Kenya
Parks and Reserves
Kenya is famous for being the top safari country. There are more than 40 national parks and wildlife reserves in Kenya which were created to conserve local fauna and its natural habitats. Some of the most visited national parks are:
Amboseli National Park: Situated at the foot of the Mount Kilimanjaro, it is one of the most popular national parks in Kenya. The protected Selenkay Conservancy area is located 16 km north of the national park and accepts only a limited number of visitors.
Ol Pejeta and Sweetwaters: Ol Pejeta is a protected 90,000 hectare area, which is home to an incredible variety of wild animals. The Sweetwaters Game Reserve began as a sanctuary for the black rhino and is known today as the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary.
Maasai Mara Reserve: It is one of the most important hunting reserves in Kenya and home to a large abundance of animals. The Ol Kinyei, Naboisho and Olare Orok Conservancies form an impressive wilderness area next to the Mara Reserve, which has been reserved for wildlife by the local Maasai community.
Tsavo National Park: It is one of the largest wildlife areas in the world and offers a wide range of habitats, from mountains and rivers to plains and wooded grasslands. The park is home to many different animal species, including buffalos, cheetahs, rhinos and elephants.
Lake Nakuru: This lake can be easily reached by road. It is home to more than one million flamingos and other bird species such as African fish eagles and pelicans. Forests and grasslands surround the lake where a wide variety of animals such as rhinos and lions live.
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Hunting
Between 1970 and 1977, Kenya lost more than half of its elephants as a result of hunting and poaching. In order to protect these animals, hunting was officially banned in 1977. Since then, wildlife tourism has been developing rapidly and currently accounts for more than 12% of Kenya's GDP. Although elephant hunting has been banned for 34 years, poaching has not diminished. This is due to the poverty of the Kenyan population, and the high value of elephant fangs, which are sent abroad and sold in the black market. Although Kenya has many national parks and reserves, elephants remain at risk, since the problem of poaching is elevated by the corruption of some officials who round their income with the money generated from poaching.
Birdwatching
Kenya is one of the richest bird countries in the world. With a large number of different habitats, which are often very close to each other, it is very easy to see more than 100 species in a single day. For this type of birdwatching we recommend choosing a responsible tour operator.
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Coral Reefs
Kenya´s coral reef extends over 500 km, and includes the tourist beach areas between Malindi and Mombasa. Kenyan reefs are made up of more than 35 hard corals and associated marine ecosystems such as sand and seagrass meadows that are home to more than 140 different species of fish. Around 70% of Kenya's coastal population depends on tourism and fisheries as their main sources of income, and due to high levels of poverty and a constantly increasing population, the coral reef is an important natural resource of the country.
During the last decade, the Government of Kenya has declared certain areas of the coral reef system as a National Marine Reserve Park to avoid overfishing and major damage to the coral base - which has already stood out in certain areas due to pollution, commercial fishing, diving and snorkeling.
There is a limited number of licensed operators that can enter this area with the purpose of “educating” tourists about the importance of the coral reef ecosystem of Kenya.
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Camel rides
Camel rides are usually very popular among tourists. Unfortunately, camels suffer many of the same problems as working horses such as overwork and injuries. Although camels seem strong and have a reputation of being tough animals, daily work with tourists and extreme heat of the desert can be very harmful to their health. For this reason, it is important to inform yourself about the problems that may affect them and, if you want to hire one of these tours, do so with a responsible provider.
For more information on the topic: http://turismo-responsable.com/en-s30
Recommended projects and rescue centers:
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
Here is a list of local NGOs that can be contacted in case you want to make a donation, a complaint or find an animal that needs help in Kenya:
