1. FRIDAY, May 13, 2011
34
T
HE warm afternoon sun and the
shrill chirps of red-chested sunbirds
seemed to put a damper on her
afternoon siesta…And after a quick
bout of yogic stretches, she began
to prowl ahead with a calculated gait, her eyes
fixed on her prey about 500 metres away - a ro-
bust wildebeest - enough to provide a sumptuous
lunch for her pride of thirteen lions and lionesses
who waited patiently in the distance.
As batches of tourists posted themselves
metres away from the pride, in safari vans, their
cameras focused on the cat out on a kill, the lion-
ess strode on, trying to keep herself concealed
below the short blades of grass. Soon, four more
lionesses got up and joined in the hunt, carefully
positioning themselves behind her, as if setting
up the crucial fielding for the last over of a world
cup cricket final. And as they lay in ambush,
crouching low with fixed gazes and moving
stealthily ahead, one expected to see what hap-
pens here almost every day and night. But just
then, sensing danger, the topi antelopes in the
vicinity released a few snorts of alarm and the
wildebeest scampered away leaving the cats, and
the cameras, disappointed.
That was a few anxious moments during one
of the game rides around the grassy plains of
Masai Mara during a trip to this internationally-
popular haven of wildlife in Kenya (Africa),
the number one safari destination in the world.
Courtesy Kenya Airways and Moyo Luxury
Tours, the familiarisation trip was intended to
showcase the wonders of the wild to people in
Oman who usually settle for holidays in destina-
tions in the Far East and Europe that are laden
with malls and shopping avenues, amusement
parks and stunning concrete landscapes. The
fact is, that just four and a half hours away from
Oman and with a time lag of just one hour,
Kenya exists abounding with nature’s glory, a
destination that provides peace of mind as well
as a unique feast for the senses.
Known as the ‘crade of humankind’ wherein
the first humans existed as hunter-gatherers
from about 50,000 BC, Kenya offers innumer-
able options for thrilling holidays from 2 to 10
days depending on one’s budget. And with very
convenient flight timings, Kenya Airways takes
one right into the heart of the action wherein dif-
ferent destinations are connected by road (three
to five hours drive) or by air as Safarilink oper-
ates mini Cessna aircraft (30-40 minute flights)
between key destinations for those who would
like to avoid the drive.
Kenya, located in Africa, shares its borders
with the Indian Ocean, Somalia, Tanzania, Ugan-
da, and Sudan. It has over 400 historical sites
ranging from prehistoric fossils and petrified
forests to 14th century slave trading settlements,
settlements, Islamic ruins and 16th century Por-
tuguese forts. These include the Gedi ruins, Fort
Jesus, Mount Kenya, Hell’s Gate National Park
and the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
The main groups of tribes are the Bantu
who migrated from western Africa, the Nilotic
people who originated from Sudan and the
Hamitic group who were mainly pastoral tribes
from Ethiopia and Somalia. The main tribes are
Kikuyu, Meru, Samburu, Kalenjin, Luyha, Luo,
Kisii, Kamba, Swahili, Turkana and the popular
Masais, which have become an icon of Kenya’s
tourism. Kenyans, whether staying in the bush
or in the city are very friendly people and though
Swahili is the commonly spoken language, Eng-
lish is the official language and widely spoken
even by the tribals.
Heart of Africa
ACCORDING to Pankaj Shah (owner of Moyo
luxury holidays, one of the most popular tour
operators in Nairobi), a businessman of Indian
origin who was born and brought up in Kenya,
“Kenya is the most peaceful, most beautiful and
most prosperous country in the whole of Africa
with a democratic government and a multicul-
tural society, just like Oman, with people from
all over the world residing and working in close
proximity with the Kenyan nationals. Also,
geographically, it is centrally located in Africa
with Kenya Airways connecting Kenya to all
destinations in Africa.”
About its natural beauty, he said “Kenya is
a land of magnificent beauty with everything
contained in one small area of Africa, making
WONDERS
OFTHEWILD
Withhundredsofthousandsofzebras,gazelles,antelopes,elephants,buffaloes,giraffes,wildebeest,grazingallaround,andagoodnumber
oflions,leopards,cheetahsandhyenaslyinginambush,thegrasslandsofKenyaofferthemoststunningsightsinnature,thatis,ifyou
stepofftheconcretejungleandheadforthewildtoexperiencesomerealthrill.HUBERTVAZtakesatriptothebushtodiscoveratreatofa
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FRIDAY, May 13, 2011
35
it the heart of Africa. We have beaches, we have wildlife,
mountains, rivers, the great rift valley with seven rivers, each
of which is a paradise for ambhibious reptiles, animals and
bird life. There are 400 different species of mammals and
reptiles and about 600 different species of birds, the most
popular being the flamingos, which are found in millions at
Lake Boringo and Lake Naivasha. These lakes also have hot
springs in the vicinity wherein the temperature of the water
is as high as 400 degrees C.”
