Close-up shoe polishers on Kenyatta Avenue and proud masseuses in colored kangas. Palm-clad beaches on the Indian Ocean and permanent snow on top of Africa’s highest mountains. Flamingo pink lakes in the Great Rift Valley and vast grasslands that resound with the roar of lions, hyenas and the roar of wildebeest. Karen Blixen’s Kenya takes the step from a hectic city to a lush savannah.
See Kenya Travel
Population: 44 mill.
Capital: Nairobi
Language: Swahili and English
Karen Blixen has got a neighborhood named after her? The elegant Karen district is located on the outskirts of the city of Nairobi.
Kenyan politician and environmentalist Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Prize? She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.
Kenya’s geography and climate
Kenya is both ethnically and geographically diverse with about 34 million inhabitants divided into different tribes and 600,000 km2 covering four different climatic regions from east to west: the flat, low-lying coastal area towards the Indian Ocean with tropical vegetation, the sparsely populated area in the north and northeast, the eastern mountainous part of the Great Rift Valley with volcanic soil well suited for agriculture and finally the arid steppe to the west.
Safari in Kenya
Kenya’s large zoological capital makes the country a given destination for safari travel. This is where the safari phenomenon itself comes from. In addition to the famous Masai Mara safari area, Kenya has several national parks that are worth lifting binoculars against. At Lake Nakuru and the Great Rift Valley, which is a few hours’ drive from the million-strong city of Nairobi to Uganda, you can often see thousands of flamingos coloring the beach pink with full feather splendor. Here they are accompanied by small flocks of giraffes, and there is also a high concentration of rhinos and leopards. In the Aberdare area there is dense primeval forest, and around Mount Kenya – Kenya’s highest and Africa’s second highest mountain after Kilimanjaro – you will find exciting afro alpine flora. North of Mount Kenya in the desert-like region stretching all the way to Ethiopia.
Masai Mara
The sound of hundreds of thousands of hooves is heard across the savannah in the southwestern corner of Kenya. More than a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and just under half a million Thomson gazelles have set out on their annual journey for fresh pasture. The world’s largest animal migration takes place from July to October. Here in the Masai Mari, which borders the Serengeti, you can see them in the open grasslands turning into fodder for the area’s many predators, as they eat their way through the rolling grass and cross the Mara River with the hope of avoiding crocodile food. Large flocks of lions and cheetahs contribute to the fact that far from all wildebeest return from the more than 3,000-kilometer-long circular walk. The many opportunistic hyenas are waiting for an easy-to-fix piece of food. Visit handbagpicks for Kenya Tour Plan.
Nairobi
Almost 100 years ago, the Nairobi Maasai were resident. The Maasai today have their own country and the Kenyan capital has almost three million inhabitants, and is characterized by a lively atmosphere. Through the windows of classic taxis from London, the sound of Suzzana Owiyo’s afropop can be heard. The driver drums the beat of the steering wheel, while we pass Nairobi’s skyscrapers, second-hand shops and various stalls.
Other attractions in Kenya
After the safaris and when you are tired of following in the footsteps of Karen Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton, your holiday can end under coconut trees and mango trees in Mombasa or another of the coastal cities on the Indian Ocean. Or you can visit the Baroness’s African farm 20 km west of the capital. After the film adaptation of Karen Blixen’s autobiographical book “The African Farm”, the farm was turned into a museum and is today one of Nairobi’s major attractions. Kenya is packed with experiences and if you want to get the maximum exchange, you need to recharge with a lot of food. Game is also gastronomy, and if you are curious about something other than chicken and ugali (corn porridge), you should definitely try grilled wildebeest, braised crocodile tail, antelope or a good, juicy giraffe steak. No endangered species are served, so it is good to eat with a clear conscience.
Climate Kenya
Here you can get an overview of the climate and weather in Kenya – from the capital Nairobi to the ancient port city of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | CHRISTMAS | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| Nairobi | ||||||||||||
| Daytime temperature | 25 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 23 |
| Night temperature | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 45 | 51 | 101 | 206 | 160 | 46 | 19 | 26 | 26 | 54 | 109 | 82 |
| Mombasa | ||||||||||||
| Daytime temperature | 32 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 |
| Night temperature | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 30 | 14 | 59 | 192 | 319 | 100 | 72 | 69 | 71 | 86 | 74 | 76 |
Kenya is located at the equator, and therefore there are no major differences in temperature during the year. On the other hand, the country’s height differences mean a lot – both for the temperature and the amount of rain. In the mountainous areas of southwestern Kenya, the temperature is comfortable at around 20 ºC all year round. But this area also has the most rainfall in the country. This is where the capital Nairobi is located at an altitude of 1800 meters. In the northern lowlands and along the coast it is slightly warmer with less rain.
