Kenya tourism is a substantial contributor to the economy accounting for 12% of total employment and 27% of foreign exchange. It has attracted massive government and foreign investments with major effects on other sectors. There were 2.035 million arrivals in 2019 from all over the world and was projected to grow by 10%. But COVID-19 with its impact on travel has brought the industry to a halt. Whilst tourism has proven to be resilient to terrorism, recession, violence, pandemics, and natural disasters, none of these events has had such an impact on the economy, especially the tourism industry, as COVID-19.
Accommodation
It is worth spending a couple of nights at Serena Mountain Lodge. The panorama surrounding the lodge is delightful with their dramatic features. It is set in the dense rainforest zone on the slopes of Mount Kenya within the National Park in Kenya’s Nyeri District, about a three-hour drive and 193 kilometers from Nairobi. The Serena Mountain Lodge has cabin-styled, timber-built rooms with a private balcony and luxury ensuite bathroom overlooking the waterhole. The furnishings of rooms are of indigenous African and wood art, decorated with rugs. The décor echoes the Kikuyu culture, featuring soft lighting and hand-woven wall hangings.
Kenya is blessed with two beautiful and majestic mountains that are the icons not only of the country but also of the whole of the African continent. The 2 famous mountains of Kenya are the Mount Kenya, which is Kenya’s highest mountain, and the Aberdare Mountains, which is by now well known for its salient forests and wild animals. Indeed, mountain climbers and experts rate Mount Kenya as the most terrible ice mountain in the world. The Aberdare has two unique safari lodges called the Tree Hotels that are set high in the awning above natural salt licks and waterholes.
On the fringes and far outside of Nairobi lies the 3 hidden gems of Kenya. These beautiful cities are Nyahururu, Nanyuki and Tsavo. They deserve a special place in the history of Kenya for its supreme beauty and unmatched mysticism
It was Major Sherbrooke Walker who erected the Treetops Hotel on a fig tree in 1932 at the request of Lady Bettie Fielding, his wife. She wanted a tree house like the one in the play Peter Pan. It was built near a wallow where wild beasts came for salt lick and refreshment. The base before the visits to Treetops is the Outspan Hotel, an ideal getaway with great ambience, verdant green lawns and vibrant gardens where peacocks roam at will. The hotel is set in Kenya’s coffee and tea growing highlands in the green grounds near the Karuru Falls.