My decision to go on a Kenya tour was made before the current buzz about Kenya which has come thanks to the ‘Obama’ factor.
I was looking for a good destination in Africa for a tour because I really wanted to go to a place that would really allow me to see the world.
A friend of mine who had previously toured and worked extensively in Africa told me that there was nothing to beat a Kenya tour, short of a tour to the Egyptian pyramids, which is not what I wanted to do. It would seem that everyone who tours Kenya gets the same feeling. I came to this conclusion after I entered the term ‘travel Kenya’ into an Internet search Engine as a part of my decision making process – and sunk deeper into the results I got from that search term, that is, ‘travel Kenya.’
Reading the tales of people who have toured Kenya – at least the ones who write about the experience shows that everyone who tours Kenya lives to remember the experience.
It is these tales - at least in part - that led to my decision to undertake a Kenya tour.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Planning for My Kenya Tour
Having decided to undertake a Kenya tour, I got into the planning phase of the tour.
As in all tours I had undertaken, I knew that the key to success and enjoyment of my Kenya tour lay in good planning.
From the web, I gathered that everyone who tours Kenya and indeed anywhere - and has a good experience attributes their experience to good meticulous planning.
I work fully on the Internet, and the web is a resource I intended to maximize on in my attempts to make my Kenya tour a success.
I therefore entered the search term ‘tours Kenya’ – not quite sure what I would get.
I was surprised by the number of Kenya tourist resources that the search term ‘tours Kenya’ yielded. Encouraged, I decided to supplement it with another related term – ‘travel Kenya’ and while travel Kenya did not yield as many resources as ‘tours Kenya’, it did have many more practical resources that I could make real use of in planning for my Kenya tour.
I then decided to document and tabulate the information resources I got from both search terms ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’ and it is these that I used to plan for my Kenya tour.
As in all tours I had undertaken, I knew that the key to success and enjoyment of my Kenya tour lay in good planning.
From the web, I gathered that everyone who tours Kenya and indeed anywhere - and has a good experience attributes their experience to good meticulous planning.
I work fully on the Internet, and the web is a resource I intended to maximize on in my attempts to make my Kenya tour a success.
I therefore entered the search term ‘tours Kenya’ – not quite sure what I would get.
I was surprised by the number of Kenya tourist resources that the search term ‘tours Kenya’ yielded. Encouraged, I decided to supplement it with another related term – ‘travel Kenya’ and while travel Kenya did not yield as many resources as ‘tours Kenya’, it did have many more practical resources that I could make real use of in planning for my Kenya tour.
I then decided to document and tabulate the information resources I got from both search terms ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’ and it is these that I used to plan for my Kenya tour.
Booking a Flight for My Kenya Tour
Booking a Flight for My Kenya Tour
From the Internet searches on ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’ I gathered that a good place to actually start steps towards my Kenya tour would be in booking the flight.
As it turned out, however, I would actually have to book a number of flights, and not just a flight for my Kenya tour.
This is because from the Internet search on ‘travel Kenya’ I learnt – to my dismay – that there are actually no direct flights from the United States to Kenya – at least by the time I made my Kenya tour.
I therefore learnt that I would have to connect flights somewhere in Europe, if I were to make my Kenya tour.
It would seem that Kenya relies heavily on tourism – and that tourism and Kenya’s aviation are deeply linked – because out of the top ten results for both search terms – ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’ – more than half were in fact aviation related and I couldn’t quite figure an explanation for this.
On the upside though, I learnt from one of the websites that came up under the search on ‘tours Kenya’ that I could actually book all the flights I needed for my Kenya tour (upto the very last town I intended to visit on my Kenya tour) online from the United states.
Furthermore, I learnt from a blog run by someone who tours Kenya regularly that my Kenya tour would not cost me too much in terms of airfare- and that I could for instance get to Kenya’s second city – Mombasa, from the capital – Nairobi- a distance of about 500 Kilometers for only $50 – which turned out to be true. The main flight to Kenya, I learnt, would set me back some $2000 to and from.
Armed with these bits of information, I booked the flights I needed for my Kenya tour, and all was now set for the tour.
From the Internet searches on ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’ I gathered that a good place to actually start steps towards my Kenya tour would be in booking the flight.
As it turned out, however, I would actually have to book a number of flights, and not just a flight for my Kenya tour.
