COST: KES 3000 per person. We will require a 40% deposit is due upon booking and balance payable on the day of the tour. Don’t forget to check out our other exciting excursions / daytrips:https://www.orangeadventures.co.ke/index.php/excursions-in-Nairobi-Kenya
PREPARING FOR THE TOUR You will receive detailed instructions in your confirmation email, but prepare with these tips: • Wear covered shoes – sandals aren't recommended as the walk is hilly and uneven • Keep photos to a minimum, and always ask for permission first • Leave passports, backpacks, purses, and large amounts of money at home • Avoid flashy items such as SLR cameras, iPhones, or miscellaneous electronics • Avoid brightly colored or exposing clothing • Avoid giving out money, which furthers the perception that tourists = money • Enjoy your time and keep an open mind!
WE ALSO, RECOMMEND SUPPORTING KIBERA IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS: • Avoid donating cash – instead, consider supporting Kibera initiatives you visit by offering tangible goods such as food or supplies or through the purchase of products and services. This will ensure that the intent of your support is realized immediately. Examples of items for donation include children’s books, fruits, snacks, and other children's essentials. School supplies such as pencils, pens, crayons, and notebooks.
•Consider supporting through volunteerism – several opportunities are available at the organizations we support, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more. Kibera is located in the southwest of Nairobi about 5 Kilometers (3.1 Miles from the city Centre)
Orange Adventures Tours & Safaris in Nairobi takes you to Kibera in Nairobi, the friendliest slum in the world. Experience a part of Kenya which is unseen by most tourists. Kibera Slum Excursion in Nairobi is an escorted tour that starts at 9 am from your residence/ hotel from the city Centre and goes through the Ngong road past Uchumi Supermarket, turn left just next to the Nakumatt Supermarket. You will learn about Kibera's Slum Land Ownership, Housing, Population, Electricity, Water, Sewage, Medical Facilities (HIV and AIDS) Clinics, Changaa-Cheap Alcoholic Brew, Drugs, Abortion, Unemployment, and Sport. The tour starts by the DO headquarters through to Bombolulu stage where you start to descend into the three (3) kilometer Main Kibera slum road. Visit the Soweto Village homesteads, and then continue to the Curio (handcrafts) The workshop where you will witness how those living in the Kibera slums are innovative in making ornaments out of animal bones. Continue with visits of the Nursery schools and pass by to see the Water vender and the Shower shop as you meet other slum dwellers mingling with you as they carry on with their daily chores. Turn right past the roadside fish mongers into the Biogas plant, the only one of its kind in Africa which will use human waste as its raw material in the production of Biogas which will be used as cooking gas as well as lighting about 200 households once it is accomplished and commissioned. Proceed to the Baraka Za Ibrahim School which is a charitable school, run with the donations from well-wishers and caters for lower and upper levels of education starting from Nursery to Secondary level. It has boarding facilities for few Orphaned boys and girls, a small kitchen and a laboratory not to mention a ramshackle over crowded staff room in the Centre of this tiny overcrowded institution. Proceed to the other homesteads including those of the tour guides and security team members and witness their lifestyles in the slums. Pass by a popular pub within the slum for a drink, if you so wish, and pass over the bridge unto the Railway line. You may be lucky to witness the train pass on the railway line amidst the tin-roofed houses with human beings and animals (goats, dogs, chickens crossing the railway line at the same time). Cross the railway line into the Centre housing the sick and share your moment with these deserving mothers and children of the slum.
BECOME INSPIRED BY THEIR RESILIENCE AND FRIENDLINESS. You will experience that the people of Kibera will certainly make you feel welcome. A security-guard, well-known in Kibera, will come on the tour to make you feel even safer. NOTES: * Price includes pick-up and drop off from your hotel to Kibera * You can join the tour in the morning or in the afternoon. It will take about 2 to 3-hour walk * Restricted-picture policy: Pictures are allowed at dedicated places after permission of the guides * The local guides and safety guards are very well-known in Kibera and are even born and living in Kibera.
KIBERA SLUM EXCURSION NAIROBI HIGHLIGHTS Visit an Orphanage/ School An orphanage/school built by 'mama Tunza'. Meet this impressive woman and look at her work in the children's home. Visit a Bead Factory A bead factory: in Kibera, everything is being reused and so are also the bones from the butcher. See how these bones turn into beads. Visit a Typical Kibera-House A typical Kibera-house. Feel welcome in one of the houses in Kibera and ask your questions about the day-to-day live in Kibera. The Biogas Center The biogas center: a fantastic view over Kibera and picture-point. You can see that also human waste is not wasted here and much more... By joining us you will support the people of Kibera. The tour provides local employment and the profits will be used directly for projects to improve the lives of the people of Kibera.
KIBERA SLUM EXCURSION NAIROBI ITINERARY Our Kibera tour will start from Adams Arcade (Java Coffee House). This will include a short walk over the Toi-market, the biggest second-hand market in Nairobi. We can also organize the transport to Kibera from your hotel and back at extra costs (depending on the number of people). You can join the tour in the morning or in the afternoon. It will take about 3 to 4 hours, including a 2-3 hour walk. You'll join the tour in a small group (Maximum 6 persons). Our guides and safety guards are very well-known in Kibera and are even born and living in Kibera. Restricted-picture policy: Pictures are allowed at dedicated places after permission of the guides. If you have wishes regarding places to visit, please feel free to ask us for a custom-made tour.
KIBERA SLUM NAIROBI INFORMATION Kibera means "forest" is the largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya. Kibera Slum Nairobi is roughly the same size as New York City’s Central Park, about 1.5 square miles. At over 1 million people, the population density in Kibera is 30 times that of New York City and Kibera doesn’t have multi-level housing. Most people living in Kibera have little or no access to basic necessities, such as electricity, clean water, toilet facility, and sewage disposal. The combination of poor nutrition and lack of sanitation accounts for many illnesses and deaths in Kibera slum Nairobi. According to authorities, there are over 50,000 AIDS orphans surviving in Kibera slum Nairobi, often cared for by grandparents, over-crowded orphanages, or completely unattended. For these and all children in Kibera, schooling is rare and dependent on the ebb and the flow of family finances, trapping them in a cycle of poverty. Explore the unseen side of Nairobi through Kibera, Africa's largest slum and home to over 1 million Kenyans, accounting for over 40 tribes and various religions that peacefully co-exist in the 2.5 sq. km. area. Recently visited by President Obama, PM Gordon Brown, and UN Sect General Ban Ki-Moon, Kibera is the subject of countless UN programs targeting poverty, health, infrastructure, and education. During the 2008 post-election violence, the community became an epicenter of activism, exacerbating political and tribal rifts in an otherwise peaceful area. The novel and 2005 film, The Constant Gardener, also popularized Kibera’s health and political issues. “How are you,” are the common greetings from the children who are eager to meet the outsiders. Kibera is a fascinating place with raw eye-opening, yet encouraging experiences. With an opportunity to explore Kibera with our local native-born and bred in Kibera guides to understand the work within the community We have offered hundreds of safe responsible tours since 2008 Explore Kibera Tours offers walking tours that cover major points of interest: the main commercial artery, open-air markets, the Kenya-Uganda Railway, a home visit, "the cow-bone jewelers," local bead makers, the Kigulu orphanage, the UN upgrading projects, schools and places of worship.
WE ARE: • Safe and experienced – Visit with a local. We employ trusted guides who are active in community service. We operate during daytime and within safe public areas. We have had ZERO incidents of injuries, harassment, or any complications. • Orange Adventure Tours and Safaris – We specialize in Kibera tours vs. large external operators with only surface-level knowledge of the community. • Responsible – We know what’s appropriate. We live and work in Kibera and will provide guidance around photos, donations, etc. We are a responsible tour operator for open-minded travelers and benefit Kibera by employing knowledgeable local staff, supporting development projects, and bringing a stream of demand to local artisans. We also work with notable hotels, agencies, film production crews, media, and university researchers to provide best in class experiences. SERVICES WE RECOMMEND Mdawida Homestay Mdawida Homestay can offer you a safe and enjoyable accommodation in Nairobi - in the safe and secure suburb of Langata, just a short distance from the city's major highlights. The location makes for a superb base for traveling around Kenya! More details. Our friends By touring with OATS, you support these type of community projects: Kigulu Orphanage is one of the many ad-hoc orphanages and schools in Kibera. Run by volunteers, Kigulu provides education and food for all those directly or indirectly affected by HIV/AIDS. EKT donates your school supplies and food to benefit 30+ kids. Kibera Community Youth Program is a community- based organization (CBO) run by young people in the Kibera slum. Recent projects promoted by OATS have included a solar lamp training and assembly facility designed to reduce costs spent on charcoal for homeowners. Read more at www.kcyp.net. Jitolee Women's Group is a collective of local women artisans who design gorgeous bracelets, necklaces, bags, and other jewelry. Jitolee also acts as a support group for its single-mother members. Explore Kibera Tours bracelets (pictured left) are available for sale with all proceeds directly benefitting Jitolee Women's Group. The itinerary Our tours start from a well-populated meeting point (near Royal Nairobi Golf Club), starting at 9 am or 2 pm daily (flexible upon request/availability) and last ~3 hours. Further details are emailed prior to the tour. Tourist tip: A taxi from anywhere in Nairobi should cost you no more than KES 1200 to arrive at our meeting point. By the end of the tour, you will understand the cultural, geographical, and political landscape. Our visits usually cover: the main commercial artery, open-air markets, the Kenya-Uganda Railway, a home visit, "the cow-bone jewelers," local bead makers, the Kigulu orphanage (when open), the UN upgrading projects, KCYP youth center, Kibera Primary School (founded by Queen Elizabeth), the Lainisaba Catholic Church, the Makina Mosque. Kibera slum Nairobi originated in 1920 as a soldiers’ settlement. The British colonial government of the time allowed them to squat on a hillside outside Nairobi. After Kenyan independence in 1963, however, various forms of housing were made illegal by the government, rendering Kibera unauthorized on the basis of land tenure. Diseases such as malaria, cholera, and typhoid afflict large proportions of Kibera residents. These diseases are caused by a lack of sanitation facilities in the slum, and often in the case of communicable disease, sickness is spread across large portions of the populace. Sanitation in Kibera is non-existent, open sewers carrying fetid water are everywhere. Cholera and Typhoid cases in Kibera are a direct result of the lack of proper sewage control and disposal. Both Cholera and Typhoid are very debilitating and can last for weeks at a time, and without treatment can cause death. As residents of Kibera live in structures without any plumbing facilities, clean water must be accessed from pre-filled water tanks (AKA water points), which are often controlled by landlords, and expensive for residents to use. Since clean water is difficult to obtain, residents are often unable to wash their hands before preparing food or doing other things that can cause diseases to enter their bodies. Malaria is a severe problem in Kibera, and is particularly damaging to the community because it often causes a person to be so sick that they are unable to work, which may precipitate the loss of a job or business revenue that is vital to their family’s survival. Malaria is also especially deadly in children and the elderly. The Malaria parasite is transmitted from person to person through the bite of female mosquitoes, which requires blood to nurture her eggs. There are at least 300 million acute cases of malaria each year globally, resulting in more than a million deaths. Around 90% of these deaths occur in Africa, mostly in young children. Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds. Many children who survive an episode of severe malaria may suffer from learning impairments or brain damage. Pregnant women and their unborn children are also particularly vulnerable to malaria, which is a major cause of prenatal mortality, low birth weight, and maternal anemia One of the primary factors in Malaria spread in Kibera is ineffective wastewater drainage's that runs through the slum. In many parts of Kibera, drainage's are simply channels dug in the dirt, and they quickly become muddy and clogged with waste. Residents use the drainage to remove wastewater and solids from their household area. As the drainages are simply made of dirt they do not flow very effectively; pools of water and waste form in these channels once they are clogged, and this is where mosquitoes lay their eggs. As drainage's collect waste, they also become breeding grounds for cholera and typhoid, as well as other diseases, and since these drainages are unprotected from human contact, transmission can occur very easily, especially in children who play nearby. (Above text courtesy of Kibera Slum Foundation)
Lake Kyoga serves as a rough boundary between Bantu speakers in the south and Nilotic and Central Sudanic language speakers in the north. Despite the division between north and south in political affairs, this linguistic boundary actually runs roughly from northwest to southeast, near the course of the Nile. However, many Ugandans live among people who speak different languages, especially in rural areas. Some sources describe regional variation in terms of physical characteristics, clothing, bodily adornment, and mannerisms, but others claim that those differences are disappearing.
Location and Geography.
Bantu speakers probably entered southern Uganda by the end of the first millennium. They had developed centralized kingdoms by the fifteenth or sixteenth century, and after independence from British rule in 1962, Bantu speakers constituted roughly two-thirds of the population. They are classified as either Eastern Lacustrine or Western Lacustrine Bantu. The Eastern Lacustrine Bantu speakers include the Baganda people whose language is Luganda, the Basoga, and many smaller societies in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. The Western Lacustrine Bantu speakers include the Banyoro, the Bastoro, the Banyankole, and several smaller populations in Uganda. Nilotic language speakers probably entered the area from the north beginning about C.E. 1000. Thought to be the first cattle-herding people in the area, they also relied on crop cultivation. The largest Nilotic populations in Uganda are the Iteso and Karamojong ethnic groups, who speak Eastern Nilotic languages, and the Acholi, Langi, and Alur, who speak Western Nilotic languages. Central Sudanic languages, which arrived in Uganda from the north over a period of centuries, are spoken by the Lugbara, the Madi, and a few small groups in the northwestern part of the country.
Demography.
The population was about twenty-three million in mid-1999. The Eastern Lacustrine Bantu include the Baganda, the Basoga, and the Bagisu. The Baganda, the largest ethnic group, account for about 17 percent of the population, or approximately 3.9 million people. The second largest ethnic group, the Basoga, make up about 8 percent of the population, or 1.8 million people, while the Bagisu constitute roughly 5 percent of the population, or just over a million people. The Western Lacustrine Bantu—the Banyoro, Batoro, and Banyankole people—probably constitute around 3 percent of the population, or 700,000 people each. The Eastern Nilotic language groups include the Karamojong cluster, the Iteso and the Kakwa. The Karamojong account for around 12 percent of the population (2.8 million), the Iteso amount to about 8 percent (1.8 million), and the Kakwa constitute 1 percent (about 230,000). The Western Nilotic language groups include the Langi and Acholi as well as the Alur. Together they account for roughly 15 percent of the population, or about 3.4 million people, with the Langi contributing 6 percent (1.4 million), the Acholi 4 percent (900,000), and the Alur probably about 2 percent (460,000). Central Sudanic languages are spoken by about 6 percent of the population, mostly in the northwest. The Lugbara (roughly 3.8 percent of the total, or 870,000) and the Madi (roughly 1.2 per cent, or 275,000) are the largest of these groups, representing the southeastern corner of a belt of Central Sudanic language speakers stretching from Chad to Sudan. About 10,000 Ugandans of Sudanese descent are classified as Nubians. They are descendants of Sudanese military recruits who came in the late nineteenth century as part of the colonial army. Rwandans, who constituted almost 6 percent of the Uganda population (more than one million) in the late 1950s, included Hutu and Tutsi groups. The government attempted to limit Rwandan influence by restricting those who lacked Ugandan citizenship to refugee camps and expelling some to Tanzania. In the late 1980s, more than 120,000 Rwandans were recognized as refugees. Asians, who in the 1969 census amounted to some seventy thousand people, mainly of Indian and Pakistani descent, were officially considered foreigners despite the fact that more than half were born in Uganda. After independence and especially when the Obote government threatened to nationalize many industries in 1969, Asians exported much of their wealth and were accused of graft and tax evasion. President Idi Amin deported about seventy thousand Asians in 1972, and only a few returned in the 1980s to claim their expropriated land, buildings, factories, and estates. In the 1990s, there were about ten thousand Asians in the country.
Linguistic Affiliation.
Introduced by the British in the late nineteenth century, English was the language of colonial administration. After independence, it became the official language, used in government, commerce, and education. Official publications and most major newspapers appear in English, which often is spoken on radio and television. Most residents speak at least one African language. Swahili and Arabic also are widely spoken.
History and Ethnic Relations
Emergence of the Nation. After independence in 1962, ending a period of colonization that began in 1885, there was little indication that the country was headed for social and political upheaval. Instead, Uganda appeared to be a model of stability and progress. It had no white settler class attempting to monopolize the cash crop economy, and there was no legacy of conflict. It was the African producers who grew the cotton and coffee that brought a higher standard of living, financed education, and led to high expectations for the future. Independence arrived without a national struggle against the British, who devised a timetable for withdrawal before local groups had organized a nationalist movement. This near absence of nationalism among the country's ethnic groups led to a series of political compromises.
National Identity.
Ethnic and religious divisions as well as historical emnities and rivalries contributed to the country's disintegration in the 1970s. There was a wide gulf between Nilotic speakers in the north and Bantu speakers in the south and an economic division between pastoralists in the drier rangelands of the west and north, and agriculturists, in the better-watered highland and lakeside regions. There was also a historical division between the centralized and sometimes despotic rule of the ancient African kingdoms and the kinship-based politics elsewhere. The kingdoms were often at odds in regard to the control of land. During the colonial period, the south had railways, cash crops, a system of Christian mission education, and the seat of government, seemingly at the expense of other regions. There also were religious groups that had lost ground to rivals in the past, for example, the domination of Muslims at the end of the nineteenth century by Christians allied to British colonialism. All these divisions precluded the formation of a national culture.
Ethnic Relations.
