Tourists Flight To Coast Province National Parks & Game Reserves In Kenya

Tourists Flight To Coast Province National Parks & Game Reserves In Kenya

The Kenyan coastline is approximately 536 km fronting the Indian Ocean, with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

The long white sandy beaches are home to some of the most diverse marine life in the oceans, with the abundance of beautiful bright corals, dolphins, butterfly fish, sharks and turtle, complimented by the large number of yellow and red tuna and snappers.

The Kenya Coast is also rich in history, dating back over one thousand years, epitomized by the Vasco da Gama Pillar and Fort Jesus. It's very diverse culture has been influenced by a mixture of Swahili, Portuguese, and European cultures from Italy, Germany, France and England.

The region comprises five sub regions, namely the City of Mombasa, the North Coast, the South Coast, Malindi, and Lamu, each with unique features and tourist attractions. There is a very rich diversity of attractions ranging from the friendly people, white sandy beaches, coral barrier reefs teeming with underwater marine wonders, bird-life, national parks with a wide variety of animals, fantastic coastal food, drink, and water sports.

The Coast is connected by frequent daily flights to Moi International Airport Mombasa, and also to Malindi, Lamu and flights to and from Amboseli and Maasai Mara once daily. Mombasa is also well connected to Nairobi by a major highway as well as good road links to Malindi, Lamu and Tanzania. Regular and comfortable day and night passenger buses ply to the city. In addition, there is an overnight passenger train service between Mombasa and Nairobi. Locally, there is a reliable public transport system, including the matatu (minibus) and taxi.

The coastal area offers a large variety of cuisines including oriental and European dishes. The delicious Swahili foods are a unique blend of Arab, Persian, Indian and European ingredients. Most evenings, you will find food vendors lined on streets selling snacks. You will all definitely enjoy the roasted muhogo (cassava), roasted makai (corn), roasted guvaji (sweet potatoes), mabuyu (flavoured baobab seeds) and achari (dired mangoes dipped in some chilli/sugary paste).

Mombasa's history goes back some 2,000 years and is the second largest city in Kenya. It is built on an island covering an area of about 295 sq km.The City was originally called Manbasa by Arab traders of the 11th century and was the centre of trade primarily exporting ivory and slaves. It has retained its status as the leading trading center in the coast region and is also now an international port receiving vessels from all over the world. Mombasa is strongly influenced by Arabic culture and this is quite evident in the food, the dress and the architecture. Today this coastal island is a melting pot of different cultures and religions.

Within Mombasa Island there are a number of interesting tourist attractions. The tusks on Moi Avenue commemorate the visit of Queen Elizabeth 11 to the town in 1952 and make a lovely backdrop for photographs. Close by is the Mombasa Old Town with its interesting architecture, art and curious. A walk through its narrow winding streets takes you back centuries.

Fort Jesus is the islands premier lure, built by the Portuguese in 1593 and overlooking the Indian Ocean. It was designed by an Italian architect named Jao Btisto Cairato, and has been variously occupied by the Portuguese and Omani Arabs before the Kenyan Government first used it as a prison soon after independence. In 1962, the Government opened Fort Jesus as a museum after declaring it a historical monument .The museum exhibits the culture of the coastal people and archaeological and historic excavations from the coast.

The Makupa Market off Mwebe Tayari is Mombasa's biggest market, a colourful place featuring a wide range of produce.

The Mombasa Marine Reserve is very popular for snorkeling and diving, and for viewing the beautiful coral gardens and fish. A short distance from Mombasa is the beautiful Funzi Island, ideal for seeing dolphins and the diverse bird-life and crocodiles.

North Coast

The North Coast spans some 70km up to the town of Kilifi, and is linked to Mombasa by Nyali Bridge. It boasts of some of the most luxurious world class hotels fronting white sandy beaches and offering a thriving nightlife with numerous night clubs. There is also an immaculate 18 hole golf course, and the friendly Giriama people of the Mijikenda tribe.

Among the many attractions in this area include the Mamba Village; the Kenya Marineland, the largest aquarium in Kenya, the Kipepeo Aquarium boasting of a wide variety of Kenya's tropical fish, and the Bamburi Nature Trail.

Mamba Village is said to be the largest crocodile farm in the world. It combines a crocodile farm with a wonderful restaurant serving crocodile meat, an all night Disco, a lovely flower farm, an aquarium and snake farm and finally, camel and horse riding. Crocodile feeding in the evenings is an exciting spectacle.

Haller Park which is a former cement quarry that has been turned into a beautiful nature trail is home to Sally and Potty the hippos, and the world-famous mzee and Owen.

