Central Africa (Republic Congo, DR Congo, Central African Republic) 2012

Central Africa (Republic Congo, DR Congo, Central African Republic) 2012, a set on Flickr.

I spent part of late 2012 in the Central African countries of Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Central African Republic (although my trip through the eastern part of DRC was cut short though by the M23 invasion of Goma). I was there both for Lonely Planet researching the relevant chapters for the monster that is the Africa book and for a variety of magazines and websites. The Congo was a trip I had always wanted to make and it didn't let me down - gorillas and elephants, boat rides, surfing and hunting with the pygmies. An amazing experience. Enjoy the photos!

The Future of Conservation in Kenya?

The following is a piece I wrote a few months back for the BBC (see the original article here, but note that due to licensing reasons people in the UK will not be able to view this: on conservation and private conservancies in northern Kenya. I'll shortly be heading back to East Africa and South Sudan in order to work on some similar projects for the BBC and other media outlets.

The Future of Conservation in Kenya



The bejewelled and feather-dressed Samburu tribesmen must have laughed all the way home when Italian journalist Riccardo Orizio gathered them together a decade ago and told them of his plans to turn a couple of lumpy granite outcrops in the heart of Samburu country into a luxury game lodge overlooking the searing, acacia-speckled plains of northern Kenya.

Several years and one luxury lodge later, nobody is laughing. The Saruni Samburu Lodge is so perfectly designed that its permanent tents virtually meld into the rocky bluff on which it is located. And these tents have stone bath tubs, open-air showers, terraces, designer furnishings, heavenly beds and views overlooking a little-visited corner of the northern savannah lands that are quite simply out of this world.

For many years conservation -- and safaris -- in Kenya meant visiting one of the nation’s famous government-run national parks or reserves, such as Amboseli National Park and the Masai Mara National Reserve. Saruni Samburu, though, sits in the middle of the 384sqkm community-owned and -managed Kalama Community Wildlife Conservancy, one of a growing number of privately-owned wildlife reserves in Kenya.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, up to 70% of Kenya’s wildlife lives outside of the protection of the national parks and reserves. So many people believe that the future of conservation in Kenya lies in this new breed of private reserves -- there are at least 15 such conservancies in north Kenya alone. Some of these, such as Kalama, are owned by the local community and are located on former communal cattle grazing land. Others are owned by private individuals and are often located on former cattle ranches. Together they are changing the face of conservation and tourism in Kenya.
Such protected land is not just good news for wildlife though; they are also bringing about huge benefits to local people. The land on which these reserves lie was often used for livestock grazing. In the past, wildlife was seen mainly as a nuisance and a danger, but over time people realised that wildlife could attract foreign tourists, which in turn translated into dollars for the community.

Investors such as Orizo, who were willing to construct luxury tourist lodges, were needed to build the essential infrastructure. Much of the money generated through tourism is pumped straight back into the community, which means that the locals have a vested interest in the survival of wildlife on their lands – a fact that is not always true in the state-run national parks and reserves. The final icing on the cake is that tourist numbers are generally limited to the capacity of one or two lodges – meaning wildlife watching is undisturbed by streams of other safari vehicles.

One of the first, and certainly one of the finest examples of this kind of community-based conservation is found just a short way to the south of Kalama, at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (LWC). Although Lewa has luxury lodges, stunning scenery, astounding wildlife and has hosted Prince William, they would rather focus on their community and conservation projects. Founded in 1995, LWC is a non-profit organisation that relies on tourism-generated money and donations. Today it has an annual operating budget of around $2.5 million, about 70% of which is ploughed directly back into healthcare, education and various community projects for the surrounding villages, while the rest funds further conservation and security projects.

The conservation effort at Lewa -- which is a mixture of classic habitat preservation, stringent security measures (the rhinos have their own security guards at all times) and the use of the latest technology to enhance the knowledge of a species and its breeding patterns -- has been astounding. And 20% of the world’s Grevy’s zebras, 12% of Kenya’s black rhinos, a rare population of aquatic sitatunga antelope and sizeable populations of white rhinos, elephants and buffalos thrive here. Of the predators, there are small but growing populations of leopards and lions. Lewa has been so successful that it is being used as a model for private conservation throughout East Africa. For a visitor this means not just the near-guaranteed opportunity to see all the “big five” (lion, buffalo, elephant, rhino and leopard), but that joy also comes with the knowledge that your money is helping the local community.

