Are you Kenyans drawn to a particular landmark in your country? Is there a place you feel you "must" or "need" to see? A place you identify with.

I ask this question because, like many Australians, and despite being a descendant of the European colonisers, I am drawn to the ancient rock formations found in the remote places of Australia. Places such as Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock, that huge monolith in the desert). For many, it is almost like a place of pilgrimage. There is something truly mystical about these places. For me, seeing these ancient landscapes is much more thrilling than seeing the wildlife (although that gives me great pleasure too).

Over to you!

Well i am not exactly drawn to any part of Kenya. One reason is that, kenya is all around beautifull and mystic.
When at the rift valley, i go wow. When at tsavo the same. The coast also. The north and west kenya too.

The wildlife i don'T see as something uniq. For me it belongs, just like the kenyans belong too.

Kenya is a jewel all together. Ask Ernest Hemmingway

Sooz!

Yeah I'm drawn to Bantu lodge Masai Morans carves on Nyeri-Nanyuki highway. These two erected Masai Morans statue holding their traditional clad shields and spears on the other hand. Next is Uhuru park when I am in Nairobi especially on Public holidays I prefer going and chill out sunbathing on the nice park, in a nice cooling bliss from the man made lake in Uhuru park, it is a nice place to chill out especially on Jamhuri day, if I don’t travel to upcountry.

Safari Park is another magnificent landmark full of velvet monkeys, which have stricken rapport with human who visit the park. Another one is huge cliffs in Rift Valley, my preference one is the off Nyahuru-Nakuru highway.

Being fortunate enough to have lived in such a wonderful country, its extremely hard to have one particular fav spot. Whether it be have sundowners in the mara, or waking up in the shadow of kirinyaga or diving in watamu. It seems to me that no matter where i go in Kenya, I feel comfortable and no matter how many times I visit a certain place, there is always something new to see and do. Like most people who love Kenya, I love it as a whole, not just certain places or aspects.

This is a great topic!

As you can see from the responses, everyone seems to have their own perception of places, and I can generally agree that the whole country is extraordinary... but for me anyway, there are places that stand out.

And if you want to know of a place I feel I 'must' see or 'need' to see, its Losiolo. In fact, I think all Kenyans should see this place, as it is awe inspiring. I could be flippant and say its just another Riift Valley viewpoint, but its much more than that. Yes, some of you know may know about it, some may not, but if you head out of Maralal and go north towards a village called Poror, then take a sharp left on a track for 6km, and you'll come to Losiolo - the End of the World I think is the Samburu translation.

When I went there, I hitched a ride to Poror, then walked the rest of the way with my local guide. Walking there makes it even more dramatic. Suddenly the track just circles in on itself, and you know you've reached the end. And if you go early in the morning just as the mist is clearing, you'll see the Rift just dropping off about 5-6000 ft, and what you see is this jumbled mass of landscapes which is hard to describe. It looks like a scene from the beginning of the Earth - raw, savage and astonishing. The view just stretches endlessly, and looking down, you can see the valley floor a very big drop away. And I could just make out the smoke coming from some Samburu manyattas at the bottom, in the inferno that is the Suguta Valley, in what must have been one of the remotest locations in Kenya. My guide told me there were very steep goat tracks that could be used to walk down to the bottom...

You can see glimpses of this vista if you're taking the Maralal route to Turkana, but Losiolo is by far the most incredible. It sits in isolation - there was nothing there when I went, which was many years ago now, but I doubt things have changed much here. There was no duka, no souvenir stalls, no nothing. You bring your own supplies and you just enjoy what must be one of the most remarkable views in Africa and perhaps the world. Then you work out how the hell you get back to Maralal....

Mambo, sounds like a wonderful place. Must put it on my list!

This is exactly what I meant - a place that makes you feel like you're in touch with the world as it was in the beginning (although reason will tell you that there is no such place!), and where you can understand how and why our ancestors felt such a spiritual connection with the earth.

Of course there are many beautiful and amazing locations all over the world, but just a few places that have this special character.

Of course this is a very individual perception. For some people its water, rivers, waterfalls, the ocean. For me its old rocks and sand! Volcanoes too. Have you ever visited an active volcano? You stand there watching hot rocks and sparks and ash spewing out and you think "wow this is how the earth was made" then "what the hell are you doing standing on a live volcano, you bloody fool?"

volcanos! I love watching them, but the nearest I've got was Arenal in Costa Rica but it was covered up most of the time and didn't see any activity..

sooz, have you been to Northern Kenya? For me, its an extraordinary area, with a real adventure feel to it. Losiolo is awesome. Towns like Maralal have a real frontier-town feel to it. Wajir is another one, and has its own atmosphere with plenty of Somali and Arabic influence. And you really feel like you've come to a remote place, especially as the newspapers turn up one day late! Even more bizzare is when you see giraffes walking through the town....