The Ngomongo Villages are a perfect stop for those who have an interest in how the coastal people live. The village has 10 rural homesteads complete with a cultivation area, domesticated animals, wildlife and even a witchdoctor .Visitors can participate is some of the everyday activities of the residents.

South Coast

The Likoni Ferry links Mombasa to the South Coast .From the ferry, there is a good tarmac road running well beyond Diani, and serving to connect visitors to the array of splendid hotels. The South Coast spans some 50km up to Diani Beach, which is considered to be the center of South Coast in terms of tourist attractions.

One of the attractions at the South Coast is the 15th century Mwana Mosque. To date local faithful worship in its ruins.

Also worth a visit are the Shimoni Caves (shimoni is Swahili for hole) that have remained a mystery to historians and archaeologists. Recently a shrine was discovered in the caves.

The Jadini Forest is teeming with many bird species, troops of baboon, vervet monkeys and the endangered colobus. The Wakaluzu Trust created the Colobus Cottage at Diani where one can find useful information about the primates and go on nature trails.

Malindi

Arab Traders founded Malindi in the 10th century, and it has since evolved into an important port. The Potuguese navigator Vasco da Gama landed there in 1498 and erected the Vasco da Gama Pillar that still stands. Malindi still possesses some of its original architecture. Despite the Swahili culture, the Italian communities who have settled there have introduced some of their culture. Malindi has clean beaches and is sparsely populated, making it a perfect romantic getaway.

The town is now teeming with tuktuks that provide a quick means of transport within the town and its outskirts.

Gede Museum is a very important archaeological site. It was founded in the 12th century and grew until the 17th century when it was abandoned mainly due to hostile neighbouring communities. Excavations in the 1940s revealed abundant remains of religious, cultural, domestic, and commercial structures, including imported Chinese and Islamic porcelain, glass, shell beads, gold and silver jewellery,coins ,and local pottery.Gede also has a surrounding indigenous forest that is home to a variety of flora and fauna.

Mnarani Ruins in Kilifi are the remains of a 14th century Swahili occupation and settlement, and consist mainly of two mosques and some tombs. The mosque and tombs were built between 1475 and 1500.

Jumba la Mtwana (mansion of the slave), located in Kilifi, offers the tourist an informative and interesting attractions. However, no evidence has been found so far to suggest that this 13th century Swahili settlement was a slave trade centre. Jumba la Mtwana is the remains of a 13th century Swahili settlement, and consists of well preserved mosques, tombs, and domestic houses.

Among the exhibits are artefacts of important Chinese and Islamic pottery, local pottery, glass and shell beads. Every year the Rabai people of Jumba hold a cultural festival to celebrate their culture. A small museum commemorating the life of Ludwing Krapf and the Rabai culture can also be found here.

The Arabuko Sokoke Forest is nestled beside Watamu and Malindi Parks and Reserves, about 120km from Mombasa Island. This forest is the largest coastal forest in Eastern Africa. In this 417 sq km reserve there is an untold wealth of natural beauty and rare varieties of birds. The air is filled with butterflies and birds, the trees are alive with monkeys and the forest floor is home to many smaller mammals. The forest stretches to the headwaters of the mighty Sabaki River. Occasionally herds of Elephant pass through the forest en route to the river.

Kipepeo Butterfly Farm is a community driven project. Kipepeo is Swahili for butterfly. The local people breed butterflies from the Arabuko Sokoke Forest and sell the pupae to Kipepeo Butterfly Farm, which produces butterflies for the international market.

Bioken Snake Farm specializes in the "Big Five" African snakes; the Python, Cobra, Puff Adder,Boomslag and Mamba. The farm also produces venom for anti-venom purposes.

Lamu

The Lamu Archipelago is a small group of islands situated on Kenya's northern coastline near Somalia. It is made up of Lamu, Manda, Pate and Kiwayu Islands that all have an existing and thriving Swahili culture. Lamu is also the oldest Swahili town in Kenya. Here you will find ancient items perfectly preserved.

Lamu Museum is a conglomerate of four museums, namely Lamu Museum, Lamu Fort Environment Museum, German Post Office Museum, and Swahili House Museum. Due to the rich history of the town and its environment, the museums have very unique historical exhibits, some dating back earlier than pre-colonial times.

The German Post Office Museum was originally built in the 19th century as a private residence. This Museum traces back to the historical contacts between Germany and Kenya, depicting early postal services that were used.

The Al-Busaidy family built the Lamu Museum in 1891.It was taken over by the British colonial government to house senior colonial officials.

The building is characterized by typical 18th century Swahili architecture, and has a wide collection of rare ethnographic material from the Swahili, Orma and Pokomo ethnic groups.

