AFRICAN QUEEN K
Kenya
Established as a favourite of royalty and commoners alike, Kenya’s line-up of wildlife, beaches and mountain retreats are as popular as ever, says Elizabeth Newton
enya has had such an illustrious reputation for welcoming the Windsor family that there’s
surely a case for the destination to have been awarded the Royal Warrant for supplying safari holidays by now. The young Elizabeth was holidaying in
Aberdare National Park’s Treetops Lodge in 1952 on the day her father died and she became Queen. Nearly 60 years later, Prince William chose a secluded spot in Kenya’s Lewa Conservancy as the perfect location for his marriage proposal to Kate Middleton. With its wide plains stocked with game,
balmy shores lapped by the Indian Ocean, and the lofty peak of Mount Kenya, Africa’s second highest mountain, it is little wonder that Kenya has been so popular – and not just with the Royal Family. Britons from every walk of life flock to this East African gem – nearly
50 September 2011 •
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175,000 of us visited in 2010 – and the UK remains Kenya’s number one inbound market, making up 15.9% of arrivals. Despite the challenging times, UK
arrival numbers were up 13.5% year on year in the first quarter of 2011, with April seeing a 25% increase. And while Kate and Wills can take some of the credit, the tourist board has worked hard to leverage the good publicity that helps agents and homeworkers convert enquiries into solid bookings. The early part of the year saw a consumer campaign promoting the country as a romantic destination, culminating in Apri, when Masai tribesmen in traditional dress handed London commuters Kenyan roses to celebrate the Royal Wedding. Increased airlift is a blessing for any destination, and Kenya Airways added flights for winter 2010, upping its
frequency from Heathrow to Nairobi to nine a week. And a reduction of the visa fee certainly can’t have hurt tourist numbers either – although it was raised to around £30 in July. Kenya offers clients undeniably unique experiences: it plays host to the Great Migration, which takes place from July to October each year featuring over 1.5 million wildebeest and zebras on the run for the green pastures of the Maasai Mara. Wildebeest can be heard for miles away as they thunder over the Kenyan border towards the freshly grown and nutritious lands. Kenya is also home to the Masai tribe
and no tourist will forget an interaction with the tall, red-cloaked warriors. And with the country’s golden beaches, backed by good-value hotels in bustling Mombasa and deluxe options in Lamu, Kenya has another string to its bow.
Lamu is Kenya’s oldest town and one
of the original Swahili settlements along coastal East Africa. Listed by UNESCO, it is a prestigious World Heritage site. A great time to visit is during the three-day Lamu Cultural Festival each November, which showcases traditional dances, displays of handicraft and music and theatre performances from both local and visiting artists. As East Africa’s strongest performer in
the mass market, Kenya has great value options for those watching the pennies. But it also has a huge amount to offer those with deeper pockets, with deluxe safari lodges and exclusive beach hideaways suited to the most discerning of clients.
Main picture: Elephants at olDonyo Lodge. Top left, Kenya's renowned Masai Mara tribespeople with, below, Serena's Elmenteita
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