Kenya sits on the equator and covers a 226,490-sq-mi/586,600-sq-km chunk of the east coast of Africa. The tropical coastal belt gives way to an inland plateau where Nairobi is located. Its two major rivers, the Tana and the Galana, originate in the country's midsection and flow through the eastern part of the country before emptying into the Indian Ocean. Lake Victoria (which is shared with Tanzania and Uganda and is the largest freshwater lake in Africa) and the Rift Valley, with its spacious floor dotted with lakes, are the two main geographical features of western Kenya. Mount Kenya, the country's highest peak and the second-tallest mountain in Africa, is in the central highlands. To the north are vast areas of barren and empty desert, and this is the region of Kenya at its wildest.
Kenya has been home to many migrant populations, beginning with the very earliest hunter-gatherers. Migrants from the Ethiopian highlands were the first, followed in several thousand years ago by the ancestors of the Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Gisii, Akamba and Mijikenda peoples. Hundreds of years later, along the coast, the descendents of those early migrants mixed with visiting traders. This mix gave rise to a distinct culture and language: Swahili. The Swahili set up Indian Ocean trade with the Arabs, Phoenicians, Indians and Chinese, and were the first people in Kenya to develop complex communities. Arabs and Persians had a great influence on the Swahili culture and language; the Swahili language also absorbed words from the Portuguese.
The Portuguese reached the coast at the beginning of the 16th century and established a stronghold there until 1700, when Kenya became a British protectorate. The pastoralist Orma, Borana and Rendille peoples also began moving into northern Kenya from southern Ethiopia during the 16th century, as did the ancestors of the Luo people. Toward the end of the 17th century, the Turkana arrived. The Masai and Samburu peoples were the last of the African migrant communities to settle in Kenya.
In the 1800s, Kenya saw an influx of explorers and Christian missionaries, followed by European settlers. At the 1885 Berlin Conference, Britain was given colonial control of Kenya and Uganda. The Mombasa-Kampala railway was built at the end of the 19th century, and Nairobi grew from a railway worker's camp into Kenya's capital city. By the 1920s, Kenya had been settled by a large number of prosperous British farmers. The fight for liberation began after World War II—Kenyans first sought peaceful means to have their lands returned to them from the white settlers, but they turned to violence in the 1950s under the Mau Mau freedom fighters. The country gained independence in 1963 and became a republic in 1964. Jomo Kenyatta, a leader of the revels who had been imprisoned by the British, became Kenya's first president. Much of the land reverted back to African ownership, though Kenya remained a member of the British Commonwealth. When Kenyatta died in 1978, he was succeeded by Daniel arap Moi, who was re-elected five times. The country's third president, Mwai Kibaki, was elected in December 2002.
Kenya experienced political and economic challenges, along with violent protests and corruption, during the Moi era, but since the new administration began its term in 2002, things appear to be steadily improving in the country. In December 2005, Kenyans voted unanimously for constitutional reforms in a national referendum. Minimum reforms are still being effected. However, in the past decade Kenya has also witnessed terrorist activity, most notably the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi by anti-American Middle Eastern terrorists, which killed 219 Kenyans; and the suicide bombing of an Israeli hotel in Mombasa that killed 15 people. In the wake of these security issues, in 2003 the Kenyan government passed a Suppression of Terrorism Bill through parliament allowing security forces to work closely with U.S. and U.K. authorities to ensure incidents such as these do not happen in Kenya again. Tourist destinations, ports and airports have been put on high security surveillance. To date, this initiative has been successful, and there have been no further security incidents involving tourists.
In December 2004, Kenya's coastline received some of the backlash from the tsunamis that devastated Southeast Asia, but the destruction and loss of life there were relatively minor. The most serious problem affecting the coastal regions was water contamination.
Kenya's chief attractions include wildlife, beaches, scuba diving, tribal culture, history, shopping, varied scenery and golf.