After independence, there were conflicting local nationalisms. The Buganda's large population, extensive territory in the favored south, and self-proclaimed superiority created a backlash among other Ugandan peoples. Nubians shared little sense of identification with other groups. The closely related peoples of nearby Zaire and the Sudan soon became embroiled in civil wars in the 1960s and 1970s, drawing in ethnically related Ugandans. Today relations are relatively harmonious. However, suspicion remains with the president believing to favor certain groups from the west of the country over others.
Food and Economy
Food in Daily Life. Most people, except a few who live in urban centers, produce their own food. Most people eat two meals a day: lunch and supper. Breakfast is often a cup of tea or porridge. Meals are prepared by women and girls; men and boys age twelve and above do not sit in the kitchen, which is separate from the main house. Cooking usually is done on an open wood fire. Popular dishes include matoke (a staple made from bananas), millet bread, cassava (tapioca or manioc), sweet potatoes, chicken and beef stews, and freshwater fish. Other foods include white potatoes, yams, corn, cabbage, pumpkin, tomatoes, millet, peas, sorghum, beans, groundnuts (peanuts), goat meat, and milk. Oranges, papayas, lemons, and pineapples also are grown and consumed. The national drink is waragi , a banana gin. Restaurants in large population centers, such as Kampala (the capital), serve local foods.
Basic Economy.
Most food is produced domestically. Uganda exports various foodstuffs, including fish and fish products, corn, coffee, and tea. The environment provides good grazing land for cattle, sheep, and goats. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80 percent of the workforce. Much production is organized by farmers' cooperatives. Smallholder farmers predominated in the 1960s and 1970s but declined as a result of civil conflict. In the 1980s, the government provided aid to farmers, and by the middle of the decade nearly a hundred ranches had been restocked with cattle. Lakes, rivers and swamps cover about 20 percent of the land surface, and fishing is an important rural industry. The basic currency is the shilling. Land Tenure and Property. At independence, the country was a patchwork of district administrations subdivided into counties and consolidated into Grand Mosque of Kampala. Roughly 15 percent of Ugandans are Muslims provinces. As a result of a treaty with the British in 1900, Uganda retained its monarchy together with a modified version of its government and a distinctive form of quasi-freehold land tenure. Land was divided between the protectorate government and the kabaka (king), chiefs, and other tribal notables. This mailo land quickly became an important element in the colonial farming economy. Uganda has a long history of diverse laws and social systems governing land tenure. Since the promulgation of the Land Reform decree of 1975, only two systems of land tenure exist (leasehold and customary tenure), but in practice a complex mixture of systems (including customary, leasehold, and freehold) continue to exist. The government attempted to simplify and unify the land tenure system. A major development in that process has been the inclusion of land tenure in the constitution of 1995. However, issues such as women's right to own land require further consideration.
Commercial Activities.
The major goods and services produced for sale are foodstuffs and cash crops for exportation, with coffee as the major export crop. Uganda escaped widespread famine in the late 1970s and 1980s because many people, including urban residents, resorted to subsistence cultivation. Both commercial and subsistence farming operated in the monetary and nonmonetary sectors, presenting the government with problems of organization and taxation. By the late 1980s, government reports estimated that about 44 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) originated outside the monetary economy. Most nonmonetary activity was agricultural.
Major Industries.
When the present government seized power in 1986, industrial production was negligible, consisting mostly of the processing of crops and the production of textiles, wood and paper products, cement, and chemicals. Industry was a small part of GDP in the late 1980s, operating at approximately one-third of the level of the early 1970s. Under Museveni, there has been some industrial rejuvenation, although this has amounted to not much more than the repair of damage done during the civil war to the industrial infrastructure. The sugar industry was rehabilitated through joint ventures involving the private sector and the government. By the 1990s there was a refining capacity of at least 140,000 tons of sugar annually. Other rehabilitated industries include beer brewing, tobacco, cotton, and cement. About 4 percent of adults worked in industry by the 1990s. During the 1990s, industrial growth was 13.2 percent.
Trade. In 1998, the country exported products worth $575 million. The main export commodities were coffee (54 percent of the total value), gold, fish and fish products, cotton, tea, and corn. The countries receiving most of these products were Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Italy. The main imports include chemicals, basic manufactured goods, machinery, and transport equipment.
Division of Labor. In the mid-1990s the labor force was estimated to be about 8.5 million, with more than 85 percent working in agriculture, 4 percent in industry, and 10 percent in the services sector. Jobs are allocated according to ability and preference.
Social Stratification
Classes and Castes. Although there are no castes, there is a relatively high degree of social inequality. In the mid-1990s, 55 percent of the population lived below the poverty line. The top 10 percent owned about one-third of the available wealth, while the bottom 10 percent owned 3 percent. Wealth distribution is governed by class position. The richest people live mostly in the capital, Kampala. Symbols of Social Stratification. Social stratification is governed primarily by level of education and status derived primarily from employment. Among the elites, English is the language of communication, and these people dress in a modern Western fashion. Others tend to wear traditional dress.
Political Life
Government. Under the constitution of 1995, legislative power is in the hands of a unicameral parliament (the National Resistance Council) with 276 members (214 elected directly and 62 appointed). Executive powers are held by the president, who is directly elected for a five-year term. On coming to power in 1986, the government introduced "no-party" democracy known as the "movement system" with a national network extending from the capital to the rural areas. Only one political organization, formerly the National Resistance Movement (or NRM) and now known as the "Movement," is recognized; it is the party of President Museveni. Among the parties that exist but are not allowed to sponsor candidates, the most important are the Ugandan People's Congress (UPC), the Democratic Party (DP), and the Conservative Party (CP).
Leadership and Political Officials.
It is alleged that one of the main criteria for advancement in the current government is whether an individual fought in President Museveni's guerrilla army, which was instrumental in bringing the regime to power in 1986. Those people are said to have achieved their positions through a combination of hard work, influence peddling, and corruption.
Social Problems and Control.
After the victory of the National Resistance Army (NRA) in 1986, the NRA assumed responsibility for internal security. The police force was reorganized and, together with other internal security organs, began to enforce law and order in all districts except those experiencing rebel activity. There are two continuing civil wars against the "Lord's Resistance Army" and against guerrillas based in the Sudan. In 1995, the government established a legal system based on English common law and customary law. There is a court of appeal and a high court, both with judges appointed by the president. The most common crimes are theft and, in some parts of the country, banditry.
Military Activity.
Uganda has an army, a navy, and an air force. The NRA has about seventy thousand troops. Recruitment is voluntary; there is no fixed term of service, and both men and women serve. In 1999, Ugandan military forces supported the rebel forces in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Women preparing food in Kampala. All meals are prepared by women in Uganda; boys over age twelve are banned from the kitchen.
Social Welfare and Change Programs
In 1987, the government launched a four-year Rehabilitation and Development Plan to restore the nation's productive capacity, especially in industry and agriculture, and rehabilitate the social and economic infrastructure. The plan targeted industrial and agricultural production, transportation, and electricity and water services, envisioning an annual 5 percent growth rate. Transportation would receive the major share of funding, followed by agriculture, industry and tourism, social infrastructure, and mining and energy. Although the international financial community provided debt rescheduling and new loans, the level of economic recovery was modest. Improved security and private sector development contributed to economic growth and the rehabilitation of the social infrastructure in the 1990s, but external shocks, an overvalued currency, and high government spending limited economic progress.
Nongovernmental Organizations and Other Associations
Political conflict and the near disintegration of the state under Milton Obote and Idi Amin in the 1970s and early 1980s, led to the incorporation of autonomous self-help organizations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Foreign and indigenous NGOs concerned with developmental, social, and political goals have flooded Uganda since the mid-1980s. In general, NGOs have been effective in addressing the needs of service provision and alleviating poverty. For groups of traditionally disadvantaged people such as physically disabled persons and women, NGOs have provided guaranteed political representation at every level of the society.
Gender Roles and Statuses
Division of Labor by Gender. Traditionally, women's roles were subordinate to those of men despite the substantial economic and social responsibilities of women in traditional Ugandan societies. Women were taught to accede to the wishes of their fathers, brothers, husbands, and other men and to demonstrate their subordination to men in public life. Into the 1990s, women in rural areas of Buganda were expected to kneel when speaking to a man. However, women had the primary responsibility for child care and subsistence agriculture while contributing to cash crop agriculture. Many Ugandans recognized women as important religious leaders who sometimes had led revolts that The people of Kalunga village celebrate the victory of Kintu Musoke in the 1994 nonpartisan general election in Uganda. overthrew the political order dominated by men. In some areas, women could own land, influence crucial political decisions made by men, and cultivate cash crops.
The Relative Status of Women and Men.
In the 1970s and 1980s, political violence had a heavy toll on women. Economic hardship was felt in the home, where women and children lacked the economic opportunities available to most men. Women's work became more time-consuming, and the erosion of public services and infrastructure reduced access to schools, hospitals, and markets. However, some Ugandan women believed that the war years strengthened their position in society, and the Museveni government has pledged to eliminate discrimination against women. During the civil war, women were active in the NRA. The government decreed that one women would represent each district on the National Resistance Council, and the government owned Uganda Commercial Bank established a rural credit plan to make farm loans available to women.
Marriage, Family, and Kinship
Marriage. Family prosperity in rural areas involves the acquisition of wives, which is accomplished through the exchange of bridewealth. Since the 1950s a ceiling on bridewealth has been set at five cows and a similar number of goats. The payment of bridewealth is connected to the fact that men "rule" women. Polygynous marriages have reinforced some aspects of male dominance but also have given women an arena for cooperating to oppose male dominance. A man may grant his senior wife "male" status, allowing her to behave as an equal toward men and as a superior toward his other wives. However, polygynous marriages have left some wives without legal rights to inheritance after divorce or widowhood.
Domestic Unit. The extended family is augmented by a kin group. Men have authority in the family; household tasks are divided among women and older girls. Women are economically dependent on the male next of kin (husband, father, or brother). Dependence on men deprives women of influence in family and community matters, and ties them to male relationships for sustenance and the survival of their children.
Inheritance. Land reform is a continuing aspect of constitutional debate. Suggestions for a new land policy were part of the draft constitution submitted to the president of the Constitutional Commission in late 1992, though little consideration had been given to the issue of women's right to own and A woman winnowing grain in the Virunga National Park. More than 80 percent of the workforce is employed in agriculture. inherit land. Although women make a significant contribution in agriculture, their tenure rights are fragile. The determination and protection of property rights have become important issues as a result of civil war and the impact of AIDS. However, the state's legal stand on inheritance recognizes the devolution of property through statutory as well as customary law. According to the law, a wife equally with a husband is entitled to 15 percent of the spouse's estate after death. The practice, though, is that in the majority of cases a man inherits all of his wife's property, while culture dictates that a woman does not inherit from her husband at all. In other words, regarding inheritance, where there is conflict between cultural unwritten law and the written modern law, the cultural laws tend to take precedence.
Kin Groups. For many people, clan, lineage, and marriage provide the framework of daily life and access to the most significant resources. Farming is largely a family enterprise, and land and labor are available primarily through kin.
Socialization
Infant Care. Virtually all infant care is undertaken by women and older girls at home.
Child Rearing and Education. Mothers bore an average of over seven children in the late 1990s, and the use of family planning is low. The death of children is commonplace, with an estimated ninety deaths per one thousand live births. Boys are more likely to be educated to the primary and secondary levels than are girls. Among the 62 percent of the population that is literate, nearly three-quarters are men.
Higher Education. Established in 1922, Makerere University in Kampala was the first college in East Africa. Its primary aim was to train people for government employment. In the 1980s, it expanded to include colleges of liberal arts and medicine serving more than five thousand students. In the early 1990s, there were about nine thousand students. The Islamic University at Mbale, financed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, opened in 1988. This college provides Islamic educational services primarily to English-speaking students from African countries. In 1989, a second national university campus opened in Mbarara, with a curriculum designed to serve rural development needs. Development plans for higher education rely largely on international and private donors. Most residents value higher education, perceiving it as an essential aspect of national development.
Etiquette
Shaking hands is the normal form of greeting. Casual dress is considered appropriate in the daytime and evening. It is customary to give waiters and taxi drivers a 10 percent tip. Etiquette is important at family meals. When a meal is ready, all the members of the household wash their hands and sit on floor mats. Visitors and neighbors who drop in are expected to join the family at a meal. Normally a short prayer is said before the family starts eating. During the meal, children talk only when asked a question. It is considered impolite to leave the room while others are eating. Leaning on the left hand or stretching one's legs at a meal is a sign of disrespect. When the meal is finished, everyone in turn gives a compliment to the mother.
Religion
Religious Beliefs. One-third of the population is Roman Catholic, one-third is Protestant, and 16 percent is Muslim; 18 percent believe in local religions, including various millenarian religions. World religions and local religions have coexisted for more than a century, and many people have established a set of beliefs about the nature of the universe by combining elements of both types. There is a proliferation of religious discourses centering on spirits, spirit possession, and witchcraft.
Religious Practitioners. Religious identity has economic and political implications: church membership has influenced opportunities for education, employment, and social advancement. Religious practitioners thus are expected to provide a range of benefits for their followers. Leaders of indigenous religions reinforce group solidarity by providing elements necessary for societal survival: remembrance of ancestors, means of settling disputes, and recognition of individual achievement. Another social function of religious practitioners is helping people cope with pain, suffering, and defeat by providing an explanation of their causes. Religious beliefs and practices serve political aims by bolstering the authority of temporal rulers and allowing new leaders to mobilize political power and implement political change.
Rituals and Holy Places. In Bantu-speaking societies, many local religions include a belief in a creator God. Most local religions involve beliefs in ancestral and other spirits, and people offer prayers and sacrifices to symbolize respect for the dead and maintain proper relationships among the living. Mbandwa mediators act on behalf of other believers, using trance or hypnosis and offering sacrifice and prayer to beseech the spirit world on behalf of the living. Uganda has followers of Christianity, Islam, and African traditional religions. Ugandan Muslims make pilgrimages to Mecca when they can. Followers of African religions tend to establish shrines to various local gods and spirits in a variety of locations.
Death and the Afterlife. Death is sometimes interpreted in the idiom of witchcraft. A disease or other cause of death may not be considered the true cause. At a burial, if the relatives suspect someone of having caused the deceased person's death, a spirit medium may call up the spirit of the deceased and ask who really killed him or her.
Medicine and Health Care
Health services deteriorated in the 1970s and 1980s, as a result of government neglect, violence, and civil war. In the 1990s, measles, respiratory tract infections, and gastro enteritis caused one-half of all deaths attributed to illness, and malaria, AIDS, anemia, tetanus, whooping cough, and respiratory tract infections also claimed many lives. Infant mortality was often caused by low birth weight, premature birth, or neonatal tetanus. The entire health care system was served by less than a thousand doctors in the 1990s. Care facilities included community health centers, maternity clinics, dispensaries, leprosy centers, and aid posts. Today there is at least one hospital in each district except the southern district of Rakai. In the sparsely populated northern districts, people sometimes travel long distances to receive medical care, and facilities are inferior to those in the south. Those who live far from or cannot afford modern health care depend on traditional care. Women are prominent among traditional healers.
Secular Celebrations
The major holidays are New Year's Day, 1 January; Liberation Day, 26 January; International Women's Day, 8 March; Labor Day, 1 May; National Heroes Day, 9 June; and Independence Day, 9 October.
The Arts and Humanities
Support for the Arts. Most artists are self-supporting as there is virtually no state support. Small-scale, local initiatives take place, but it has been A farm with terraced fields near Kibale. Coffee, cotton, tea, and corn are among the most common agriculture exports. difficult to establish viable sectors because of the disruptions caused by long-term political conflict and economic decline. Literature. The development of literature is at an early stage. It has been held back by the years of civil war. Graphic and Performance Arts. Performing arts often are associated with different ethnic groups throughout the country.
The State of the Physical and Social Sciences
The physical and social sciences are generally under-developed as a result of civil instability and conflict and the development of other priorities centered on national reconstruction. Makerere University is still in operation but virtually all expatriate staff, once the backbone of the teaching staff, have been long gone. Little research is currently undertaken because of a lack of up-to-date books, journals, or computers.
