- Kenya
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Small B&B (only two double rooms) run by British/Kenyan couple. Close to Nyali beach and cinema complex. Smart apartment, very comfortable and secure. Local knowledge, private parking.
e-mail: umoja_bb@yahoo.co.uk
tel:+254.733890423 (mobile)
+254.202073721
A green and pleasant oasis, acres of gardens, country house architecture, and good food. Family-run proves far better than the usual chain product. Just ignore the rotary club gatherings and remember it's the 21st century.
Just west of the city centre in colonial residential area,Fairview Hotel,Bishops Road,PO Box 40842,Nairobi
www.fairviewkenya.com/index.htm
Kenya
A great place to sit and watch the world float by. Fantastic fresh fruit shakes at 50p a pint and good cheap food. Try your hand at Boa and if you are feeling confident take on "Papa" Hapa Hapa the cafe owner. He claims never to have been beaten, but I know different!
Lamu Town Waterfront
It may not be picture postcard perfect and may be a little frayed around the edges but it is a real living town.
The people are some of the friendliest you will encounter anywhere in the world. Within half an hour of stepping off the boat everyone will be greeting you on first name terms!
The mix of African and Arab influences in the culture and food make it a fascinating place to spend a few days. It is only a 20 minutes walk to Shela and the beautiful beaches further around the island. A great antidote to safari fatigue.
The best single days' wildlife watching: hundreds of flamingoes, lots of rhinos, hippos, birds etc. All within a fairly compact area.
Pity about the roads leading there, but a new road is being built.
North of Lake Naivasha
This is an organisation that saves orphaned elephants and rhinos, and rehabilitates them out into the wild. They also run community outreach programmes, a desnaring project and mobile veterinary unit.
You can visit the centre daily in Nairobi National Park. The visit will allow you to get up close to these magnificent animals and see them play.
Sponsoring an elephant or rhino costs $50 US per year. You can sponsor an elephant via: www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
Near the Karen area of Nairobi.
Mailing address: The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust P.O. Box 15555 Nairobi Kenya
If you need to spend a day or so in Nairobi in between safaris or are waiting for connecting flights, then you can make your stay in Nairobi an experience rather than a stop-off.
At Ngong House you can stay in one of five luxurious treehouses raised 15ft off the ground with views out over the Ngong Hills. They also have a driver on hand so you can visit some of Nairobi's attractions such as the giraffe sanctuary, elephant orphanage and
Karen Blixen Museum.
www.toescapeto.com Tel: 020 7060 6747
Outside of Nairobi it is almost impossible to use either a Maestro, Mastercard or travellers' cheques if you are not in a four or five-star lodge.
You really need US dollars in high ($50 or $100) new (post-2003) bills or a visa debit or credit card to use the ATMs. Even Barclays bank outside of Nairobi won't accept Mastercard.
When in Nairobi sample some of the very good Asian restaurants, such as the Handi and Anghiti at Westlands.
Walk up Mount Kenya from the north, starting at Timau. It is a longer route than the popular one starting from Naro Moru, in the west, but one avoids the horror of the vertical bog.
It is through moorland and steady slopes. The views are superb and few other walkers are seen. It took us three days to go up and two to come down, sleeping in bunkhouses.
One ends up at the Lenana summit if a walker, however proper mountaineers can go a little higher to Batian or Nelion summits.
For variety, one can descend via the eastern side of the mountain on the Chogoria route through moorland then grassland and finally forest. Watch out for buffalo.
Most of the reputable tour operators could organise this safari. In the ten years living in Kenya this was the most memorable safari - although there were many others almost as good. It is a wonderful country.
Visit the Rift Valley with Earthwatch Institute and get to see a side of Kenya rarely seen by tourists.
Rising at dawn with a team of dedicated scientists, you will be taken to remote areas of the Lakes region to study flamingos among the bubbling lakes of Bogoria, gather insects in the acadia trees or study the unique flora of this beautiful region.
Forget the big five, if you love nature visit the Rift.
On the subject of lodges versus camping, it really doesn't matter to the animals how much you have paid. I went on a budget camping safari and saw the big five within the first day - including both black and white rhino, so many lions I lost count and three leopards.
The most important thing is to talk to your guide beforehand and ask lots of questions. The more knowledge they have, the better your chances of spotting some amazing animals.
This is a great introduction to one of Africa's most glamourous animals. They pose like supermodels and the wardens are extremely knowledgeable. On top of all that, you get to feed the giraffe at their head height which is a breathtaking experience.
Giraffe Centre, Karen, Nairobi
The train journey by night in sleeper coaches is an unforgettable experience. Do try the trip if you have time. You will not regret it.
The overnight train from Nairobi to Mombasa is one of the world’s classic rail journeys as well as a rare colonial gem.
An old diesel pulls out of both stations simultaneously at 7pm and dinner is served immediately — the waiters trying not to spatter soup on their tunics, or you. The rattling of the carriage rocked me to sleep immediately, but make sure you wake early for sunset to see animals on the savannah if you’re coming up to Nairobi or the Manugu plains as you descend to the coast and Mombasa.
After the cool of Nairobi and the highlands, when you disembark in humid, tropical Mombasa it feels like you’ve arrived in a different country.
Most backpackers in east Africa want to bag Kilimanjaro, so Mount Kenya feels more off the beaten path, and is cheaper to climb too.
As it’s on the equator but rises to 5,199m in effect you go through several climate zones in a couple of days and see plants straight out of Day of the Triffids that only exist here, like the “water-holding cabbage”. From the top you can see for miles over much of Kenya. Take all your hiking gear with you as it can be hard to find there and take plenty of warm clothes and a good sleeping bag — it’s freezing at night.
To stay for a couple of nights for a fairly cheap price, I don’t think you can do much better than the Heron Court Hotel. Anything cheaper seems to be a bit nasty, and there is quite a jump up in price to the Norfolk/Stanley etc.
As a vegetarian I would recommend the vegetarian fajitas which are fairly ubiquitous in Nairobi. I think Havanas in Westlands is probably the best of the bar/restaurants for good quality at a decent price.
The Lavazza coffee house near the parliament does the best iced vanilla latte in the world. And great toasted sandwiches.
Many of the travel companies booking the resorts south of Mombasa will offer you a couple of nights in a 'Treehouse'.
Mostly tiny, with two or three individual cabins scattered on a hillside, butler service, river-water jacuzzis heated by sustainable wood fires, roving elephants nearby, and four-poster-beds that can be wheeled out to sleep under the stars (with mosquito nets, of course), these are worth looking at if you're going on honeymoon, or celebrating a birthday or anniversary. Or just feeling a bit decadent.
The Sable Treehouses in the Shimba Range of Hills were particularly lovely.
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