By Solomon Okila
Apart from the traditional wildlife safari for which Kenya is widely known, the country also offers numerous and different types of other types of tours and excursions that would be interest only to a few people with special, but intense interest. From golfing to filmmaking, to diving, you will find locations and facilities to meet your needs.
There are very many possibilities of enriching a visit to Kenya with tours to areas and establishments of special interest and even meetings with professionals in that particular field. There is a whole range of subjects, which may be included into a customized itinerary – whether you would like to travel as a large group or as a small one.
Some of the areas of interest that you would consider to work around in Kenya are mentioned briefly below.
Agriculture and Horticulture
Kenya has a predominantly agricultural economy, with agriculture, horticulture, livestock, forestry and fishing accounting for a sizeable percentage of the Gross Domestic Product of the country. The most important cash crops are coffee and tea grown in the cool fertile uplands in the central part of the country.
Tropical fruits such as pineapples, paw paws, bananas, mangoes, cashews and macadamias are all grown in Kenya and Tanzania for home consumption and export. In the farming centre of Nakuru, it is possible to visit a pyrethrum factory (Kenya produces almost 80% of the total world production of pyrethrum). In addition, this area is ideally suited to ranching with fine herds of beef cattle as is Naivasha and Nanyuki, with Boran, Sahiwal, Charolais and Hereford breeds.
You can visit flower farms in and around Naivasha town. Kenya produces cut flowers largely for export, supplying almost 98% of its 40 types of flowers to European Countries.
Archaeological Tours
Archaeologically, Kenya is of worldwide interest being the discovery site for some extremely important excavations and findings. Kenya is the cradle of Mankind. Between 1998 and 1999, the remains and fossils of Kenyanthropus platyops, dating back to over 2.6 million years were discovered west of Lake Turkana. These discoveries suggest the protohumans roamed the area more than 20 million years ago. Today, these remains can be found at the National Museums of Kenya.
Historical and Cultural Tours
The coastline of Kenya and Tanzania bears the remains of the many foreign peoples who have passed through its shores in the last 1000 years of history - Chinese, Persians, Arabs, Portuguese to mention just a few. Some were traders and while others were invaders. All the same, all of them have left a fascinating collection of coastal antiquities.
The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama arrived in Malindi in 1498. He received a very warm welcome from the locals and Malindi became a Portuguese centre of trade.
The diversity of the culture of Kenya's people can be felt through their languages, food, music, beliefs and practices. For example, among the Luhya community of western Kenya, August and December are the months when they circumcise their young lads. Besides the actual initiation ceremony, traditional songs and dances are performed during this period.
Geological Tours
For lovers of geology and gemology, a safari combined with opportunities of meeting local enthusiasts and visits to areas of mineralogical interest can be an exciting experience. The volcanic eruptions that have taken place have created fascinating structures of earth variations.
Golfing Tours
There are 4 championship golf courses in and around Nairobi and nearly 20 courses throughout Kenya, all in beautiful settings. The Kenya Open (handicap 3 or under) attracts world golfing stars during the months of February and March and the Kenya Amateur Championships (handicap seven of less) in November. You can schedule your travel to coincide with the dates.
Deep sea Fishing
For deep sea fishing fans, between the months of October and March there are opportunities of landing record marlin, mako shark and sailfish as well as a plethora of game fish including kingfish, bonito, felusi and black runner along the coastline. During this period regular competitions are held in which overseas visitors are encouraged to participate.
Other special interest tours that can be enjoyed in Kenya include bird watching and diving expeditions. There are over 1000 species of birds while qualified divers can enjoy the reefs of Mombasa with the season running from April to October.
Many other special events and festivals take place in Kenya every year. The main ones include the Kenya Tourism Week, The Safari Rally, Concours d'elegance Motor Show, The Rhino Charge, International Camel Derby and the Dugong Festival/ Lamu Donkey Race.
Solomon Okila is the Editor and Safari Consultant at African Voyages Tours and Travel. This is a tour operator and Safari Outfitter that specializes on African Travel and holidays. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http://www.africanvoyages.com
Source:www.isnare.com |
