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Eastern
Africa, (Kenya,
Uganda and
Tanzania), is probably the first option
for a safari destination in Africa. Its spectacular range of
altitude offers climatic diversity; its wildlife spectacle is
unparalleled and varied, its wild places with a wealth of wildlife
unspoilt and natural, with nothing contrived, and it harbours some
of the world's oldest and most colourful cultures, all of which fuse
together to form the richest African tapestry.
East Africa
has so much to offer that it would be difficult to combine all
three countries in one itinerary; they need to be considered
separately and carefully before settling on an itinerary that
will include all the options on offer.
Kenya is the heart of East Africa, and is wonderfully diverse
in every respect. With an altitude range from sea level to
17000 feet above sea level, being the summit of Mt. Kenya, and
despite being on the Equator, Kenya enjoys a very comfortable
temperate climate and as such is a prime year-round
destination. Its many different ecosystems include probably
the most spectacular section of the Great Rift Valley, dotted
with extinct slumbering volcanoes and beautiful saline and
fresh water lakes.
Other habitats include the rolling grasslands associated
with the great grazing hordes of wild game whilst the highland
steppes and walls of the Great Rift Valley are clothed in
montane forest with an interesting outlier of the vast
tropical forests of central Africa occurring in the West of
the country. Coastal lowland forests harbour many endemic
species and the warm waters of the Indian Ocean bathe a
beautiful palm fringed coastline where early Portuguese and
Arab influence is of historical interest graphically reflected
in the towns of Mombasa , Malindi and Lamu.
A highlight of a Kenyan safari experience is the
opportunity to interact with the colourful and proud Masai and
Samburu tribal people whose culture has changed little over
time.
Kenya's tourist infrastructure is sophisticated and
developed to international standards, offering everything from
deluxe hotels and lodges, to tented lodge destinations and
mobile camping safaris, plus home stays in private houses that
reflect Kenya's colonial era |
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Lying just South of the
Equator, Tanzania is the largest and perhaps least developed
of the three East African countries, having stagnated during
almost three decades of post independence communist isolation,
and having been wrestled from the Germans after the First World
War, remained only a mandated British territory rather than a
colony. Mount Kilimanjaro, towering over the country's
northern border with Kenya is the highest mountain in Africa,
(over 19,000 ft) and dominates the northern landscape of the
country, with Mount Meru a close second. The Ngorongoro
Crater, the largest volcanic closed cauldron in the world, 12
miles across, cradles an amazing concentration of wildlife
that indulge in their own mini migration around its basin.
Nearby the famous Olduvai Gorge provides an opportunity to
view finds of early man and beyond the plains of the famous
Serengeti National Park offer a wonderful opportunity to
witness one of the grandest spectacles of nature, the annual
wildebeest and zebra migration which spills into Kenya's Masai
Mara at the end of the dry season in July/August. For the more
adventurous the Ruaha and Selous National Parks are more
remote, more secluded and well worth a visit. Just off the
coast lies the lush and beautiful spice island of Zanzibar,
still permeated by the scent of cloves, as well as the islands
of Pemba and Mafia, famous for their fishing.
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Uganda, known as the
Pearl of Africa, is best known as one of the last refuges of
the rare mountain gorilla, where visitors can make the
strenuous trek to visit several "habituated" groups.
The
famous Ruwenzori mountains are one of the most ancient
mountain ranges in the world, encompassing the Virunga
volcanoes which are still active. The chimpanzees of Kibale
offer an insight into the habits of man's closest living
relatives, while Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National
Parks are scenically spectacular with a full range of African
wildlife including the Uganda Kob and Rothschilds giraffe.
Uganda's wildlife was depleted by years of mismanagement and army
plundering during Uganda's turbulent post independent period, but
the country is now recovering, and although still largely
under-developed, boasts some excellent tented camps and up and
coming lodges.
Whilst the clock has been turned back in Uganda, it is still "The
Pearls of Africa" a lush and fertile country, home to the headwaters
of the Nile.
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Copyright ©2002-2005 Safariland
Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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