Where the wild animals compete with the humans

As the sun rises over the plains of Lewa Downs, the light turns the grass to gold and illuminates the peak of Mt Kenya rising high over the hills. As the first runners spread out across the open savannah they are outpaced by a herd of zebra blurring through the long grass. Marathons have now become regular events on the global sporting calendar- but none can match the annual Lewa Marathon when it comes to unique racing environments- or purpose.

One of the notable characteristics of the Lewa Marathon is the setting in which it takes place. The race takes place on the Lewa wildlife conservancy, running a marathon race on an African wildlife preserve does present some unique security risks. The Lewa Conservancy is host to several large African predators that include lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, and cheetahs. Security patrols of experienced, armed rangers from the Kenyan Wildlife Service guard the course to ensure the safety of the runners. In support of ground efforts, two helicopters and one spotter plane keep an eye out for any possible threats. There are no physical barriers separating the runners from the wildlife, making Lewa a unique experience in the running world.

While the Lewa Marathon gives generously to the surrounding communities of Northern Kenya, its main purpose is to support wildlife conservation. Funds raised from the marathon help support a staff of over 140 armed rangers that protect the animal residents of the Lewa Conservancy. Lewa is the home of over 80 black and white rhinoceros, both of which are endangered. The preserve also boasts a large population of endangered Grevy's zebra.
Since the first event was held in 2000, the Lewa Marathon has become widely known for its difficult terrain and harsh climate, drawing competitors and spectators from all over the world. 

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The Acheulian stage of the great hand-axe culture.

Kariandusi lies on the eastern side of the Rift Valley, about 120-km north North West of Nairobi; and about 2 km to the East Side of Lake Elementaita. It is situated at 0°, 28s, and 36° 17E. The site rests on the Nakuru-Elementaita basin which occupies the width of the Rift valley, flanked by Menengai crater on the north and the volcanic pile of Mount Eburru, on the south.

The Kariandusi archaeological site is amongst the first discoveries of Lower Paleolithic sites in East Africa. There is enough geological evidence to show that in the past, large lakes, sometimes reaching levels hundreds of meters higher than the Present Lake Nakuru and Elementaita, occupied this basin. 

Dating back between 700,000 to 1 million years old, Kariandusi is possibly the first Acheulian site to have been found in Situ in East Africa. Dr. Leakey, a renowned paleontologist, believed that this was a factory site of the Acheulian period. He made this conclusion after numerous collections of specimens were found lying in the Kariandusi riverbed.

This living site of the hand-axe man, was discovered in 1928. A rise in the Lake level drove pre-historic men from their lake-side home and buried all the tools and weapons which they left behind in a hurry. The Acheulian stage of the great hand-axe culture, to which this site belongs, is found over a very widespread area from England, France, and Southwest Europe generally to Cape Town.

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An increase in the iconic but endengared species

Most of the world's mountain gorillas are found in the Virunga massif including Virunga National Park which is a world UNESCO heritage site, which includes three contiguous national parks in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

The population of the iconic but endangered animal in that area increased from 380 individuals in 2003 to 480, according to a census carried out earlier this year and funded by a number of local and foreign wildlife organizations.

"The increase in mountain gorilla numbers is a testament that we in the Virunga massif are all reaping from the conservation efforts sowed on a daily basis," Rica Rwigamba, from the Rwanda Development Board said in a statement.

The only place outside of the Virunga massif where mountain gorillas are found is Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

Along with 302 individuals believed to dwell in Bwindi and four orphans living in a sanctuary in DR Congo, the census put the known world population of mountain gorillas at 786.

Mountain gorillas, who have fallen prey to conflict and poaching over the years, were famously brought to the world's attention by the late Dian Fossey and are one the region's main tourist attractions.

Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania have it all: The highest mountain-range and free standing mountain of Africa, the largest lake, tropical beaches, the best savannah parks in the world, the biggest volcano caldera in Africa, the Ngorongoro Crater and vast tropical rainforests with chimpanzees and mountain gorillas.

Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania offer the best of everything from East & West Africa. A unique combination of the large animals -Elephants, Lions, Rhinos, Buffaloes, Leopards, Giraffes, Zebras, Hippos and Crocodiles- and the forest animals like Chimpanzees, Gorillas, Forest Elephants and Forest Buffaloes

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500 years ago.........

