation went through Immigration with ease.

The checks were very brief and as we collected our hand luggage from the X-ray machine, we headed outside where Satguru Travels, a travel management company took us to Eka Hotel, a great place with attendants who welcomed us with smiles and friendliness.

After check-in protocol we had our dinner which was very good food made up of intercontinental dishes and some local offerings.

 I have to point out that the good manners, the smiles and efficiency exhibited by the hotel were remarkable. That friendliness started at the airport and one could say that workers at the airport and the hotel must have been tutored on etiquette, good conduct and professionalism. Maybe it is because there is tourism culture imbibed by Kenyans, where people come from all over the world to visit and leave with good memories and positivity. 

 The following morning, we headed to Nairobi National Park for game drives, where we stayed in protected vehicle to watch animals in their natural habitat. The park is located just south of the city. Nairobi National Park is Kenya’s first game reserve and the only protected area in the world that sits so close to a nation’s capital. Visitors to the vast wildlife park are likely to spot black rhinos, lions, giraffe, and zebra, as well as some 400 bird species and we saw many of the animals whose curiosity about the invasion of humans in their domain has ebbed. Our guide acknowledged the story that sometimes lions stray into the city with its menacing looks and dignifying mane.

But concerned authorities have curbed that, admitting that hunger drove them to town as certain period of the season.

We saw many giraffes combing acacia trees; whose leaves are their favourite food. Because of their height, they chew the leaves from the top and give them good shapes like florist. The trees look as if they visited a barber. The giraffes sauntered languidly with aura and calm mien unperturbed about the vehicles driving past.

 We also saw many ostriches pecking food. When they stretch their long necks, they can see a long distance. Ostriches are the largest and heaviest living birds. They are reputed to have three stomachs and unlike other birds; ostriches secrete urine separately from feces. They are also fast runners, capable of sprinting at over 70kilometer per hour and covering up to five meters in a single stride. Ostrich egg is the largest single cell found on earth. We saw baboons, gazelles, rhinoceros, different birds, monkey and others.

 Later our team went to the giraffe centre, where we fed giraffes, as they draw out their long tongues to grab the chalk-shaped substance made, maybe, from acacia leaves. They were calm, unperturbed by our presence. Obviously they are used to humans coming to stare and marvel at their presence.

On the third day we headed to Mombasa, the home of the late Prof. Ali Mazrui, globally known Kenyan academic. We boarded Jambo Jet beautiful Bombardier Dash 8-400 and after about 45 minutes’ flight we arrived at Mombasa airport and we were taken to our hotel, Prideinn Flamingo. The site of the hotel was breath-taking. We became excited and overwhelmed when we saw the swimming pool, which seemingly kissed the Indian Ocean, safe from some meters away from the Ocean. The hotel was built along the coastline of the Ocean and showcased magnificent ambience with tall cocoanut trees, which seemed like embroidery to the swimming pool and other areas of the hotel.

 On the fourth day we headed to the Indian Ocean and boarded a boat that took us to a small island. At a time, Dolphins swam along our boat and created a convivial atmosphere. Mombasa seems to be the gateway to the Indian Ocean that can be accessed from north and south of Mombasa. The city has some of the finest beaches in Africa; endless crescents of silver sand bordered by waving palms and vibrant coastal resorts. Mombasa’s location on the Indian Ocean made it a historical trading centre, and it has been controlled by many countries in the past because of its strategic location.

On the fifth day we went to Bamburi Haller Park, Mombasa where we saw many different animals. It was there we beheld one of the largest tortoise in the world. And this was over 160 years old! It was calm, as all tortoise are. It allowed us to touch the shell and some of us went further to caress the neck, which it responded positively to, as it stretched out the neck fully out of the shell. We also fed giraffe at the park; another exciting experience.

Kenya has 50 national parks and reserves. There are over 43 languages and dialects spoken in Kenya. Kenya is home to some of the world’s best long-distance runners. It also has a part of the Lake Victoria, the world’s second largest freshwater lake that flows through Kenya. Kenya is named after Mountain Kenya, the tallest mountain in the country and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. Between 1920 and 1963, Kenya was a colony of the United Kingdom.

As icing on the cake, we travelled back to Nairobi and had lunch at Mama Ashanti who gave us nostalgic home cuisine. They offer all Nigerian and Ghanaian dishes and more. We enjoyed the sumptuous meals, which reminded us of home, as we set off to return home the following day. That trip confirmed that Africa is a unique continent. Every country in the region has something distinct to offer the world. Why travel to other parts for the world when Africa has so much to showcase, from country to country and above all; whenever you travel to any part of Africa south of Sahara, you feel you are home.

 Kenya is a beautiful country, which has cultivated tourism culture. They have so much to offer the world. And so is Nigeria; whenever we wake to take advantage of our unlimited tourism sites both natural and man-made attractions.