Kenya
Kenya is a country that I have been wanting to visit for many years and when I finally got a chance in 2019, it did not disappoint. We stayed mostly in resorts in the National Parks in the southern part of the country, first visiting the Masai Mara National Reserve, then traveling to Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha National Parks before finishing at Amboseli National Park. While the animals did move north a month earlier than normal, due to global warming, we did see lots of babies so there is hope for populations as climate change accelerates. Kenya, does have a lot of challenges with increased population and pollution, but there is also hope that ecotourism can positively benefit the region by helping the country preserve its parks, reserves, and the corridor many animals use to migrate.

Humans have been in East Africa for well over 100,000 years. However, the most recent native populations include a mix of native peoples, Cushite and Nilotic people from North Africa and Bantu peoples from south and central Africa. By the first century C.E. Arab traders were frequenting the coastal areas of Kenya and it is their influence that helped create the Swahili language, which is a mixture of Bantu and Arabic words. The Portuguese first arrived in 1498 and they controlled trade until the Omani Empire gained control in the 1600's. By the 1800's influence shifted to the British who established Kenya as a British colony, encouraging white settlement and prohibiting Africans from having a voice in Parliament. Early into the 1900's a sentiment for independence started to fester. This eventually cumulated into the Mau Mau Rebellion and Kenya's independence from Britain in 1963. Jomo Kenyatta, who led the Mau Mau Rebellion was elected the countries first leader, but overtime, he became more of a dictator and Kenya became a one party state. That continued until 1991. Currently the country is a democracy, but it faces a lot of challenges moving forward.






Animals of Masai Mara National Reserve


Masai Mara National Reserve 2019


Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha National Parks 2019


Amboseli National Park 2019