Friday, December 18, 2015

At Least 9 ½ Reasons to Stay Awhile in Nairobi

Posted by Recommend.com



You can see the city skyline from the Nairobi National Park.

It’s no secret that for most leisure travelers to Kenya, its capital city Nairobi is a necessary stop on the way to and out of the African bush. Our press group would stay longer, as guests of the Kenya Tourism Board and attendees of the Africa Travel Association (ATA), whose 40th annual meeting was held in the state-of-the-art Kenyatta International Conference Center, a spiffy circular building with an architectural blend of modern and traditional African styles.
The conference center shares an enormous fountained square with Law Courts and the Holy Family Basilica, and its downtown business center location boasts fine hotels such as the InterContinental Nairobi, the Hilton Nairobi and the still-charming and newly luxurious Sarova Stanley Hotel—a Nairobi classic built in 1902 as the Stanley Hotel, whose long-past guests included Ernest Hemingway, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, and also decades ago, yours truly.
There are also plenty of celebrities still coming to Nairobi: President Barak Obama was there last July, and during our stay, the capital was excitedly preparing to welcome Pope Francis. Certainly for the visit, city planners would at least temporarily solve the problem of horrendous traffic, and most certainly, the Pope found a warm welcome from the vibrant and outgoing Kenyans. Our group did, and adding on a couple of days, I found at least 9 ½ reasons to have stayed awhile longer:

1. The Nairobi National Museum tops everyone’s list of cultural recommendations, and is also of special interest to understand Kenya’s place as a cradle of civilization and the story of human evolution. Many of the paleontology finds of the Leakey family are housed here, part of one of the most important fossil collections in the world. Other excellent exhibits focus on birds, mammals and ethnographical artifacts from Kenya’s various tribes. A sleeper not to miss is the Nairobi National Gallery, occupying a landmark stone building whose six gallery interiors display an extraordinary African collection of ancient sculpture, paintings and artifacts of daily use from all over the continent. One room is reserved for exhibits of local and continental artists, whose fine works are for sale.

2. Another only-in-Africa attraction is Bomas of Kenya, a culture center near the National Park where the government has built a complex of replicas of tribal villages, each constructed in the style of Kenya’s major ethnic groups. Come to enjoy performances of music and traditional dances in full regalia of all the major tribes—the Kikiku form the majority in Nairobi, the well-known Maasai and the less-familiar Mijikenda from the Indian Ocean coast.


You can shop 'till you drop in Kenya. 

3. Nairobi is simply a wonderland for shopping in boutique galleries or outdoor markets: extraordinary beadwork from statement-making jewelry to bowls and handbags to designer-quality sandals; baskets, wood carvings, metal work, wonderful fabrics by the piece or fashioned into tribal-chic dresses, everything from accessories to sculptures made from recycled flip-flops and bottle tops. The accent seems to be on authentic African design among the artisans who have shops in the Village Market, and the source for real bargains (after hard bargaining) is the itinerant Maasai Market, which sets up shop in different locations on set days.

4. Nairobi dining seems centered around grilled meat—called nyama choma in the local Kiswahili language. And the most celebrated, if slightly kitschy, upscale emporium for a protein banquet is the open-air Carnivore restaurant. Expert carvers in zebra-striped uniforms patrol the dining room with Maasai swords skewered with beef, pork, goat and lamb, as well as farmed camel, ostrich and crocodile. It’s an eat-all-the-meat-you-want place. (Friends in Nairobi praised the barbecue at the low-on-frills Herisquare). Of course, in the capital, you’ll find good restaurants serving up spicy curries and fresh seafood from the Indian Ocean coast. The Tamarind Restaurant was one recommendation in my notes; I didn’t eat there.

5. Who knew you barely have to leave the capital to go on safari. With city skyscrapers forming an incongruous backdrop, you’re up and out at 5:30 a.m. taking a game drive through the Nairobi National Park, at 28,963 acres, one of Africa’s smallest. But there’s plenty of wildlife at home here, including lions and cheetahs, harder to see than zebra, giraffe, impala, gazelle, buffalo, warthogs and ostrich. The most celebrated species is the black rhinoceros, and the park serves as a sanctuary for the densest rhino population in the world. Additionally, wetland areas sustain some 400 bird species.


Feeding time at the elephant orphanage.

