by Rod Hackney
July 8, 2010
Page 1 : Intro to Kenya
NAIROBI, KENYA--In Africa, nature can wear a thousand costumes—from the spotted coat of a leopard, to the armored skin of a rhinoceros, the striking plumage of a secretary bird or the shaggy cape of a wildebeest.
Under the spotlight of an equatorial sun, life is raised to the level of theater. Moments become intensified and indelible. Almost every creature becomes larger than life and breathtakingly beautiful when viewed beneath the crystal blue canopy of an African sky.
Those are the overpowering memories of a 10-day wildlife safari through Kenya in Eastern Africa—a journey arranged through the travel program of the North Carolina Zoological Society, the non-profit support organization for the North Carolina Zoo.
Kenya’s 225,000 square miles of territory, roughly five times the size of North Carolina, straddles the equator [map]. It’s bounded on the north by the arid bushlands and deserts of Ethiopia and Sudan, to the east by Somalia and the Indian Ocean, to the west by Uganda and Lake Victoria (the world’s second largest freshwater lake), and to the south by Tanzania.
Like many African nations, Kenya faces problems of poverty and human overpopulation. Despite reducing its population growth by nearly one-half since the mid-1990s, the current annual increase of nearly 2.7 percent still ranks Kenya among the fastest growing nations on the planet. But it’s a proud country that has somehow managed to sustain perhaps the largest and most diverse populations of wildlife remaining on the African continent.
From the Indian Ocean coastline westward through the highlands surrounding snow-capped Mount Kenya, and along the floor of the Great Rift Valley on to the expansive shores of Lake Victoria, live not only some of the world’s most spectacular animals, but a fascinating medley of tribes and races in a land that is, for the most part, unspoiled.
Following is a daily journal in which I’ll try to share with you the adventure of stalking the “Big Five,” as they’re called in Africa—the large, dominant mammal species of lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros and cape buffalo. But I’ll describe dozens of other strange and magnificent species as well—from more familiar animals like cheetah, zebra, baboon, giraffe, hippopotamus, warthog and eland to smaller species like rock hyrax, dik dik and the dainty gerenuk.
Kenya also abounds in bird species, ranging from the giant ostrich down to the brilliant lilac-breasted roller and the tiny weaver bird. The plants, trees and flowers are as spectacular as the wildlife. And, amidst the pageantry of animals and plant life, we also hope to give you a taste of Kenya’s diverse culture. It’s been influenced over the centuries by a variety of Asian and Arab, as well as European, races and religions, as well as by the indigenous African tribes such as the Maasai and Samburu.
So let’s get started...
Next Page : Getting There is the Hardest Part
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