Bored of Nairobi? this is a must visit place.

The Nairobi Snake Park was started in January, 1961 to meet a popular attraction and to provide a research facility on reptiles, breeding of snakes. Live snakes were exhibited on experimental basis at the entrance of the Museum in 1958 which later became a popular attraction. When the popularity was noted, a portion of land in front of the Museum and down to the Nairobi River was acquired by the Museum Trustees for the development of Botanical gardens and exhibitions on live snakes. This idea was developed further in 1959, when money was made available for a combined facility, Snake Park and Snake study centre surrounded by a botanical garden and war memorial garden on one end.

By the end of 1960, the Snake Park was almost completed using funds made available by the War Memorial Committee. The Snake Park was opened to the public in January 1961, as a centre for snake study before it transformed into a shelter for rescued reptiles and amphibians. It attracted a lot of interest from the public, researchers, conservationist and educators. Following its closure in August 2008, the snake park reopened a year later after undergoing a major lift. During the 2009/2010 financial year, about 123,000 visitors attended the park. In a bid to serve our visitors better, public programmes like octopus exhibition, interactive sessions with harmless reptiles and amphibians, exhibition on the birds of the Snake Park and feeding of crocodiles with live fish. Audio Visual transmission of information on exhibitions, are under way. The aquaria have been modified with a classy touch of beautiful art work for their finishing. It is your world class tourist destination!

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International Camel Derby – Maralal, Kenya

“Hit them up, move them out, raw hide” is the theme of this International Camel Derby held annually in the northern regions of Kenya. A blend of culture, colour, action, adventure and the finest camels of the north kenya.

The derby has been running since 1990 with visitors and entries from Australia, America, New Zealand, Canada, England, France, Spain, Japan, South Africa and beyond. All competing against the reigning Kenyan champions.

The derby is recognized as a serious international sport and a great way to create awareness of the rapid onset in the desertification of Kenya, while also promoting better camel husbandry among the people of Kenya and the benefits of these spitting, kicking yet adorable creatures in arid environments of Kenya and other regions of the world.

The camels are chosen by judges for these races depending on handlers, strength and potential for speed. Did you know a camel can get up to 25 km an hour when racing? Hang on tight!

The venue is Yare Camel Club and Camp 3km south of the township of Maralal, Kenya. In addition to the camel races you will also find cycling races, donkey rides for the timid, darts I wouldn’t say the kind you play at the pub with your mates), different challenge events, local dancing displays and stalls.

The camel races are broken into two main events over a number of days.

The first of them being Novices and Amateurs, so don’t expect to be just a spectator on the side lines, you have the option to hire a camel and handler for the day, saddle up and join in for this rapid, furious and hairy 10km ride on the back of a beast.

The PRO’s Elite Camel race is next, a 42km marathon over a measured distance, passing the Maralal Township of Kenya and running through semi-desert environments. No handlers or assistants are allowed to be used; you’re left to the mercy of the desert and your own devices or imagination.

The derby is a Mecca for adventurers, nomads and camels alike set in the spell binding north eastern province of the country of Kenya.

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The tortoise who adopted a hippo

This is not a fairy tale but Kenya’s very own Owen and Mzee are attracting tourists from the world, the tortoise who adopted an abandoned hippo calf, have become known around the globe for their unique friendship.
‘Owen and Mzee’ chronicles the dramatic rescue and ensuing friendship between a baby hippo named Owen and the 130-year-old giant tortoise named Mzee. When Owen became stranded after the December 2004 Tsunami that affected part of the Kenya Coast, a group of residents and local fishermen in Malindi Kenya, a few kilometers from Mombasa worked tirelessly to rescue him. Owen, who was a year old at the time, was then taken to the Haller Park preserve, where he was adopted by an elderly Aldabran tortoise. Photos were e-mailed from friend to friend, quickly making Owen and Mzee worldwide celebrities. They have formed a bond and are inseparable ever since – they swim, eat and play together; even developing a special way of communicating that has baffled scientists and animal experts alike.

Owen and Mzee are not just making waves for themselves but also the country Kenya. The two have fans from all over Kenya and beyond.
Haller Park is a rehabilitated quarry with a thriving ecosystem and a place where visitors from around the world can come see Owen and Mzee in addition to other wildlife such as giraffes, hippos, antelopes and buffaloes to name a few of its many attractions of Nature.

The hippo and tortoise have become powerful symbols of strength and resilience, not just for the humans who empathize with their remarkable tale, but for those who draw hope from Haller Park’s own incredible transformation from bare rock to natural wonder.

Future plans for Owen and Mzee are the subject of a lot of interest currently. Owen is already becoming dangerously big and in Mzee’s best interests, Haller Park staffs are planning to move Owen to a new enclosure and introduce him to another hippo Cleo, who has been on her own since her old partner Johnnie died over a decade ago. Mzee on the other hand will probably return to the company of his own kind, a female tortoise called Toto.

