About Kenya

Kenya is located on the East African Highlands adjacent to the Indian Ocean and lies across the equator. One thing you can be sure of is plenty of sunshine. Temperatures depend upon altitude and ranges from sub zero with snow on the 17,300 foot peak of Mount Kenya to hot dry desert in the North to warm humid days at the coast.

The population is about 40 million and the national languages are Swahili and English. Many different ethic groups have their own tribal tongue and a large Asian community speaks Gujarati and Hindi.
The weather is dependant on tropical movements of moist air that follow the earths seasonal north and south tilt.  This brings two monsoonal rainy seasons. The long rains last from April to July and normally consist of short tropical storms punctuated by sunshine. The short rains are during November and December and are more influenced by oceanic air currents and can bring lighter rain for a few days at a time. The Kenya weather is regarded by most as excellent.

Although the cradle of modern man, Africa accounts for only 5% of global trade and is full of vast development potential. Due to reasons of geography, climate and a preponderance of fierce animals over domesticated animals, Africa’s interior was late to be opened up. Exceptions include South Africa and countries around the Mediterranean. During past centuries in the interior of Africa vast herd of large and dangerous game moved over the continent, hunted by huge numbers of predators. After East Africa was colonized, many dangerous animals, such as rhino, lions and buffalo were killed as policy to make way for safe farming and travel.
Populations have since soared and today there is much competition on land use combined with the realization that wildlife is a rich and unique heritage.

Kenya is a young developing nation with many different peoples, cultures and language. The sights and sounds of Africa fascinate in Kenya today as much as they have ever done and this is especially true of the Kenya coast, home to centuries of civilization and the cradle of Swahili, rich in culture and history.
The Government of Kenya takes tourism seriously with codes of best practice and incentives for investors. The modern capital city is Nairobi, at an altitude of 5,400 at the foot of the highlands with a population is about 2.5 million.  Nairobi is warm and sunny but cool at night due to the altitude. The capital city, same like the other main cities in Kenya, has a wide spread Entertainment Scene, offering all kinds of activities, including  fantastic Restaurants, all sorts of modern Sports and Family Entertainment Facilities and a Vibrant Night Life with Cosy Bars , Pubs and spectacular Discos.

Kenya is the same size as France, and the Great Rift valley runs north to south through it with spectacular views and a series of fascinating valley lakes, with Lake Magadi in the south, one of the hottest places on earth with massive salt accumulations and Lake Turkana in the north, populated by huge crocodiles on the shores of archeological finds that date back to early hominids 3 million years ago.

Tourism Development

Tourism is the second largest sector of Kenya’s economy. Wildlife and beaches form the backbone of the tourism industry as most visitors come to view wildlife or visit the beaches or both. The tourism industry accounts for 21 per cent of total foreign exchange earnings and 12 per cent of GDP.  The Kenya tourist Board is mandated to promote long haul tourism and the Kenya wildlife services is mandated to safeguard the wildlife and parks.

Africa suffers a poor image, being associated with political coups and small wars. However the pace of development is great and democracy has taking firm root almost everywhere. Kenya has long been regarded as a haven of stability that rose above the poor image. Post election violence in 2008 challenged that image and tourism suffered. However, the fact remains that not one tourist was physically harmed and Kenya has made further progress in the democratic process.

Regarded as a leading country in Africa, Kenya has attracted visitors for many years and has a well developed and sophisticated tourism service industry 
Kenya is one of Africa's great tourism destinations, known for its remarkable diversity of landscapes, wildlife and cultures. From sweeping savannahs to tropical beaches and coral reefs, to magnificent snow capped mountains, Kenya is a magical world worthy of exploration.

The ancient and historic coast capital and Kenya's second largest city is the port of Mombasa with a population of about one million. Mombasa has been home to monsoon wind maritime trade for more than thousand years. Today the modern port handles most of the shipping for the east African region. Mombasa’s modern and attractive Moi International Airport is the coast gateway for growing numbers of hundreds of thousands of visitors that arrive by air every year.