Kenya's rolling hills, grassy plains and colorful tribesmen provide a classic image of Africa. Anyone who enjoys the thrill of viewing animals in the wild will love Kenya. But travelers should be prepared to get a bit dusty bumping along unpaved roads, and some may get bored looking for the animals—no one can guarantee sightings of the more rare species. (It helps if you take an interest in the spectacular birds and landscape.) Beach lovers will enjoy the beauty of the coast, and there are plenty of activities such as diving and snorkeling. Anyone interested in African culture will find the rural areas of Kenya more accessible than those of most countries on the continent.
The town of Maralal hosts a camel derby on the first weekend of August each year. There's nothing like the sight (and smell) of hundreds of dromedaries galloping toward the finish line, and anyone can join in. It is an exciting race for professionals, but more of a hilarious one for beginners as they attempt to steer their charges.
Kenya regularly produces world-class marathon and Olympic runners. Many of them train around Nyahururu, a town at an elevation around 8,000 ft/2,500 m. Working out in the high-altitude environment gives them an advantage over other runners. More and more international professional and semiprofessional long-distance runners are signing up for training in established Kenyan camps to improve their times and careers.
In 2004, Kenyan Wangari Maathai became the first-ever African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the founder of the Green Belt Movement, which has been responsible for planting 20-30 million trees in Africa. Her prize was in recognition of how nations can work together peacefully to protect the environment.
The Great Rift Valley, which runs through the center of Kenya, is part of a tectonic plate junction that stretches from the Red Sea to Mozambique. It's still widening at a rate of about 0.4 in/1 cm every 1,000 years.
In game parks, the animals may seem familiar, but the colorful birds are a pleasant surprise. Watch for the superb starling, the crowned (crested) crane, the lilac-breasted roller and the gray-headed kingfisher. The Rift Valley lakes are famous for their large flocks of flamingos that tinge the lakes in a rim of pink.
The best time to visit the national parks and game reserves is in the dry season (May-October) when the animals congregate around the rivers and waterholes. In the wet season, access into the parks is restricted because the untarred roads become very slippery. However, most of the lodges and tented camps offer a significant discount of up to 50% off during the wet or low season, from the beginning of April to the end of June. During this time, one of the most amazing spectacles in the natural world takes place: the seasonal migration of the wilderbeeste and zebra. It occurs anytime between June and August, depending when the rains come, and millions of wildebeests and zebras gallop into the Maasai Mara in search of water. In October, the animals head back to the Serengeti.
Menengai Crater, north of Nakuru, is one of the world's largest calderas. You can walk or drive up to its rim.
Kenya was the home of the pioneering conservationists George and Joy Adamson. They raised and set free the lioness Elsa, and many other cats, and Born Free was perhaps the greatest animal story ever told. Sadly, they were both murdered; Joy in 1980 and George in 1989. Joy's house, on the banks of Lake Naivasha is now a museum that can be visited to learn about the couple's remarkable life in the Kenyan bush.
Mount Kilimanjaro actually has two peaks: The large, flat-topped one is called Kibo. The smaller, more pointed peak is called Mawenzi. In Kenya, the best views of Africa's highest peak are from Amboseli National Park—the mountain is just across the border in Tanzania.
Baobab trees, which are found in the southern part of Kenya, are also called upside-down trees. They only grow leaves after a rain, and the bare branches resemble roots sticking up in the air.
You'll need technical climbing experience and the proper gear to reach the summit of Mount Kenya. But anyone in good shape can make the three- to five-day hike to Point Lenana (or Tourist Peak), which is at 16,355 ft/5,070 m.
Matatus are everywhere in Kenya and are used as the local and often overcrowded public transport. Almost any vehicle is used, though they are mostly minibuses painted in bright colors with Swahili sayings or proverbs emblazoned on the sides. They are full to bursting point, have loud music pumping from the stereo and are driven very fast.
Be sure to visit some of Nairobi's sidewalk flower vendors—if only to look. With its year-round growing season, Kenya's floriculture industry is booming. Most of the flowers sold by European florists come from Kenya.
Coastal destination Lamu offers a glimpse into one of the oldest civilizations of the East African coast. The town has a cultural festival that is held every August, and at times later in the year.
The Rhino charge, an off-road endurance motoring event held every year in June, is one of the favorite outdoor motoring events on the calendar.