We’ve taken a short trip around some of the major tourist areas in the country’s capital, Nairobi, and also visited the incredibly beautiful coastal town of Lamu that for the moment is relatively unknown to tourists. Obviously enough we also went on a safari, but on this occasion, we decided to visit Nakuru instead of the globally famous Masai Mara. Here in LookOut-Pro, we always try to do something different and move one step to the left of what the others are doing. So, let’s take a look at Kenya.
Lamu is the oldest and best-preserved Swahili town on the East African coast. Situated 200km to the north of the populous Mombasa, it’s a town of immense beauty, built in coral stone and mangrove wood. Just in case we need to be reminded, the Swahili are an ethnic group and culture mainly based on the coast of Kenya, Tanzania and northern Mozambique. It’s a Muslim culture with its own language and has also been heavily influenced by the Portuguese, British and French over the years. Or to put it another way, the culture from which the popular phrase “Hakuna Matata” is derived.
In Lamu there are virtually no vehicles, people move around by boat, cars are outnumbered by domesticated and wild donkeys and are adopted by a large part of the population as their principal means of transport.
It has incredible potential thanks to its ample natural environment and practically wild, virgin beaches, which also act as a refuge from the enormous mansions of international music and movie stars. Mangroves are also common in the area, along with the remnants of interaction in the area from the Bantú, Persian, Indian and Arabic cultures, and there’s also an abundance of baobab trees in the area.
In the capital Nairobi, commonly referred to as Green City in the Sun, you’ll find a modern city, full of contrasts with an international vocation. The city is located on the banks of the Nairobi River in the south of the country and is surrounded by lush vegetation, at an elevation of 1660m above sea level. Its population is estimated to be around 4 million people and is Africa’s fourth largest city in terms of population.
However, if you plan on visiting Kenya what you really have to do is go on a safari. Lake Nakuru National Park is 140km from Nairobi and known all over the world as being home to a huge concentration of flamingos and other migratory birds.
The park boasts an ecosystem where you can see 56 different species of mammals and more than 400 types of birds. It’s also home to the powerful “Simba” (lion in Swahili), huge rhinos, giraffes, zebras, and the “Pumbaa” from Disney’s Lion King.
The area features strongly in the classic Oscar-winning movie “Out of Africa” (1985), which was based on the autobiographical novel by the Danish writer Karen Blixen, directed by Sidney Pollack and starred Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
Incidentally, we should mention that after spending a few hours in the Park we saw very few animals apart from flamingos. But then, in less than 15 minutes, practically the whole cast of the Lion King movie passed in front of our van. A wild and beautiful experience that’s hard to put into words…
