Malindi a small town on the Kenyan coast line hosts the Malindi marine Park and Reserve that was the first marine protected area in Kenya, established in 1968 and designated as a Biosphere Reserve under the Man and Biosphere Reserve programme of UNESCO in 1979.

The park has a total area of 6km sq and is located south of Malindi town, extending to Mida creek. It also neighbours Gede ruins and Arabuko, Sokoke Forest. The national reserve and a100 ft strip of coastal land starting from Vasco –da-gama Pillar to Watamu envelop to the parks covering 213 Km sq.

The Park and reserve is easily accessible by road and air and hosts rich marine bioderversity, beautiful beaches and warm water that is for swimming. Malindi Marine Park and reserve is endowed with magnificent resources, fringing reefs, coral gardens in the Lagoons, see Grass beds, mangroves, mudflats, high fish diversity, marine mammals, turtles and shore birds to name just a few. The main biotypes of Malindi Marine Park include fringing and patch refs distributed on the seaward edge of Barracuda Channel. The structure of these reefs is influenced by the prevailing physical conditions, especially wind and sediments from Sabaki River, which runs north of Malindi. Silty waters from the river seasonally swamp the reefs of Malindi. The waters of Malindi Bay are Colored at this time depending on when the winds switch from the Northeast monsoon to the Southeast monsoons, the sediment plume may reach as far as Malindi Marine Park. This sometimes decreases visibility and the aesthetic quality of the reefs in the park. A maximum river discharge occurs during the long rains that is April to July and short rains October to December at the coast.

 

Nairobi is described as the green city in the sun due to its environmental friendliness, Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and a major regional hub. Standing at an altitude of 1,670 meters (5,500) above see level it provides an enlivening climate with a minimum of 23oC and a maximum for 28oC. Nairobi is an important business center with a range of international facilities including the Kenyatta International Conference Center, leading hotels that provide conference facilities and gourmet cuisine. Dine out is very popular, seafood, carnivorous, French, Italian and Indian cuisines. From the skies Nariobi is serviced by Jomo kenyatta International Airport and Wilson Airport the latter regarded the busiest in Africa. The safari country starts with Nairobi, home to the Nairobi National Park only 20 minutes from the city center, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Home to the orphaned elephant and Rhino, the Karen Blixen Museum a memorial to a woman admired both fro her writing and her spirit,and theAFWE Giraffe Center where one can have tea and feed the rare Rothschild Giraffe. All these and much more are amongst great attractions of Nairobi Located in an area once frequented by the pastoral Maasai community, Nyrob is a a maasai word for “a place of cool water” was established in the late 1890s as a British railroad camp on the Mombasa to Uganda railway. The modern Nairobi is a city if great contrast, its sky scraper, law courts, Holy family Minor Basilica, Parliament Buildings, Jamia Mosque, the City Market and the famous Norfolk Hotel are amongst many of those linked to pre and pos independence. Nairobi is an important business center with a range of international facilities including the Kenyatta International Conference Center, leading hotels that provide conference facilities and gourmet cuisine. Dine out is very popular, seafood, carnivorous, French, Italian and Indian cuisines.  

It is three hours drive from Nairobi to Kirinyaga Mountain, where Ngai has his majestic mountain empire. Here you the traveler can find a place which is comparable with this regal stage of the nature. The hotel was founded in 1959 by three men in the time when driving and flying as an enterprise of courage and pioneering. This story still can be seen on the yellowing photographs of the walls of this hotel: William Holden, the film star, the American Ray Rayan and the Swiss Carl Hirschmann, together with the chronicles of their friends and their visitors. The story already immerse in the mist of history. It is a unique experience to walk the corridors and familiarize with the past. The hero’s, the celebrities, the rich and the famous once visited this hotel. Their presences still nearly palpable here; the visitor feels the great moments and the past splendor. In the middle of the hotel of 245,000 hectare sweet water game reserve is the magnificent Mount Kenya Safari Club, with luxury villas, cottages, riverside suites studio suits and a club rooms. Right at the equator on a mountain ridge, facing mount Kenya. It is an amazing wonder to walk along inside the hotels main building a wonderful architectural composition with it’s long and bright corridors, marvelous rooms representing the same grandiosity and finery. The walk continues outside. From the main entrance to the viewpoint on the left, from where one can amuse the manicure lawn, the outside ponds, rivulets and the lush green garden visited by colonies of bird of paradise above this scene as a giant background is the magnificent and towering Mount Kenya.
Down the middle of the park you can see the clubs chapel, where just below the labyrinth formed by finely cut hedges is an unforgettable play ground for children and lovers too. right above are the cottages which seem to approach the visible horizon, and beyond this point. In this place you can take pleasure in the silence, the forest, the passing deep path which you hardly pass on foot, you can even mingle with Zebras, see antelopes, the rare bongo, wildebeests and if you are really lucky you can approach the forest elephants. The even have an art gallery, boutiques and souvenir shops. The prices are realistic and the quality of artifacts is impressive. Once here, and your mind occupied with business, there are conference facilities available including all round secretarial facilities. Finally it is only fifty minutes away form Nanyuki air strip so you can fly there too.

 

 

Hotels in Kenya are mainly classified so that a high standard of service delivery and product quality is maintained, to create uniformity in the service or product thus giving a clear rate structure and eliminating unfair competition and to give potential travelers an idea of the type of accommodation and service to expect. The general factors that are considered in the classification include:

The structure of the hotel building and amenities present including recreational facilities. The standard of cleanliness through out the hotel and the sanitary facilities provided, manner in which food is stored, prepared and cooked and the degree of comfort, quality of equipment and furnishings and the proportion of bathrooms to number of guest rooms. These categories are.

Town Hotels: Located within or near urban centers where majority of the guests are business travelers

Vacation Hotels: Located within or near resort areas where majority of the clients are holiday makers. These are divided into five classes denoted by the star, five star being the highest and one star being the lowest class.

Lodges: Located within or near natural habitat rich in flora and fauna where majority of the clients are leisure seekers

Tented Camps: Also located near natural habitat and offer services similar to lodges however the accommodation is a tented camp.

Restaurants which are further divided into three classes again denoted by a star there star being the highest and one star the lowest.

Currently in Kenya there are 250 classified hotels, lodges and restaurants. On the whole the quality of service in Kenya’s hospitality establishments is of very high standard this proved by the high number of repeat clients country wide.

 

Thank you Woni Safaris for inviting me to post articles about the travel Industry here I shall be making the most of this space soon.