Lewa might be one of Kenya’s finest wildlife viewing areas and Kalama might offer one of the most luxurious and chic safaris, but for a true East African wilderness experience look no further than Kitich Camp in the Matthews Mountain range. These dramatic mountain slopes, which rise up out of the semi-desert to the north of Kalana and Lewa, are carpeted in misty forests and support a wealth of wildlife, including elephants, lions, buffalos and what might be Kenya’s largest wild dog population. The mountains fall under the protection of the Namunyak Wildlife Conservation Trust, another community-run conservation area that was established in 1995  by the mountains’ Samburu people.

Today, it is one of Kenya’s most successful community conservation programs and and this accomplishment has seen animal populations rise dramatically. It acts as a vital corridor for elephants migrating across barren northern Kenya and it is one of the few places in the country where wild dog populations and Grevy’s zebra are increasing.. And the Kitich Camp itself is arguably the most remote camp in Kenya; staying here is a true wild Africa experience. Elephants pass through almost daily -- coming so close to your tent at night that you can hear them breathing -- and passing lions are not unheard of either.

With private conservancies starting to pop up all across Kenya, the Samburu, Maasai and other pastoralist communities are laughing again. This time though, it is due to the joy that they have finally found a way of combining their traditional lifestyle, conservation and the demands of the modern world into one happy, wildlife-filled bundle.

South Sudan: Hours to go!!!

It's now only a matter of hours until the worlds newest country is born. On Saturday July 9th Sudan will split into two and the new nation of South Sudan will be born. Oil rich but yet one of the poorest and least developed regions on Earth the new country (and the suddenly smaller country of Sudan) will face huge problems. For a brief rundown of everything to do with independence for South Sudan see this link to the BBC's special South Sudan feature. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12070034

Back in Kenya

                                                         Photo: Tanzanian secret spot

I've just arrived back in Kenya at the start of a a couple of months research for the next edition of the Lonely Planet Kenya guide. For this edition I'll be checking out the beaches (and fruit juices!) of the Kenyan coastline and then returning to my old stomping grounds in northern Kenya. I flew into Mombasa today from Nairobi and have just enjoyed a very tasty curry at the excellent (though slightly pricey) Shehani Restaurant in the city centre. I'll update this blog frequently whilst I'm away with news and views of how things have changed on the Kenyan coast since the last edition.

A few years ago I did a magazine surf trip to the Tanzanian coast where we scored unexpectedly fantastic waves. I'm carting a board around with me at the moment (so if you see someone struggling around with a board and far too much baggage come and say hi!) in the hope of getting a few waves similar waves in Kenya somewhere. I'd also love to meet up with some of the local or expat surfers in Kenya if any of you happen to read this!

Sudan Travel Update:

                                               (Picture - Village in Nuba Mountains - Sudan)

As South Sudan gears up for independence from the north next month mounting tensions between north and south over the still disputed oil rich region of Abyei have recently boiled over into heavy clashes. The fighting began last month when northern troops and ethnic Misseriya Arab cattle herders moved into the region. The fighting has forced around 30,000 Ngok Dinka to flee their homes and the UN estimates that around 15-20% of homes in Abyei have been razed to the ground.

This unrest now appears to have spread north into the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan, which is an area that I highlighted in the Sudan chapter of the current Lonely Planet Africa guide as a highlight of Sudanese travel. At the weekend a police station in Kadugli, the regional capital, was raided and weapons stolen. Some hours later a gunfight erupted in a nearby village. Whilst tensions between the two sides remain high I’d advise visitors to Sudan to keep away from the Nuba mountains area (and, were you somehow given permission to visit, anywhere near the border of the north and south.

Travel to Sudan

This is a couple of months old but this is a link to two pieces I wrote recently about South Sudan. The first focuses on the background of South Sudan and the second on actually visiting the region. I have also pasted the second one up below. Independence will take place on July 9th so if you want to be there for it start getting organised now. i'll be on a job in Kenya at the time and am hoping to have time to go there for it myself.

