Don’t hunt what you can’t kill 😉

Go home early in Africa as darkness belongs to bad boys and wild beasts!

Wild Life encounters

There are several wildlife conservation zones inside Longonot, Naivasha, Hell’s Gate and Nakuru National parks. They are all fenced to reduce human-wildlife conflicts as this part of Rift Valley is quite populated.

Some of paragliding cross-country flights pass over wild life territories and pilots should avoid landing in them. A general rule is “If it looks too good for landing, don’t land there. Land in farmlands or near roads and houses”. The wildlife territories are not that big. You can recognize the fences by the lack of roads or tracks, which are plentiful elsewhere. Be careful on which side of the fence you land. If possible, try to land near gates as they usually have guards and roads.

The most dangerous animals are buffalo soldiers, especially those kicked out of the herd. They can be mean, hide and ambush you. They may even outrun you on your way to the tree you intend to climb.

The other dangerous animals are hippos at the shores of lake Naivasha. They’re fearless and very territorial, especially if they have babies, but during the day they usually stay in the water.

Nakuru park has some lions, which would appreciate paragliding lines as a dental floss.

 

Kenyan roads

In Kenya, Nature has priority over human laws. Even, when you have right of way, the 20 tons truck in front of you has Newton’s laws on its side, so don’t be stupid but get out of its way. Sounds crazy, but there is a rational common sense there and drivers are surprisingly tolerant and patient, unlike the hysteria you would see in developed countries. Any road in Kenya can be a great teacher. It helps you embrace life and stop antidepressants.

It doesn’t matter if you have organized transport as part of a paragliding competition or a guided tour. Whenever you land, there is an army of motorbikes who will come and offer you an affordable lift. It’s a dream for any cross-country pilot. It’s an indirect support to locals, one of the mechanisms of re-distribution of wealth without government interference. It reduces crime and keeps the peace. It’s the fabrique, the textile, of society.

Use your common sense and remember that paragliding is new in Africa and you are the Ambassador. Your attitude, Your Majesty, will directly affect the next one who lands there. Use your money to appreciate other human beings, but also engage in interesting conversations, explain about the beauty of paragliding and Kenya.

 

Urban life

Kenyan countryside is pretty peaceful but in big cities you should use an urban common sense and avoid dodgy places in dark hours. There are cases of thieves and armed robberies, but tourists are rarely targeted because of stronger police respond. The good thing of Kenyan bandits is that they just take your money or phone and go, not like the psychopaths you may find at home.

Don’t go alone in night clubs, watch your drinks as someone may put something in it. Use Uber and Bolt as they register your travel. Tinder is full of people who want to have good time 😉

 

Malaria, HIV, Yellow Fever

Despite 4M cases and 10K deaths, malaria is mostly spread in lowlands and West Kenya, near Victoria lake. 1,600 m high Nairobi and 2,000 m high Naivasha area are quite safe, especially in the dry season – January-February. Still, if you’re worried you can take malaria prevention drugs, usually the same used for treatment, but not for more than 2 weeks as they can harm your liver.

4% of 57M Kenyan have HIV and 80% of them are on antiretroviral therapy. Despite new HIV treatment and prevention drugs you should use condoms and common sense. Syphilis is rare. There are rising cases of drug resistant gonorrhea.

Yellow fever is very rare, but a vaccine passport is required when entering Kenya – especially when coming from another African country.