Bibliography
Abid, Syed, ed. Uganda Women in Development, 1990. Allen, Tim. "Understanding Alice: Uganda's Holy Spirit Movement in Context." Africa 61 (3): 37–39, 1991. Antrobus, P. "The Empowerment of Women." Women and International Development 1 (2): 189–207, 1989. Bernt Hansen, Holger, and Michael Twaddle eds. Uganda Now: Between Decay and Development, 1988. ——. Developing Uganda, 1998. Bwegye, F. A. W. The Agony of Uganda, 1985. Dicklich, Susan. "Indigenous NGOs and Political Participation." In Holger Bernt Hansen and Michael Twaddle, eds. Developing Uganda 145–158, 1998. Furley, Oliver. "Uganda's Retreat from Turmoil?," Conflict Studies 196, 1986. Gertzel, Cherry. "Uganda's Continuing Search for Peace." Current History 89 (547): 205–228, 231–232, 1990. Harlow, Vincent, and E. M. Chilver, eds. History of East Africa, 1965. Ingham, Kenneth. The Making of Modern Uganda, 1983. Jorgensen, Jan Jelmert. Uganda: A Modern History, 1981. Kabwegyere, T. B. The Politics of State Formation and Destruction in Uganda, 3rd ed. 1995. Kasfir, Nelson. The Shrinking Political Arena: Participation and Ethnicity in African Politics, 1976. ——. "Land and Peasants in Western Uganda: Bushenyi and Mbarara Districts." In Holger Bernt Hansen and Michael Twaddle, eds. Uganda Now: Between Decay and Development, 1988. Khadiagala, G. M. "State Collapse and Reconstruction in Uganda." In William I. Zartman, ed. Collapsed States, 1995. Livingstone, Ian. "Developing Industry in Uganda in the 1990s." In Holger Bernt Hansen and Michael Twaddle, eds. Developing Uganda, 1998. Marquardt, Mark A., and Abby Sabina-Zziwa. "Land Reform in the Making." In Holger Bernt Hansen and Michael Twaddle, eds. Developing Uganda, 1998. Mbowa, Rose. "Theatre for Development: Empowering Ugandans to Transform Their Condition." In Holger Bernt Hansen and Michael Twaddle, eds. Developing Uganda, 1998. Nsibambi, Apolo R. "The Restoration of Traditional Rulers." In Holger Bernt Hansen and Michael Twaddle, eds. From Chaos to Order: The Politics of Constitution-Making in Uganda, 1996. Omara-Otunu, Amii. Politics and the Military in Uganda, 1987. ——. "The Dynamics of Conflict in Uganda." In Oliver Furley, ed. Conflict in Africa, 1995. Roberts, A. "The Sub-Imperialism of the Baganda." Journal of African History 8 (3): 435–450, 1962. Sathymurthy, T. V. The Political Development of Uganda, 1900–1986, 1986. Southall, Aidan W. "Social Disorganization in Uganda: Before, During, and After Amin." Journal of Modern Africa Studies 18 (4): 627–656, 1980. Tindigarukayo, Jimmy, K. "Uganda, 1979–85: Leadership in Transition." Journal of Modern African Studies 26 (4): 607–22, 1988. Twaddle, Michael, ed. Expulsion of a Minority, 1975. Van Zwanenburg, R. M. A, and Anne King. An Economic History of Kenya and Uganda, 1800–1970, 1975. Watson, Catherine. "Uganda's Women: A Ray of Hope." Africa Report 33 (6): 32–35, 1988. Welbourn, F. B. Religion and Politics in Uganda, 1952–1962, 1965. Werbner, Richard. Ritual Passage, Sacred Journey, 1989. World Bank. Uganda: Towards Stabilization and Economic Recovery, 1988. ——. Uganda: The Economic Impact of AIDS, 1991. ——. Uganda: Agriculture Sector Memorandum, 1991. —J EFF H AYNES
It is now estimated that about 900 mountain gorillas are left in the world. Your desire for having a closer look at these wonderful primates can be successfully accomplished by making a visit to Uganda. Today numerous visitors from different corners of the world are coming to Uganda for witnessing the great apes in their natural habitat. This has made gorilla tracking as one of the leading tourism activity in Uganda. It is believed that Uganda acts as a home to over 400 gorillas. Before venturing out for gorilla tracking safari in Uganda, you need to be aware about some essential things, which is explained below:
What will be the best time for experiencing Uganda gorilla safari? Gorilla tracking in Uganda can be successfully conducted at any time of the year. If you are interested in enjoying more adventurous experience then can opt for June to September and December to January- these are considered to be the peak season. At this time traffic to various parks increases; this results in costly gorilla permits compared to low seasons.
Where to enjoy a thrilling experience of gorilla tracking in Uganda? One can enjoy Uganda gorilla safaris or Uganda gorilla safari tour at Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. It is found that most visitors prefer Bwindi National Park to enjoy an exhilarating gorilla tracking because its gorillas are consistent.
Most popular destination for Uganda gorilla tracking enthusiasts, Bwindi National Park has the largest population of mountain gorillas in the world. Visitors have the choice of witnessing four habituated mountain gorilla groups like:
• Mubare
• Habinyanja
• Rushegura
• Nikuringo
Bwindi National Park is located about 500km from Kampala, the distance between Kampala and Bwindi takes about 6 to 8 hours of driving by road. One can also fly to an airstrip at Kisoro from Kampala or Entebbe and then drive to reach the Bwindi National Park.
Wear Smart for a Successful Gorilla Tracking in Uganda:
• Carry a good pair of walking shoes for enjoying hiking or walking in the dense with an ease.
• Have a pair of light clothes and make assure to avoid any bright color or shade of clothes.
• Ensure in having a sunscreen lotion and a hat to escape the sun.
• Keep some warm and waterproof clothes to deal efficiently with the wet and cold challenges while exploring the habitat of mountain gorillas.
Do Not Forget to Obtain a Gorilla Permit: Generally the gorilla tracking permits are issued by the Ugandan Wildlife Authority at their offices in Kamwokya, a Kampala suburb. This may sound a bit tricky or complex process for tourists and visitors. In order to enjoy convenience of obtaining a gorilla permit, you can depend on Orange Adventures. we will obtain the permits in time on behalf of you that will help in avoiding any kind of inconvenience.
Gorilla tracking by Orange Adventures will help you experience a memorable trip with family or friends while witnessing a gorilla family in a breathtaking natural habitat.
For more details, stay social with us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/orangeadventures/
How tourism is helping gorillas and healing communities in Rwanda
Posted on 13 September, 2016 by Rwanda Gorilla Safaris in African Innovation, Conservation, People, Wildlife
In the world of mountain gorilla conservation, every birth of a new born baby gorilla is a success. According to the 2011 gorilla census report, there are fewer than 900 mountain gorillas left in the whole world, and half of this remaining population is found in the volcanic mountains of the Virunga range shared by Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. The rest of the population is found in the impenetrable forests of Bwindi National Park located in south western Uganda.
Rwanda has about 10 habituated gorilla groups available for tourism purposes, and many tour operators in Kigali and Kampala offer a wide variety of gorilla safaris to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, making gorilla tourism the leading foreign exchange earner for the country. More importantly, tourism is aiding in wildlife conservation as well as helping to empower local communities. Here’s how:
Kwita Izina
Kwita Izina is an annual Rwandan ceremony that involves giving names to the newly born mountain gorillas of the region. The main objective of Kwita Izina is to assist in monitoring each individual mountain gorilla in their family groups. The ceremony also aims to bring attention both locally and internationally to the importance of protecting these gentle giants in their natural habitat.
Through this event, officials help to sensitise the local communities around Volcanoes National Park and beyond about the importance of gorilla tourism as a new hope for this endangered species.
The ceremony attracts many people from different parts of the world and on that day, all accommodation units around the gorilla park are always full. Kwita Izina 2016 recently took place at Kinigi in Musanze, and was attended by thousands of people. This year 22 gorillas were named, a huge step in helping to protect this species.
Gorilla Doctors
The Gorilla Doctors are a dedicated team of professionals tasked with looking after the well-being of the endangered mountain and eastern lowland gorillas in Rwanda and DRC respectively. It is another support team for gorilla tourism, and a new hope for Rwanda’s gorillas. The many duties of the Gorilla Doctors include:
-Monitoring the health of each gorilla and helping to detect any disease or injury.
-Providing treatment to any ill gorilla in the wild.
-Rescuing and providing veterinary care to injured and orphaned gorillas by poachers.
-Conducting post-mortem reports of deceased gorillas to find out the cause of their death and learn how to prevent it.
-Preserving biological samples (for example; blood, feces) to be used by researchers investigating primate health issues around the world.
-Offering preventative healthcare to the dedicated park employees who protect the gorillas in the forest, the local community surrounding the gorilla park and their livestock as a strategy to reduce the risk of disease transmission from humans to gorillas.
Gorilla Doctors work hand in hand with the wildlife authorities in Rwanda and Uganda and with international conservation organisations such as International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) and Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
Employment opportunities
Gorilla tourism creates employment opportunities for local communities around the gorilla parks including ex-poachers. For instance, people are employed in the park as rangers, park guides, wardens and porters. Others are employed in the hotel sector as waiters, lodge managers, security guards or chefs.
Furthermore, the hotels and lodges near gorilla parks create a market for local agricultural products such as vegetables, bananas, milk, and cattle. This again helps to create local awareness about the importance of gorilla tourism.
Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village
This is a non-profit umbrella organsation with the main objective of improving the lives of reformed poachers and communities around Volcanoes National Park Rwanda as a way to conserve the mountain gorillas and their natural habitat. This is done through the provision of conservation incentives, supporting community enterprise development and livelihood based projects.
Following the line of Kenya’s development is as easy as following the development of railway lines through the country. Throughout our history, We’ve always been bound to the tracks, whether through infrastructure, trade, population or simply our imagination
The Nairobi Railways Museum, opened in 1971 and the only railway museum in East and Central Africa, is tucked behind tall Jacaranda trees in full bloom this time of year, guiding visitors to a different era. That’s a human bone, see right there,” a 6-year-old boy points into a pile of gravel with the tip of his shoe at the Nairobi Railway Museum. I’m not too far behind a class of 25 or so students who have just learnt about the infamous coach number 12. “That’s not a bone,” his teacher says with a bit of amusement in her voice. She’s right, it’s just a plastic replica but I’m impressed by the boy’s insight, having just been told about Charles Ryall, the popular railway police superintendent who suffered his death in coach number 12 in 1900. Attacked and killed by one of the notorious man-eaters of Tsavo at Kima Station, Ryall’s story is one of the more popular anecdotes the museum has to offer. But, I’m getting way ahead of myself. The Nairobi Railways Museum, opened in 1971 and the only railway museum in East and Central Africa, is tucked behind tall Jacaranda trees in full bloom this time of year, guiding visitors to a different era. As I drive closer to the museum, I notice old trains sitting still on tracks, surrounded by a deep green grass that shimmers in the sunlight. I imagine the journeys taken on those trains and the people who rode them and it’s enough to make anyone feel their place in history. It’s impossible to picture the neighbourhood surrounding the museum in 1900 Nairobi, without the buildings – City Square Post Office, Kenya Polytechnic, Kenya Investment Authority – that make it the packed metropolis it is today. The trains in the museum yard have been well preserved, their initials still clearly visible. Tanganyika Railways – T. R. 301 – was used to shoot the movie Out of Africa and sits amongst them. I walk towards coach number 12 where the 6-year-old is pointing out his find. “Ryall was sleeping right here when the lion grabbed him by the throat using its teeth,” says a museum intern as we stand inside the coach. There are two narrow bunk beds, and another by the window in the small musty coach room. There were two other men in the coach, Huebner and Parenti, when Ryall was attacked and killed. “The lion’s tail got caught in the door handle, locking itself and the gentlemen in the coach,” the intern continues with her fingers through the door handle elaborating. Her depiction of the event that took place that June is vivid and fascinating. From what she tells me, the lion climbed over one of the men sleeping by the window, with Ryall still clutched in its teeth. The fellow woke up and when he saw the lion standing over him, his compatriot held in its mouth, he passed out. The third man heard the commotion, witnessed the bizarre scene and swiftly locked himself in the car’s small bathroom. I head back into the museum to learn more about the history of the Kenya-Uganda railway line, which in essence shaped what is present day Kenya. It is one filled with much fascination, romance, feat and more than its share of tragedy. The Historic Journey
“At first, the British never had interest in Kenya. Their aim was just to pass through Kenya and go to Uganda, but what later attracted them was rich minerals and agricultural land,” explains Elias Randiga, the museum’s assistant curator. With two valuable conquests already, India and Egypt, an adventurous spirit was rife in the British Empire and they were eager to colonize East Africa and dominate not only the trade routes but also the important resources available in these countries and in demand in Europe. The largest obstacle in their path was that Lake Victoria was, in fact, a lake. While they could easily transport across its waters there was no way to get the resources to the ocean and England. Realizing the quandary, Britain determined the best solution was to construct a railway line, labelled Uganda Railways, through British East Africa Protectorate (present day Kenya) to gain access to Lake Victoria. This simple, logical solution to the problem would prove to be one of the most influential decisions in Kenya’s history and the start of a journey bigger and more important than they could have imagined. Kenya in the late 1800s did not reveal its richness outright. Rather, it appeared to be an uninhabited bushy area. Nonetheless, plans for the railway line, which comprised land and route surveys, sourcing materials and finding an adequate task force, were initiated as early as 1890. Four years later, a map illustrating the rail route had been devised and approved, though part of this would change later on as construction was underway, removing 160km of the nearly 1,000km railway line to Port Florence (present day Kisumu). “I have always been curious about the history of East Africa and its uniqueness,” says author of Race, Rail & Society: Roots of Modern Kenya, Neera Kapila, and indeed any understanding of East Africa’s past requires a deep understanding of how the railways came about. Kapila’s studies have made her an expert on the rails. In December 1895, “Mr. George Whitehouse, the Chief Engineer and Manager of the Uganda Railway, with his British team, materials and the first lot of Indians, arrived in Mombasa,” Kapila writes. Railway2 Railway workers clean the ground for tracks, Circa late 1800. This was not the Mombasa of today. This was a simple port town that had been under the control of the Sultan of Muscat and Oman just eight years earlier. There were only small wells for water, but as plans moved forward and the population swelled they were inadequate and a distiller was brought in 1896 to use on the sea water. Fort Jesus, which had stood guard over the coast for nearly three centuries already, dominated the landscape and it was in its shadow that Kenya’s first club, Mombasa Club, was built and patronized by some of the railway’s executives. One of the framed pictures at the Museum, taken at Kilindini, shows a group of British guests present to witness the first rail placement on May 30, 1896. In the background stand tall, rich, green palm trees,their branches and leaves outstretched liberally.The day is warm, the women dressed in flower decorated bonnets.The occasion’s immensity is obvious, even though the small group appears toned down, unaware of the start of something that would impact generations to come. By December 1897, 13 stations had opened including Voi Station, which is still operational to date. Of course, the ease of that first placement was in no way a reflection of the rail’s construction. Unplanned but required bridge construction, delays in material delivery and unforeseen natural dangers, like wildlife, stalled work for weeks on end and severely delayed the project’s completion. It took until 1899 for the railway to finally reach ‘Enkare Nyrobi’ (Maasai for ‘where the water is cold’), writes Kapila. This is what would later become Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city and the centre of operations for Kenya Railways. Today, this bustling capital shows no semblance of what was a solitary town used by the Maasai as a feeding channel for their cattle. Long gone are the tall trees, bushy environs and scurrying creatures, they’ve been replaced by lofty buildings, modern roads and street lights. At the time, reaching the small outpost was hardly a landmark achievement, being merely another stop on the way. Between Nairobi and Kisumu, 24 more stations were opened and another four came about after construction was done. This short stretch, just over 400km, was the last before the line reached its projected destination, but it took another two years of work. Going through the ‘Escarpment Region’ required expertise and the use of viaducts, the longest stretching over 750 feet. This expanse, together with the descent into the Great Rift Valley, past plateaus that traverse the equator all the way to Kisumu, can only be defined as breathtaking. The railway line was finished in December 1901 as the sun was making its descent on the town of Kisumu. To commemorate the end of construction, Mrs. Ronald Preston, wife of the plate laying engineer, drove the final steel key into the rail. In an interesting twist, the chief engineer’s wife Mrs. Whitehouse and Mrs. Preston had identical first names, Florence. “Port Florence was named after the Chief Engineer’s wife Florence Whitehouse, but it was Ronald’s wife Florence Preston who was photographed ‘driving the last spike’ on the shore of Lake Victoria…” Preston himself inscribed in his book, Oriental Nairobi. Because of the photo, most accounts say the town was named after Mrs. Preston. The confusion was later resolved when the name was changed to Kisumu – Port Florence was found, somewhat inconsiderately, unworthy of the locale by Special Commissioner of Uganda, Sir Harry Johnson. In a letter, he succinctly wrote “If the native name of the place be laid aside, the European name to be chosen should be of some member of the British royal family or of some great explorer associated with the discovery of Lake Victoria, Nyanza.” All told, it took five years to complete the railway line and it would take another three decades before it was completely extended to Kampala. And while that seems like a long time – consider that the American Transcontinental Railroad took just six years – what’s truly impressive about East Africa’s line is that it wasn’t building just a railway. Without anticipation or forethought, Kenya was unexpectedly birthed from the construction of the railway line Without anticipation or forethought, Kenya was unexpectedly birthed from the construction of the railway line. As each station opened – Kilindini, Samburu, Voi, Tsavo, Mtito Andei, Machakos, Athi River, Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu – a town sprouted and boundaries were defined. Rail transport became the method used to ferry goods as well as passengers to Uganda and within Kenya, increasing trade immensely. “Railways opened up the country for the first time. So we have a rich history of how Kenya began as a country,” comments Randiga. While the infrastructure developments cannot be denied, perhaps the most notable change induced by the railway was the immense change in Kenya’s people. Opportunity of a Lifetime?
