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By Samit Bhattacharya | If I remember correctly, it was not Kenya, rather Uganda which was singled out initially as being the "Hidden Gem of Africa" as described by Sir Winston Churchill during the late 1930s. It also looked like a very attractive destination for the safari lovers into the wild African jungles. It created interest amongst the Britishers and many Europeans who started visiting the country, looking for the untamed Africa experience. But ultimately it was not Uganda but Kenya which beat others and rose to popularity in being the ultimate Safari Lover's paradise. Among many other reasons, one stellar reason is that Kenya holds a stable government, in fact is one of the most stable governments in Africa. The government had understood the benefits of developing the Tourism Industry long back and had made public sector investments to cater to this growing need of the economy. English, as a foreign language, is well spoken throughout the tourist destinations of the country and most people attached to the travel industry.

Kenya also offers to its visitors a better infrastructure as far as roads, connectivity, security hotels, food, entertainment is concerned. I am not saying the roads are great, neither world-class, but they allow decent motoring possibility and you can reach Nairobi to Mara in about 5 hours which is good going by African standards.

The other reason which also has an equal share in Kenya's rise to popularity is two tales of love and compassion, tales which surpassed boundaries and appealed to people from all backgrounds. Tales told by two expatriates who came to live in Kenya, spoke of their fantastic experiences, the support from local natives, the attractions of an untamed country, and the adventure of their lives. Ultimately these two tales were converted into Hollywood blockbuster movies, going ahead to win a number of Oscars and many prizes and accolades. The movies were also later shot in Kenya and the world came to see the visions of a wild grassland, teeming with wild animals and patrolled by red-cloth draped, spear wielding sinewy framed Masais. It is not only that the location and locales used while shooting these two multi-Oscar winning movies happened to be Kenya, but that the stories were inherently Kenyan biographies of its wildlife, nature, and its people.

During the early twentieth century, artist and environmental conservationist Joy Adamson came to live in Kenya with her husband George Adamson. It was here that she met Elsa, a lion cub and brought her home when Elsa's mother was accidentally killed by her husband George near their Lake Naivasha estate. She grew Elsa up as a member of her family, and wrote down her memoirs. She later published her experience as a book titled "Born Free" which became famous and established her as an author. She later followed it up with a sequel, "Living Free", on the later years of her life with Elsa. Her story has been translated into 32 languages. Both of these books have been later made into Hollywood movies.

Her living quarters and the estate have now been converted into a WWF Conservation Center. A portion of the house has been preserved with her books, paintings, handiwork, pictures and all kinds of memorabilia. We had stayed here, at ElsaMere Camp, Lake Naivasha during our family travel to Kenya in November 2011. A section of the center also houses a few isolated units which serves as a resort and contributes to the foundation's causes.

The other book written on Kenya which elevated this country to a prominent spot in international travel fixtures is the autobiography by Karen Blixen. Karen was an established Danish author and she also moved to Kenya in the early twentieth century and established a coffee plantation with her husband. She later met her love and this forms the crux of the book "Out of Africa". This book has also been made into a movie, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford and went on to bag a number of Oscars. There is a street named dedicated to the author, called Karen Blixen Avenue, in upmarket Nairobi and her residential villa has been converted into a museum. This is now a major tourist attraction of the city. The Movie "Out of Africa" was filmed at Crescent Island, which lies to the north-east corner of lake Naivasha. More details about Karen Blixen here These two movies Born Free and Out of Africa have significant contributions to promoting Tourism in Kenya.

I am an IT Consultant and Business Analyst. I have a lot of interests which includes Travelling, watching movies, listening to music, photography and Reading, which is a serious pastime. I have recently started a Blog on travel.

You can read my travelogue on Masai Mara wildlife safari and check the photos here:

http://footprintsforever.com/wp/?p=41

This blog is about " Family Outings, Budget Travel, Travelogues and General Advice and Tips"

Please visit my blog and let me know how to make it better.

Samit