Two World Heritage sites in Kenya have been picked by a UN agency to benefit from a Sh64 million fund put up to cushion such sites in Africa from the coronavirus impact.

Source: Two Kenyan heritage sites to benefit from UN funding

Source: Five Eastern African countries receive #SOSAfricanHeritage grants to promote COVID-19 resilience

Unesco says they have complex ecosystems with many species of plants and animals.

Source: UN proposes Coast forests be made world heritage sites

One can witness the spectacle of elephants sliding down the slopes.

Source: The bird watchers’ paradise of Meru

There is definitely a lot one can discover and enjoy, so let’s take a look at what Kenya has to offer and why exactly it is one of the must-visit places this year.

Source: Why Kenya Is the Hottest Tourist Destination in 2020? – Chart Attack

Source: Rapid Response Facility (RRF) releases funds to fight flames in Mount Kenya National Park

Source: UNESCO Director-General deplores fires in Mount Kenya National Park

Source: Happy New Year 2019 from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Kenya – Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest

Poachers in Africa are being targeted by sophisticated technology that constantly monitors the daily movements of elephants, rhinos, and other protected animals. The Domain Awareness System (DAS) is helping protect animals tracking vehicles, aircraft, and animals as they move around the natural environment.

One conservation agency in Kenya that has been using the system said it helped make sense of the often chaotic intelligence they would get from dozens of teams out in the wild. The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy have had enormous success, not losing a single rhino to poachers over the past three years. The new system alerts them to threats instantaneously and lets them react immediately to tackle poachers and save animals. The Domain Awareness System was developed by Vulcan, a philanthropic company focused on technology, specifically to fight poaching.

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Kenya – Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest

The walk, the hills, the breeze, the forest sounds, the sky, like a treasure found and voluntarily, surrendered.

IN SUMMARY

• The forest was recently included as an extension of the Mount Kenya UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ngare Ndare forest hosts 200 year-old trees, giving a home to a variety of bird and animal species.
• The town was what a village becomes with no prior planning. Every building was different from the other, borrowing here and there from the architecture of another era.
• In the Ngare Ndare river, swimming and diving is allowed; for those willing to brave the chilly waters. The visitors can take guided forest walks, mountain biking and camping.
• The daily fee in the forest is Sh 500. There is an additional Sh 1,000 for camping and a further Sh1000 for armed security.

Ngare Ndare means goat waters in the Maa language.

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Kenya – Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest

When wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough decided to make a new TV series about Africa, his producers were faced with a seemingly insurmountable problem.

The veteran broadcaster was nearing his 90th birthday and couldn’t travel with ease all around the continent for his pieces to camera in each location. So instead they came up with an ingenious solution: find one place that had examples of each type of African landscape to serve as vastly different backdrops to his appearances on screen.

And so Sir David ended up in Lewa, a massive 160-square-kilometre wildlife conservancy and UNESCO World Heritage site in the middle of Kenya, by the foothills of Mount Kenya.

As a bionomic microcosm of Africa, it was perfect, with forest, rainforest, savannah, dry desert, mountain moorland and swamp.

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Kenya – Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest

When one thinks of traveling to Kenya, perhaps the very first thing that comes to mind is ‘Safari’. However, this eclectically beautiful East African country has a lot more than just safaris! Kenya is a safe destination for travelers; and if you visit the land to volunteer, you’ll be warmly welcomed by your host communities. They will make you feel comfortable with their nice gestures and tell you more about the country that tourists otherwise might miss out. While volunteering in Kenya would be a great experience in itself, here are a few other things that are exclusive in the country, and you must do them in order to make your Kenya volunteering experience more memorable and colorful.

7 Amazing Things to Do During Your Kenya Volunteering Experience

Witness the Wildebeest Migration

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Kenya – Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest

There is snow on Africa’s equator. Something few believed until they first laid their eyes on the spectacular summits of Mount Kenya National Park towering over a wild land of staggering rugged beauty in north-central Kenya. To fully appreciate one of Africa’s finest UNESCO World Heritage sites, you have to see it from above!

There are various ways I like to start my hiking trips, and I must say that none of them involve overheating cars, oil leaks and punctures as was the case on this trip! But in spite of these unexpected hurdles, we were soon heading up the gravel road for Old Moses Camp (3,300m a.s.l), leaving the Sirimon Gate in our wake.

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