African Safaris » Kenya Safari

In 1985, the Academy-Award-winning film Out of Africa introduced a new generation of travellers to the beauty of Kenya. Cloudless, azure skies and golden savannah plains packed with animals fired the imagination of countless romantics and adventurers who wanted to experience this exotic Eden for themselves.

Long before that movie, though, a long line of writers, princes, poets and politicians had already enhanced Kenya’s reputation as East Africa’s leading safari destination, although cost and distance had hitherto prevented mass audiences of any sort.

The recent jump in visitor arrivals has been a welcome boost, and tourism is now Kenya’s major earner of foreign exchange. Some of the increased revenue has been used to improve communications and tourist infrastructure. Nowadays, numerous highly organised companies offer scores of specialised safaris—horseback, walking, ballooning, mountaineering and bird-watching to name just a few. Visitors may lodge at five-star hotels and dine on international-class cuisine, accompanied by views of unsurpassed beauty.

Ironically, as more people flock to Kenya, the once-vast animal stocks that draw them there have dwindled dramatically. In spite of international laws restricting imports of animal products, many animal species continue to be endangered. And animals are also at risk from Kenya’s rapidly increasing human population the fastest growing in the world.

Concerted government efforts to protect both wildlife and its habitats are showing slow, but mainly encouraging results and a wealth of conservation and wildlife organisations are contributing to the fights against ignorance and poaching. For the perceptive tourist, a visit to any of Kenya’s magnificent parks and sanctuaries will be enough to convince him of the need to win the battle.