When construction started, the Europeans had no real interest in the interior of today’s Kenya. The coast was a useful shipping point and the Ugandan territory had valuable resources, but little was known about the land in between besides the fact that there were hostile tribes. But with each bit of track laid a country of vast landscapes, rich farming grounds and unimaginable expanses of wildlife opened up, revealing a wealth the British could not have envisaged. Wild cats, hippos, rhinos and elephants were among the many creatures wide spread across pre-colonial Kenya. Quoting Kapila, “At the end of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century, before hunters came with guns, wildlife numbers were very large, running into thousands, if not millions.” Railway5 Lt. Colonel John H. Patterson poses proudly with one of the man-eaters of Tsavo, which he shot and killed. Hunting wild animals, especially rhinos, elephants and wild cats, turned out to be an invaluable sport. At first exclusive to railway officials, when the line was complete it became an attraction all its own, a romantic lifestyle of weeks in the bush and successful returns to civilization. This would be the life of some of Kenya’s most famous inhabitants – like Denys Finch-Hatton and Bror von Blixen – and the draw for some of our most famous visitors – like Ernest Hemingway and US President Theodore Roosevelt. As the abundance of British East Africa Protectorate became apparent to Europeans more settlers arrived, helping to forge the new city state. But the railway was key to making this new project work, and the Europeans involved in it were there to plan and supervise; for the labour force they had to turn elsewhere. “Indians already had the skills and experience from India because they had been used to build railways in India earlier by the British,” Randiga states. There were more than 4,000 Indian labourers working on the railroad in the first year of construction. Indians who were imported to work on the railway were under contract based on terms agreed between the British and Indian governments. They were to be paid a set amount of money, which was valued in Rupees at the time, though poor workmanship resulted in deduction of wages. Jobs offered to Indians were varied, whereby those who were more conversant with rail construction were employed as surveyors and assistant rail officials, prominent jobs that later presented them with opportunities in this part of Africa. “Railways played an important role and gave our families a chance to get out of India. There were great opportunities but it was also hard work,” remarks Knighted photographer and film producer, Sir Mohinder Dhillon, whose father came to Kenya to work on the railways. Of the many Indians who were recruited to work on the line, thousands opted to remain in East Africa and settle down. “Africa was a journey to the unknown and one felt like embarking on a discovery expedition,” Dhillon expounds. While the British had an exploratory mind-set heading into the region from years of colonization, the opportunity was somewhat more unique for the Indians. These were specialized and skilled labourers, not sailors or soldiers. Their chances for adventure were limited and their reasons to leave India and move to essentially uncharted territories hard to imagine. But something about this country and the promise it offered drew them in. “East Africa was virgin and full of many opportunities. This was a dream for people from Indian subcontinent,” Dhillon recollects. Whereas the railway line provided numerous prospects for Europeans and Indians, it wasn’t so for most Africans. “The British knew that they did not have skilled labourers’ because the people of Kenya had not even seen the image of a train, so how could they have the skills?” Randiga says. As such, Africans were categorized as unskilled workers. Another concept that made railway work impractical for Africans was payment in currency, which was insignificant to them at the time. Additionally, many were not acclimatized to the varied weather conditions and the food. Dangers Ahead
The locals did not hide their disapproval of the railway, not to mention those commissioned to work on it. To make their sentiments known, they resorted to looting, destroying property, attacking Indian workers at railway camps, and any manner of vandalism that would deter railway construction. “Tribes like the Nandi vandalised railway materials to make ornaments and weapons,” Randiga asserts. Eventually the British had to draw up peace treaties, particularly when tribal warriors declared open war causing a standstill on railway construction, which was highly unacceptable in the House of Commons. Beyond intentional attempts to trip up production, natural roadblocks were continually popping up. While most people are familiar with the man-eaters of Tsavo, thought to have killed 28 Indians and close to 110 Africans and the subjects of a book and film, encounters with wildlife were hardly rare. Abdul Hamid Khan, a Sub- Permanent Way Inspector, attained heroic standing while performing his rail inspection duties with his crew, which were carried out from an inspection pushcart, a metal, wheeled rail trolley that rode on the line and aided in determining the track’s condition. Cited in one of Kapila’s anecdotes, Khans valour is commendable. While performing a regular inspection routine, his posse unfortunately came up a pride of lions feasting on a zebra carcass. The imposition was hardly welcome and the lions did what they knew best, they assailed the intruders. “‘Abdul…calmly picked up his shotgun and shot them as they came, one after the other. Nine lions down and with two still charging, he fired his last bullet, which went through the heart of one lioness and sank into the brain of the other positioned behind her. This act earned him the nickname of ‘simba mbili [two lions] one shot,’” reveals Kapila. But ultimately the dangers encountered by railway workers were far less glamorous. “Waterborne diseases as well as malaria took the heavier toll,” says Dhillon. Numerous illnesses – small pox, dysentery, pneumonia – as well as different infections were the demise of many. Uganda Railway employees. Kapila’s great-grandfather worked on the railway line as part of the accounts staff, disbursing wages among workers. “He contracted water borne disease in the Kibwezi area and nearly died,” she informs me. In addition to disease, brutal conditions and heavy workloads took their toll on the workers. When the British started construction they envisioned the line as a way to end slavery, but that dream was paid for dearly When the British started construction they envisioned the line as a way to end slavery, but that dream was paid for dearly. Those working on the railway were compensated, but the conditions in the African bush were so harsh that many lost their lives. While Kapila’s great-grandfather, who passed away sometime in the 1930s, is accounted for, many who died during this period still remain unaccounted souls as there was no clear manner of recording every death. Down Memory Lane
The railway line from Kisumu to Butere was completed in 1932, having been extended on the other end from Nakuru to Kampala the preceding year. By then, more additions to different areas of the country had been included, Nanyuki to Thika and all the way to Mount Kenya through Naro Moru. Suddenly the country was more than a narrow space along the tracks, and, as the lush interior became more accessible, British settlers were drawn away from the beaten path. Many settled down in the still-untamed regions, drawn to what they saw as ripe opportunity for agriculture and ranching or brilliant, untouched nature perfect for a vacationer’s paradise. Suddenly, the areas around Naivasha, Nairobi and Nyeri were becoming the expats’ playgrounds. Railway3 The queen mother meets railway staff in 1959. Queen Elizabeth, who travelled on the Royal train in 1959, remarked how pleasant the journey was and rated it “the most beautiful in the world.” Her journey is depicted on an image at the railways museum where she sits by the window looking out her coach. I can imagine the streets lined with natives curious to get a peek of the Queen as she rode by. The steam engines that trekked on the rail line brought on a sort of captivation in those early years. Whether it was the length of it with white steam floating atop its chimney, the loud horn hooting as it went past local homes or the illusory fascination of where those on board were going, it’s very presence demanded that people stop and take a moment to watch it go by. As dawn broke and everyone woke to the new light of day, watching giraffes, lions and zebras go by; the hustle and bustle on the train as everyone stirred, looking out the window to watch the sun come up; the smell of coffee, the newness of the train, the smell of the leather seats, the coolness of the morning – all taking place without self-reflection, yet these would become the simple events that would bring visitors time and again to ride the train. These were the glory days of rail travel in Kenya – when everything built and the routes were established but the land they traversed was still wild. Dhillon’s brother Gurdev took up the family trade, as it were, and worked on the railway line as a locomotive steam engine driver a generation after his father. His work still presented him with exciting exploits, which he was fortunate to live through and tell. For instance, working late one night Gurdev had a surprise encounter. He made a pit stop to add water into the steam engine and while getting off the train, he landed about 5 feet away from an old lion. “Both got a fright of their life, except we could not establish who was more frightened,” laughs Dhillon. In 1984, Rachel Gathenji recalls how magical riding the train for the first time was. The lull of the engine as the train chugged along amidst scenery that was exquisite, including wildlife, landscapes, and magnificent sunrises and sunsets. “I think the fact that it moves slowly and allows you to take in everything was the best part of the trip,” she says with a nostalgic look on her face. “The escarpment stretch presented an amazing ascent and the open landscape offered pristine views of nature that were far-reaching.” Besides offering travels and opening up a country, the railway line brought three nations together, which through work and interrelations, ended up becoming one. “We Kenyans needed to know small details to appreciate how all three races together created Kenya,” Kapila informs me. Celebrated due to its historic nature, the railway line continues to draw people from different parts of the world to admire wildlife, surroundings and experience what has long been termed the “lunatic express.” Railways Today
The railway cost £5.5 million by the time construction came to an end, a figure that was extremely high compared to the approximated £3 million that had been initially allocated. Between 1932 and the turn of a new century, little money would be put into the continued progression of the railway line. Diesel trains were introduced in the early 70s putting an end to locomotive steam engines, especially the popular and principal steam engine Mount Gelai. Having made many journeys until her withdrawal, Mount Gelai was described as “possibly unrivalled anywhere in the world today,” by Collin Garratt, a railway photographer. There have been attempts over the years to revive the steam engines but due to poor rail conditions, those endeavours have been futile, perhaps until now as Kenya Railways pioneers a new direction in rail travel. Fall from Grace
In 1990 on a section of the Nairobi-Mombasa railway line called Ngai Ndethya, a passenger train headed to Mombasa derailed as a result of heavy floods that had washed away the bridge. Over 100 lives were lost in the rail accident, deemed one of the worst to ever occur in Kenya. Adverse weather conditions, poor communication channels, curves on the rail, rail destruction by animals and corrosion of the coupler on rail cars were and have been the cause of most rail accidents. Railway4 The old equator railway station, north west of Nakuru. Yet not even 50 years before this, travelling by train was still the height of luxury in Kenya. Dhillon’s first train ride was in 1947 when he left India for Nairobi. His father, Tekh Singh, had lived in Kenya close to 30 years by then and worked for the railways as a supplies controller. An excerpt from his autobiography describes the journey on the train. “We had our own sleeping berths, which came complete with bed sheets and pillows plus hand towels. The train compartment was the most luxurious place I had ever been in. It was like magic.” At that time the railway was managed by Kenya and Uganda Railways and Harbours, which was overseen by the British High Commission. One year later, it was combined with Tanzanian shipping governing bodies and became the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EARH), which was maintained by the East African Community (EAC) after Independence. But in 1977, the EAC was dissolved and, along with it, EARH. The Kenya Railways Corporation was created to manage the Kenyan sections, but the corporation was quickly bogged down in financial woes. Due to poor maintenance, high running costs, deplorable services and security issues, the corporation suffered much defamation, not to mention financial loss due to reduced trade. Between 1990 and 2005, at least 190 people were killed as a result of train accidents in Kenya and derailments were common, leading to a lack of faith in the railways’ passenger services. “Six years ago KRC was struggling with operations…in fact some entities went as far as to suggest and refer to Kenya Railways as a defunct corporation,” expresses the Chairman of Kenya Railways Corporation, Rtd. General Jeremiah Kianga. But he believes that they are now moving on the right track. A Look to the Future
Nov. 13, 2012; the Kenyan flag flies high in the wind. “This day marks an important date in the history of railway transport in Kenya. The launch of Nairobi Commuter Rail Services and the opening of Syokimau Railway Station,” Kianga’s voice is strong through the speakers. “It is an interesting and fitting coincidence that the first station to be built in Kenya since 1935 has been constructed in this area named after Syokimau, the prophetess who lived in Machakos town in the 17th century.” One of the divinations made by many tribal seers including Syokimau was the arrival of the ‘white man’ or the ‘red people’ as colonialists were referred to. One of her prophecies was that they would travel on a snake with many legs that had its tail in the Indian Ocean and head in Lake Victoria. Almost 80 years later, everything’s come full circle. Syokimau Railway Station is located close to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The railway line stretches to connect to the Embakasi rail track that runs into Nairobi city. KRC’s goal is to complete a Nairobi commuter rail project with additional railway lines and at least nine more stations. Kisumu and Mombasa rail transport will also be increased with new stations and lines, and a large project involving a standard gauge railway line extending to Ethiopia and the Republic of Somalia from Lamu has been launched. Over a hundred years have passed and Kenya has certainly changed over time. People have come and gone but the dreams they carried still live on. It is easy to get distracted from the romance of Africa that attracted so many at the turn of the 20th Century, in these busy pressured times, but if one looks, truly looks, they can recognize the magic of what we once were. Of what we still are. And more than anything else, it all began with the railway
Lions FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Simba Scientific Name: Panthera leo Size: 48 inches high Weight: 330 to 500 pounds Lifespan: 13 years in captivity Habitat: Grassy plans and open woodlands Diet: Carnivorous Gestation: About 105 days Predators: Humans The lion is a magnificent animal that appears as a symbol of power, courage and nobility on family crests, coats of arms and national flags in many civilizations. Lions at one time were found from Greece through the Middle East to northern India, but today only a very small population remains in India. In the past lions lived in most parts of Africa, but are now confined to the sub-Saharan region. Most cat species live a fundamentally solitary existence, but the lion is an exception. It has developed a social system based on teamwork and a division of labor within the pride, and an extended but closed family unit centered around a group of related females. The average pride consists of about 15 individuals, including five to 10 females with their young and two or three territorial males that are usually brothers or pride mates. Physical Characteristics Generally a tawny yellow, lions, like other species, tend to be lighter in color in hot, arid areas and darker in areas of dense vegetation. Mature male lions are unique among the cat species for the thick mane of brown or black hair that encircles the head and neck. The tails of lions end in a horny spine covered with a tuft of hair. Habitat Lions are found in savannas, grasslands, dense bush and woodlands. Behavior Females do 85 to 90 percent of the pride's hunting, while the males patrol the territory and protect the pride, for which they take the "lion's share" of the females' prey. When resting, lions seem to enjoy good fellowship with lots of touching, head rubbing, licking and purring. But when it comes to food, each lion looks out for itself. Squabbling and fighting are common, with adult males usually eating first, followed by the females and then the cubs. Lions are the laziest of the big cats. They usually spend 16 to 20 hours a day sleeping and resting, devoting the remaining hours to hunting, courting or protecting their territory. They keep in contact with one another by roaring loud enough to be heard up to five miles away. The pride usually remains intact until the males are challenged and successfully driven away or killed by other males, who then take over. Not all lions live in prides. At maturity, young males leave the units of their birth and spend several years as nomads before they become strong enough to take over a pride of their own. Some never stop wandering and continue to follow migrating herds; but the nomadic life is much more difficult, with little time for resting or reproducing. Within the pride, the territorial males are the fathers of all the cubs. When a lioness is in heat, a male will join her, staying with her constantly. The pair usually mates for less than a minute, but it does so about every 15 to 30 minutes over a period of four to five days. Lions may hunt at any hour, but they typically go after large prey at night. They hunt together to increase their success rate, since prey can be difficult to catch and can outrun a single lion. The lions fan out along a broad front or semicircle to creep up on prey. Once with within striking distance, they bound in among the startled animals, knock one down and kill it with a bite to the neck or throat. Hunts are successful about half the time. Diet Cooperative hunting enables lions to take prey as large as wildebeests, zebras, buffaloes, young elephants, rhinos, hippos and giraffes, any of which can provide several meals for the pride. Mice, lizards, tortoises, warthogs, antelopes and even crocodiles also form part of a lion's diet. Because they often take over kills made by hyenas, cheetahs and leopards, scavenged food provides more than 50 percent of their diets in areas like the Serengeti plains. Caring for the Young Litters consist of two or three cubs that weigh about 3 pounds each. Some mothers carefully nurture the young; others may neglect or abandon them, especially when food is scarce. Usually two or more females in a pride give birth about the same time, and the cubs are raised together. A lioness will permit cubs other than her own to suckle, sometimes enabling a neglected infant to survive. Capable hunters by 2 years of age, lions become fully grown between 5 and 6 years and normally live about 13 years. Predators Lions have long been killed in rituals of bravery, as hunting trophies and for their medicinal and magical powers. Although lions are now protected in many parts of Africa, they were once considered to be stock-raiding vermin and were killed on sight. In some areas, livestock predation remains a severe problem. Did you know? Most lions drink water daily if available, but can go four or five days without it. Lions in arid areas seem to obtain needed moisture from the stomach contents of their prey. When males take over a pride, they usually kill the cubs. The females come into estrus and the new males sire other cubs.
Baboon FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Nyani Scientific Name: Olive baboon (Papiocynocephalus anubis); yellow baboon (Papio ynocephalus cynocephalus) Size: 14 to 30 inches at the shoulder Weight: 50 to 100 pounds Lifespan: 20 to 30 years Habitat: Savannas and woodlands Diet: Omnivorous Gestation: 6 months Predators: Humans, leopards, cheetahs The baboon, of all the primates in East Africa, most frequently interacts with people. Apart from humans, baboons are the most adaptable of the ground-dwelling primates and live in a wide variety of habitats. Intelligent and crafty, they can be agricultural pests, so they are treated as vermin rather than wildlife. Physical Characteristics The two most common baboons occur in East Africa, the olive baboon and the yellow baboon. The larger and darker olive baboon is found in Uganda, west and central Kenya and northern Tanzania. Smaller, more slender and lighter in color, the yellow baboon inhabits southern and coastal Kenya and Tanzania. Both types are "dogfaced," but the yellow's nose turns up more than the olive's. Habitat Baboons are found in surprisingly varied habitats and are extremely adaptable. The major requirements for any habitat seems to be water sources and safe sleeping places in either tall trees or on cliff faces. When water is readily available, baboons drink every day or two, but they can survive for long periods by licking the night dew from their fur. Behavior Baboons usually leave their sleeping places around 7 or 8 a.m. After coming down from the cliffs or trees, adults sit in small groups grooming each other while the juveniles play. They then form a cohesive unit that moves off in a column of two or three, walking until they begin feeding. Fanning out, they feed as they move along, often traveling five or six miles a day. They forage for about three hours in the morning, rest during the heat of the day and then forage again in the afternoon before returning to their sleeping places by about 6 p.m. Before retiring, they spend more time in mutual grooming, a key way of forming bonds among individuals as well as keeping the baboons clean and free of external parasites. Baboons sleep, travel, feed and socialize together in groups of about 50 individuals, consisting of seven to eight males and approximately twice as many females plus their young. These family units of females, juveniles and infants form the stable core of a troop, with a ranking system that elevates certain females as leaders. A troop's home range is well-defined but does not appear to have territorial borders. It often overlaps with the range of other baboons, but the troops seem to avoid meeting one another. When they begin to mature, males leave their natal troops and move in and out of other troops. Frequent fights break out to determine dominance over access to females or meat. The ranking of these males constantly changes during this period. Males are accepted into new troops slowly, usually by developing "friendships" with different females around the edge of a troop. They often help to defend a female and her offspring. Diet Baboons are opportunistic omnivores and selective feeders that carefully choose their food. Grass makes up a large part of their diet, along with berries, seeds, pods, blossoms, leaves, roots, bark and sap from a variety of plants. Baboons also eat insects and small quantities of meat, such as fish, shellfish, hares, birds, vervet monkeys and young, small antelopes. Caring for the Young For the first month, an infant baboon stays in very close contact with its mother. The mother carries the infant next to her stomach as she travels, holding it with one hand. By the time the young baboon is 5 to 6 weeks old it can ride on her back, hanging on by all four limbs; in a few months it rides jockey style, sitting upright. Between 4 and 6 months the young baboon begins to spend most of its time with other juveniles. Predators The baboon's major predators are humans. Knowing that humans can easily kill or injure them when they are in trees, baboons usually escape through undergrowth. Males may confront other predators like leopards or cheetahs by forming a line and strutting in a threatening manner while baring their large canines and screaming. Baboons are fierce fighters, but a demonstration such as this can put the predator on the run. Did you know? Nearly one-half the size of adult males, females lack the male's ruff (long hairs around the neck), but otherwise they are similar in appearance. Baboons use over 30 vocalizations ranging from grunts to barks to screams. Nonvocal gestures include yawns, lip smacking and shoulder shrugging.
