East Africa straddles the equator in the central portion of the African continent with the countries of Kenya and Tanzania covering most of the territory. The landscape is extraordinary: grassy plains, high plateaus crowned by snow-capped peaks, rock-strewn deserts, extinct volcanos, fresh and saltwater lakes, and forested mountains. Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, which has just been declared as one of the “Seven New Wonders of the World” and the legendary Serengeti National Park in Tanzania adjoin one another over their nation’s borders, Here populations of wildebeest, zebra, elephant, hippo, buffalo, giraffe, gazelle, and impala along with the big cat predators including lion, elusive leopards and cheetah dwell within this extensive habitat. The rhythms of nature and native traditions sound loudly in East Africa and wherever visitors go in these lands, they will encounter cultures, vistas, and wildlife new to their experience.
Along with the famous, “Spotted Land”, Masai Mara In Kenya, you may also visit northern Samburu, a semi-arid region which lies astride the Uaso Nyiro River. Exclusive to this area are the gerunuk, Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, and Beisa oryx. In southeast Kenya against the backdrop of Mount Kilamanjaro lies Amboseli National Park. More elephant can be seen here than almost anywhere else on the continent. This is where Cynthia Moss has spent more than 35 years studying elephants in what has become the longest running African elephant field research project in the world. Cynthia is an expert on African elephant family structure, life cycle and social behavior. Her efforts have contributed significantly to the conservation of our planet’s irreplaceable and dwindling population of African elephants.
Serengeti National Park in Tanzania encompasses the largest migratory concentration of plains game in the world. Kopjes, rocky island-like outcrops of boulders, dot the grassland at irregular intervals and antelope of every type, gazelle, wildebeest, buffalo, along with lions, hyena, leopard, and cheetah complete the ambience. A sense of evolution extending back beyond the imagination pervades the scene. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area south of the Serengeti Plain is where the twelve-mile wide Ngorongoro Crater is found - some call it the “Garden of Eden”. The crater habitat is permanently watered and is able to support a year-round residential population of animals. Nearby is Olduvai Gorge where the remains of early hominoid fossils were discovered in 1959 by Louis & Mary Leakey. Other Tanzanian parks are Tarangire with its ancient Baobob trees and Lake Manyara which is nestled under the wall of the Great Rift Valley. The Tanzanians are proud of their magnificent wildlife and manage all their parks with the aim of preserving their natural balance.
