Why she loves Kenya!

One morning, I find myself at the entrance of one of the most unique places in the world – the gates to a National Park located in a capital city – the only one of its kind on the planet. As I drive through, everything around me comes to life. The leaves start to rustle as a whisper of wind begins. A giraffe looks straight at me as I drive right past him and the plains start to reveal themselves to me as I move deeper into the Nairobi National Park. As I delve into the mysteries of the park, a stunning sight greets my eyes – the presence of wildlife with a backdrop of a city. Where else can I see this?

I am reminded of my trip to the elephant orphanage, to see the one I had adopted... his name is Kithaka and what a smile he had. I am whisked off to the airport for a flight to a game reserve – which one you may wonder? 

Do I pick the northern lands of Samburu and Shaba, rich with the presence of northern specialist species known as the Samburu 5 – the Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and the beisa oryx amongst the big five that we all know of? Or do I pick the world heritage site that has enfolded Lewa into its realms of natural treasures with its magnificent protruding peak in the name of Mount Kenya with its snow-capped topping?  

But then again there is the call of the Maasai Mara, world renowned for its magnificent migration where I am guaranteed to see the dramatic dance of the wildebeest crossing during the migration season, and hear  the king of the jungle roar his heart out.

I thought of dropping by the Laikipia region to catch a glimpse of the rare wild dogs again and visit the Chimpanzee sanctuary to catch this lot monkeying about, but then again the idea of watching a herd of elephants walk past me tempted me to turn to Amboseli with its landscape dominated by the towering and majestic Mount Kilimanjaro in a place of open plains and acacia woodland. Maybe I should pick something closer to home? I could just travel from lake to lake along the Great Rift Valley and let my journey take me through a contrasting world of landscapes and sceneries.

I ask myself whether a beach holiday is more suitable to my mood and in an hour I could find myself relaxing on a sun bed overlooking the white sandy beaches of Diani sipping coconut water from a Madafu (coconut) whilst I contemplate a visit to the Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park – a magical paradise with a coastline lined up with exotic white beaches enveloping the inviting waters of the Indian Ocean which holds the spectacular underworld of marine life.  

I eventually settle for a few days away into the Meru National Park – a wilderness region that is incredibly wild and beautiful.  My nights are spent in a luxury alcove embedded in one of the Hills of Meru. The night brings with it an explosion of a starry sky and an increased beat of my heart as I hear the teasing sounds of the hunting hyena. My days are left to search for the hunting predators, and I find myself face to but with a target marked waterbuck’s bottom.  

As I close my eyes and reflect on my dreams, I have barely touched the magic of Kenya; the Matthews Ranges, the Tana River Delta, Mount Longonot, Taita and Chyulu Hills, Shimba Hills, the Aberdares, the closeness of wildlife.