Trifter

Landmarks:

Gedi ruins:  The ruins are the remains of a town located in Gede, a village near the coastal town of Malindi in Kenya. It is suggested that between the 13th and 14th to 17th centuries, Gedi was a thriving community along coastal Kenya. Although no written record exists of this town, excavations made between 1948 and 1958 have revealed that the inhabitants of Gedi traded with people from all over the world. “The artifacts that were found in the ruins, such as Chinese porcelain and Venetian glass, indicate that Gedi was a wealthy city that traded with Portugal, Italy, China, India and the Arab world” (Mombasa Kenya coast: Gedi ruins, www.articlebase.com). The ruins have a mosque, a palace, and large stone houses. The city’s streets were laid out at right angles and had drainage gutters. It is assumed that the village was abandoned in early 16th century. The ruins were declared a Historical monument in 1948.Gedi Ruins, courtesy wikimedia

  Gedi Ruins, http://www.flickr.com/photos/herr_hartmann/373718982/

Fort Jesus: Fort Jesus was built by the Portuguese in 1593 by order of King Philip II of Spain, who also ruled the kingdom of Portugal at the time. It was built to secure the safety of Portuguese living on the East Coast of Africa.  Between 1631 and 1875 the fort was won and lost nine times by nations contesting control of Mombasa. Between 1837 and 1895, the Fort was used as barracks for soldiers by the British. When the British protectorate was proclaimed in 1895, the Fort was converted into a prison. The huts were removed and cells were built. On the 24th October 1958, Fort Jesus was declared a National Park in the custody of the Trustees of the Kenya National Parks. Excavation was carried out and the Fort became a Museum in 1962.

View from Fort Jesus to the Indian Ocean, http://www.flickr.com/photos/melanieandjohn/91935349/ 

Fort Jesus, courtesy wikimedia

Tsavo West National Park: There is recorded archaeological findings for early and middle stone age from the ground surface of theTsavo. There is also evidence to suggest a thriving late stone age economy from 6,000 to 1,300 years ago. Research shows that Late Stone Age archaeological sites are found in high numbers close to the Galana River. Tsavo West was an important historic major battleground in World War I between the British and German troops. The park became famous through the notorious man eating lions at the turn of the centry who were said to prey on workers building the great Kenya-Uganda Railway. This incident was also depicted in the popular movie “Ghost and the Darkness”. Amongst animals found here are leopards, cheetahs, Buffalo’s, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions, crocodiles as well as other small mammals. Mzima Springs in  the park, is a pool of natural spring water with underwater viewing hides for observing hippos. Chyulu Hills an extensions of Tsavo West was opened in January of 1983 to protect its unique habitat and role as a water catchment area.Chyulu Hills are a volcanic mountain range with a mix of volcanic cones and barren lava the most interesting which is “shetani”, meaning devil, in Swahili.

 Chyulu Hills http://www.flickr.com/photos/thierrymarysael/1146094832/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattberlin23/3362788676/ 

(with permission)

hippos in Mzima springs http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattberlin23/3362787820/( with permission)

6) Nairobi the 8th province is also a cosmopolitan city attracting different ethnicities and nationalities.  Nairobi is popularly known as the “Green City in the Sun” due to the greenness of the city in terms of environment. Nairobi is the most populous city in East Africa, with a current estimated population of about 3 million and the 13th largest city in Africa. It is considered one of the most prominent cities in Africa politically and financially. It is home to many multi national companies and organizations, including UNESCO, UNHCR and the UN Office in Africa.

aerial view of city of Nairobi (courtesy wikimedia)

Landmarks:

KarenBlixen Museum: Karen Blixen Museum was once the centre piece of a farm at the foot of the Ngong Hills owned by Danish Author Karen and her Swedish Husband, Baron Bror von Blixen Fincke. Located 10km from the city centre, the Museum belongs to a different time period in the history of Kenya. The farm house gained international fame with the release of the movie ‘Out of Africa’ an Oscar winning film based on Karen’s autobiography by the same title.(Source: National Museums of Kenya) Karen Blixen Museum courtesy wikimedia

The National Museum of Kenya: The National Museum is located at the Museum Hill, approximately 10 minutes drive from the city centre. It houses some of the most celebrated collections of history, culture and art from Kenya and East Africa. The Museum was initiated in 1910 by the then East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society (currently the East African Natural History Society). The museum was originally built by the colonial government in 1929 who named it Coryndon Museum in honor of Sir Robert Coryndon, one time Governor of Kenya. On Kenya attaining independence in 1963 the name was changed to National Museum of Kenya. (Source: National Museums of Kenya). The museum has “four permanent exhibitions, including The Hall of Kenya, The Great Hall of Mammals, The Cradle of Humankind and The Cycles of Life, in addition to other temporary exhibits. The Cradle of Humankind contains the Leakey family discoveries at Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge and at Koobi Fora in northern Kenya, including the complete 1.6-million-year-old skeleton of Homo erectusalso houses archeological findings representing the origin of man”,(Nairobi national museum, www.professionsltravelguide.com). The National Museum has a snake park where different species of snakes can be seen as well as other reptiles. It is also used as research place by the international community.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/auldhippo/3484721287/ with permission

Nairobi National Park and orphanage: The Park is unique as it is the only protected area in the world witha variety of animals and birds close to a capital city. Despite the proximity of the city, the Park harbors large predators such as lion, leopard and hyena. The park also has a rich diverse bird life with 400 species recorded. The rhino sanctuary is one of the most successful in Kenya and is one of the parks that one can be sure of sporting a blackRhino in its natural habitat;

.Entrance to Nairobi National Park, http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikkristensen/151773646/ with permision

 Giraffe at Nairobi National Park http://www.flickr.com/photos/centralcircuit/396629071/, with permissionleopard at Nairobi national park, http://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwactionpixsmarukocom/2953889721/hyena in Nairobi National Park, http://www.flickr.com/photos/future15/3527143162/

Nairobi’s parks and Garden: Nairobi has lush green gardens and parks that have been well maintained providing resting place for many city residents. The most famous is Uhuru Park (Freedom Park) which is used for national celebrations and many other meetings in particular religious meetings. One of the things that brought Professor Wangari Maathai to fame leading to a Nobel peace award was her fight to retain the park and protect the environment when the government attempted to construct office buildings at the park. The park has an artificial lake which provides an entertainment opportunity for boating for many families.  The Nairobi Arboretum is another beautiful park surrounded by colorful flowers and fauna in a lush of green. It is a beautiful place for taking wedding photos and for picnics. The other parks are Uhuru gardens which commemorates the country’s independence and has a peace statute and another of people raising the Kenyan flag at independence. The are many other smaller parks like others like Jevanjee gardens, named after an Indian trader who donated the land.

 Green Uhuru park

Serene Waters of Uhuru ParkFun at Uhuru park

Peace monument at Uhuru gardens (freedom garden)Nairobi Arboretum