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  • Simba Saloon Nairobi Kenya

    The Simba Saloon is a restaurant and nightclub adjacent to Nairobi’s famous Carnivore Restaurant.

    The Simba Saloon restaurant has an a la carte menu, so is a good option for visitors that don’t want an all you can eat meal. The menu has items like pizza, salad (salad bar), tacos, steak, burgers, and fish and chips. The Simba Saloon is great for families, as there is a children’s playground on the premises.

    The Simba Saloon nightclub runs from Wednesday to Sunday night. There are theme nights that feature various types of African music, rock, jazz, and soul music. The Saloon regularly features live performances, so check their calendar before your visit.

  • Winchester Day Trip from London

    Winchester is a day trip from London that is easy to do and well worth the visit. Traveling to Winchester by train is the easiest way to get there from London, and once you’re in Winchester there are a lot of activities and sights to keep you busy.

    Winchester is a day trip from London that is ideal for those that like to see historic sights as well as those that enjoy outdoor activities. Winchester is home to The Great Hall, which houses King Arthur’s Round Table, as well as the Winchester Cathedral, which boasts of having the longest nave in Europe. Winchester is also the burial place of Jane Austen, and visitors can see the house where she spent her final weeks.

    For those that like outdoor activities, Winchester is the start of the South Downs Way, a 100-mile hiking trail that runs from Winchester to Eastbourne.

    A short distance from Winchester is Chawton, where visitors can the house where Jane Austen lived when she wrote several of her novels. The town is an easy bus trip from Winchester.

  • Visiting Kenya Top 5 Places to Visit in Kenya

    Kenya has no shortage of places to visit. With so much variation in its geography, there are a lot of spectacular areas in the country. Here are what I consider to be the top 5 places to visit in Kenya:

    1. Masai Mara – Famous for its safaris, the Masai Mara is one of the most popular places to visit in Kenya. Visitors can stay in a safari lodge and go on game drives to see lions, elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, and other African game. If you are visiting Kenya during the annual wildebeest migration, you can see thousands of the animals make their yearly crossing from Tanzania into Kenya and back.

    2. Lamu – Lamu Island is one of the most popular places for beach holidays in Kenya. The beautiful isle in the Indian Ocean is a great place for fishing, diving, dhow cruises, and relaxing in the sun. Visitors to Lamu can stay in Lamu Town, Shela, or on neighboring Manda Island.

    3. Mombasa – Like Lamu, Mombasa is a great location for beach holidays in Kenya. Popular with visitors and locals alike, it is one of the top 5 places to visit in Kenya. Mombasa is famous for its beautiful beaches as well as its historic Arab-influenced old town and famous sixteenth century Fort Jesus.

    4. Nairobi – Most people that visit Kenya skip the capital. It is worth spending a day or two in Nairobi, though, as the city is home to attractions like the Giraffe Centre, the Elephant Orphanage, the Karen Blixen House, and the Mamba Village. Visitors can also go on safari in Nairobi National Park, take tours of the Mathare slum, and visit local markets and museums. The capital is also home to famous restaurants like Carnivore and Talisman, which serve some of the best food in the country.

    5. Rift Valley – Located close to Nairobi, the Rift Valley is one of the top 5 places to visit in Kenya. Home to attractions like Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, and Hell’s Gate National Park, the area is full of beautiful natural monuments and is a great place for adventure travel in Kenya.

  • NY Times: Mount Kilimanjaro

    Mount Kilimanjaro: On Africa’s Roof, Still Crowned with Snow

    A THICK veil of snow had settled on Kilimanjaro the morning after my group arrived in Tanzania. Over breakfast, we gazed at the peak filling the sky above the palm trees of our hotel courtyard in Moshi, the town closest to the mountain. It was as Hemingway described it: “as wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun.”

