An ecotrip to Kenya
The Mount Kenya Safari Club
Those who love ecotourism will think of Kenya as an excellent place to visit, due to the country’s magnificent flora and fauna. Along almost 500km of coasts, Kenya shows huge forests of palms, mangroves, teaks, resins and sandal trees. In the same way there are forests of euphorbia, acacias, and baobabs covering the Lowlands and going inland so far as to the altitude of 900 meters. The African baobab is one of the world’s highest trees and it is nowadays grown in many tropical regions all over the world. The trunk of this huge tree can be 9 meters wide. Its fruit is slightly acid and has a nice tasting pulp which is used to prepare certain kind of soft drinks.
On the other hand, the savannah areas are vast, splashed by small acacia and papyrus forests. These areas are the landscape’s most outstanding characteristic over 900 meters up to 2.745 m over the sea level. More than 30% of the country’s surface is covered by forests. The camphor and the bamboo are the commonest plants in the dense jungle that surrounds the Eastern and South-Eastern hillsides. The Highlands (above 3.550 m) are the home of great tree species like Senecium and Lobelia.
Kenya is also a very famous country due to the variety of its fauna, specially the great animals associated to the African savannah. Kenya’s National Parks and Reserves are the country’s most important tourist attraction. The biggest savannah species are: the elephants, the rhinos, the zebras, the giraffes, the lions and other great felines. Most of these animals are protected in National Parks and Hunting Reserves, but despite the government’s efforts the number of these animals is decreasing due to the illegal and excessive hunting, and the most hunted animals are the elephants and the rhinos. In addition to this you will be able to watch many bird and reptile species such as the python and the cobra.
Please, remember that when you visit a wild area you should always follow the advice of the guides. In case you travel alone it is advisable to take with you a first aid kit, as well as food and water in a good proportion. Anyway, we always recommend the visits to National Reserves and National Parks to be done with the guide and the company of specialists.
Photo taken by Dan Lundberg