This is because from the Internet search on ‘travel Kenya’ I learnt – to my dismay – that there are actually no direct flights from the United States to Kenya – at least by the time I made my Kenya tour.
I therefore learnt that I would have to connect flights somewhere in Europe, if I were to make my Kenya tour.
It would seem that Kenya relies heavily on tourism – and that tourism and Kenya’s aviation are deeply linked – because out of the top ten results for both search terms – ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’ – more than half were in fact aviation related and I couldn’t quite figure an explanation for this.
On the upside though, I learnt from one of the websites that came up under the search on ‘tours Kenya’ that I could actually book all the flights I needed for my Kenya tour (upto the very last town I intended to visit on my Kenya tour) online from the United states.
Furthermore, I learnt from a blog run by someone who tours Kenya regularly that my Kenya tour would not cost me too much in terms of airfare- and that I could for instance get to Kenya’s second city – Mombasa, from the capital – Nairobi- a distance of about 500 Kilometers for only $50 – which turned out to be true. The main flight to Kenya, I learnt, would set me back some $2000 to and from.
Armed with these bits of information, I booked the flights I needed for my Kenya tour, and all was now set for the tour.
Getting a Visa for My Kenya Tour
Getting a Visa for My Kenya Tour
In keeping with my plan for my Kenya tour, I entered my ever faithful search terms, ‘travel Kenya’ and ‘tours Kenya’ into Google, this time searching for information on visa requirements.
Of course rather than enter these search terms- ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’, I could have entered a search term like ‘Kenya tourist visa’ but as it turns out, the results from (deeper down) on terms like ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’ were more personalized forreal people who were looking for visas to travel to Kenya, whereas the info from ‘Kenya tourist visas’ was really filled with formal info, though that could help too…
Nonetheless, from a blog run by someone who tours Kenya regularly, I gathered that getting a visa for a Kenya tour should be the least of your concerns, that is, as long as you are a regular citizen keen on a straightforward Kenya tour.
Indeed, Kenya’s visa requirement is more about raising revenue (I parted with some almost fifty bucks for it)than anything else.
Ultimately though, getting a visa for my Kenya tour was really a breeze, and with it, I was now truly on the way for my Kenya tour.
In keeping with my plan for my Kenya tour, I entered my ever faithful search terms, ‘travel Kenya’ and ‘tours Kenya’ into Google, this time searching for information on visa requirements.
Of course rather than enter these search terms- ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’, I could have entered a search term like ‘Kenya tourist visa’ but as it turns out, the results from (deeper down) on terms like ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya’ were more personalized forreal people who were looking for visas to travel to Kenya, whereas the info from ‘Kenya tourist visas’ was really filled with formal info, though that could help too…
Nonetheless, from a blog run by someone who tours Kenya regularly, I gathered that getting a visa for a Kenya tour should be the least of your concerns, that is, as long as you are a regular citizen keen on a straightforward Kenya tour.
Indeed, Kenya’s visa requirement is more about raising revenue (I parted with some almost fifty bucks for it)than anything else.
Ultimately though, getting a visa for my Kenya tour was really a breeze, and with it, I was now truly on the way for my Kenya tour.
Preparing for My Kenya Tour
Preparing for my Kenya Tour
In preparing for my Kenya tour, I once again turned to my ever faithful Internet search terms – ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya.’
The results I got from ‘tours Kenya’ were not really what I was looking for – because they seemed to promote Kenya tour packages, which I didn’t have money for- as I looking to do a ‘self run’ Kenya tour.
The results I got from the search term ‘travel Kenya’ were however more practical , things like clothes to carry, places to visit, things to do – and even a website with phrases to learn for my Kenya tour.
The most practical advise on preparing for my Kenya tour I got from a blog run by someone who tours Kenya regularly, and who has put together comprehensive information that can be really handy for someone preparing for a Kenya tour.
In preparing for my Kenya, I specifically bought a number of clothing items I would need, read about Kenya and the interesting places in Kenya, and you know, visualized the Kenya tour:)
In preparing for my Kenya tour, I once again turned to my ever faithful Internet search terms – ‘tours Kenya’ and ‘travel Kenya.’
The results I got from ‘tours Kenya’ were not really what I was looking for – because they seemed to promote Kenya tour packages, which I didn’t have money for- as I looking to do a ‘self run’ Kenya tour.
The results I got from the search term ‘travel Kenya’ were however more practical , things like clothes to carry, places to visit, things to do – and even a website with phrases to learn for my Kenya tour.
