Kenya

KENYA EMBASSY • SAMPLE TOUR

Land of the Masai

I dream of a place so remarkable it is unparalleled for the richness of its wildlife, landscape, and culture. I see grassy plains, rock-strewn desert, extinct volcanoes, lakes, mountains, beaches, and coral reefs.

I stand astride the Equator at this crossroads of Africa. To my left, the burning desert of the north; to my right, the vast rolling plateau of the south. I am here and this is Kenya, home to one of the world's last great reservoirs of wildlife. It's here that I encounter the greatest concentration of free-ranging wildlife of earth and explore the customs of the proud Maasai people.

In the North behind Mount Kenya, I ride through the semi-arid region of Samburu National Park and watch wildlife along the banks of the Uaso Nyiro River. A parade of rare species exclusive to the region: Long-necked Gernuk, Grevy's Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, and Beisa Oryx appear from the African bush to drink from the life-giving waters. Suddenly.. the elephants arrive and the other animals retreat to the cool shade of the acacia trees while the birds chirp loudly overhead.

I visit the Maasai Mara National Reserve, a living tapestry of grassy savannah, spreading thorn trees and tall forests. This is June and each year the reserve is covered with over a million wildebeest. Here the green grass of the Mara plains nourishes them -- until the arrival of the November rain calls them back to the land of their birth, the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania.

This is the Africa of my dreams; an Africa of unparalleled beauty mixed with the tragedy of life in the wild. This Africa is not a dream but a reality. This Africa is KENYA - The Land of the Masai.