Kenya

Kenya is one of the longest established tourist destinations in sub-Saharan Africa. With beautiful beaches washed by warm waters from the Indian Ocean, colourful coral reef's swamped by equally colourful fish, and hundreds of square miles of savannah teaming with wildlife, Kenya is the Africa of school books and movie sets.

The historic port of Mombassa has been an important trading city since the 12 th century. Today it's the main centre of coastal Kenya , with its airport bringing in tourists from around the globe. Like much of this coastline, it has been constantly attacked, invaded, and defended, giving a strange mixture of architectural influences ranging from Arab, to Portuguese, to colonial British. Its not a city that demands a lot of your time, although the 16 th century Portuguese Fort Jesus is impressive, and the old town area, with its markets and weaving network of tiny streets, has a lot of charm.

Most people base themselves in one of the many beach resorts - Lamu, Malindi, Watamu, and Diam, are all interesting - and take trips to the main attractions from there. The historic side of Kenya 's tourism is not well promoted. Coastal forts, such as the one near Malindi, can lay semi-overgrown and almost unvisited because few people realise they are there. The emphasis is on the wildlife, and particularly trips to the game reserves and national parks. That is fully justified when you can watch unforgettable sights such as the wildebeest migration, or a pride of lions protecting their new born cubs from predators. Organised trips from all the coastal resorts are long, expensive, but totally unmissable.

Don't forget to sample the wildlife closer to your hotel too, though. That which lies a few metres below the sea. Diving and snorkelling is widely available, immensely rewarding, and relatively inexpensive.

Inland are the many safari parks.

Read more on Kenya eGuide.