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Some facts about the big cats

• The cheetah is the world’s fastest land mammal. It can run at speeds of up to113 kilometers an hour.
• An adult lion’s roar can be heard up to eight kilometers away.
• Long, muscular hind legs enable snow leopards to leap seven times their own body length in a single bound.
• A tiger’s stripes are like fingerprints—no two animals have the same pattern.
• The strongest climber among the big cats, a leopard can carry prey twice its weight up a tree.
• The Amur leopard is one of the most endangered animals in the world.
• In one stride, a cheetah can cover 7 to 8 meters.
• The name “jaguar” comes from a Native American word meaning “he who kills with one leap.”
• In the wild, lions live for an average of 12 years and up to 16 years. They live up to 25 years in captivity.
• The mountain lion and the cheetah share an ancestor.
• Cheetahs do not roar, as the other big cats do. Instead, they purr.
• Tigers are excellent swimmers and do not avoid water.
• A female Amur leopard gives birth to one to four cubs in each litter.
• Fossil records from two million years ago show evidence of jaguars.
• Lions are the only cats that live in groups, called prides. Every female within the pride is usually related.
• The leopard is the most widespread of all big cats.
• Mountain lions are strong jumpers, thanks to muscular hind legs that are longer than their front legs.
• Tigers have been hunted for their skin, bones, and other body parts, used in traditional Chinese medicine.
• Unlike other cats, lions have a tuft of hair at the end of their tails.
• After humans, mountain lions have the largest range of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere.

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The closest contact with the wild

Most tourists come to Kenya for a close encounter with African wildlife- and you don’t get much closer than being kissed by a Giraffe. This is a common occurrence at the Giraffe Centre, a conservation and education centre located just outside Nairobi, where visitors learn about these gentle giants through intimate experience.
Founded in 1979, The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife Kenya was created in a bid to save the endangered Rothschild Giraffe. Kenya is home to 3 sub-species of giraffe, the common Maasai giraffe, the darker coated reticulated giraffe, endemic to Northern Kenya, and the Rothschild.
This most rare species was originally found in Western Kenya and by 1980 loss of habitat to agriculture had reduced their wild numbers to less than 140. AFEW raised funds to captive breed the animals at their centre in Langata (a short drive from central Nairobi). Eventually 4 herds were reared and released into suitable National parks and Reserves: Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya, Mwea Game Reserve, Ruma National Park and Nasalot Game Reserve in Kenya.
Ongoing release programs have seen translocations to Soy Sambu Ranch near Lake Elementaita, Kigio Conservancy near Gilgil and Sergoit ranch in Eldoret. Today the wild Rothschild Giraffe population in Kenya is over 300.
Today the Giraffe centre remains a breeding centre and even more importantly, an education centre for the public. A well crafted information centre teaches visitors all they need to know about giraffes and their conservation, while a nature trail through the surrounding dry upland forest lets them explore typical giraffe habitat.
But the real attraction here are the giraffes themselves, and no visitor to the centre will come away without having gained a very personal experience of the world’s tallest animals.
Specially designed wooden platforms mean guests will find themselves eye to eye with members of the resident herds. On arrival, everyone is given a handful of special “giraffe treats’ which are very popular with the more sociable herd members.
Hand feeding a giraffe lets you discover the remarkably gentle nature of these huge creatures. Giraffes are herbivores who feed almost exclusively on leaves, which they pluck not with their teeth, but with a long, prehensile tongue.
The giraffes at the centre are so at ease with their human visitors that they will happily eat from your hand, or if you’d like, from between your lips with a soft lingering kiss.
Beneath the giraffes, family groups of warthog laze in the sun and take advantage of the occasional dropped treat.
This is most certainly not just a tourist attraction. The real aim of the centre is to sensitize Kenyans, especially the youth, to the importance of conserving nature and the environment.
Every day tourists visit the giraffe center and for many it is their first time to see a live giraffe- and any initial fears are quickly dispelled by helpful Kenyan guides, handfuls of treats, and the occasional kiss.
After this experience, the tourists attend lectures, take a guided walk in the forest, and become a part of the centre’s ongoing program to create ambassadors for conservation. In recent years, over 55,000 tourists have had this remarkable experience.
All over Kenya, Africa, human-wildlife conflict is creating a dividing line between people and wild animals- which are seen as threatening, dangerous and unnecessary.
The giraffe centre is helping to blur this divide; international visitors whose entry fees are supporting these programs mingle with gentle giraffes, and learn about their value to Kenya’s great natural heritage.
Every visitor to Nairobi, Kenya should take the time to visit the Giraffe centre, a great way to spend a morning or afternoon that supports an even greater cause.