Cheetah FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Duma Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus Size: 30 inches at the shoulder Weight: 110 to 140 pounds Lifespan: 10 to 20 years Habitat: Open plains Diet: Smaller antelopes Gestation: 90 to 95 days Predators: Eagles, humans, hyenas, lions The lion is said to be majestic, the leopard ferocious and shrewd. But elegant and graceful best describes the cheetah. The cheetah is smaller than the other two cats, but by far the fastest at speeds of 70 miles per hour it can run faster than all other animals. Now restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, wild cheetahs once were found in most of Africa, the plains of southern Asia, the Middle East and India. Physical Characteristics The cheetah is built for speed. It has long, slim, muscular legs, a small, rounded head set on a long neck, a flexible spine, a deep chest, nonretractable claws, special pads on its feet for traction and a long, tail for balance. Although fast, the cheetah cannot run at full speed for long distances (100 yards is about the limit) because it may overheat. Cheetahs have distinctive black "tear stripes" that connect from the inside corner of each eye to the mouth that may serve as an antiglare device for daytime hunting. Habitat Cheetahs are found in open and partially open savannas. Behavior Cheetah mothers spend a long time teaching their young how to hunt small live antelopes are brought back to the cubs and released so they can chase and catch them. Unlike most other cats, the cheetah usually hunts during daylight, preferring early morning or early evening, but is also active on moonlit nights. Cheetahs do not roar like lions, but they purr, hiss, whine and growl. They also make a variety of contact calls, the most common is a birdlike chirping sound. Diet Once a cheetah has made a kill, it eats quickly and keeps an eye out for scavengers lions, leopards, hyenas, vultures and jackals will occasionally take away their kills. Although cheetahs usually prey on the smaller antelopes such as Thomson's gazelles and impalas, they can catch wildebeests and zebras if hunting together. They also hunt hares and other small mammals and birds. Although known as an animal of the open plains that relies on speed to catch its prey, research has shown that the cheetah depends on cover to stalk prey. The cheetah gets as close to the prey as possible, then in a burst of speed tries to outrun its quarry. Once the cheetah closes in, it knocks the prey to the ground with its paw and suffocates the animal with a bite to the neck. Caring for the Young With a life span of 10 to 12 years, the cheetah is basically a solitary animal. At times a male will accompany a female for a short while after mating, but most often the female is alone or with her cubs. Two to four cubs are born in a secluded place. Their eyes do not open for a week or two, and they are helpless at first. When the mother is hunting, she leaves them hidden, but by 6 weeks of age they are able to follow her. They are suckled for 2 to 3 months but begin to eat meat as early as 3 weeks. By 4 months the cheetah cub is a tawny yellow and almost completely spotted; the tail has bands of black and by adulthood a white tip. The grayish mantle disappears more slowly; the last traces are still visible when the cubs are adult-sized at 15 months. Predators A shy creature that roams widely, the cheetah is not seen as easily as some other cats. Never numerous, cheetahs have become extinct in many areas, principally due to shrinking habitat, loss of species to prey upon, disease and a high rate of cub mortality. In some areas 50 to 75 percent of all cheetah cubs die before 3 months. Did you know? The name cheetah comes from an Indian word meaning "spotted one." The young cub has a long gray-blue coat and a black underbelly that rapidly lightens and becomes spotted. Early peoples trained cheetahs for hunting, and many civilizations depicted them in their art and in written records. Cheetahs were so popular that Akbar the Great of India was said to have kept a stable of about 1,000.
Elephant FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Tembo or ndovu Scientific Name: Loxodonta africana Size: Up to 11 feet Weight: 31/2 - 61/2 tons (7,000 13,200 lb) Lifespan: 60 to 70 years Habitat: Dense forest to open plains Diet: Herbivorous Gestation: About 22 months Predators: Humans The African elephant and the Asian elephant are the only two surviving species of what was in prehistoric times a diverse and populous group of large mammals. Fossil records suggest that the elephant has some unlikely distant relatives, namely the small, rodentlike hyrax and the ungainly aquatic dugong. They all are thought to have evolved from a common stock related to ungulates. In East Africa many well-preserved fossil remains of earlier elephants have aided scientists in dating the archaeological sites of prehistoric man. Physical Characteristics The African elephant is the largest living land mammal, one of the most impressive animals on earth. Of all its specialized features, the muscular trunk is the most remarkable it serves as a nose, a hand, an extra foot, a signaling device and a tool for gathering food, siphoning water, dusting, digging and a variety of other functions. Not only does the long trunk permit the elephant to reach as high as 23 feet, but it can also perform movements as delicate as picking berries or caressing a companion. It is capable, too, of powerful twisting and coiling movements used for tearing down trees or fighting. The trunk of the African elephant has two finger-like structures at its tip, as opposed to just one on the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). The tusks, another remarkable feature, are greatly elongated incisors (elephants have no canine teeth); about one-third of their total length lies hidden inside the skull. The largest tusk ever recorded weighed 214 pounds and was 138 inches long. Tusks of this size are not found on elephants in Africa today, as over the years hunters and poachers have taken animals with the largest tusks. Because tusk size is an inherited characteristic, it is rare to find one now that would weigh more than 100 pounds. Both male and female African elephants have tusks, although only males in the Asiatic species have them. Tusks grow for most of an elephant's lifetime and are an indicator of age. Elephants are "right- or left-tusked," using the favored tusk more often as a tool, thus, shortening it from constant wear. Tusks will differ in size, shape and direction; researchers use them (and the elephant's ears) to identify individuals. Although the elephant's remaining teeth do not attract the ivory poacher, they are nonetheless interesting and ultimately determine the natural life span of the elephant. The cheek teeth erupt in sequence from front to rear (12 on each side, six upper and six lower), but with only a single tooth or one and a part of another, being functional in each half of each jaw at one time. As a tooth becomes badly worn, it is pushed out and replaced by the next tooth growing behind. These large, oblong teeth have a series of cross ridges across the surface. The last molar, which erupts at about 25 years, has the greatest number of ridges but must also serve the elephant for the rest of its life. When it has worn down, the elephant can no longer chew food properly; malnutrition sets in, hastening the elephant's death, usually between 60 and 70 years of age. The African elephant's ears are over twice as large as the Asian elephant's and have a different shape, often described as similar to a map of Africa. The nicks, tears and scars as well as different vein patterns on the ears help distinguish between individuals. Elephants use their ears to display, signal or warn when alarmed or angry, they spread the ears, bringing them forward and fully extending them. The ears also control body temperature. By flapping the ears on hot days, the blood circulates in the ear's numerous veins; the blood returns to the head and body about 9 F cooler. The sole of the elephant's foot is covered with a thick, cushionlike padding that helps sustain weight, prevents slipping and deadens sound. When they need to, elephants can walk almost silently. An elephant usually has five hoofed toes on each forefoot and four on each hind foot. When it walks, the legs on one side of the body move forward in unison. Sometimes it is difficult for the layman to distinguish between male and female elephants as the male has no scrotum (the testes are internal), and both the male and the female have loose folds of skin between the hind legs. Unlike other herbivores, the female has her two teats on her chest between her front legs. As a rule, males are larger than females and have larger tusks, but females can usually be identified by their pronounced foreheads. Habitat Elephants can live in nearly any habitat that has adequate quantities of food and water. Their ideal habitat consists of plentiful grass and browse. Behavior Elephants are generally gregarious and form small family groups consisting of an older matriarch and three or four offspring, along with their young. It was once thought that family groups were led by old bull elephants, but these males are most often solitary. The female family groups are often visited by mature males checking for females in estrus. Several interrelated family groups may inhabit an area and know each other well. When they meet at watering holes and feeding places, they greet each other affectionately. Females mature at about 11 years and stay in the group, while the males, which mature between 12 and 15, are usually expelled from the maternal herd. Even though these young males are sexually mature, they do not breed until they are in their mid- or late 20s (or even older) and have moved up in the social hierarchy. Mature male elephants in peak condition experience an annual period of heightened sexual and aggressive activity called musth. During this period, which may last a week or even up to three to four months, the male produces secretions from swollen temporal glands, continuously dribbles a trail of strong-smelling urine and makes frequent mating calls. Females are attracted to these males and prefer to mate with them rather than with males not in musth. Smell is the most highly developed sense, but sound deep growling or rumbling noises is the principle means of communication. Some researchers think that each individual has its signature growl by which it can be distinguished. Sometimes elephants communicate with an ear-splitting blast when in danger or alarmed, causing others to form a protective circle around the younger members of the family group. Elephants make low-frequency calls, many of which, though loud, are too low for humans to hear. These sounds allow elephants to communicate with one another at distances of five or six miles. Diet An elephant's day is spent eating (about 16 hours), drinking, bathing, dusting, wallowing, playing and resting (about three to five hours). As an elephant only digests some 40 percent of what it eats, it needs tremendous amounts of vegetation (approximately 5 percent of its body weight per day) and about 30 to 50 gallons of water. A young elephant must learn how to draw water up into its trunk and then pour it into its mouth. Elephants eat an extremely varied vegetarian diet, including grass, leaves, twigs, bark, fruit and seed pods. The fibrous content of their food and the great quantities consumed makes for large volumes of dung. Caring for the Young Usually only one calf is born to a pregnant female. An orphaned calf will usually be adopted by one of the family's lactating females or suckled by various females. Elephants are very attentive mothers, and because most elephant behavior has to be learned, they keep their offspring with them for many years. Tusks erupt at 16 months but do not show externally until 30 months. The calf suckles with its mouth (the trunk is held over its head); when its tusks are 5 or 6 inches long, they begin to disturb the mother and she weans it. Once weaned usually at age 4 or 5, the calf still remains in the maternal group. Predators Elephants once were common throughout Africa, even in northern Africa as late as Roman times. They have since disappeared from that area due to overhunting and the spread of the desert. Even though they are remarkably adaptable creatures, living in habitats ranging from lush rain forest to semidesert, there has been much speculation about their future. Surviving populations are pressured by poachers who slaughter elephants for their tusks and by rapidly increasing human settlements, which restrict elephants' movements and reduce the size of their habitat. Today it would be difficult for elephants to survive for long periods of time outside protected parks and reserves. But confining them also causes problems without access any longer to other areas, they may harm their own habitat by overfeeding and overuse. Sometimes they go out of protected areas and raid nearby farms. Did you know? The elephant is distinguished by its high level of intelligence, interesting behavior, methods of communication and complex social structure. Elephants seem to be fascinated with the tusks and bones of dead elephants, fondling and examining them. The myth that they carry them to secret "elephant burial grounds," however, has no factual base. Elephants are very social, frequently touching and caressing one another and entwining their trunks. Elephants demonstrate concern for members of their families they take care of weak or injured members and appear to grieve over a dead companion.
Mountain Gorilla FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Gorila or N'gagi Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla beringei Size: Up to 6 feet tall Weight: 300 to 425 pounds Lifespan: 53 years in captivity Habitat: Dense forest, rain forest Diet: Vegetarian Gestation: Vegetarian Predators: Leopards, crocodiles, humans Few animals have sparked the imagination of man as much as the gorilla, the largest of the living primates and the last member of the ape family known to science. Most gorillas live in inaccessible regions in various dense forests in tropical Africa, and only in the last 30 years have scientists learned details of their life in the wild. A chain of eight volcanoes known as the Virunga Volcanoes runs through a western section of the Rift Valley, forming part of the border between Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) and Rwanda. These spectacular mountains and the nearby Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda are the last refuges of the most endangered of the gorilla subspecies, the mountain gorilla. Only about 630 of these individuals remain. Physical Characteristics The gorilla is massive, with a short, thick trunk and broad chest and shoulders. Its eyes and ears are dwarfed by its large head and hairless, shiny black muzzle. Older males develop a crown of muscle and hair that makes the head look even longer. The arms are longer than the stubby legs. The fully adult male mountain gorilla is twice as large as the female. Habitat The most serious threat to gorillas is habitat loss. The rich volcanic soil of the Virungas is as highly valued as farming land. In Rwanda, Uganda and Congo, a regional conservation program stressing the importance of maintaining the virgin forest watershed and the need to habituate some groups of gorillas for tourist visits has helped ease encroachment. Behavior The gorilla is shy and retiring rather than ferocious and treacherous. It usually seeks no trouble unless harassed but will valiantly defend its family group if threatened. Family groups are close-knit and may have up to 30 members, but even if smaller, the group usually consists of at least one older male, one or more females and a few juveniles. Gorillas have strong attachments to members of their own group and even when groups meet and mingle and then subsequently part, each animal tends to remain with its respective unit. An adult male called a silverback named for the silvery gray hairs on its back normally leads each group, serving as its chief protector and defender. Gorillas continually wander through their home ranges of 10 to 15 square miles, feeding and resting throughout the day. Because gorillas are nomadic, they build new nests each day at dusk, constructing them of bent branches in a tree or of grasses on the ground. A group's hierarchy, ritualized behavior and bluff charges between males prevents conflict among and between groups. Gorillas scream, grab foliage and stuff it in their mouths, stand erect on their hind legs, tear up and throw plants, drum on the chest with hands or fists, stamp their feet, strike the ground with the palms of their hands and gallop in a mock attack on all fours. Diet Animals of this size need a lot of food, and the vegetarian gorilla is no exception. Although they eat a variety of plants, favorites include wild celery, bamboo, thistles, stinging nettles, bedstraw and certain fruit. These plants seem to provide sufficient moisture so that gorillas do not need water. Caring for the Young Mountain gorillas have a slow rate of reproduction. Females give birth for the first time at about age 10 and will have more offspring every three or four years. A male begins to breed between 12 and 15 years, when he is in charge of his own group. Able to conceive for only about three days each month, the female produces a single young. Newborn gorillas are weak and tiny, weighing in at about 4 pounds. Their movements are as awkward as those of human infants, but their development is roughly twice as fast. At 3 or 4 months, the gorilla infant can sit upright and can stand with support soon after. It suckles regularly for about a year and is gradually weaned at about 31/2 years, when it becomes more independent. Predators The gorilla's only known enemies are leopards and humans. Crocodiles are potentially dangerous to lowland gorillas. In western Africa, gorillas are commonly hunted for meat or in retaliation for crop raiding, but in eastern Africa they have been the victims of snares and traps set for antelope and other animals. Poachers have also destroyed entire family groups in their attempts to capture infant gorillas for zoos, while others are killed to sell their heads and hands as trophies. Did you know? Gorillas rarely attack humans. But in an encounter a person should stay still and refrain from staring or pointing at the gorilla. Gorillas are susceptible to various parasites and diseases, especially to pneumonia during the long, cold wet seasons.
Grant's gazelle FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Swala Granti Scientific Name: Gazella granti Size: 30 to 36 inches at the shoulder Weight: 100 to 145 pounds Lifespan: 12 years Habitat: Open grass plains Diet: Herbivorous/browsers/grazer Gestation: 7 months Predators: Humans, all major predators Grant's gazelles resemble Thomson's gazelles, and the two species are often seen together. They are similarly colored and marked, but Grant's are noticeably larger than Thomson's and easily distinguished by the broad white patch on the rump that extends upward, beyond the tail and onto the back. The white patch on the Thomson's gazelle stops at the tail. Some varieties of Grant's have a black stripe on each side of the body like the Thomson's gazelle; in others the stripe is very light or absent. A black stripe runs down the thigh. Physical Characteristics The various types of Grant's gazelle differ mainly in color and in the size and shape of the horns. Grant's are large, pale, fawn-colored gazelles with long legs. The males are larger and heavier and their horns longer than the females. The lyre-shaped horns are stout at the base, clearly ringed and measuring from 18 to 32 inches long. The width of the spaces between the horns and the angles of growth differ among the various types of Grant's gazelles. One type, in northwest Tanzania, has widely diverging horns, with the tips directed downwards. On the females black skin surrounds the teats, with white hair on the udder. This probably helps the young recognize the source of milk. When a fawn is older and moving about with its mother, the dark stripe on the white background may serve as a beacon for it to follow. Habitat Grant's gazelles are especially fond of open grass plains, and although they frequent bushy savannas, they avoid areas of high grass. Behavior Grant's gazelles may remain in areas where food is plentiful. Mature males establish territories they may hold as long as eight months. A male tries to detain the female herds of 10 to 25 individuals as they pass through these territories while they move about to feed. At the same time males chase off rival males and try to mate with females in estrus. Grant's gazelles have developed several ritualized postures. For example, the territorial male stretches and squats in an exaggerated manner while urinating and dropping dung. This apparently warns other males to stay away and reduces the number of confrontations. Younger males will fight, but as they grow older the ritualized displays often take the place of fights. When fighting does occur, it also is ritualized. It starts with "pretend" grooming, repeated scratching of the neck and forehead with a hind foot and presenting side views of the body. If neither combatant is intimidated, they may confront one another and clash horns, trying to throw the other off-balance. Diet The gazelles vary their diet according to the season. They eat herbs, foliage from shrubs, short grasses and shoots. Grant's gazelles are not restricted to certain habitats by a dependency on water, but obtain the moisture they need from their food. Grant's have unusually large salivary glands, possibly an adaptation for secreting fluid to cope with a relatively dry diet. They typically remain in the open during the heat of the day, suggesting an efficient system to retain the necessary fluid in their bodies. Caring for the Young Breeding is seasonal, but not firmly fixed. Gestation is approximately 7 months, and the young are born in areas that provide some cover. The newborn fawn is carefully cleaned by the mother who eats the afterbirth. Once the fawn can stand up and has been suckled, it seeks a suitable hiding place. The mother watches carefully and evidently memorizes the position before moving away to graze. She returns to the fawn three to four times during the day to suckle it and clean the area. The lying-out period is quite long-two weeks or more. The fawn eats its first solid food at about 1 month, but is nursed for 6 months. Grant's become sexually mature at about 18 months. By that time the young males will have joined an all-male bachelor herd, but it will be some time before they become territory holders, if at all. Males from the bachelor herds challenge the territorial males, but only the strongest win territories, which they mark with combined deposits of dung and urine. Predators All the major predators kill Grant's gazelle, but cheetahs and African hunting dogs are the most prevalent. In some areas jackals prey on the young. Because of its adaptation to semi-arid and subdesert ranges as well as its good meat and valuable skin, Grant's gazelle has been one of the species that scientists consider as a potential source of protein for humans. Did you know? The only relatively long-lasting relationship in gazelle society is that of a mother and her most recent offspring. Grant's are gregarious and form the usual social groupings of small herds of females with their offspring, territorial males and all-male bachelor groups. Membership in these groups is temporary.
