Kenya

Kenya is the homeland of the word "safari" — Swahili for "journey" — which travelled from here to the world. On the plains of the Maasai Mara, red-clad Maasai herders drive their cattle and share the same land with prides of lions; the Maasai's jumping dance, beaded ornaments and red-ochred hairstyles are East Africa's most recognisable cultural symbols. Nairobi is East Africa's economic and media centre, its cafés fragrant with Kenya AA coffee — the coffee and black tea grown in the highlands' red soil are renowned around the world. Coastal Mombasa carries a Swahili and Arab air, where coconut rice and spiced tea are everyday flavours. In the capital's weekend markets, Maasai blankets, wood carvings and coffee beans are the most popular souvenirs.

Kenya's game-viewing calendar is ruled by the Great Migration: every year from July to October, more than a million wildebeest and zebras move north from the Serengeti into the Maasai Mara, and the Mara River crossings are the most breathtaking scenes of the year — camps must be booked months in advance. In the short dry season of January–February the plains are golden and newborn animals abound in herds, and it is also a fine season for birdwatching and mountaineering. In the long rains (March–May) some roads become difficult and camps close, but prices are at their lowest. Amboseli is best for elephant watching in the dry seasons (June–October and January–February), when the herds stand against the snowy summit of Kilimanjaro. Nairobi sits at about 1,700 metres above sea level and is cool like spring all year, with large day–night temperature differences, so bring a jacket. Coastal Mombasa is hot all year; from October to March the sea is clearer, good for snorkelling and diving.

The East African Rift Valley runs through Kenya from north to south, and the chains of Homo habilis and Homo erectus fossils excavated around Lake Turkana make this a key puzzle piece in piecing together the history of human evolution. Lamu Old Town on the Swahili coast preserves seven hundred years of unbroken maritime civilisation, and dhows still sail the Indian Ocean monsoon routes today. The colonial-era "White Highlands" and the Mau Mau uprising shaped Kenya's collective memory of independence; after independence, long-distance running became a national pride — the champions who emerged from the highland town of Iten have turned "Kenyan runners" into a world-class cultural calling card. Community co-management models for wildlife protection have also made Kenya a pioneer of ecotourism.

Maasai Mara, the East African Rift Valley, Maasai culture, home of the safari

The Maasai Mara migration, elephant watching in Amboseli, Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley, the Nairobi Giraffe Centre, Lamu Island

• Magical Kenya (Kenya Tourism Board)
• Wikipedia: Kenya