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‘whoops’ the laughter of crocuta crocuta

The pitch and variability of the giggles may be used to indicate age or social status, Younger hyenas tend to have high-pitched giggles, and dominant females of the strongly hierarchical clans tend to have a narrower range of sounds. The rich social structure of hyena clans gives rise to many vocalizations, ranging from “whoops” that travel great distances to quiet grunts among close individuals. But it is the laugh of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) that has given them their more common moniker of “laughing hyenas”.

This is a very complex society of nocturnal animals, so acoustics is a very important communication channel for them. It has been hypothesized by researchers studying hyenas in the wild that the laughing is not, in fact, a sign of good humour. Yet it remains unclear what social information the short fits of laughter convey. Some guess it’s a sign of frustration.

The giggles probably advertise an individual’s age, because the fundamental frequency tends to decline among older individuals. Before they reach maturity at three years of age, hyenas have noticeably higher-pitched giggles. Dominant females, the leaders of the clan seem to advertise their powerful role by not giggling as much. One secret remains, though: the giggles, seemingly relevant to close-range interactions, are incredibly loud. That can attract other diners to a feast.

The competition between lions and hyenas is high, and hyenas always lose. So there’s still a question as to why they make a lot of noise that could attract lions when they catch a prey. Etton Travel and Tours organizes safaris to view the hyenas any time of the year.

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Where business is a pleasure

Dubai is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to have veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country’s legislature.

The earliest recorded mention of Dubai is in 1095, and the earliest settlement known as Dubai town dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in the early 19th century by the Al Abu Falasa clan of Bani Yas, and it remained under clan control when the United Kingdom assumed the protection of Dubai in 1892. Its geographical location made it an important trading hub and by the beginning of the 20th century, it was an important port. In 1966, the year oil was discovered, Dubai and the emirate of Qatar set up a new monetary unit to replace the Gulf Rupee. The oil economy led to a massive influx of foreign workers, quickly expanding the city by three hundred percent and bringing in international oil interests. The modern emirate of Dubai was created after the UK left the area in 1971. At this time Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and four other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates. The following year Ras al Khaimah joined the federation while Qatar and Bahrain chose to remain independent nations. In 1973, the monetary union with Qatar was dissolved and the UAE Dirham introduced throughout the UAE. A free trade zone was built around the Jebel Ali port in 1979, allowing foreign companies’ unrestricted import of labour and export capital. The Gulf War of 1990 had a negative financial effect on the city, as depositors withdrew their money and traders withdrew their trade, but subsequently the city recovered in a changing political climate and thrived.

Today, Dubai has emerged as a global city and a business hub. Although Dubai’s economy was built on the oil industry, currently the emirate’s model of business, similar to that of Western countries, drives its economy, with the effect that its main revenues are now from tourism, real estate, and financial services. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. This increased attention has highlighted labour rights and human rights issues concerning its largely South Asian workforce. Dubai’s property market experienced a major deterioration in 2008 and 2009 as a result of the worldwide economic downturn following the financial crisis of 2007–2010. Etton travel and Tours organizes tours  to Dubai at any time of the year.

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Bridging the gaps

A newly discovered dinosaur species bridges the gap between the earliest known group of predators and more advanced beasts such as Tyrannosaurus rex, according to a new study.

Found at New Mexico’s Ghost Ranch fossil site, the primitive dinosaur lived about 205 million years ago. The dinosaur, which stood as tall as a large dog, boasts a very unusual skull, It has a deep, short snout and these monstrous front teeth. That’s a kind of skull structure for a predatory dinosaur that’s really unexpected for this early point in time. These features helped earn the new dinosaur the name Daemonosaurus chauliodus, or “buck-toothed evil spirit” in Greek.

The oldest known dinosaurs lived in what’s now South America during the late Triassic Period, some 230 million years ago. This group included early versions of two-legged predators known as theropods. But a big gap in the fossil record just after this time led many experts to suggest that these early dinosaurs had simply died out.

The idea is that there was this early diversification of dinosaurs, but then they went extinct, and more advanced predators took over during the late Triassic and diversified later at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary, when we know that dinosaur predators greatly diversified and increased a lot in size.”Now the Daemonosaurus find links the two dinosaur groups. Our new dinosaur, along with another one that was found a few years ago at the same site, indicates that those basal dinosaurs already included a number of early theropods, and that they survived all the way through the Triassic to nearly the beginning of the Jurassic Period.

For now Daemonosaurus is known only by its fossilized skull and neck vertebrae. But the fossils show that the dinosaur has several features—including cavities in its vertebrae linked to the respiratory system—that bridge the evolutionary gap between the earliest dinosaurs and the neotheropods, the next group of predatory dinosaurs to evolve.

