Kenya

I’ve been travelling around Kenya for more than twenty years. Some trips were planned properly. Most were not. A drive meant to go from A to B turns into something much more memorable. A coast run picks up a creek, a ruin, a roadside stop, a wrong turn, or a night somewhere you had not planned for. Those become the things you remember.

Nairobi is an African city in its own league. Traffic, shortcuts, trees, noise, momentum, confusion, and the occasional stretch that makes you think the city is finally behaving before it immediately proves otherwise. Then you get out and the country starts opening up. Down on the coast it is heat, sea air, old Swahili history, ports, creeks, seafood, beach strips, hotel blocks, and all the rough edges in between.

I keep ending up back on that stretch. Mombasa for the heat, the urban mess, the seafood, and the old coastal mix. Watamu for the shallow sea, the low-tide flats, Mida Creek, Gede, and days that slide away easily. Malindi for the Swahili past with an Italian vibe, beach life, plenty of good restaurants and even some decent night clubs. Lamu for boats, narrow lanes, donkeys, sea air, and very little hurry. Kilifi for the creek, the open water, and vast stretches of beach without too many tourists. Then there’s Diani, where the beach is just the beach, and usually ranked as the best of its kind in Africa!

Away from the coast, the tone is very different. Naivasha has boat rides, hippos on the lawns, drowned trees in the lake, and enough around it to fill more than a lazy weekend. Nakuru brings rhinos, birdlife, Rift Valley views, and a park that looks different now that so much water has pushed through. Amboseli is dry country, swamps, elephants, Maasai land, and Kilimanjaro when the clouds stop playing games. Tsavo is on a different scale. More ground. Longer drives. Rougher roads. Red earth. Old railway history. Big elephant country.

And then there is the Maasai Mara, Kenya’s big safari name. More famous, more expensive, often more crowded, but still one of the strongest wildlife areas anywhere in Africa.

That is the Kenya I know and love. A good mix of city, coast, lakes, parks, mountains, old towns, rough roads, and plans that are sometimes better when made on the spot.

Posts from Kenya