A period of some 40 years of unrest followed, where groups of locals formed protest movements aimed at overthrowing the British rule. The Mau Mau movement came into being when members of the Kikuyu, Embu, Meru & Kamba tribes took secret oaths of unity & in 1953, Jomo Kenyatta (who was to become Kenya’s first democratically elected President at the time of Independence) was arrested & sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for organizing a Mau Mau insurrection.

Although June the 1st (Madaraka or Freedom day) is the date Independence is celebrated nationwide, it was not until December 12th of 1963 that Kenya became fully independent from British rule & Jomo Kenyatta was sworn into office as President. He ruled Kenya as a one party President until his death in 1978, to be succeeded by Daniel arap Moi. In 1992 the Constitution was repealed to allow multi-party contested general elections, which brought Kenya into line as a true multi-party democratic & independent nation.

In this modern age, most visitors come to Kenya to experience the wealth of its famous wildlife & National Parks. From the depths of a glistening coral reef to souring alpine heights; from one of the world’s most endangered owls to herds of wildebeest numbering in excess of a million strong, the wilderness regions of Kenya are a wonder to behold. It has featured in so many Hollywood movies, National Geographic & famous naturalist hosted television documentaries, that perhaps Kenya is embedded into our psyches as being ‘the’ only real Africa. This is indeed a land of classic safaris & luxurious lodges blended into the landscape under wide blue skies.

But there is so much more to Kenya than just simply large wild animals. One must consider the many & varied eco-systems. From the beauty of the many miles of white sand beaches & coastal environs to the very top of My Kenya, these delicate & complex ecologies depend more than ever on conservation being practiced to preserve their natural resources. The National Parks, Wildlife Reserves & designated sanctuaries all co-exist & depend on active participation of the local communities which surround them, to protect & ensure they remain for future generations to enjoy.

The Masai Mara - Kenya’s most popular & widely known game reserve - offers amazing game viewing year round. The wide undulating savannah grassland allows visitors to witness both large varieties & large herds of plains game. Almost two million wildebeest, zebra & gazelle start out annually on the great migration, moving from the southern Serengeti in May, arriving into the Masai Mara in mid to late June. Primeval instinct drives them to make the trek in a desperate urge to reach the new lush grasses of the Mara to graze. There is no grander sight on the planet than to be here to witness the green-gold grasslands of the Mara, turned dark by the sheer masses of animals who succeed in this annual quest.

If it is game viewing that brings you to Kenya there are many other fabulous areas to venture into. Amboseli & Tsavo National Parks both lie in southern Kenya. Amboseli offers magnificent vistas of Mt Kilimanjaro in neighbouring Tanzania. This is Africa’s highest & snow covered peak astride the equator. In Amboseli you will undoubtedly get to observe prides of lion, herds of buffalo, elephant, giraffe & the sinisterly elegant but somewhat reclusive leopard. The semi-arid Tsavo is home to ancient Baobab trees. It is made famous equally for the ferocity of its lions & very large family herds of elephant, whom although they may never again get to the estimated 85000 individuals who roamed here in the 1960’s, all the same, there remains many of Africa’s largest bulls burdened with massive ivory tusks & free-ranging their own territories within Tsavo today.

Mt Kenya is the highest peak in Kenya & the second highest in Africa, offering great trekking adventures to reach its lofty summit. It is located in the central highlands, where on the lower slopes, vast fields of wheat bear testament to the fertile nature of the soils. To the northwest lies Lake Naivasha, popular for those who stopover on their way from Nairobi to Mount Kenya or the game rich triad of reserves at Samburu, Buffalo Springs & Shaba. Naivasha is perhaps best known for the glorious old colonial mansions, the wildlife sanctuary on Crescent Island & the Hells Gate National Park where blasts of steam gush out of the earth & volcanic rock below.

The glories of Kenya are almost too innumerable to recount. This country has proven for centuries to be an inspiration to writers of novel, stage, screen play & biography. As well, it has provided some of the world’s best photographers a work place that is all but unmatched, given the music like harmonies both landscape & wildlife march relentlessly as one, toward.