Tribes and tributes
GIVING a historic perspective of Kenya, he disclosed that
Kenya started evolving as a destination when the British
took it over in the 1890s and built the Ugandian Railways
and provided jobs to Indians (from Goa, Gujarat, Punjab)
and the Chinese. “Kenyans, as such, belong to three races,
the Nubians who come from Sudan, the Nilotics, those who
lived along the river Nile and the Bantus, people from South-
ern Africa. There are about 28 different tribes, including
eight main tribes,” he said adding “after the First World War,
Kenya started becoming rich as a lot of Europeans who were
asked to go to War by their governments, chose to come to
Pankaj Shah
Owner Moyo Luxury Tours
“From the Muscat market, when I
started operating in 2001, we had
people coming in for two-night
trips and, once here, after seeing
the natural beauty and wonderful
climate (18-25 degrees C all through
the year), they hated the fact that
they spent so much on airfare only
to spend two nights in Kenya. Last
year, the undersecretary of tourism
in Oman had also been on a quick
trip to Kenya and he was absolutely
fascinated with his experiences with
the wildlife here.”
Philip Mclellan
Manager, The Governor’s Camp, Maasai Mara
“My ancestors came in from Ireland and England
in the 1920s after the First World War and never
went back. I was born in Nakuru and lived all my
life here. This is a great country and the Kenyans
are a very friendly race. It’s a society that recog-
nises people of smaller communities and tribes
and they are used to dealing with and treating
people from all over the world for generations.
The Governor’s Camp is the first tented camp in
Mara and east Africa and it was named so since
the erstwhile British governor used to reside here
whenever he came to Mara. We are also the
home of the BBC wildlife documentaries of which
the Big Cat Diaries is very popular.”
Patrick Reynolds
Manager, little Governor’s Camp, Maasai Mara
“I’d like to tell tourists from Oman to do come
to Kenya for a safari, especially to Maasai Mara
which is the greatest wildlife reserve in Kenya
and probably has the best wildlife available
within east Africa. In Kenya, you’ll always get
halal food because this country is strongly Is-
lamic, as well. A mosque may not exist at all the
reserves but we do provide prayer rooms, prayer
mats and Islamic people to assist Muslim tour-
ists with their needs. The Little Governor’s Camp
is smaller than the main camp but more intimate
and most tourists prefer to stay here.”
Omar Ikram
General Manager, Naivasha Lake Resort
“Our hotel is known for its greenery and its
natural set up. You can hear and see the birds
and animals and enjoy a lot of peace here. Since
we are very close to Nairobi, we have Arab tour-
ists coming here all through the year, not just in
the peak season. For Arab tourists, we offer all
facilities including prayer rooms. We also have
mosque close by and you can hear the Azaan
clearly at our resort. The food is all halal and we
have an Indian chef who takes care of the Asian
and Middle Eastern tastes.”
Sami Mongae
Bantu tour guide, Moyo Tours
“There are various tribes in Kenya, all of which
respect animals as a gift from God and they live
in close proximity with wildlife, never harming
them. They rear livestock for food and one of the
common practices is drinking blood of livestock
(procured from a vein in the neck of the animal
when they slay them for food) mixed with milk,
which is said to be a source of their immense
strength and immunity to diseases. They believe
that God, whom they call Enkai, has two faces –
a red face when the weather is bright and sunny
and a black face when it is dark and cloudy.
Since Kenya is considered the cradle of human-
ity, where human life began, the tribals believe
that all cows in the world belong to them and
that those existing in other countires have been
stolen from them at some time.”
Collin
Tour guide
“Maasai Mara is one of the best
places in Kenya to have a close
encounter with wildlife. Everyday
offers stunning glimpses into what
happens in the wild and no two
days are the same. We have a wide
variety of wildlife, birds, reptiles,
insects and, as long as you respect
them and keep your distance, you
will always be safe. As guides,
we undergo special training which
includes studying information on
wildlife and their behaviour, safe
navigation around the reserves so as
not to disturb or provoke wildlife as
well as and defence techniques to
ensure the safety of visitors.”
Photos by Hubert Vaz