Hartebeest FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Kongoni Scientific Name Alcelaphus buselaphus Size: 48 inches at the shoulder Weight: 165 to 350 pounds Lifespan: 12 to 15 years Habitat: Open plains Diet: Herbivorous/grazer Gestation: 8 months Predators: Cheetahs, jackals, lions, hyenas, leopards,hunting dogs, humans Coke's hartebeest, also called kongoni, is the most widespread hartebeest. It is found on the open grassy plains and tree grasslands in southern Kenya and Tanzania. Physical Characteristics The hartebeest is a large, fawn-colored antelope that at first glance seems strangely misshapen and less elegant than other antelopes. Clumsy in appearance, it is hump-shouldered, with a steeply sloping back, slim legs and a long, narrow face. It is far from clumsy, however, and is in fact one of the fastest antelopes and most enduring runners. These qualities gave rise to the name "hartebeest," which means "tough ox." Scientists differ about the classification of the hartebeest. Some consider the group to have several geographic representatives of the same species, while others think it represents different species. The shape of the horns and the color of the coat seem to be the most important diagnostic indicators. Hunter's, Jackson's, Lichtenstein's and Coke's hartebeest are found in East Africa. Habitat Hartebeest are mainly found in medium and tall grasslands, including savannas. They are more tolerant of high grass and woods than other alcelaphines (archetypical plains antelopes). Behavior The hartebeest is one of the most sedentary antelopes (making it easy to hunt), but it does move around more when larger groupings form during the dry seasons or in periods of drought, to seek water and better grazing. At other times the females form small groups of five to 12 animals that wander around their home range. Most mature males become solitary and spread out in adjoining territories. Hartebeests go to water regularly, but in some circumstances territorial males appear to go without drinking for rather long periods. The home ranges are usually densely populated. When a territorial male returns from watering, he may find another in his place. Females are free to seek the best grazing in their home range, but males cannot leave their territories for long if they intend to keep them. Successful breeding only takes place within the territories-open, short-grass areas of ridges or rises on plateaus are the most favored spots. Males strenuously defend their territories; they often stand on open, elevated areas to keep a lookout for intruders. Should a territorial male be challenged, a fight may develop. Males are aggressive, especially so during breeding peaks. Like many antelopes, however, hartebeests have developed ways of fighting that determine dominance without many fatalities or serious injuries. A ritualized series of head movements and body stances, followed by depositing droppings on long-established dung piles that mark the territory's borders, normally precede any actual clashing of horns and fighting. After the dominance ritual, one male may leave. If not, the hartebeest with its stout horns, short, strong neck and heavily muscled shoulders, is well-prepared for fighting. If the dispute over a territory is serious and both males are prepared to fight over it, severe injury may result. Diet The hartebeest feeds almost entirely on grass, but is not very selective and quite tolerant of poor-quality food. It has suffered from the expansion of cattle raising, as hartebeests and cattle compete for the same food. Caring for the Young The social organization of the hartebeest is somewhat different than that of other antelopes. Adult females do not form permanent associations with other adults; instead, they are often accompanied by up to four generations of their young. Female offspring remain close to their mothers up to the time they give birth to calves of their own. Even male offspring may remain with their mothers for as long as 3 years, considered an unusually long bonding period. As groups of females move in and out of male territories, the males sometimes try to chase away the older offspring. Their mothers become defensive and protect them from the males. Although bachelor herds of young males are also formed, they are less structured than those of some antelopes, and age classes are not as conspicuous. Young are born throughout the year, but conception and breeding peaks may be influenced by the availability of food. The behavior of the female hartebeest when she gives birth is very different from that of the wildebeest. Instead of calving in groups on open plains, the hartebeest female isolates herself in scrub areas to give birth and leaves the young calf hidden for a fortnight, only visiting it briefly to suckle. Predators Juvenile mortality is thought to be relatively low, despite the number of potential predators. Cheetahs and jackals prey on small calves, while young and adult hartebeests are killed by lions, hyenas, leopards, hunting dogs and people. Did you know? The ancient Egyptians are said to have semidomesticated the hartebeest for use as a sacrificial animal. Because the species competes with cattle for food, further attempts at domestication are unlikely. Although a prolific breeder and even a dominant species in some areas, the hartebeest has probably suffered the greatest reduction in range of all African ruminants
Hippo FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Kiboko Scientific Name: Hippopotamus amphibius Size: 13 feet long and 5 feet tall Weight: Up to 31/2 tons Lifespan: 50 years Habitat: Rivers, swamps and protected areas Diet: Herbivorous Gestation: About 240 days Predators: Humans, lions, crocodiles The hippopotamus, whose hide alone can weigh half a ton, is the third-largest living land mammal, after elephants and white rhinos. It was considered a female deity of pregnancy in ancient Egypt, but in modern times has been wiped out of that country because of the damage it inflicts on crops. The hippo continues to thrive in other parts of Africa. Physical Characteristics The hippo's proportions reflect its sedentary, amphibious existence. Its plump and bulky body is set on short, stumpy legs, with each foot having four toes. Although webbed, the toes splay enough to distribute the weight evenly over each toe and therefore adequately support the hippo on land. With very thick skin, especially over the back and rump, the grayish-brown body is almost completely hairless, with only a few bristles around the mouth and the tip of the tail. The hippo has neither sweat nor sebaceous glands but does have unique glands that produce a viscous red fluid, leading to the myth that hippos "sweat blood." The hippo relies on water or mud to keep it cool, and the red fluid may have a similar function, but it is often produced in copious amounts when the animal is excited. Habitat Two hippo species are found in Africa. The large hippo, found in East Africa, occurs south of the Sahara. This social, group-living mammal is so numerous in some areas that "cropping" schemes are used to control populations that have become larger than the habitat can sustain. The other, much smaller (440 to 605 pounds) species of hippo is the pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). Limited to very restricted ranges in West Africa, it is a shy, solitary forest dweller, and now rare. Behavior The large hippo is an aggressive animal; old scars and fresh, deep wounds are signs of daily fights that are accompanied by much bellowing, neighing and snorting. Hippos have developed some ritualized postures the huge open-mouthed "yawn" that reveals formidable teeth is one of the most aggressive. With the long, razor-sharp incisors and tusklike canines, the hippo is well-armed and dangerous. Hippos move easily in water, either swimming by kicking their hind legs or walking on the bottom. They are well-adapted to their aquatic life, with small ears, eyes and nostrils set at the top of the head. These senses are so keen that even submerged in water, the hippo is alert to its surroundings. By closing its ears and nostrils, the adult can stay under water for as long as six minutes. Hippos have a flexible social system defined by hierarchy and by feed and water conditions. Usually they are found in mixed groups of about 15 individuals, but in periods of drought large numbers are forced to congregate near limited pools of water. This overcrowding disrupts the hierarchical system, resulting in even higher levels of aggression, with the oldest and strongest males most dominant. Hippos are unpredictable. If they are encountered away from the safety of water, anything that gets between them and their refuge may be bitten or trampled. Diet Amazingly agile for their bulk, hippos are good climbers and often traverse rather steep banks each night to graze on grass. They exit and enter the water at the same spots and graze for four to five hours each night in loop patterns, covering one or two miles, with extended forays up to five miles. Their modest appetites are due to their sedentary life, which does not require high outputs of energy. Caring for the Young A single young is born either on land or in shallow water. In water, the mother helps the newborn to the surface, later teaching it to swim. Newly born hippos are relatively small, weighing from 55 to 120 pounds, and are protected by their mothers, not only from crocodiles and lions but from male hippos that, oddly enough, do not bother them on land but attack them in water. Young hippos can only stay under water for about half a minute, but adults can stay submerged up to six minutes. Young hippos can suckle under water by taking a deep breath, closing their nostrils and ears and wrapping their tongue tightly around the teat to suck. This procedure must be instinctive, because newborns suckle the same way on land. A young hippo begins to eat grass at 3 weeks, but its mother continues to suckle it for about a year. Newborns often climb on their mothers' backs to rest. Predators Compared to other animals, hippos are not very susceptible to disease, so in suitable habitats, their numbers can increase quickly. Their chief predators are people, who may hunt hippos for their meat, hides and ivory teeth. Did you know? The name hippopotamus comes from the Greek "hippos," meaning horse, these animals were once called "river horses." But the hippo is more closely related to the pig than the horse. Hippos spend most of their day in water close to shore lying on their bellies. In areas undisturbed by people, hippos lie on the shore in the morning sun.
Hyena FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Fisi Scientific Name: Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena) Size: 28 to 35 inches tall Weight: 90 to 190 pounds Lifespan: 25 years in captivity Habitat: Savannas, grasslands, woodlands, forest edges, subdeserts and mountains to 13,000 feet Diet: Carnivorous Gestation: 90 to 110 days Predators: Humans The hyena is Africa's most common large carnivore. Over the years hyenas and humans have come into close contact in Africa and, in earlier times, in Asia and in Europe, often leading to mutual predation. In ancient Egypt hyenas were domesticated, fattened and eaten, and in turn humans have on occasion become food for hyenas. Reputed to be cowardly and timid, the hyena can be bold and dangerous, attacking animals and humans. Physical Characteristics Of the three species of hyena in Africa, only the spotted hyena and the shy and much rarer, striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) are found in East Africa. The smaller, and even shyer brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea) occurs only in southern Africa. Different from most other animals, female spotted hyenas are dominant over the males and outweigh them by about 3 pounds. It is difficult to distinguish male and female hyenas by observation in the field. They are not hermaphrodites (having both male and female sexual organs), nor can they change their sex at will, as many people believe. Although the external female genitalia have a superficial similarity to those of the male, they are nonetheless female organs and only the females bear and nurse young. Why the female hyena developed in this manner is not known, but it may have been necessary for them to appear large and strong to protect their young from males, as hyenas have cannibalistic tendencies. Habitat Spotted hyenas are found in grasslands, woodlands, savannas, subdeserts, forest edges and mountains. Behavior Spotted hyenas are organized into territorial clans of related individuals that defend their home ranges against intruding clans. The center of clan activity is the den, where the cubs are raised and individuals meet. The den is usually situated on high ground in the central part of the territory. Its above-ground entrances are connected to a series of underground tunnels. Hyenas mark and patrol their territories by depositing a strong-smelling substance produced by the anal glands on stalks of grass along the boundaries. "Latrines," places where members of a clan deposit their droppings, also mark territories. The high mineral content of the bones hyenas consume make their droppings a highly visible, chalky white. Hyenas are social animals that communicate with one other through specific calls, postures and signals. They quickly make their various intentions known to other members of the clan, or to outsiders. When a hyena's tail is carried straight, for example, it signals attack. When it is held up and forward over the back, the hyena is extremely excited. In contrast, it hangs down when the hyena is standing or walking leisurely. If frightened, the hyena tucks its tail between the legs and flat against the belly and usually skulks away. Diet The spotted hyena is a skillful hunter but also a scavenger. Truly an opportunistic feeder, it selects the easiest and most attractive food it may ignore fresh carrion and bones if there is, for example, an abundance of vulnerable wildebeest calves. It consumes animals of various types and sizes (including domestic stock and even other hyenas), carrion, bones, vegetable matter and other animals' droppings. The powerful jaws and digestive tract of the hyena allow it to process and obtain nutrients from skin and bones. The only parts of prey not fully digested are hair, horns and hooves; these are regurgitated in the form of pellets. As hyenas hunt mostly at night and devour all parts, little evidence remains of their actual meals. Although they eat a lot of dry bones, they need little water. Caring for the Young Hyenas usually bear litters of two to four cubs, which, unlike the other two species, are born with their eyes open. Cubs begin to eat meat from kills near the den at about 5 months, but they are suckled for as long as 12 to 18 months, an unusually long time for carnivores. This is probably a necessity, as most kills are made far from the den, and hyenas, unlike jackals and hunting dogs, do not bring back food and regurgitate it for their young. At about 1 year, cubs begin to follow their mothers on their hunting and scavenging forays. Until then, they are left behind at the den with a babysitting adult. Predators Lions (who will attack them at every opportunity), hunting dogs and strange hyenas are among the species that prey on hyenas. Did you know? Hyenas make a variety of vocalizations, including wailing calls, howling screams and the well-known "laughter" used to alert other clan members up to three miles away of a food source. Hyenas eat a great variety of animal products, vegetation and, according to campers, even aluminum pots and pans.
Leopard FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Chui Scientific Name: Panthera pardus Size: About 28 inches at the shoulder Weight: Up to 140 pounds Lifespan: 21 years in captivity Habitat: Bush and riverine forest Diet: Carnivorous Gestation: Approximately 21/2 months Predators: Humans The most secretive and elusive of the large carnivores, the leopard is also the shrewdest. Pound for pound, it is the strongest climber of the large cats and capable of killing prey larger than itself. Physical Characteristics Leopards come in a wide variety of coat colors, from a light buff or tawny in warmer, dryer areas to a dark shade in deep forests. The spots, or rosettes, are circular in East African leopards but square in southern African leopards. Habitat Dense bush in rocky surroundings and riverine forest are their favorite habitats, but leopards adapt to many places in both warm and cold climates. Their adaptability, in fact, has helped them survive the loss of habitat to increasing human settlement. Leopards are primarily nocturnal, usually resting during the daytime in trees or thick bush. The spotted coat provides almost perfect camouflage. Behavior When a leopard stalks prey, it keeps a low profile and slinks through the grass or bush until it is close enough to launch an attack. When not hunting, it can move through herds of antelopes without unduly disturbing them by flipping its tail over its back to reveal the white underside, a sign that it is not seeking prey. Leopards are basically solitary and go out of their way to avoid one another. Each animal has a home range that overlaps with its neighbors; the male's range is much larger and generally overlaps with those of several females. A leopard usually does not tolerate intrusion into its own range except to mate. Unexpected encounters between leopards can lead to fights. Leopards growl and spit with a screaming roar of fury when angry and they purr when content. They announce their presence to other leopards with a rasping or sawing cough. They have a good sense of smell and mark their ranges with urine; they also leave claw marks on trees to warn other leopards to stay away. Leopards continually move about their home ranges, seldom staying in an area for more than two or three days at a time. With marking and calling, they usually know one another's whereabouts. A male will accompany a female in estrus for a week or so before they part and return to solitude. Diet As they grow, cubs learn to hunt small animals. The leopard is a cunning, stealthy hunter, and its prey ranges from strong-scented carrion, fish, reptiles and birds to mammals such as rodents, hares, hyraxes, warthogs, antelopes, monkeys and baboons. Caring for the Young A litter includes two or three cubs, whose coats appear to be smoky gray as the rosettes are not yet clearly delineated. The female abandons her nomadic wandering until the cubs are large enough to accompany her. She keeps them hidden for about the first 8 weeks, giving them meat when they are 6 or 7 weeks old and suckling them for 3 months or longer. Predators Leopards have long been preyed upon by man. Their soft, dense, beautiful fur has been used for ceremonial robes and coats. Different parts of the leopard the tail, claws and whiskers are popular as fetishes. These cats have a reputation as wanton killers, but research does not support the claim. In some areas farmers try to exterminate them, while in others leopards are considered symbols of wisdom. Leopards do well in captivity, and some have lived as long as 21 years. Did you know? The elegant, powerfully built leopard has a long body, relatively short legs and a broad head. Its tawny coat is covered with dark, irregular circles called "rosettes." Both lions and hyenas will take away a leopard's kill if they can. To prevent this leopards store their larger kills in trees where they can feed on them in relative safety.
