“Jumbo” – it is with this word that holidays in Kenya begin. The friendly greeting of the locals is the hallmark of this amazing country in East Africa. Tours to Kenya is a journey to the country of exotics, mystery and high level of service. Kenya will offer the most modern resorts for a traditional beach holiday on the coast of the Indian Ocean (Watamu, Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa), elite restaurants with local and traditional cuisine, a lot of entertainment in Nairobi and exciting shopping at affordable prices.
The tour operator in Kenya in Moscow will help to reveal the grandeur and beauty of this mysterious country with many national parks: Amboseli, Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Meru with the famous Tana River. Traveling to tribal villages, visiting the capital of Nairobi, walking along the slopes of the Kenya volcano, some of the best safaris in Africa and an excellent beach holiday with diving and reef diving – Kenya is able to amaze with its versatility and charm the most sophisticated traveler!
Currency: Kenyan shilling KSh
Language: The official languages are English and Swahili.
Capital: Nairobi
Situated in the magnificent East African Rift Valley and offering views of the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, Kenya is characterized by landscapes of extraordinary beauty: wooded hills, a mosaic of farms, verdant savannah and vast forests teeming with wild flora and fauna. More than 70 unique ethnic groups live in Kenya, from the Masai, Samburu, Kikuyu and Turkana tribes to the Arabs and Indians who settled on the coast. Add to that a tropical coastline fringed with golden sand, amazing coral gardens for great snorkeling and diving, and a host of lively beach resorts, and you can see why so many visitors flock to Kenya from all over the world.
Geography: Kenya is located on both sides of the equator on the east coast of Africa. It is a medium-sized country by continental standards, with an area of about 580 sq. km. In the east, Kenya borders on Somalia and is washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean, in the north with Ethiopia, in the northwest with South Sudan, in the west it borders on Uganda and is washed by Lake Victoria, and in the south there is the border of Kenya and Tanzania. The equator runs roughly through the center of the country.
The name of the country is associated with the name of Mount Kenya located on its territory, the name of which in the language of the Kikuyu people means “mountain of whiteness” (Kere-Nyaga).
Kenya stands out for its incredible topographical diversity, with ice-covered mountains and snow-capped peaks, the East African Rift Valley with its steep slopes and volcanoes, ancient granite hills, flat desert landscapes and coral reefs with many islets.
However, the basic configuration is simple. The coastal plains give way to an interior plateau that gradually rises towards the central highlands, which are the result of relatively recent volcanic activity associated with the formation of the rift valley.
Kenya, located on the equator, has been called the “Cradle of Humankind” because it is in Kenya, in the Great Rift Valley, that paleontologists have found some of the earliest evidence of human ancestors.
Culture: Paleontologists believe that the first humans inhabited Kenya about 2 million years ago. In the 700s, Arab seafarers formed settlements along the coast, and the Portuguese took control of these territories in the early 1500s.
Kenya has a rich and varied culture, drawn from countless different sources. From the prehistory of ancient man to the present day, Kenya has always been a place of endless change, contrast and extraordinary diversity.
The sea brought in influences from the outside world, and the spice trade in these areas created a unique coastal culture where the lines between Africa and Arabia began to blur. The open coastline brought European influence and violent struggle for control of this land.
The first travelers discovered lands of incredible danger and even more incredible beauty, and their travels created the most unique colony of the British Empire. It was a meeting place for different cultures, where travelers and mercenaries mingled with a tribal society (also heterogeneous), and the arrival of workers and merchants from India in turn brought new, then widespread influences.
The colonial heritage lives on in modern times – in the tradition of safari, the desire for adventure and freedom. In developing its own unique culture, Kenya drew on all of these influences. This is the greatest strength of the nation – the ability to mix the best of many worlds into one strong distinct culture.
Political system: Kenya gained independence from Great Britain in 1963, and a year later was proclaimed a republic. Now Kenya is a unitary republic of the presidential type, part of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The head of state is the president. Since March 2013, the President of Kenya has been Uhuru Kenyatta.
The legislative body of the Republic of Kenya is the unicameral National Assembly.
Religion: Officially, Kenya is a secular republic, the state religion is not established. The majority of Kenyans are Christians (more than 80%), of which slightly less than half consider themselves Protestants and almost a quarter as Catholics. The second religion in the country is Islam (slightly more than 10% of the population). Bahaism, Hinduism and traditional local beliefs are also widespread in the country.
Official holidays and weekends in Kenya:
January 1 – New Year.
movable date in March-April – Good Friday, Easter and Clean Monday.
May 1 – Labor Day.
June 1 – Madaraka Day (anniversary of the formation of the first black government of Kenya, 1963).
October 10 – Moi Day (anniversary of the inauguration of the second President Daniel arap Moi, 1978).
October 20 – Kenyatta Day (a holiday dedicated to all the heroes of the struggle for independence).
November-December – Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan).
December 12 – Republic Day (Jamhuri, Independence Day from Great Britain in 1963, also the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Kenya exactly one year later, in 1964).
December 25-26 – Christmas.
December 26 – Day of the Gift.
Muslim holidays are also celebrated according to the lunar calendar. Holidays that fall on a Sunday are usually observed on the following Monday.