6. Perhaps the greatest show in town is the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a nonprofit organization that rescues baby elephants whose parents have been killed by poachers or felled by disease. Elephant caretakers have a special relationship with their long-trunked wards: they sleep with them in the stalls until they get big, then accompany them to holding areas in the wild and stay with them for several more months until they are ready to live on their own. Visitors are welcome daily at the orphanage from 11 a.m. to noon, the time to watch the keepers referee the daily milk-bottle feeding and mud bath.

7. Another of Kenya’s good news conservation stories is the Giraffe Center, which gives shelter to the endangered Rothschild giraffe. Visitors get up-close and personal with these gangly, gorgeous creatures when they hand-feed them from an elevated observation post. It’s also selfie photo time, for giraffes tolerate a hug around the neck and a kiss or two. For clients really into giraffes, right next-door is Giraffe Manor, once a colonial-era home, now an elegant little hotel where you can feed the animals from your second-floor guest room.

8. It’s fun to see how Karen Blixen—author (under the pen name Isak Dinesen) of “Out of Africa”—lived from 1917 to 1931. Her house and garden is now the Karen Blixen Museum, furnished with original furniture or similar pieces from the period. Much of the Oscar-winning movie adaption of the book was shot on the grounds.

9. Nairobi is by no means short on hotel comforts. In fact, the luxury Radisson Blu opened while we were in Nairobi—with little time for hotel inspections. We stayed at the four-star Sarova Panafric, an easy walk to the business district and recently totally refurbished. While lacking any decorative personality, rooms and baths are comfortable and spacious; the Flame Tree Restaurant lays out an excellent breakfast, the pool in its garden setting is welcoming, and the hotel staff is sensational. The great personality property visited was the Tribe Hotel, a new member of the Design Hotels. It has sleek contemporary interiors—granite, slate, marble—public areas, as well as 137 smart, chic guestrooms and suites (many with split-level lofts) appointed with a wonderful assemblage of African sculptures, arts and textiles. The exterior enjoys gardens and waterfalls framing the pool, and amenities include a full-service spa, and a Moroccan-inspired rooftop lounge.

9 ½. One of the nice things about leaving Nairobi to travel about the country is departing from its domestic Wilson Airport (WIL): a bright, well-run, welcoming place, as were other domestic airports—Malindi and Lamu—we touched down in. Like my hometown LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City, Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) could use an upgrade, starting with better lighting throughout and someplace to eat.

Friday, October 30, 2015

New Isiolo Airport to open

Posted by eTurboNews

The Samburu region has long been a highlight of the Kenya safari circuit, smaller airstrips utilized in perfectly crafted itineraries. Itinerary options will soon multiply with the construction of the Isiolo International Airport, set to open end of 2015.
Almost complete, the facility will have the capacity to handle 125,000 passengers annually, connecting travelers with northern parks and reserves, and countries like Ethiopia.
New Isiolo Airport to open
Oct 30, 2015 

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

World's Best Destinations for Solo Travelers

Posted by Fodor's

Traveling alone is no longer taboo.  In fact, it's now trendy to go on trips alone, as more and more people are discovering the freedom of exploring a new place on their own terms. At the same time, community groups, meet-ups, and a vast wealth of online and digital resources have made it easier than ever to hit the road solo. From the stunning landscapes of Iceland to the sultry beaches of Belize, many destinations are friendly to independent travelers. Still undecided? Here are some tips on destinations known to be safe and where to look in each. Happy solo travels!

Ne

MASAI MARA

Where: Kenya
Nature has a way of bringing people together. In the Masai Mara’s vast Big 5 terrain, a safari plunges visitors deep into the grasslands. Independent travelers are joined up with others on Jeep safaris, providing an instant set of friends. June to October is best to witness the Great Migration, a movement of millions of wildebeests. But during low season, many lodges waive single supplements.
Insider Tip: Stay in a setting designed to meet others. Naibor Camp is intimate, with few eco-luxury tents where guests can interact over communal dining with the friendly and entertaining managing couple, Ken and Michelle. Dinner is preceded by drinks around the campfire under immense starlight.
Plan Your Trip: Visit Fodor’s Masai Mara Guide

