Climbing Mount

Thousands of viewers were glued to their TV screens to watch the celebrities take up the challenge of Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief 2009. Famous names such as Gary Barlow, Fearne Cotton, Chris Moyles and Cheryl Cole battled against the elements and altitude sickness to raise money for children in Africa and the UK. As they climbed, viewers saw the rugged beauty and stunning views of Tanzania that took the breath away, combined with friendly banter and aching limbs of the celebrities. In addition, viewers also saw their struggle and strife but also the elation and pride that reaching the top brought for them. If you are considering the challenge yourself, then it is important to remember that there are multiple ways up Mount Kilimanjaro, with differing levels of difficulty and time spans. Of course, the climb is a tough one but reaching the top will ultimately prove the highlight of your visit here. If, however, Kilimanjaro seems a little high for your liking, hop across to Kenya and try your hand with the smaller Mount Kenya instead. With magnificent views and even a glacier or two, Mount Kenya should not be overlooked. Another somewhat undulating landscape is Kenya’s Rift Valley, also known as Hell’s Kitchen, where cliffs and gorges have been formed by the winds whipping across the pink sandstone. After years of gentle erosion, a magnificent landscape of peaks and troughs now stands proud and features in its very own folk legend. If you prefer to keep your feet firmly on flat ground then try a visit to Kenya’s Amboseli game reserve, where the imposing figure of Mount Kilimanjaro overlooks the park with its snow-topped summit. The reserve is famed for its contrasting terrain, dry and dusty interspersed with wet swamplands, which make it a haven for many animal species. It is also hailed as being the best place in Africa to get up close to elephants. Haller Park in Mombasa is great for seeing two of Africa’s animal celebrities; Owen the hippo and Mzee the giant tortoise have a very special relationship. Even though Mzee is over a century old, the male tortoise adopted the young orphaned hippo who was found stranded out at sea. After a year together, the young hippo is now the largest of the pair, but still dotes on the old tortoise who seems quite content to play the parent. Haller Park is built within the remains of an old quarry and is home to a vast array of animals, reptiles, insects and botanical gardens. Comic Relief has once again opened our eyes to this magical part of the world, and will prove an inspiration for many to further explore Kenya holidays and everything it has to offer.