Rhinoceros FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Faru Scientific Name: Black (Diceros bicornis), white (Ceratotherium simum) Size: About 60 inches at the shoulder Weight: 1 to 11/2 tons (black rhino), over 2 tons (white rhino) Lifespan: 35 to 40 years Habitat: Grassland and open savannas Diet: Vegetarian Gestation: 16 months Predators: Humans The rhinoceros is a large, primitive-looking mammal that in fact dates from the Miocene era millions of years ago. In recent decades rhinos have been relentlessly hunted to the point of near extinction. Since 1970 the world rhino population has declined by 90 percent, with five species remaining in the world today, all of which are endangered. The white or square-lipped rhino is one of two rhino species in Africa. It in turn occurs as two subspecies, the southern and the northern. The southern dwindled almost to extinction in the early 20th century, but was protected on farms and reserves, enabling it to increase enough to be reintroduced. The northern white rhino has recovered in Democratic Republic of Congo from about 15 in 1984 to about 30 in the late 1990s. This population, however, has recently been severely threatened by political conflict and instability. Physical Characteristics The white rhino's name derives from the Dutch "weit," meaning wide, a reference to its wide, square muzzle adapted for grazing. The white rhino, which is actually gray, has a pronounced hump on the neck and a long face. The black, or hooked-lipped, rhino, along with all other rhino species, is an odd-toed ungulate (three toes on each foot). It has a thick, hairless, gray hide. Both the black and white rhino have two horns, the longer of which sits at the front of the nose. Habitat Black rhinos have various habitats, but mainly areas with dense, woody vegetation. White rhinos live in savannas with water holes, mud wallows and shade trees. Behavior Rhinos live in home ranges that sometimes overlap with each other. Feeding grounds, water holes and wallows may be shared. The black rhino is usually solitary. The white rhino tends to be much more gregarious. Rhinos are also rather ill-tempered and have become more so in areas where they have been constantly disturbed. While their eyesight is poor, which is probably why they will sometimes charge without apparent reason, their sense of smell and hearing are very good. They have an extended "vocabulary" of growls, grunts, squeaks, snorts and bellows. When attacking, the rhino lowers its head, snorts, breaks into a gallop reaching speeds of 30 miles an hour, and gores or strikes powerful blows with its horns. Still, for all its bulk, the rhino is very agile and can quickly turn in a small space. The rhino has a symbiotic relationship with oxpeckers, also called tick birds. In Swahili the tick bird is named "askari wa kifaru," meaning "the rhino's guard." The bird eats ticks it finds on the rhino and noisily warns of danger. Although the birds also eat blood from sores on the rhino's skin and thus obstruct healing, they are still tolerated. Diet The black rhino is a browser, with a triangular-shaped upper lip ending in a mobile grasping point. It eats a large variety of vegetation, including leaves, buds and shoots of plants, bushes and trees. The white rhino, on the other hand, is a grazer feeding on grasses. Caring for the Young The closest rhino relationship is between a female and her calf, lasting from 2 to 4 years. As the older calves mature, they leave their mothers and may join other females and their young, where they are tolerated for some time before living completely on their own. Predators Man is the cause of the demise of the rhino. In the wild, the adult black or white rhino has no true natural predators and, despite its size and antagonistic reputation, it is extremely easy for man to kill. A creature of habitat that lives in a well-defined home range, it usually goes to water holes daily, where it is easily ambushed. The dramatic decline in rhino numbers is unfortunate in an era of increasing conservation and wildlife awareness, but efforts are underway to save the rhino from extinction Did you know? The black rhino declined drastically in the 1970s and 1980s due to poaching. To prevent extinction, many rhinos were translocated to fenced sanctuaries in the early 1990s. This effort appears to be succeeding, as 1994 was the first time in 20 years that rhino numbers did not decline. The rhino is prized for its horn. Not a true horn, it is made of thickly matted hair that grows from the skull without skeletal support. The major demand for horn is in Asia, where it is used in traditional medicine and ornamental carvings.
Zanzibar holidays have been known to leave travelers with enchanting memories. Sun, sand, spice and vivid history are the essence of this charming destination.
Traditional dhows can be seen sailing to and from Pemba, Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mombasa and even though foreigners are not welcome aboard, looking at these vessels is incredibly therapeutic.
This world’s oldest functioning Swahili city has more than 25 beaches some of which are so remote and serene that the only thing you’ll hear is the splashing of the turquoise waters.
Roads are mostly fringed with palm trees, banana and mangroves and fishing villages are often found.
Zanzibar is derived from the Persian word Zang bar which translates to ‘black coast’ which references the dark skin of the Zanzibari.
It was initially a base for African, Indian and Arabian traders who traded in slaves and spices. For centuries, it was fought over by the Portuguese, Omani, British and Persians.
Zanzibar was ruled by the Sultanate of Oman for years and as a result, the area is almost entirely inhabited by Muslims. It is therefore not a gay-friendly destination, so be cautious.
Spice growing forms a major part of Zanzibar’s economy and has been fondly referred to as Spice Island. Today, tourism has overshadowed spice trading as a main form of income but Zanzibar continues to enthral its visitors with its rustic charm.
Must see
Zanzibar red colobus monkey, Servaline genet, Zanzibar leopard, Bush pigs, Sykes monkeys, Aldabra tortoise, Ancient Stone Town, Magnificent beaches, Princess Salme Museum, Darajani Market, Maruhubi Palace, Mbweni Ruins, Dhow building at Nungwi Prison Island, Native sea turtles at Mnarani, Marine Turtle Conservation Pond, Spice plantations outside Zanzibar town, Jozani Forest, Ras Nungwi fishing village, Bottle-nosed dolphins at Kizimkazi fishing village, Kizimkazi mosque Creeper and entwined Shirazi ruins
Must do
Snorkeling at Chumbe Island,Scuba diving, Deep sea fishing, Kayaking, Sail in a traditional dhow, Get lost in Stone Town, Revel in a beach disco at Nungwi and Kendwa, Swim with dolphins at Fumba or Kizimkazi, Sample Indian and Swahili cuisine, Grab a mug of spicy chai on the side of the road, Visit Old Dispensary, Visit the House of Wonders, Visit the Hamamni Persian public baths, Have lunch at Forodhani Gardens, Watch a kaleidoscope of butterflies at Zanzibar Butterfly Center, Take a spice plantation tour, Indulge in a soothing body scrub with local spices at Mvua African Rain Spa and Visit Fumba traditional village.
Where to stay when at Zanzibar
Ocean Beach Resort, Uroa Bay Beach Hotel, White Sand Villas, Zanzibar Lodge, Zanzibar Serena, Fumba Beach Lodge, Twisted Palms Lodge, Bahari View Lodge, Mermaids Cove Beach Resort & Spa, Hideaway of Nungwi Resort & Spa,Matemwe Lodge, Blue Earth Beach Bungalow, Zeru Zeru Eco Local Wild Lodge, Zanzi Resort, Reef Beach Resort and Paradise Beach Resort.
When to schedule Zanzibar holidays
Zanzibar’s long rainy season lasts from March to May. During this time, many hotels are closed and beach time is almost impossible thanks to the monsoons that hit the island.
Short rains occur from November to December but are less intense and always make way for clear skies. The island is busiest from July to October and from December to January.
Mid-January to March is fairly quiet although the heat is too much. The best time to schedule Zanzibar holidays would be late June to July and September to October.
You can get to Zanzibar Island by:
Sea:
You can take the high-speed ferry from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam and vice versa (which takes 2 hours) and from Zanzibar to Pemba and vice versa. This trip takes 6 hours. All ferries arrive at the passenger ferry terminal gate on Mzingani road. Ferry tickets can be purchased at the passenger ferry terminal or through travel agents in Zanzibar town. There are also boats to choose from and every provider has different charges depending on the speed and make of their vessel. Modern and fast boats tend to be more expensive. High-speed boats take 2 hours.
Air: This is the most feasible mode of transport to get to Zanzibar Island. Book a short hop flight from Dar es Salaam (There are daily flights to this destination). International flights are however less time consuming and more comfortable. A flight from Arusha will take about 75 minutes. If you’re travelling from Europe, you will probably fly via Nairobi or mainland Tanzania which might be very helpful if you’re planning to merge you Zanzibar holidays with a little safari.
Road: Self-drive within Zanzibar town is rare because most vehicles come with a driver even when you rent one. You will pay for the car, driver and fuel on a daily basis. Alternatively, you can get a 4 seater or 6 seater taxi to carry you and your fellow touring friends to destinations in Zanzibar such as Stone town, Nungwi and Paje. You can then share trip costs with other passengers.
What to pack for Zanzibar holidays
Beachwear
Sunglasses
Sunhat
SandalsFlip flops
Sunscreen
Smart casual clothing for evenings
Camera
Shorts
Beach dresses
Anti-malarial drugs
If Spice Island is on your wish list, check out the Zanzibar Holidays available or call an agent to
Prior to 1970’s, Ol Pejeta was a highly developed and productive cattle ranch in which wildlife presence was thought to undermine the welfare of the cattle by competing for grazing as well as being disease vectors.
Ol Pejeta is now East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary as well as being home to Southern White Rhinos brought in from South Africa and thriving on the fertile open grasslands. It is also the only place in Africa to see Northern White Rhinos, a subspecies that once roamed the grasslands of northern Congo and southern Sudan but now on the brink of extinction. Ol Pejeta Conservancy is home to four of the last seven of this species left in the world. Our Location on the wildlife migration corridors of Kenya’s northern rangelands has the advantage of making us home to all the “Big Five” and we enjoy one of the highest predator densities in Kenya. We are also the only place in Kenya to see the chimpanzees which are located in a specially designed sanctuary set up by the world famous primatologist JANE GOODALL.
TO PROFIT OR NOT TO PROFIT
While Ol Pejeta is a private conservancy we are considered a “not-for profit” organization. By virtue of our company constitution, all “profit” must be reinvested into further wildlife conservation and community outreach and cannot be disbursed as a dividend or in the form of director’s benefits. The shareholders and Board of Ol Pejeta work on an entirely Philanthropic and voluntarily basis.
CONSERVATION .....OUR EXPENSIVE BUSINESS
Safeguarding endangered species is very expensive, the cost of which literally doubles with the presence of Rhinos. We aim to develop the majority of this funding from our tourism operations; however these are susceptible to periodic downturns and we are always looking to develop the funding and partnership relationships necessary to guarantee the security of our wildlife. Considered a leader in conservation innovation, we are constantly evolving new approaches and technologies. The conservancy perimeter fence is completely electrified with game corridors in the northern sector adjoining other conservancies. We also work closely with surrounding communities who provide security in the form of information
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
The conservancy is committed to building a long term community relationships by empowering people from from neighboring communities to grow. We constantly engage with surrounding communities to identify opportunities for assistance and ensure effective use of donated funds in an entirely accountable manner. Through business enterprises and with the help of willing donors[both large and small], our community outreach program and external conservation program mes have raised and disbursed USD 1,000,000 in the last three years, reflecting our aim to become a real engine for development across the district now and in the future.
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy model is increasingly recognized and used by donors as a means to achieve effective community and poverty alleviation.
For more information on Ol Pejeta Conservancy visit:
Director General Tanzania National Parks [P. O. Box 3134, Arusha, Tanzania] Tel: +255272544082 Fax: +255272548216 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.tanzaniapark.com Chief Park Warden Serengeti National Park [P. O. Box 3134, Arusha, Tanzania] Tel:{Hotline} +255{0}689 062 243 / {0}767 536 125 Tel./Fax [Office]: +254{0}732 985 760 Tel./Fax [Tourism] +255{0}732 985 766 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.tanzaniaparks.com
HISTORY
The name Serengeti comes from a Masai word “Siringit” referring to endless plains as you stand on the southern grass plains, you experience this vastness,and can witness one of the greatest concentrations of plain animals left on earth. The plains were formed 3-4 million years ago when ash blown from volcanoes in the ngorongoro highlands covered the rolling landscape . This thick layer of ash preserved traces of early man, and established the rich soil which supports the southern grass plains. from this early beginning, man and wildlife have shared this magical place. In recognition of the need to preserve this special area, the central Serengeti was declared a Game Reserve in 1929. In 1951, the reserve became Tanganyika’s first National Park, and in those days included Ngorongoro crater. Further alteration in 1959 resulted on the park boundaries you see today. Part of the park plains and the highlands were removed and added to the Ngorongoro conservation Area, while extension to the North and South were included to provide more protection to wildebeest migration. Covering 14,763 square kilometers, the park is roughly the size of Northern Ireland or Connecticut, making it Tanzania's second largest national Park. Its the center of of the Serengeti ecosystem. Roughly defined by the annual wildebeest migration, the Serengeti ecosystems is expansive - and area of 25-3000 square kilometers. Its the combination of the park with its buffer zones- Ngorongoro Conservation areas, four Game reserves, one Game controlled Area and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve- that protects the largest single movement of wildlife on Earth. It was first inhabited by the ancient hunter gatherers and more recently pastorals. The plains were controlled by the Masai. There are early Masai rock paintings still visible at Moru, and a special rock used for making music! The colonist who arrived by the early 1900’s found a land virtually untouched, and exploited it for exceptional hunting opportunities, particularly lion, leopard, buffalo. The Serengeti offers more than just annual migration. Its colorful topography of mountains, rolling hills, rivers and plains provide year round habitat for many of the Serengeti species.
WESTERN CORRIDOR [Grumeti] Stretching almost to the shores of Lake Victoria, the reach of the western corridor is important in preserving ancient migratory routes. In a typical year, the migration arrives between June and July, having left the dry plains in the South. Here the migrants mix with herbivores, including topi, giraffe, and buffalo. There is also a resident population of wildebeest! Supporting the lush riverine forest, the Grumeti river provides a sharp contrast to the plains snd hosts some of the Serengeti's more unusual species, such as the black and white Columbus monkeys. Its the rivers population of giant Nile crocodiles at Kirawira that has made this part famous. Growing up to 6meters in length and and with unussually thick set jaws, their lives are inextricably linked with the great migration. Moving with surprisingly stealth and speed, they prey upon the thirsty heads as they drink from the river. This time of plenty for the crocodiles will sustain them until the herds return next year.
KOPJES [Rocks] The Serengeti would not be the same without the beautiful rock outcrops known as kopjes [pronounces ‘copy’ from the Dutch meaning “little head”. Technically known as inselbergs, the intriguing rounded shapes of these ancient granite rocks are the result of cracking and erosion from exposure to sun, wind, and rain. They provide shelter and capture water for a wealth of wildlife and plants. In fact, without such environs, lions and other large animals would be unable to survive the dry seasons on the plains. The main groups of kopjes are: Barafu, Loliondo, Simba and Moru Kopjes are outstanding for their size and profusion of resident wildlife including lion, leopard, serval, caracal and even rhinoceros and elephant. Gol and barafu kopjes provide important habitat for cheetah, and are used by wildebeest in the wet season. Maasai and Loliondo kopjes provide outlooks for resident lion. and large cobras can oftenbe seen sunning themselves on the rocks. Simba kopjes supports a great variety of animals and birds including giraffe, baboon and lions [simba] for which they are named.
NORTHERN WOODLAND Wildebeest move through the Northern woodlands in most years from June -December to feed on the longer grasses that persist in this area. Their range during this time extends north into Masai Mara. Rocky hills, rivers and woodlands typify this scenic area. Around October, nearly two million herbivores including wildebeest travel from the Northern hills towards the southern plains, crossing the Mara and Kirawira rivers, in pursuit of the rains in April, they return to the north through West, once again crossing the Mara and Kirawira rivers. This phenomenon is sometimes called the circular migration.
SOUTHERN PLAINS The southern grass plains are some of the most productive and nutritious natural grassland in the world. When the short rains start in November, the wildebeest move south from the northern woodlands. They move to exploit the short grassplains, where the grasses are rich in the minerals they need to rear their young. In February/March one of the wildlife's most amazing spectacle occurs. for 3-4 weeks, 90% of the female wildebeest give birth flooding the plains with thousands of newborn calves each day. The wildebeest may remain on the plains for several months, where they share these productive grasslands with migratory zebra, Thomson gazelle, and eland, as well as the many residents including the Grants gazelle, topi and hartebeest. The plains are also used by migratory birds including the white stock, pallid harrier, and peregrine falcon. When the rains stop, the plains dry out rapidly forcing the herds to migrate west and north once again. Their departure in May/June marks another great spectacle. The wildebeest march in long, meandering lines that stretch for miles, or bunch into herds of thousands. These are the scenes that typify “the migration”. The southern plains are best visited from December to may when migrants are there.
SERONERA The Seronera valley is an important transition zone between southern plains and the northern woodlands. It provides a rich mosaic of habitat criss -crossing by the rivers, the most prominent of which is Seronera river from which the area takes its name. With year round water, thi is perhaps the most reliable area in the park to view wildlife. Its possible to see many of the Serengeti resident wildlife including giraffe, buffalo, topi, hartebeest, waterbuck, impalla, reedbuck, bushbuck, dikdik, hippopotamus, crocodile, warthog and diverse bird-life. Large prides of lions reside here, as well as clans of spotted hyena. The most elusive leopard is also common here but less easy to spot! The river tracks offer the best chance to see a leopard, which usually rest in the branches of acacia or sausage trees. Cheetah can also be seen here as well as serval and caracal.
In the business of providing travel solutions through a wide choice of good cars for hire that best suit all travel needs.
Our Policy
Orange Adventures Tours & Safaris has a flexible car hire policy that is simple and convenient to all our clients. First, the client makes request for reservation at least two days prior . Upon confirmation by our car hire team, a reservation is made in the clients name. You will be required to make a deposit before picking the car. However, the company reserves the right to cancel a booking upon assessment of the hirer in light of the high risk involved in this business and safety of the customers. Self drive car hire will not be allowed to persons under 23 years and over 70 years.
Requirements:
1. A copy and original driving license.
2. A copy and original identification material.
3. Completed rental agreement.
4. Cash deposit.
Our Offer:
We are a car rental specialist known for providing low cost Kenya car hire deals through a wide network of leading suppliers in Kenya. With competitive rental prices, diverse car collection and many number of pick up locations in Nairobi, we let you enjoy your stay in Kenya as as per your schedule and itinerary.
