Hakuna Matata

That’s right. With the richest wildlife on earth and a pristine coastline, worries would be the last thing on your mind while in Kenya

Think Kenya. And you’re likely to think Swahili, Serengeti, Mombasa, Masai Mara… May be Mt Kilimanjaro too, thanks to Hemingway. After a weeklong stay you realise there is much more to this North African nation. Having arrived after a six-hour long flight from Mumbai at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, we were taken in by the mad, bustling city of millions, always a maelstrom of activity and humanity with smells of smoke, roasting corn and diesel from the matatus (minibuses) spilling over with riders.

Nirobi’s streets are crowded with roadside vendors selling everything from tomatoes to ebony. Nairobi’s a busy city that comes across as a fascinating combination of African colour and cosmopolitan, hustle and bustle. Like Mumbai, it never sleeps. Like most tourists, we too stopped for the smells and sights of the night, to soak in the city and left at the crack of dawn for a jaunt to the beach and safari. Kenya’s capital has some great restaurants, shop-till-you-drop offers, classy colonial-era hotels and plenty of wildlife within the city environs. The irony of

life here is that you can play with baby elephants and crane your necks to look into the eyes of a giraffe on one hand and have a meal of ostrich or crocodile meat on the other.

Set astride the equator, cut in half by the Great Rift Valley and marked by a chain of fresh water lakes, Kenya woos wildlife enthusiasts with its 25 national parks and 29 national reserves – home to the greatest variety of wildlife anywhere in the world. But there are other attractions too: high mountains, wide rivers, dense forests, and on its eastern shores, the most beautiful and unspoiled beaches in the world, the coral reefs where you can go scuba diving or indulge in deep sea fishing. It’s only once you experience a Kenyan Safari that you will know why so many safari-addicts return to Kenya repeatedly.

Wildlife of great variety is to be found here, both in the sparsely populated areas and in the vast number of national parks and reserves that have been created for its protection.

The dry weather has elephants, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras and gazelles – as well as their attendant predators, including lions and cheetahs – gathering at water holes in the Mara. This is game-viewing in peace. The vast amount of animals, including big cats and wildebeests, and the rolling African savanna grasslands draw tourists to Masai Mara.

It’s wildlife viewing at its best – the same Africa as it was thousands of years ago. Nothing you have read or seen prepares you for that close encounter with a magnificent herd of elephants or a troop of giraffes bounding across the dusty savanna, a pride of lionesses grooming their playful cubs, a
bloat of hippos lazily sunning themselves on a river bank, or a crowd of monkeys or baboons chattering away in a stand of acacia.

The Swahili word for ‘journey’ is safari, and no place conjures up images of safari more than the Masai Mara. The road leading to Mara reminds you of village roads in India and as suggested by friends who had done the safari, we flew to Mara and encountered a tableau, if you may say so. We were at the right time, having flown in to Masai Mara to witness the annual wildebeest migration, when millions of zebras and gazelles storm into Mara from Tanzania’s Serengeti to graze the rich grass and search for water needed to survive. Thousands of wildebeests huddle together in Masai Mara national reserve, their gazes flicking nervously between the lush grasslands on the opposite bank of the Mara River and the crocodile-infested waters separating them from their meal. Eventually, the unlucky wildebeest at the front takes the plunge and the rest follow enmasse, churning up the muddy water and lashing out at snapping crocodile jaws with powerful hind legs. Watching endless columns of animals grazing or trudging along is

nothing short of a staggering experience. Mara wildlife wardens gave us figures which sound astounding: some 1,300,000 wildebeests; 360,000 Thomson’s gazelles; and 191,000 zebras make up this great spectacle.

The variety in wildlife is startling, but understandable in this wide-ranging equatorial to alpine climate. In the upper forest, where the weather is still quite warm, you'll find colobus and blue monkeys. You can also glimpse smaller antelopes and leopards. You may hear the chuffing sound of the hornbill and the vibrating hoot of the turaco. Further north and above the Bamboo zone, the augur buzzard, Mackinder's eagle owl and Verreaux's eagle can be seen circling for the rodents and pygmy shrew that

seek camouflage and shelter in the tufts of grass that dot the landscape. Masai, I old, is a bird lover’s paradise too, with nearly 450 species. Another favourite destination for bird viewing is the chilly highlands near the Great Rift Valley; you'll find settings like Lake Naivasha, Crescent Island and Hell's Gate, where you can watch hundreds of vivid species like cuckoos, bee-eaters and sunbirds flitting about.

Kenya is a land of great contrasts: About one-third is covered by the grasslands of the savanna, another third is dusty and dry desert, and the remainder is cool highlands, deeply wooded forests and jagged snow-capped mountains, with its centerpiece of the 17,000-feet Mount Kenya. Most of Kenya's wildlife parks are also easily reachable from the coast including, Tsavo, Taita Hills and Shimba Hills. Mount Kenya offers vivid colours, majestic plants and rare wildlife to its visitors and climbers. A belt of forest surrounds the mountain and is home to coffee and many other plantations. The wide ranging

temperature of the mountain above 2900m allows for a wide tableau of plant life, from the Bamboo zone with its dense stands of bamboo to the upland forest, laden with orchids, ferns, wildflowers and trees. From its tussock grassland and gian heather, to its glades of massive East African Rosewood trees, the colours, scents and textures that greet visitors are astounding.

Kenya’s coast is considered one of the best in Africa with soft, white sands and warm blue waters. Toward the Indian Ocean, Kenya's coastline, scalloped by warm winds and amazingly translucent emerald waters of the Indian Ocean, is set on coral reefs and pearl-soft beaches. With its white sand
beaches, fringed with palms, casuarinas and brilliant bougainvillea, the coastline is one of the best. Once you have done the coast, you can visit the Gedi Ruins, a 15th century rock-and-stone village ruled by a sultan, explore the tropical forests of Arabuko Sokoke, or dine aboard an authentic Arab dhow as it sails the waters around Mombasa’s Old Town and Fort Jesus.

Once you have done Kenya, you will realize why it’s a favourite with filmmakers. Movies like Born Free, Tarzan and the Ape Man, Out of Africa and The Lion King have been shot here. Get yourpassports ready. This is beauty in its most rustic form.

HOW TO GET THERE: There are 10 flights per week between Nairobi and Mumbai. Kenya Airways operates seven flights between Nairobi and Mumbai. BEST TIME TO VISIT July to October TRAVEL TIPS • Be careful when walking around and don't go out at night; it can be dangerous.Beware of thieves posing as police officers. • The souvenirs are cheaper at the beach resorts than on the safari, be prepared to barter and trade – socks, tee-shirts and pens are all in demand. • Watch your money. Make sure when switching currency you do so in a reputable hotel, foreign exchange bureau or bank. • Do not display your valuables to the world; this will keep you from being the target of theft. Only carry what you need in regards to money when venturing out. Keep yourself ‘undercover’, do not display jewellery. • If you are going on a safari, watch your clothing choices. Bright colours (such as whites and blues) attract wild animals as well as insects.