Takwa Ruins are located in the Manda Island and can be reached by boat from Lamu town. The ruins date back to the 15th and 16th centuries and are the remains of a flourishing Swahili trading town before it was abandoned sometime in the 17th century, most probably because of hostility of the neighboring Takwa and Pate people, and the salination of the water that made living conditions difficult.

Siyu Fort is located in Pate Island and can be reached by boat from Lamu town. It was built to resist domination of the Siyu people by the Omani Arabs and represents the remains of a Swahili settlement dating back to the 15th century. The building of the fort is credited to one of the Siyu leaders named Mohammed Ishaq bin Mbarak bin Mohamed bin Oman Famau.

National Parks and Reserves

Watamu National Park & Reserve was established in 1968 and in Kenya's first marine park. It has now been recognized by the United Nations as a World Biosphere Reserve. The Park ,comprising the Whale Island and Mida Creek, has over 1,000 species of reef fish, and is also renowned for its deep sea fishing, breathtaking coral gardens and spectacular species of fish and other sea creatures such as the whale sharks , manta rays, octopus and barracuda. One will also find clear waters ideal for snorkeling.

Mida Creek is a wonderful haunt for explorer's .Bird watchers can get sight of the yellow-billed stork, great white egret, greater flamingo and malachite kingfisher. Many migrant birds such as the crab plover, curlew sandpiper,whimbrel and sanderling also make a stopover at the Creek.

Marafa Depression, locally known as Nyari and popularly known as Hells Kitchen, is a series of sandstone gorges and sheer gullies. This unique landscape has become part of local folklore.

Shimba Hills National Reserve is 56 kilometres south west of Mombasa and consists of forests of giant primeval trees. Shimba Hills is a paradise for the nature lover and is a home to the rare but impressive sable antelope that carries 100-160 cm horns rising vertically before curving backward in a pronounced arc. There are numerous picnic sites that overlook the Indian Ocean. Mount Kilimanjaro is even visible on clear days.

The Magnificent Tsavo East National Park covering 13,747 sq. km is truly a threatre of the wild. It is a vast flat plain broken only by the sinuous length of the Galana River, where you will find the world's largest lava flow. The Tsavo Ecosystem forms one of the last free great ranges for the African elephant. The elephants have a distinctive brick red colour of the swirling red dust that they love to wallow and bath in. This is one of the few areas where elephant families are able to follow ancient migratory and dispersal routes as they have done in many years. The Tsavo is also the only place one can see few remaining Hirola Antelope. Be sure to visit the beautiful Lugard Falls and the Rhino Sanctuary created to protect them from poachers.

The Tsavo West National Park covers 7,065 km of rolling plains and volcanic hill. It is renowned as land of lava, springs, and the man-eating lions which preyed on linesmen building the Uganda Railway at the turn of the century. It was the location of the 1996 shooting of the movie The Ghost and the Darkness starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer from the non fiction book The Man-Eaters of Tsavo by lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson. Tsavo is the traditional home for the African elephant. It used to be a classic hunting ground for the renowned big game hunters such as the famous Denys Finch Hatton. Spanning the vast plains of Tsavo, and lying within view of Mt Kilimanjaro, are the Taita and Chyullu Hills, a paradise of elephant herds, plains game, cheetah, and remote Maasai villages.

The nearby Taita Hills are home to Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary .established in 1972 and spectacularly located adjacent to Tsavo National Park. The sanctuary has a wide variety of game including lion, cheetah, and elephant and plains game. The prolific bird life includes the extremely rare Taita Falcon, a bird recorded in early Egyptian hieroglyphics.

In nearby Taveta are Lakes Jipe and Chala, fed by streams from the snows of Kilimanjaro. Chala is particularly stunning with its deep blue waters, beneath a perfect view of Kilimanjaro. The sanctuary is home to more than 50 species of mammals and over 300 species of birds.

Amboseli National Park is Kenya's most popular and most sought after photographer's paradise. There is literally nowhere else on earth offering such a variety of wildlife attraction against the background of the Kilimanjaro Mountain. The major attraction of Amboseli is its vast herds of elephants. It houses the oldest elephant research study center in the world where elephants have been studied for over 30 years. Amboseli is also known for its great variety of birds, both domestic and migratory.

The Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary lies in the Shimba Hills forest near the Kwale Shimba Hills National Reserve and is managed by the local council of Mwaluganje. The site was once a farm that elephants frequented to feed on a certain crop. It was then decide to turn the place into a sanctuary. A beautiful elephant watching site has been constructed from where visitors have uninterrupted view of the large animals. Occasionally one may also spot leopards there. Just at the entrance of the sanctuary, there is a local factory that makes paper from elephant dung.

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