With a fine selection of multipurpose vehicles for 5, 7, 9 passengers up to 25 X seated bus hire to choose from, complete your holiday with a car hire today.
Sedan/ Saloon cars:
maximum capacity 5 passengers
Engine capacity 1,500 - 2,000 cc
Average consumption 18 - 20 km/L
Self drive availability Limited yes no
Chauffeur driven arrangements Limited yes no
Long term leasing facilitation yes no
Best for family holidays, picknicks over the weekend, back up when your car is not available, international expatriate seeking mobility and start up and SMEs seeking to outsource their travel department. Our rate per day up to the 29th day of hire is KSHs 3,500 (PLUS VAT.) per day; monthly rate of KSH 90,000 (PLUS VAT ). Selection include: Toyota Allion, Toyota NZE, Subaru impreza
Request your reservation: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +254 725289430 or 254 734825127
SUVs
Maximum capacity 5-7 passengers
Engine Capacity 2,000 - 2,400 cc
Average Consumption 8 - 12 km/L
Self drive Limited yes No
Chauffeur driven arrangements Limited yes no
Long term leasing yes no
Ladies love, four wheel drive sport utility vehicle. Best for picknicks into rough terrain parks, family holidays and for long term leasing by chauffeur driven executives. Daily rate up to the 29th day of hire is KSH 6,500 per day; monthly rate of KSH 180,000 (VAT incl).
Request your reservation: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +254 725289430 or Elisha +254 725289430 Selection Includes: Toyota Rav 4, Suzuki Vitara, Nissan Xtrail
Luxury Cruisers
Reservations restricted to chauffeur driven purposes.
Request your reservation: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +254 725289430 or Elisha +254 725289430
Selection includes: Land Cruiser Prado, Mercedes Benz, Range Rover and Limousines. Best for wedding ceremonies, executive travels; daily rates from KSH 15,000 per day (VAT exclu)
Karen Blixen, Girrafe Centre and David Shedrick day trip
Karen Blixen, Giraffe Centre and Daphne Shedrick
$170.00
Visit a giraffe breeding and conservation program and learn about one of the rarest breeds, the endangered Rothschild's giraffe. Stroll through the former home of Karen Blixen, the illustrious author of the prominent novel Out of Africa, used in the filming of the Oscar-winning movie.
Begin your half-day tour with a trip to the Giraffe Center in Nairobi. Admire the valuable work the non-profit organization is attempting to stabilize the rare Rothschild's giraffe population. Learn how over 50 of the striking creatures have been released into the wild, and see the young calves currently residing in the 120-acre (49 ha) site.
Continue to the Karen Blixen Museum, former home of the Danish novelist and author of Out of Africa. The building still houses many of the original furnishings and some newer pieces donated by the makers of the celebrated film. The museum adds further context to the movie, providing a fascinating glimpse into East African colonial life in the dying years of the British Empire.
Product details
This includes a visit to the famous Karen Blixen Museum, Giraffe Center and Daphne Shed-rick
Karen Blixen
- Its located 10km from the city center at the foot of Ngong hills Come and have a memorable experience at the museum
Here we have guided tours where you will find a museum shop which offers handicrafts, posters and postcards, the movie out of Africa, books and other Kenyan souvenirs.
Giraffe Centre
It was established in order to protect the endangered species of Rothschild giraffe, that is found only in the grassland of East Africa. The main attraction for visitors is feeding giraffes from a raised observation platform.
Daphne Shed rick Elephant Orphanage-
I t was started to protect and rescue elephants. David Shed rick wildlife trust is located within the Nairobi National Park and the sanctuary cares for orphaned baby Elephants, tame black and white, Rhinos-calves and adults. come see, feed and make friends with the elephants. Its an experience that you never want to miss and one that you will never forget.
KAZURI BEAD FACTORY & POTTERY CENTRE
The Kazuri Bead factory and Pottery Centre is a good stop for those interested in local crafts. The ceramic beads, pottery and leather goods are all handmade by disadvantaged women. "Kazuri" means "small and beautiful" in Swahili and was named by the founder when she started the company with just two Kenyan employees in 1975. The factory now employs more than 300 women, all working hard but with great joy. You can get a tour of the factory and watch the beads and pots get fired and glazed, it takes about an hour in total. In the weekends the factory/workshop may be closed, but the shop is still open, so you can purchase souvenirs. The Bead Factory is a popular stop en route to, or from, the Karen Blixen museum, and other sites in the Karen neighbourhood. Opening hours: Monday - Saturday 8.30am - 6 pm, and Sundays from 9 am - 4 pm.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Kenya's wildlife & natural history within Nairobi
• Insight into Out of Africa—a famous novel by Karen Blixen
• Sets & scenery used in the distinguished motion picture
• Effective breeding & conservation center for giraffes
• Wonderful opportunity to safely interact with the creatures
INCLUSIONS
• Admission fees
• Roundtrip transportation to and from your central Nairobi hotel
Read about rules and regulations to follow in order to enjoy a successful gorilla trek in Rwanda.
Find all the information about what equipment you need and carry during a gorilla trekking expedition.
Gorilla trek briefing: All travelers are required to report for early briefing by RDB guides. Get brief vital information about the life and health of the gorilla species, location and size of the park, weather predictions, potters and guards plus so much more.
Conservation/Eco Tourism
Ecotourism is nature-based tourism that meets conservation objectives and favours sustainable development. Your visit to the mountain gorillas helps contribute to their conservation and brings valuable resources to the people living around the national park. It is essential however, for certain regulations to be followed in order to ensure that the objectives of both conservation and sustainable development are met. Please read these regulations carefully and help contribute to the conservation of this valuable species and habitat.
Gorilla Trekking Equipment
Be ready for a wet and cold trek through the rainforest, therefore you will need a strong pair of hiking shoes, and warm water proof clothing.
Consider wearing pants and shirts that are bit long sleeved to avoid anything that can put a hamper your experience like stinging nettles.
Despite the cold temperature and altitudes, you need to be ready for strong sunshine at some point; therefore floppy hats and sunglasses can be of help, as are plenty of cold hydrating drinks. Sugary snacks are also good for a quick energy boost.
Make sure to carry water proof backpacks for your cameras because this is not the ideal time for a camera malfunction!! , binoculars are certainly not important to spot gorillas; you will need them in other sites while scoping for birds and distant animals.
While checking in at the park headquarters, you will be requested for identification by the park rangers and authority, therefore to avoid any hassles, carry your passport with you in addition to your tracking permit.
Do not worry about your backpack; porters are available for the trek although they are not always necessary. You are requested to pay a few dollars for their services. The drivers, guides and any porters will expect a tip and the amount is entirely up to you and also ultimately depending on the worth of service. However note in mind that the locals know that you are paying $750USD for an experience of gorilla viewing, so try not to be too stingy.
On the way to Gorillas
We are at the edge of the park. Before we enter the forest, it is important that you fully understand how to conduct yourselves in the forest and with the gorillas.
In order to minimise the behavioural disturbance to the gorillas, we have set limits on the numbers of visitors allowed. A maximum number of 8 people may visit the gorillas at a time, These size limits serve to protect the gorillas from undue disturbance and the risk of exposure to human - borne diseases. Once we enter the forest, we ask you to keep your voices low when speaking. This will help you observe other animals and birds in the forest. In addition to the mountain gorillas, other mammals you could observe include golden monkey, various species of antelope, bushbuck and buffalo.
From here we will walk to the area where the guides left the gorillas yesterday (ask the guides how long they estimate the walk will take). From there we will follow the gorillas' trail to find them. If we pass the place where the group spent the night, you will be able to see their nests. Gorillas make a new nest each night.
There are stinging nettles and biting ants in the park. The guides will try to point them out, so that you can be careful not to get stung.
Please don't leave any rubbish in the park. Take everything you brought into the forest back out with you. Put food, film boxes, handkerchiefs and rubbish back in your pockets or bags.
As we approach the gorillas, the guides will inform you to get your camera gear ready. The porters remain behind, so take everything you need in with you. Don't leave any valuables with the porters.
When you are with the Gorillas!
All visitors should stay together in a tight group when near the gorillas. Please stay behind the guides at all times. The guides will keep you back at a minimum of 7 meters from the gorillas. This is to protect them from the danger of catching human diseases and to minimise behavioural disturbance. Keep your voice down at all times. It is OK to ask questions.
* Please don't point at the gorillas when walking, as they might think that you are throwing something at them. If nettles or ants sting you while you are with the gorillas, please try not to cry out when taking photos, move slowly and carefully Flash Photography is not allowed . if some vegetation is in your way Please don’t attempt to clear it by your self .ask one of your guides and they will try to ensure you have a clear view if she/he feels it will not disturb the gorillas . do not try to touch gorillas . it is dangerous for them because of risk catching human deseases . It could also be dangerous for you. If one of the gorillas moves towards you, follow the example of the guides and move back slowly to a safe distance of 7 meters. Sometimes the animals charge, if a gorilla charges at you please follow the guide’s example.
You should crouch down slowly, look down and wait for the animal to pass don’t’t attempt to take a photo at this time and do not run away as this could be very dangerous .
The maximum time that we will spend with the gorillas is one hour.
After your visit, please keep your voices down until you are 200 meters from the gorillas. If you want to stop for a picnic or a rest, ask the guides to find a suitable place that is far enough from the gorillas.
Health Rules
Some of these rules are repeated above, to reinforce the point that the gorillas are extremely susceptible to human diseases and we need to minimise the risk that our visit potentially poses to them. Before we enter the park, it is important that we ask if anyone in the group of visitors is ill. If anyone of our visitors feels that he/she is ill or could be carrying a contagious disease, we ask that he/she volunteers to remain behind. You will be given a full reimbursement of the money that you paid to visit the gorillas. Once we enter the forest, if the guides find that you are ill, they have the right to refuse your visit to the gorillas and you will not be granted a reimbursement. This rule is necessary to protect the gorillas from the possibility of catching human diseases. Even the slightest common cold can be deadly to a gorilla.If you feel the urge to cough or sneeze while with the gorillas, please turn away from the animals and try to cover your nose and mouth to minimise the spread of bacteria or viruses that you might be carrying unknowingly.
Bring back.... DO NOT leave any rubbish in the park. Take care of your handkerchiefs, food wrappers, banana peels, etc. The objects might be of interest to the animals in the park and pose a disease threat. If you have to defacate while in the forest, please ask the guide to loan you his machete to dig a 30 cm hole, and then fill it in when you are through. Faecal material can be higly infectious. No smoking, drinking or eating while with the gorillas.
Please respect the limits imposed on the number of visitors allowed with the gorillas each day. Keeping the numbers down and following the other health rules minimises the risk of disease transmission to this vulnerable population of mountain gorillas.
Dining etiquette is one of the most important all time etiquette, as eating is very essential to humans existence.
What differentiates us from animals while eating is simply our manners.
We want to eat and have others eat in a manner that is adorable, therefore dining etiquette is very important for both children and adults.
Arrive at the table on time. "A hungry man is an angry man" you don't want to keep anyone waiting at the dining.
If you are a guest in someone's home, remember to bring the host or hostess gift(s) that can be enjoyed later e.g. a bottle of wine, nuts etc. Don't expect that it must be used as a part of the meal as your host may already have a plan. It just shows a sense of responsibility to bring along something.
Your appearance shouldn't be a turn off for anyone so ensure you look neat and tidy.
After you are seated, your napkin should be removed from the table and placed across your lap. This is the first thing you should do upon being seated.
You have to wait for your host/hostess to begin eating before you start except the host/hostess ask you to continue without them. Nevertheless, it's better to wait.
It's important to understand table setting though they differ based on country, formality, e.t.c., there are still basic settings.
Use your cutlery correctly;
Handle the cutlery firmly holding the fork in your left hand such that the prongs of the fork are facing downwards. While holding a fork, you should keep your index finger straight while the other fingers fold around its handle.
The knife must be in you right hand to enable easy cutting of the food. The fork is held horizontally between the thumb and the index finger to provide an ample support for eating properly.
Ensure that you don’t keep the fork on the table in the intervals during eating; keep it at the side of your plate with the prongs pointing upwards.
If you are having tea, don't put the tea spoon in your mouth, the teaspoon is basically for you to stir your tea with, neither should you put your bread knife or any of the knives in your mouth.
Don't make sandwitches on the table. Imagine a typical English breakfast where your're served toast bread, omelette, tea, sausage, etc. Just cut your bread in little mouth bites and eat.
Don't eat with your hands unless it's finger food like puff puff, samosa, etc.
If you're eating meals like garri and the likes take a cue from the host if you'd rather eat with your hands. A host that'll tolerate the use of hands will typically give you the option of water to wash your hands.
Remember to maintain good posture.
It is perfectly acceptable for you to rest your forearms on the edge of the table as long as you don't tip the table. During the meal you can rest your passive hand across your lap.
While eating during the meal always remember to chew with your mouth closed to avoid irritating others with the sight of your partially chewed food.
Never! put your arm across others food, also don't stretch across for anything you need, ask the person closest to pass it to you.
If someone asks for the salt, pass both salt and pepper at once.
Don't add salt or any spice to the food without first of all tasting it even if you love your food spicy. It would show you don't trust the cook.
"Don't talk while eating" this simply means "Don't talk with food in your mouth" it's not practical to avoid small talks while dining as even many business meetings are held at meal times. However it's okay to talk but in an orderly, moderate manner. If someone has asked you a question, gesture that you will answer in a moment by raising your hand or finger, signalling that you've heard them, then
wait until you have finished chewing and swallowing your bite before you speak.
Avoid controversial topics, you don't want to be the reason someone lost their appetite.
Endeavor to avoid disruptive behavior such as burping, snorting or singing, neither should you call attention to the rudeness of others. If a person brings up a topic that is controversial or simply inappropriate at the dining table, simply change the subject to something more appropriate. The rude person will probably get the message.
It's important to complement your host's/hostess's effort, even if you happen not to like the food or it wasn't as tasty.
Never say someone's food isn't nice.
If the host or hostess asks how the meal was, say you enjoyed it.
Ensure the meal isn't interrupted by your cellphone, you may switch it off or put in silent mode.
It's rude to get up and leave the table while others are still eating, you should remain seated if possible. If you need to get up for any reason, you should take permission to be excused. This is a courtesy request from both children and adults as well.
When picking your teeth after a meal, it's proper to cover your mouth with your left hand while holding your toothpick on the right hand to avoid spitting particles on others. Always use a toothpick not your hand or tongue.
Always show gratitude by thanking your host at the end meal.
In an informal setting, offer to help your host or hostess, by way of clearing the table or other cleaning tasks as needed. It is rude to eat and run, leaving the host with all the mess.
Always send a thank you note after you've left to let your host or hostess know you really appreciated being hosted.
Thank you for reading, I hope you've learnt a thing or two.
The Rift Valley is one of the wonders of the world, stretching from the Middle East, down through Africa, reaching as far as Mozambique. The staggering view, as you approach from Nairobi, Kenya is quite unbelievable. The ground suddenly disappears from under you to show the huge expanse of the great rift, stretching for thousands of miles in either direction.
The first lake approached is the beautiful, deep-green Lake Naivasha.Lake Naivasha Basin holds two small National Parks, both of which are well worth a visit,ie Mount Longonot National Park is based around a young volcano, which rises up to 2,776 meters and Hell's Gate National Park. Famous for its natural hot geysers, eagle and vulture breeding grounds, obsidian deposits and extinct volcanoes, it is possible to walk, game drive, camp, cycle and rock climb within the park. Beautiful rock gorges and natural steam vents add to the beauty of this tiny, 68 square km. Park. Game to view includes hyrax, buffalo, giraffe, eland, Hartebeest, lion and leopard. As with all of the Rift Valley Parks, Hell's Gate is also an ornithologist's dream. The cliffs of Hell's Gate are the breeding grounds for vultures, Verreaux Eagles, Auger Buzzards and thousands of swifts.
Heading further northwest, Lake Nakuru is the next stop. This world famous Park was created to protect its stunning flocks of lesser flamingo, which literally turn the lake shore pink in color. The park spans an attractive range of wooded and bush grassland around the lake, offering a wide range of Eco-diversity. Notable game within the lake area is hippo and the diverse bird life. Both black and white rhino are now resident in the sanctuary and Rothschild giraffe, buffalo, impala, eland, warthog, Mountain Reedbuck, klipspringers and Black and White Colobus Monkeys are all plentiful. This park is world-renowned and is a beacon for ornithologists, scientists and wildlife filmmakers.
The next lake jewel scattered along the Rift Valley floor is Lake Bogoria. Most of this reserve is covered by the lake itself, which is a spectacular sight, reflecting searing blue skies and the rose pink of flamingo. With over 135 species of bird recorded, the area is of significant ornithological interest. As does Lake Nakuru, Bogoria waters grow rich blue-green algae, which seasonally attracts thousands of flamingos. The surrounding bushed grasslands are home to a number of animals, most notably the very rare Greater Kudu antelope.
The tiny Lake Kamnarok Reserve is the last stop on this circuit. Lake Kamnarok has a diverse landscape centred around a 4,000-foot deep valley with semi-tropical vegetation on the sides contrasting with the dry thorn bush at its base. Here you can find bush pigs, waterbuck, buffalo, elephant, pelicans and grebes.
As you travel through this small section of the entire Rift Valley with the rising Mau Escarpment on one side, and the Aberdare Mountains on the other, the lush, green forests of these mountain ranges frame the arid landscape of the Valley floor.
With a huge variety of landscapes, activities, accommodation and wildlife, the Rift Valley Lakes area is an excellent part of any safari holiday.
Director General