Friday, October 23, 2015

Google Maps goes on safari: Find the Big Five in Kenya

Posted by eTurbo News
NEW YORK, New York - Google Maps has gone on safari. The service announced a partnership with Save the Elephants (STE) to promote wildlife conservation. Take a walk through Samburu National Reserve, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust via Street View. The project allows Internet browsers to go on safari from the comfort of their home and hopefully be inspired to learn more about the wildlife they find along the way.
The Google Maps team explored 64 square miles of Kenya's Samburu National Reserve's roads in February 2015, photographing elephants, zebras, and leopards along the way.
How to navigate:
- Type in "Samburu National Reserve HQ" into your Google Maps search bar
- Locate the square labeled "Earth" in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen
- Click this square and zoom out
- Zoom out
- Locate the yellow human figure icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen
- Drag this icon over the map and drop over a blue highlighted region that will appear
- Explore!
Return to your Google Maps search bar and enter "David Sheldrick Wildife Trust" or "Lewa Wildlife Conservancy."
While traveling through Samburu, users can read about various elephant families, identified by their thematic names.
Save the Elephants states more than 100,000 African elephants fell victim to poaching 2010-2012. Conservationists believe the trading of ivory and loss of habitat are placing the currently vulnerable African elephant population in danger. STE shares the latest estimates of total African elephants to range between 419,000 and 650,000.
From aerial surveys to GPS collars, Save the Elephants is one of the foremost elephant research organizations in the world. Primarily based in Samburu, STE conducts research and provides scientific insight on elephant behavior, intelligence and long-distance movement. The organization works with global partners to apply their research to the long-term challenges of elephant conservation.
research to the long-term challenges of elephant conservation. 
Google Maps goes on safari: Find the Big Five in Kenya
Oct 22, 2015 

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

10 Incredible Adventures in Kenya

Posted by Huffington Post

2015-09-15-1442282265-963615-19886862365_cfc8a0243e_k.jpg
Not too many months ago, I spent eight days traveling through Kenya. It was my first visit to the country, and because of experiences like these 10 adventures--from a walking safari in an under-the-radar conservancy in the Mara to breakfast with wildlife in The Samburu National Reserve and an island retreat off the southeast coast--I know it's far from my last.

10 Incredible Adventures in Kenya1 of 11 

Photos: Lauren Matison

Monday, September 7, 2015

Consortia, franchise deals contribute to busy ASTA confab

Posted by Travel Weekly

WASHINGTON — ASTA’s ranks have been bolstered to a total of 8,600 members thanks in part to mandatory and subsidized memberships from consortia and franchises. 
ASTA CEO Zane Kerby said during the ASTA Global Convention here last week that those contributions enabled ASTA to continue doing the work it does. 
“Just prior to the convention last year, several consortia leaders stood up and said, 'ASTA, I have your back,' " Kerby said during the event. 
“The ASTA network is growing because of the consortia support that we are receiving,” Kerby said, noting that the number of Virtuoso and MAST members in ASTA’s network had roughly doubled, while the Signature network’s members had tripled.
According to Jennifer Michels, ASTA’s vice president of communication, deals with consortia have so far resulted in around 230 new members. And this year U.S. agency membership is up by 100, which equates to around 600 total agent members.
Higher membership has meant a better turnout at the society’s annual convention, which this year drew 920 attendees, almost triple what it did last year, according to Michels. 
“This is probably the largest global convention we’ve had in five, six, seven, 10 years; I can’t even remember when it was this large, and that’s thrilling,” said ASTA Chair Roger Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group.
Of the 920 attendees, 500 were travel agents, Kerby said, as well as over 100 exhibitors. He also attributed the boost to the addition of an educational program with “something for everyone,” whether they are small agents, luxury or corporate specialists or anyone in between. 
“It worked,” he said. “We have more agents this year than we had attendees all of last year.”
Kerby also touted the convention’s strong international turnout, with more than 50 countries represented. 
The delegation from Kenya included multiple attendees and a large display at the trade show. John Chirchir, the regional marketing manager for the Kenya Tourism Board, said it hoped to connect with travel agents interested in being specialists in East Africa, and Kenya specifically.
In addition to seeing a good turnout at the trade show, Chirchir was pleased that more than 50 American travel agents attended the Kenya destination specialist course on Sunday, which featured speaker Ibrahim Mohammed, principal secretary for the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism.
Kristina Mobley, of Ambassador Travel in Evansville, Ind., was attending her first ASTA Global Convention on a scholarship from her ASTA chapter, MidAmerica. Mobley said the size of the convention was indicative of the industry as a whole right now. 
“It’s definitely showing that the travel industry is growing,” she said.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Sky’s The Limit: 4 Luxe Hot-Air Balloon Rides Across Africa