Thimlich Ohinga serves as an example of the dry stone enclosures widespread in the South Nyanza area of Western Kenya. Similar in construction to the well known ruins of Great Zimbabwe in southern Africa, the Thimlich Ohinga structures represent some of the finest examples in Kenya.
About 46 kilometers northwest of Migori town in Nyanza Province lies these striking stone wall enclosures nestled among the trees and shrubs of a gently sloping hill. From a distance the hill seems more like a forest, with Euphorbia candelabrum towering above all the other trees and shrubs. From here, one can see how the hill got its name: in the DhoLuo language spoken in Nyanza Province of Kenya, 'Thimlich' means literally 'frightening dense forest'. As one moves closer to the hill, it seems less like a forest. Winding along a narrow car track, one comes to a small, traditional Luo homestead. Behind this compound, and on the rest of the hill, lie the enclosures whose architecture is not only captivating but is also unique. The homestead and its adjacent enclosures form the Thimlich Ohinga Prehistoric Site.
The site's name combines the description of the hill as seen from a distance of the hill from a distance ('Thimlich'), and the presence of stone enclosures (Ohinga-sing.) on the hill. It is most likely that when Kenyan researchers from the National Museums of Kenya began working at this site in 1980, the hill was much more forested than it is today.
In addition to its scenic location, the site is famous mainly for its stone wall enclosures which were built around 500 years ago. They are the results of the Late Iron Age settlers in the Lake Victoria region in Kenya. The first communities to settle here, mainly of Bantu origin, introduced this stone building tradition to meet their security requirements and also to exploit the environmental resources effectively: abundant rocks on the hilly areas were a ready resource to construct complex villages or cities. As a result, both early (Bantu) and later (Nilotic) settlers in the region constructed about 521 enclosures in 139 localities in the entire Lake Victoria region.
Thimlich is well placed in the south-western tourist circuit, and forms a perfect stop-over for those on their way to or from the nearby Ruma National Game Park, Gogo Falls, the Macalder gold mines, and even the distant but well-linked Maasai Mara Game Reserve. Etton Travel and Tours organizes safaris to all these places any time of the year.

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Mara river, where the wildbeests cross

The Mara River is a river in East Africa, flowing through Kenya and Tanzania, and lies across the migration path of ungulates in the Serengeti/Maasai Mara game reserves.
The Mara River basin covers a surface of 13,504 km2, of which approximately 60% is located in Kenya and 40% in Tanzania. From its sources in the Kenyan highlands, the river flows for about 395 km and originates from the Mau Escarpment and drains into Lake Victoria. The basin can be roughly divided into four land use and/or administrative units.
The Mau Escarpment: The Mara River originates from the Napuiyapi swamp (2932m), with the main perennial tributaries being the Amala and the Nyangores, which drain from the western Mau Escarpment. This part of the basin supports besides forests, both small scale agriculture and medium-size farms
The Kenyan Rangelands: In this area, the Amala and Nyangores rivers flow out of the Mau Escarpment and converge to form the Mara River. The River then meanders further through open savannah grasslands that is mostly governed by Maasai group ranches and used as pasture for livestock and for both small and large-scale agriculture. The basins of four important tributaries to the Mara (the Talek, Engare, Sand and Engito rivers) are also located in this area, together with some upland areas like the Loita Hills.
The Protected areas: Eventually the river flows into the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve, where it merges with three of the four mentioned tributaries. On the Kenyan-Tanzanian border, the river flows into the Serengeti National Park and is joined by the fourth major tributary: the Sand (or Longaianiet) River. In these wildlife parks human activity is restricted to wildlife viewing.
Downstream Tanzania: Just after the Mara River flows out of Ikorongo Game Reserve (which borders Serengeti National Park) it meanders sharply northwards. At the location where the river meanders into the southwestern direction again the main channel is lost in different streams, which feed the downstream Mara wetlands. These streams and wetlands continue for about 70 kilometres downstream. In this part of the basin human and livestock densities are high and small-scale subsistence agriculture is the main land use. The Mara River basin is one of the ten drainage basins that feed into Lake Victoria, and is therefore functionally and ecologically related to the socio-economic activities in Lake Victoria and along the River Nile.
The altitudes in the basin range from 2,932 m around the sources in the Mau Escarpment to 1,134 m around Lake Victoria. The amount of precipitation varies according to these altitudes. The Mau Escarpment receives most rainfall with a mean annual rainfall between 1,000 and 1,750 mm. The transboundery middle savannah grasslands receive an average between 900 and 1,000 mm, and the Kenyan lower Loita hills and the area around Lake Victoria only about 700 and 850 mm rain per year. On top of this rainfall variability in space, the region is also known for its rainfall variability in time, which means that the different areas all receive variable amounts of rainfall over the year. The rainfall seasons are bi-modal, with the long rains starting in mid-March to June with a peak in April, while the short rains occur between September and December.
The river is a vital source to grazing animals nearby. Although during the dry season it may often appear shallow, it may swell to up to twice its normal size after heavy rainfall. This can create rapids in the river, which may lead to shortage of food for predators that cannot cross the river to hunt.
During the previous decades the seasonal water quantities in the Mara have changed significantly in the sense that are now higher peaks and lows in the river flow. These dynamics are associated with changes in land use in the catchments area: decreasing vegetation covers are causing a faster run-off of rainwater. Near the river mouth in Tanzania, the rapidly fluctuating water levels in Lake Victoria of the previous century have further added to discharge difficulties of the Mara River. Consequently, floods have become more common and large parts of the Tanzanian Mara wetlands have become more permanent instead of temporary wetlands.

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