The most practical advise on preparing for my Kenya tour I got from a blog run by someone who tours Kenya regularly, and who has put together comprehensive information that can be really handy for someone preparing for a Kenya tour.
In preparing for my Kenya, I specifically bought a number of clothing items I would need, read about Kenya and the interesting places in Kenya, and you know, visualized the Kenya tour:)
Arriving for My Kenya Tour
I finally landed in Nairobi's main airport - Jommo Kenyatta Airport - to start my Kenya tour after two long flights, with only a few hours break between them at London's Heathrow Airport.
I had learnt from a blog run by a person who tours Kenya regularly - which I gained access to by entering the search term 'travel Kenya' that I would have to get a taxi to the city center - which is a considerable distance away from the airport as there is no rail connection to the airport - though I came to learn that there is actually a bus service to the city center which the guy who tours Kenya regularly (and whose blog I accessed by entering what I considered a relevant Internet search term 'tours Kenya') seems not to know of.
My impression of Nairobi's airport is that is a very formal place, with plenty of security and control to such an extend that even the taxi drives are wary of hustling for business, unless you make it really clear that you are looking for their services.
The arrivals lounge was abuzz with people though, and it was fun to see people reuniting with relatives and friends whom the hadn't seen for very long.
The first thing I learnt on my Kenya tour from the reactions at the airport's arrivals lounge is that flights are taken rather different in Africa than in the west, and as I came to learn later on in my Kenya tour, for the average person in this part, getting to travel even once in an airplane in one's lifetime is considered something of an achievement.
I had learnt from a blog run by a person who tours Kenya regularly - which I gained access to by entering the search term 'travel Kenya' that I would have to get a taxi to the city center - which is a considerable distance away from the airport as there is no rail connection to the airport - though I came to learn that there is actually a bus service to the city center which the guy who tours Kenya regularly (and whose blog I accessed by entering what I considered a relevant Internet search term 'tours Kenya') seems not to know of.
My impression of Nairobi's airport is that is a very formal place, with plenty of security and control to such an extend that even the taxi drives are wary of hustling for business, unless you make it really clear that you are looking for their services.
The arrivals lounge was abuzz with people though, and it was fun to see people reuniting with relatives and friends whom the hadn't seen for very long.
The first thing I learnt on my Kenya tour from the reactions at the airport's arrivals lounge is that flights are taken rather different in Africa than in the west, and as I came to learn later on in my Kenya tour, for the average person in this part, getting to travel even once in an airplane in one's lifetime is considered something of an achievement.
Visiting Nairobi on My Kenya Tour
Because my flight from London to Kenya landed in Nairobi, the city naturally became my first stop on my Kenya tour.
My impression of Nairobi - which nearly everyone who tours Kenya seems to get, I gather, is that Nairobi is a complex city, where immense affluence lives side to side with dire poverty, sophistication with simplicity and modernity with the past.
The information I got from a blog run by someone who apparently tours Kenya very regularly (to which I gained access by entering the Internet search term 'travel Kenya') came in very handy in helping me make sense of Nairobi.
Indeed were it not for the resources I got through such search terms like 'travel Kenya' and 'tours Kenya' I would have gotten hopelessly lost in Nairobi, which while quite a small city by American standards, seems so different.
I got time to visit the city's museum, archives, game (with - believe it or not - wildlife roaming within the geographical confines of the city), a market and even had a stroll through the university.
I photographed the city - to serve as memory of my Kenya tour - from a good vantage point on the city's recreational Uhuru Park.
Fro the Nairobi part of my Kenya tour, I stayed in a mid cost hotel right in the center of the city, whose services and facilities were quite good - at least better than anything I could have expected in the deep of Africa.
My impression of Nairobi - which nearly everyone who tours Kenya seems to get, I gather, is that Nairobi is a complex city, where immense affluence lives side to side with dire poverty, sophistication with simplicity and modernity with the past.
The information I got from a blog run by someone who apparently tours Kenya very regularly (to which I gained access by entering the Internet search term 'travel Kenya') came in very handy in helping me make sense of Nairobi.
Indeed were it not for the resources I got through such search terms like 'travel Kenya' and 'tours Kenya' I would have gotten hopelessly lost in Nairobi, which while quite a small city by American standards, seems so different.