Posted by Forbes Travel Guide

Sky’s The Limit: 4 Luxe Hot-Air Balloon Rides Across Africa - Forbes Travel Guide
Take Your African Excursion To New Heights With Balloon Safaris Ltd. 
Photo Courtesy of Balloon Safaris Ltd.
There’s nothing like seeing the ruins of Luxor up close or looking into the soulful eyes of an elephant. For a bird’s-eye view, though, you can’t beat a hot air balloon ride. Whether you’re flying over wildlife or taking in vast landscapes from a fresh perspective, these are four of the best hot air balloon rides on the African continent.
Maasai Mara, KenyaThe pilots working for Balloon Safaris Ltd. have a minimum of 1,000 hours ballooning experience, and it shows in their immaculate handling of the aircrafts; they’re often able to bring them to just eight feet off the ground, enabling you to hover just above the animals below. You’ll cruise for an hour above the Maasai Mara Reserve, generally flying towards the Mara River. Below you’ll spot lions, zebra, wildebeests, gazelles, impala and, if you’re lucky, elephants off in the distance. Breakfast is a feast; in the shade of an açaí tree, toast to your balloon safari with bubbly as you tuck into quiche, yogurt, muesli, eggs and croissants.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Going the Distance —These Marathoners Are Running Across the Globe

Posted by Yahoo! Travel

There are a million reasons why people travel.
Some go for food, others go for culture, and many simply seek out warmer weather and relaxation. But a passtionate group of extreme athletes travels the world for a completely different reason. Oftentimes, the weather is colder than home, and the planned activity is one known to exhaust the body and mind. 
These brave souls travel for marathons…and they can’t get enough.
image
Runners at the start of the Maasai marathon in Kenya. (Photo: Marathon Tours and Travel)

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Five O'Clock Somewhere At Kenya's Naboisho Camp

Posted by Forbes

After an invigorating few hours of late afternoon hiking through Kenya’s Mara Naboisho Conservancy, you will have earned your sundowner drinks on a chunk of high ground with views that stretch forever. While you trekked, staff at the high-end Naboisho Camp will have driven over to the property’s fly camping site (a basic tent option, that is) to greet you with your cocktail of choice prepared right at a makeshift bar in the bush.
Courtesy Naboisho Camp/Asilia Africa
Picnics and sundowners can be arranged pretty much anywhere around Naboisho Camp lands. —Courtesy Naboisho Camp/Asilia Africa
All you have to do is sit back on a canvas folding chair in front of a campfire and rave about all the wildlife you just saw in their natural habitat. As the sun sets and darkness takes over, guides will share traditional Masai tales with you, as well as give you a primer on ecology in this 50,000-square-acre area just next to the famous Masai Mara game reserve. 

Earlier, upon your arrival by small plane from Nairobi, wildebeest and common zebra will likely have been hanging around the dirt runway until shooed away for your descent. On the hour-plus overland drive to Naboisho Camp, guide Benjamin Kisemei will explain the rhythms of life here; for example, that there is plenty of water for resident wildebeest in the wet season when rutting begins; and, that wildebeest and zebra don’t graze the same grasses, but are companions for security.
Courtesy Naboisho Camp/Asilia Africa
Perfect for drinks and wildlife viewing, this deck is off the main lodge at Naboisho Camp. —Courtesy Naboisho Camp/Asilia Africa
On afternoon game drives in a Land Rover during your sojourn at Naboisho, you’ll learn to recognize bachelor pods of male impalas by their horns, and to distinguish them from Thomson’s gazelles. You’ll discover other hoofed animals like cox hartebeests, bushbucks, and topis whose black rings on their legs make it look like they’re wearing blue jeans. You’ll be amused by the tiny oxpecker birds sitting on the backs of huge water buffalo. 
Benjamin will further explain that the Masai boys you see driving cattle will do so until around 6 p.m., at which time predators will come out as the cattle vacate the conservancy. Distant thunder and lightening may fill the sky on the plains, and if you’re lucky a tower of giraffes will appear silhouetted against the sunset as you head back to camp.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