Finding the dino in New Mexico adds another interesting aspect to the discovery, there had some inkling that the earliest dinosaurs had made it into the Northern Hemisphere when the supercontinent Pangaea was still in existence and animals could walk around on dry land. But the fossil record was limited to South America, The new find gives further evidence that the earliest radiation of dinosaurs did have a wider distribution, and it is due to the incompleteness of the fossil record that we’d found them only in Argentina and Brazil.

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Dining with the Hippo’s

There’s something surreal about watching wild zebra’s graze on the lawn outside your dining room while you eat your dinner, but when you also have hippo’s munching outside your bedroom window, you know you must be in Africa.

Lake Naivasha is a lovely lake about an hour and a half’s drive from Nairobi, Kenya. And the peace and tranquility there is a world away. It is where Joy and George Adamson decided to build their home, Elsamere, and although they both came to brutal ends many years ago, their legacy and the homestead lives on.

The homestead remains as it did when Joy and George lived there, and is open to visitors. There is a small museum where a lot of their belongings and some of Joy’s art are on display. Visitors can also watch a documentary about Joy Adamson and their efforts in wildlife conservation, and take a look around the Field Study Centre, before heading out to the lawn for the well renowned afternoon tea with the playful Colobus monkeys. Watch out, these monkeys are rather partial to cream scones and chocolate cake, so keep your eye on your plate. A water squirt bottle is a handy accessory as they don’t like water much.

If you really want to soak up the peace and tranquility of Lake Naivasha, Kenya, you really need to stay a few days. You can stay at one of eight cottages at Elsamere, which includes dining with the other guests in the Adamson’s dining room, and, if you’re lucky, it also means watching the wildlife having their dinner as well. Wild zebra’s come down to the lawn to graze and later in the evening the hippo’s come up out of the lake to munch on the grass which is their staple diet. No lawnmowers required at Elsamere! If you are lucky enough you can have three of them munching noisily right outside your bedroom window. These animals, hippo’s are stroppy, if one gets close to the others grazing line they fully charge each other.

If lucky you can see plenty more hippos when you go out on the lake in a boat trip with safari guides. If you go early you can sometimes see the hippos coming back into the water from their evening feeding on land. Otherwise there are plenty in the water, including at least one particularly territorial one that charges at each boat that comes along.

As well as the hippos there is an abundance of other birds and wildlife around the lake edge – giraffes, zebra, all manner of antelopes and gazelle, monkeys, baboons – this is their watering hole and they come here each day to drink.

Just along from Elsamere is the entrance to Hell’s Gate National Park, Kenya. This park is unusual for its geothermal activity, but also as it is free of predators, it is the only national park in Kenya where you can freely walk around or cycle through. It’s also great for rock climbing, with some famous natural formations and a resident safari climbing guide that can (literally) show you the ropes. Another ten minutes down the road, all the while travelling carefully through a natural wildlife corridor, and you come to Little Lake and thousands of pink flamingos. Amazing!

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Flying umbrella that appears when it rains

The massive Menengai shield volcano occupies the floor of the East African Rift. Construction of a 30 cu km shield volcano beginning about 200,000 years ago was followed by the eruption of two voluminous ash-flow tuffs, each preceded by major pumice falls. The first took place about 29,000 years ago and produced a large caldera. The second major eruption, producing about 30 cu km of compositionally zoned peralkaline trachytic magma about 8000 years ago, was associated with formation of the present-day 12 x 8 km summit caldera. More than 70 post-caldera lava flows cover the caldera floor, the youngest of which may be only a few hundred years old. No historical eruptions are known from Menengai. Fumarolic activity is restricted to the caldera.

At Menengai Crater in Nakuru, Kenya, curious tourists are drawn to a controversial cave by stories of strange happenings that have convinced many that this is a haunted place.
A number of strange things are said to happen in the crater, such as people disappearing without trace, Others losing directions for hours (or even days) only to be found by their relatives wandering around in a trance.
The local people believe that the crater is haunted by evil spirits that capture people and animals and hide them in the netherworld. It is said that in the late 1950s and early 1960s, ghosts used to farm on a fertile piece of land on the floor of the crater.
According to eye witnesses, the ‘demons’ used to plough the land with tractors, plant wheat and harvest all within an hour. The local’s even claim to have seen the devil riding a motorcycle on a hill called “Kirima Kia ngoma (Devil’s Hill)” situated next to the crater. There is also the widespread allegation of a ‘flying umbrella’ that normally appears whenever it rains.
But despite the eerie stories about the crater, pilgrims from as far as Kisumu, Kakamega and even Mombasa, Kenya come to pray and fast at the site for days.
Some even stay in the cave at the south of the crater for months. They say that they feel very close to God when praying in the crater. Menengai Crater is an extinct volcano with striking views of Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria as well as the crater itself.
The site offers excellent hiking opportunity, scenic sites, hot springs, geysers, mud pots among others. Etton travel and tours organizes hikes to Menengai all around the year.

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