Following recent election troubles in the capital, the African holiday hot spot of Kenya is now ‘back on track’ said Virgin Atlantic boss, Sir Richard Branson at the launch of his new advertising campaign in Nairobi, primarily aimed at increasing tourism for Kenya.

Sir Richard Branson said:

“Tourism in Kenya is the number one industry for the nation and visiting now will make a huge difference to the locals who rely on the industry for a living.  The post election troubles, which were predominantly focused on the non-tourist areas, have now subsided.”

More than two million tourists visited Kenya in 2007, according to the billionaire.  Kenya is famous for its safari trips and wildlife parks.

Since Virgin Atlantic’s new Terminal 3 home at Heathrow opened, its travellers to Kenya have increased by more than 4 percent in the last month and Upper Class visitors have increased by more than ten percent.

This mountain is one of the most impressive views in East Africa.  Mount Kenya is home to many rare and endangered breeds of wildlife and attracts many mountain climbers.  It is also known as ‘Kere Nyaga’, which means ‘Mountain of Brightness’ and the locals believe it to be the home of the Supreme Being, Ngai.

Mount Kenya is the second highest mountain peak in Africa, standing at 5,199 m (more than 17,000 feet) high.

It was opened to visitors in 1949 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.  During dry seasons, large animals will be in the high elevations, which is generally January to March and July to October.  During the rains in March to June and October to December, the birds tend to go down to lower elevations.

There are twelve glaciers still on the mountain, although these are receding rapidly.  The entire park has many lakes, glaciers, peaks and natural mineral springs and is a real nature lovers haven.  There are dry forests, cedar and podo trees, bamboo, high-altitude heath and shrubs and then miles of open moorland where you can see elephants, buffaloes, zebras and even eland.  All have been sighted as high as 4,000 m (over 13,000 feet).

Other forest animals include Sykes monkeys, black and white Colobus monkeys and buskbuck, amongst others.  Just some of the endangered animals here include Sunni buck, skinks, Mount Kenya mole shrew and bongos (a forest antelope).

Visiting Kenya is a real luxury holiday, so if you have the chance, don’t miss the opportunity to see this landscape for yourself.

Amboseli National Reserve used to be known as Amboseli National Park and was controlled by the Kenyan Wildlife Service. However, since September 2005 it is controlled by the Olkejiado County Council, which means any revenue goes to benefit the locals, the Masai communities.

Within the boundaries of Amboseli National Reserve there is plenty of wildlife to see with over 650 elephants and herds of wildebeest, zebra and impala. There is also, if you are lucky enough to see them, the cheetah and also the endangered black rhino. The sheer number of the animal population might make the reserve sound much larger than it is but it is actually only 244 square miles, rather small in comparison to other reserves in Kenya but then much easier to explore and with such a great population of animals, a good chance of viewing the wildlife. (more…)