I've hardly been in Kenya at all. Just Mombasa. But there are plans...

Thats great Mambo!! Sadly I have not travelled extensively in Kenya ie these off the beaten track places, havent seen any of Northern Kenya (although not sure I want to go to Wajir )

but of the things I have seen( the big parks/lakes etc) it has been beautiful and different in its own right. I have done a few bus journeys from Mombasa to Kisumu (16 hrs) and u see alot of the country there, the road from Nairobi to Naivasha has some stunning view points, and the beach in South coast is absolutely amazing, as for the rift valley-you have to go there to understand it.

I remember when I first saw it (I was 6 yrs old), I commented that was the rift valley formed to keep out the thieves?? It did sound much funnier at that moment, I must confess.

Anyways, these days I can only go back for 2 weeks and I spend most of the time with my family/favourite watering holes/clubs etc... I need to go for a 3-6 month holiday(hopefully soon)!!

hmmm yes we'll forgive you that one...

Don't worry, your time will come! Keep slaving away in London and then blow it on a few months down there

Oh, I really don't know Kenya that much! I will make safari for 6 months and I'm sure I'll see the whole Kenya! Starting with Rift Valley and all those beautifull places!

...what I love bout my motherland is the lifestylez u find there such as the congestion in Eastlands, everyone has luv fi evryone,buddiez......rushin fi matatus, awful traffic but it doesn't matter if am in a good mat,the newz always has drama, then.... the RAVE scene...wooooohooooo!!!!!
...utapenda!!!

But ngong hills holds an xclusive korner in my kaheart, it's nice up there, no-one in sight(...can do anything there ....), another nice breeze


Alla u out there come back home!!...huku kuna raha sana....

Very rarely i support you, but i cant go around this..

It isn't a joke about what you just sayed above. All of us kids, who were not from Mau Mau tribes were told storys of those Bush men called mau mau who were hiding in the Bushes of the Rift Valley.

That they were pushed down in the rift valley so as they don't come near other people.

That was the reason i wanted to see the rift valley at first. Because of the Childhood storys. They were so adventures.

The first time i stood on the 1st few point, loooking down to the valley and far in the horrizone, i thought i was about to take off and fly. Then i felt was suddenly dizzy. It was a picture behond my expectation. Since then i had to go back every single weekend for quite a long time.

We're going to see Masai Mara and lake nukuru next time. Can anyone let me know what the best way is to go back to Mombasa from there? Is it nice to go by train? I think it's great to see so much of the country if we go by train in daytime. And I'm not such a fan of flying...

If anyone has tips for places to visit in Masai Mara or lake nakuru, please let me know. It's so big, so we can't see it all I'm afraid.

I can understand what you say that the animals are 'normal'for you. I can imagine, you live with them. I see it as a very special thing. I was overwhelmed by it. To be so close to an elephant that I could smell him. I also was blown away by the nature. The miles and miles of nature that you see, it brought me to tears. Your country is so unbelievable. When I was back at home I immediatly wanted to go back, because it felt so good!
If I watch naturemovies on TV now, I still can smell the environment. Cherish it, you must be very proud of it!!

bonga, the train used to be a fantastic trip - many years ago. These days, it has become a trip to be avoided. The line has deteriorated badly and there have been several accidents. The whole service has gone completely downhill. It is a great pity. The best way of getting from Nairobi to Mombasa is by plane. Tickets are actually inexpensive. You may be able to get a one-way for $60.

The Mara: it depends where you're going. Are you camping or staying in a lodge? The important thing with wildlife viewing on safari is to not rush it and to have a good driver/guide. If you go with some cheap operators, they often aren't flexible. The western part of the Mara is quite good, but if you're driving from Nairobi you'll probably go to the eastern side as it takes longer to get to the west.

Lake Nakuru is an excellent park, but Lake Bogoria is the place to go for flamingos. However, you'll have one of the best chances of spotting leopards in Nakuru - I've seen them twice there.

hey mambo, thank you, I did not see you message.

Great tips, we actually wanted to go by train, now we don't I thought we'd see more of the country, but I want it to be safe also!

We'll stay at lodges, both me and my mpenzi wangu hate camping out... We stayed in the Voi lodge, the Ol'Tukai lodge and in Westermann's Camp, and Westermann's was very nice, but not like a lodge. Terrible, I know, but we are kind of spoiled in a very bad way...

I'm very thankful for your information, we'll do something with it on our next trip next year. I wrote everything down, and put it with our agency-papers for the trip!