Link to background on South Sudan - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/sudan/travel-tips-and-articles/76358

Link to tips for visiting South Sudan - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/sudan/travel-tips-and-articles/76538

Visting South Sudan

The votes have been cast, the name of the nation decided upon, a national anthem composed (via an X Factor-style competition no less), a flag designed and, on 9 July 2011, South Sudan will officially come into being.

The road to independence for the world’s newest nation has been long and hard. Sudan, Africa’s largest country, is an ethnic jigsaw comprising hundreds of tribes and languages; broadly these can be divided into a black African south and an Arab Islamic north. Southerners have always complained of discrimination at the hands of northerners and it was partly due to this discrimination that for 40 of the past 50 years Sudan has been at war with itself, a war that left around two million dead. But with the hammering out of a peace agreement, the people of South Sudan went to the polls for a referendum on whether the country should stay whole or split in two. In January this year, they voted overwhelmingly for independence from north Sudan.

It’s not every day that a new country is born. So if you’re wanting to head to South Sudan for the celebrations, Juba, the capital of the new country and centre of the independence celebrations, will be the place to be. Though we must stress that travel to Sudan can be a dangerous affair, so any visitor needs to be fully prepared and keep up with the latest travel advisories.

How to get there

Perhaps unsurprisingly, visiting South Sudan isn’t that straightforward. To start with the visa situation is quite complicated. A standard Sudanese visa is currently required for anyone visiting either north or South Sudan and these are not easy to get (use a local tour operator to help you). However, if you’re travelling straight to South Sudan (and only South Sudan) from Uganda or Kenya then you don’t need a Sudanese visa but can instead make do with a GoSS (Government of South Sudan) permit. These are issued without fuss in Nairobi (Kenya) and Kampala (Uganda). Once paperwork is sorted you can fly to Juba from Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Khartoum, or you can be more adventurous and come overland.
Buses now run daily from Kampala direct to Juba, although security issues are still a cause for concern on this route. Once in Juba, be prepared to shell out some serious cash for a bed for the night. Most people stay in one of the tent camps along the banks of the Nile, but a bed in one of these costs around US$200-300 a night! Fortunately a couple of cheaper budget hotels charging around US$50-60 are starting to open up.

Juba and beyond

As well as taking in the independence celebrations, make time to visit some of Juba’s colourful markets and the grave of John Garang, the former leader of the South Sudan independence movement.
After July 9, if you’re not suffering from a post-party hangover, you could try pushing out into one of travel’s final frontiers – the South Sudan hinterland, but be warned, travel here is unbelievably tough and not at all safe. There’s almost no infrastructure, roads and public transport are basically non-existent, accommodation is a wishful dream and the security situation highly unstable. Only the most intrepid travellers need apply.
The most obvious route through South Sudan is to follow the Nile northward toward Kosti and the border of north Sudan. Currently no passenger ferries ply the Nile, but cargo boats do. However, with the journey taking around two to three weeks all foreigners tend to fly.

The future of tourism?

In years to come, the big attraction of South Sudan might well be the wildlife of the vast, and almost completely unknown, swampy region known as the Sudd. Scientists were left dumbfounded when, in 2007, they discovered that this forgotten wilderness contained herds of white-eared kob, Tiang antelope and Mongalla gazelle over a million strong. In addition it’s thought that around 8000 elephants call this area home as well as vast numbers of buffalo, ostrich, lion and other African classics. For the moment though, unless you happen to have a helicopter in your backpack, you’ll just have to dream about seeing this wildlife spectacle.
Visiting South Sudan will not be for everyone but for those after genuine adventure the 9th of July will be an unmissable day in the travel calendar.

Paul Theroux - North Kenya

A link to a story published in the Guardian by travel writer Paul Theroux about the Moyale (Ethiopia/Kenya border) to Nairobi road. Don't let this put you off as it's a fantastic adventure.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jun/04/paul-theroux-kenya-africa?CMP=twt_gu

Kenya - Loiyangalani Festival

And as if you need another reason to venture up to the wilds of Kenya's far north, Loiyangalani gives you one with it's desert festival. An article from The East African - http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/-/434746/1170450/-/item/0/-/dpbvayz/-/index.html