    I had wanted to climb to the roof of Africa before climate change erased its ice fields and the romance of its iconic “Snows of Kilimanjaro” image. But as we trudged across the 12,000-foot Shira plateau on Day 2 of our weeklong climb and gazed at the whiteness of the vast, humpbacked summit, I thought maybe I needn’t have worried.

  • Kenya Tea

    Kenya tea is grown at high altitudes (usually near the Rift Valley) and the tea is harvested year round. Kenya tea is usually blended with other teas, such as Assam, Darjeeling and Ceylon teas.

    Kenya tea is black tea, and it is known for its brightness, color, strong flavor and texture, and fragrant leaves. Most Kenya tea is harvested using the CTC method (CTC stands for “cut, tear, curl”), which gives it the strong, brisk flavor it is famous for.

    Kenya is the third largest producer of black tea in the world, and Kenya is a leading exporter of black teas.

  • Lake Nakuru Kenya

    Located in the Rift Valley 140km northwest of Nairobi, Lake Nakuru is a great place to spend a few days before or after a safari in the Masai Mara or a trip to Mombasa. Nakuru is a 150km drive from Nairobi on the A104 highway.

    Lake Nakuru is a great place to see the elusive white rhino in Kenya. Nakuru National Park is comprised of grasslands, stunning rock cliffs, marshes, woodlands, and forests. The area also features the stunning Makalia waterfalls.

    Home to thousands of flamingos, Lake Nakuru is also a great place for birdwatching in Kenya.

    Park fees for Lake Nakuru are 200 shillings for adults, 100 for children, and 50 for students.

  • Lake Baringo Kenya

    Lake Baringo is a 130 sq/km lake located in Kenya’s Rift Valley. It is the northernmost lake in the valley and is accessible from Lake Nakuru and Nairobi.

    The freshwater Lake Baringo is known for its myriad bird species and is a great place to visit for any avid birdwatcher. From flamingos to storks, from pelicans to cormorants, Lake Baringo has a lot of birdlife.

    Additionally, Lake Baringo has its share of fish and crocodiles as well as hippos. Visitors to Lake Baringo can take boats out on the water to see the various species that live within the lake.

    The traditional home of the Njemps tribe, Lake Baringo’s Ol Kokwe Island is located at the center of the lake. Visitors to Lake Baringo can rent boats at Kampi-Ya-Samaki to visit the island.

    Accommodation at Lake Baringo is most easily found on the western side of the lake at Kampi-Ya-Samaki. There are hotels and campsites there, and it makes a good base for exploring the lake.

  • Nairobi Hotels

    High-End Hotels in Nairobi:

    Ngong House, Nairobi – Ngong House is located 30 minutes from the city center on land that was originally a coffee estate. Houses are around US$650/night. Meals included.

    Mid-Range Hotels in Nairobi:

    Country Lodge, Nairobi – Country Lodge is located on Nairobi’s Upper Hill. Single rooms are around US$65/night. Breakfast included.

    Cheap Hotels in Nairobi:

    Upper Hill Campsite, Nairobi – Located close to the city center, the hotel has cabins and rooms. Single rooms are around US$13/night.

  • Crime in Nairobi

    Nairobi, Kenya’s crime rate has been rising steadily over the past two decades. Visitors to Nairobi should be careful to avoid dangerous areas and should be alert to avoid muggings and robbery. Protect yourself from credit card fraud by making sure you get receipts for all transactions. Only use licensed taxis and car hires and agrees to the price upfront. Avoid buses whenever possible. Car hijacking in Nairobi is becoming increasingly common, so be alert and do not try to resist armed car hijackers, as they usually leave victims unharmed.

  • Jomo Kenyatta Airport, Nairobi

    Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi is Kenya’s large international airport.

    The Nairobi airport security measures can be extremely time-consuming, so make sure to leave plenty of time when traveling.

    Also keep in mind that some regional airlines in Kenya (Precision Air in particular) overbook all of their flights and regularly bump passengers to later flights. Make sure to arrive at the airport extra early to ensure your place on the plane.