I got time to visit the city's museum, archives, game (with - believe it or not - wildlife roaming within the geographical confines of the city), a market and even had a stroll through the university.
I photographed the city - to serve as memory of my Kenya tour - from a good vantage point on the city's recreational Uhuru Park.
Fro the Nairobi part of my Kenya tour, I stayed in a mid cost hotel right in the center of the city, whose services and facilities were quite good - at least better than anything I could have expected in the deep of Africa.
Visiting Mombas on My Kenya Tour
After the first phase of my Kenya tour, I embarked on the second phase of the tour - which was to visit Mombasa, Kenya's seaport city and the country's second largest city.
According to an article I came across from the Internet search on travel Kenya, nearly everyone who tours Kenya goes to Mombasa to make their Kenya tour complete - and I didn't want to be the exception.
In fact according to a blog run by a person who apparently tours Kenya regularly that I found on one of the travel Kenya Kenya directories, there are actually people who equate a tour to Mombasa to the whole Kenya tour.
It is from this understanding then that I took my flight to Mombasa - which took me about 45 minutes.
From the travel Kenya resources I had learnt that Mombasa is warm - actually hot - city, and this proved to be true right from the moment I landed in this city.
While visiting Mombasa on my Kenya tour, I had the opportunity to visit the city's fort Jesus - which I was told was built in the medieval times by the Portuguese and a small part of which is damaged.
Most of the time though I spent lazing on Mombasa pristine beaches, and one thing I noticed is that Mombasa (while apparently a Muslim city) is actually more cosmopolitan city than Nairobi, with people of all colors walking its narrow streets and beaches.
It is this Mombasa phase of my Kenya tour that was most relaxing and I agree that anyone who tours Kenya and fails to visit Mombasa misses out on quite a lot.
According to an article I came across from the Internet search on travel Kenya, nearly everyone who tours Kenya goes to Mombasa to make their Kenya tour complete - and I didn't want to be the exception.
In fact according to a blog run by a person who apparently tours Kenya regularly that I found on one of the travel Kenya Kenya directories, there are actually people who equate a tour to Mombasa to the whole Kenya tour.
It is from this understanding then that I took my flight to Mombasa - which took me about 45 minutes.
From the travel Kenya resources I had learnt that Mombasa is warm - actually hot - city, and this proved to be true right from the moment I landed in this city.
While visiting Mombasa on my Kenya tour, I had the opportunity to visit the city's fort Jesus - which I was told was built in the medieval times by the Portuguese and a small part of which is damaged.
Most of the time though I spent lazing on Mombasa pristine beaches, and one thing I noticed is that Mombasa (while apparently a Muslim city) is actually more cosmopolitan city than Nairobi, with people of all colors walking its narrow streets and beaches.
It is this Mombasa phase of my Kenya tour that was most relaxing and I agree that anyone who tours Kenya and fails to visit Mombasa misses out on quite a lot.
Watching Wildlife on My Kenya Tour
I had the opportunity to watch wildlife during the first phase of my Kenya tour in Nairobi.
Prior to my Kenya tour, I had learnt from one of the travel Kenya resources that there is a fine game park within the confines of Nairobi city - and this turns out to be true.
One of the travel Kenya resources I came across was a blog run by a person who tours Kenya regularly which said that I could get access to the best wildlife by visiting the country's Maasai Mara game - which unfortunately I couldn't find the time or the money to visit.
According to this travel Kenya resource, nearly everyone who tours Kenya makes an effort to visit the Maasai Mara, especially to witness the wildebeest migration - which is considered one of the modern wonders of the world.
Unfortunately at the time I made my Kenya tour, the wildebeest migration was already past.
Nonetheless, I got to see all wildlife I wanted to see - including a lion, a buffalo, and a cheetah, whose photographs I have - in Nairobi national park during the first phase of my Kenya tour.
What is more, seeing the wildlife at Nairobi national park didn't turn out to be so expensive, because the park management runs a bus tour from Nairobi city center to the park for a few dollars' fee.
Prior to my Kenya tour, I had learnt from one of the travel Kenya resources that there is a fine game park within the confines of Nairobi city - and this turns out to be true.
One of the travel Kenya resources I came across was a blog run by a person who tours Kenya regularly which said that I could get access to the best wildlife by visiting the country's Maasai Mara game - which unfortunately I couldn't find the time or the money to visit.