One True Thing About Kenya

Posted by National Geographic: Digital Nomad

“In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country.”
That’s tongue-in-cheek advice from Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina’s brilliant satirical essay “How to Write About Africa.”
I came across it because I’ll be traveling around Kenya as National Geographic Travel’s Digital Nomad for the next month, and, if I’m being honest, I’m not yet sure how to write—as Ernest Hemingway might put it—“one true sentence” about the country.
This is my first time to Kenya, which, incidentally, happens to be the first African nation I knew by name. When I was a kid, family friends returning from a trip there regaled us with tales of safari camps and baby hippos that never left me.
In the coming weeks I’ll see thousands of blue wildebeests migrate across the Masai Mara reserve; solo hike through the Great Rift Valley; snorkel in the Indian ocean; ride a horse past giraffes with Mount Kilimanjaro as the backdrop in Kenya’s least visited national park, Chyulu Hills; and—importantly—talk with Kenyans. Who knows, maybe I’ll even catch a country music show in Nairobi.
Of late, the country of 44 million has been in the news owing to its distant past, complex present, and promising future.
In the spring of 2015, rough-hewn stone tools found in Kenya’s Turkana Basin helped science “push back the dawn of culture by 700,000 years.”
Meanwhile, in late July, United States President Barack Obama (whose late father was Kenyan) joined entrepreneurs at an international summit in Nairobi that helped position Kenya—and its growing economy—as a beacon for a new globally connected Africa.
This is welcome news after violence along the country’s border with Somalia prompted the U.S. State Department and other governments to caution travelers. I’ll be avoiding those areas, which fortunately leaves the bulk of Kenya to explore.
For me at least, pre-research for major trips is half the fun. In the course of my preparation, I read the 1937 book Out of Africa by Karen von Blixen-Finecke (pen name Isak Dinesen), but preferred Beryl Markham’s account of living in the country during the same time period, when what is now Kenya was under British colonial rule.
In West With the NightMarkham, who grew up on a farm near the Great Rift Valley and went on to become an iconic bush pilot who crossed the Atlantic, writes, “There are as many Africas as there are books about Africa.”
The best I’ve read so far is Binyavanga Wainaina’s One Day I Will Write About This Place, a memoir of growing up outside Nairobi and learning to write. He describes a love of breakdancing, being mesmerized by Lionel Ritchie’s teeth, and life as a “Cold War kid”—which ultimately sounds a lot like my life growing up in Oklahoma.
In the weeks before my plane was to leave, I’ve caught myself telling people “I’m going to Africa.” But if all goes right, my experience on the ground will change that.
If I have any one goal—other than to fall in love with the place, see some animals, meet locals I won’t forget, and find at least one true sentence—it’ll be to say after my trip not “I went to Africa,” but “I went to Kenya.”
Robert Reid is National Geographic Travel’s Digital Nomad, exploring the world with passion and purpose. Follow his adventures in #MagicalKenya on Twitter and Instagram

Five Easy Ways to Take a Digital Detox

Posted by Travel + Leisure




Travelers thrive on being connected to the world. It’s in our nature to want to meet new people, experience different cultures and places—and share the journey. But when you can go just about anywhere these days and still get a signal on your phone, feeding that urge to Instagram everything can actually leave us more deeply disengaged from a destination (and our travel companions) than we realize.   

While evidence against the overuse of technology is mounting—from smartphone addiction to its negative effects on the brain to the dangers of Wi-Fi exposure around children—according to a recent study from HR consulting firm Randstad, 42% of us still feel compelled to check work email on vacation.
“Our need for instantaneous flow of information is detrimental to our mental and physical health,” says endurance/athletic coach Ellen Miller. “The behavior can become quite compulsive and addictive, and lead to a more sedentary lifestyle. Whether cycling or hiking or walking, it is so important to put down technology and reconnect with nature.”
Consider these five getaway tips that make it easy to forget about the Internet so you can be fully in the moment—without having to record it.

Go back to camp

Friends and family might be used to your head-in-the-icloud tendencies at dinner, but with new people it’s almost impossible not to be aware of your own awkward, must-take-a-selfie behavior, especially while exchanging stories around a campfire. Sensing a growing demand for unplugged vacations, outfitters are crafting itineraries tailored to the tech-obsessed generation.
The more wild the setting, the less likely you are to crave technology. On safari, there’s nothing on your phone worth turning away from a dazzle of zebras or a herd of bathing elephants. Preempt the impulse to later Instagram your close encounter with a baboon by booking a stay at an Internet-averse place like Asilia Naboisho Camp, situated in a private 50,000-acre conservancy near the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.  

And when it’s finally time to log back in at work, the experience of having been freed from the Web, even for a little while, will have a profound and lingering effect. You’ll see.