According to this travel Kenya resource, nearly everyone who tours Kenya makes an effort to visit the Maasai Mara, especially to witness the wildebeest migration - which is considered one of the modern wonders of the world.
Unfortunately at the time I made my Kenya tour, the wildebeest migration was already past.
Nonetheless, I got to see all wildlife I wanted to see - including a lion, a buffalo, and a cheetah, whose photographs I have - in Nairobi national park during the first phase of my Kenya tour.
What is more, seeing the wildlife at Nairobi national park didn't turn out to be so expensive, because the park management runs a bus tour from Nairobi city center to the park for a few dollars' fee.
Sunning In the Beaches on My Kenya Tour
I got the opportunity to sun in the beaches during the second phase of my Kenya tour in Mombasa.
According to the travel Kenya resources I went through in, almost everyone who tours Kenya confesses to having a really good time on the Kenyan beaches.
In fact, one of the travel Kenya resources I came across was a blog run by a fellow who tours Kenya annually, just to laze in the sun on the country's expansive beaches.
I only managed to get to Mombasa's beaches during my Kenya tour - although I was told that there are other beach cities - Malindi and Lamu - but I didn't have the time and financial resources to visit these.
Nonetheless, I had a really good time on the Mombasa beaches I visited on my Kenya tour - and I also got the opportunity to make some good friends, most of whom I have managed to keep in touch with through the web.
According to the travel Kenya resources I went through in, almost everyone who tours Kenya confesses to having a really good time on the Kenyan beaches.
In fact, one of the travel Kenya resources I came across was a blog run by a fellow who tours Kenya annually, just to laze in the sun on the country's expansive beaches.
I only managed to get to Mombasa's beaches during my Kenya tour - although I was told that there are other beach cities - Malindi and Lamu - but I didn't have the time and financial resources to visit these.
Nonetheless, I had a really good time on the Mombasa beaches I visited on my Kenya tour - and I also got the opportunity to make some good friends, most of whom I have managed to keep in touch with through the web.
Making Friends on My Kenya Tour
Apart from the experiences I enjoyed on my Kenya tour, from watching wildlife to sunning in the beaches - another great source of joy from my Kenya tour was the friends I made during the tour - more than a dozen of them to be precise.
The travel Kenya resources I had read before my Kenya tour showed that Kenyans are a friendly lot - and there seems to be a consensus on this from nearly everyone who ever tours Kenya.
Indeed one of the travel Kenya resources I had made use of extensively in preparing for my Kenya tour was a blog run by a fellow who tours Kenya regularly - and who seemed to be impressed by the warmth of Kenyans to which I attest.
One thing I noticed about Kenyans is their confidence - and dignity - right up to the lowliest hawker, especially at the seaport city of Mombasa.
A lady who guided me through my tour of fort Jesus - which is one of the most memorable sites I visited in my Kenya tour impressed me with her immensely good grasp of history.
In my Kenya tour, I also had the opportunity to meet a guy on the beaches who said that he worked for $1.5 a day - and who actually looked happier than some people I know of who make $100 a day.
It is not just Kenyan friends that I made on my Kenya tour though - I also had the opportunity to make friends with a bunch of Americans I met on the beaches - military men or something - and some Italians I shared an hotel with, and who told me that they have a home in some part of Kenya - and invited me to stay with them on my next Kenya tour.
The travel Kenya resources I had read before my Kenya tour showed that Kenyans are a friendly lot - and there seems to be a consensus on this from nearly everyone who ever tours Kenya.
Indeed one of the travel Kenya resources I had made use of extensively in preparing for my Kenya tour was a blog run by a fellow who tours Kenya regularly - and who seemed to be impressed by the warmth of Kenyans to which I attest.
One thing I noticed about Kenyans is their confidence - and dignity - right up to the lowliest hawker, especially at the seaport city of Mombasa.
A lady who guided me through my tour of fort Jesus - which is one of the most memorable sites I visited in my Kenya tour impressed me with her immensely good grasp of history.
In my Kenya tour, I also had the opportunity to meet a guy on the beaches who said that he worked for $1.5 a day - and who actually looked happier than some people I know of who make $100 a day.
It is not just Kenyan friends that I made on my Kenya tour though - I also had the opportunity to make friends with a bunch of Americans I met on the beaches - military men or something - and some Italians I shared an hotel with, and who told me that they have a home in some part of Kenya - and invited me to stay with them on my next Kenya tour.
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