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Interested in Travel to East Africa? Travel Articles | June 25 , 2006
East African expert Daniel Njaga shares his vast knowledge with Norm Goldman, Editor of
Today, Norm Goldman Editor of sketchandtravel is pleased to have as our guest, Daniel Njaga, Director and Travel Consultant, Menengai Holidays Ltd located in Nairobi, Kenya.
Daniel conducts holiday and travel programs throughout East Africa and he is a trained wildlife biologist with a masters degree in ecology. Daniel has a vast experience in wildlife, conservation and tourism in East Africa.
Good day Daniel and thanks for participating in our interview.
Norm:
Daniel, please tell us how and why you became interested in the travel and tourism business in Africa?
Daniel:
The key motivation behind this was the need to add value and knowledge to traveling and tourism, having realized that tourism is a crucial ingredient of modern civilization and socio-economic discourse. You realize that tourism in Africa is mainly the mainstay of the wealthy who are not necessarily well endowed intellectually and therefore incapable of giving it the stimulus and dynamism needed to drive tourism into the 21st Century.
From my experience in the field of wildlife research and national park management, I realized there was a yawning demand for informed tourism services where visitors not only see the wildlife, landscape, etc but also appreciate these and their overall interaction with people and their aspirations. It is the need to fill this vacuum that I derived my motivation and interest and it is very intellectually stimulating to see visitors enjoying informed tour packaging and better knowledge about wildlife, ecosystems and socioeconomic life of the people in Africa.
Norm:
I understand you specialize in study tours concept or academic tourism. Could you give our readers some idea as to the kind of tours you organize in East Africa? Where do these tours take place? How many days do these tours cover?
Daniel:
The academic tours target the Western institutions and scholars who have special needs in Africa like taking brief courses in tropical ecology or just academic expeditions. We usually study the specific needs of these student groups including their academic biases so that we ably draw up study programs. For instance, if they are interested in studies on conflict between human development and conservation or just human wildlife conflicts, we choose their itineraries in areas where such problems are recorded with more severity than others. We choose the best accommodation facilities and other allied areas of attractions and book lecturers in their specific areas of specialization depending on the needs of the study tour group.
Ideally we receive such groups and offer them transport to different study centre areas and have them make practical reviews of the real situation and receive lectures from us and invited lectures. So the tours cover select national parks like Lake Nakuru National Park and Meru National Park both with totally different conservation challenges and histories. The accommodation is arranged in hostels and they last and average of 1 week in a given area. Most study tours average 1 month in the whole country or East African region. The most popular theme we have include human-wildlife conflict politics and conservation poverty and conservation pollution of national parks from human activity etc.
Last but not least, we keep a data base of activities taking place regarding wildlife ad conservation activities. We organize clients on study tours to participate such activities like counting of birds, census of mammals etc which are routinely carried out in select parks. We also have very popular activities like translocation of animals like rhinos and elephants and organize to have people participate by way of going there where the action is as it were and witnessing first hand how it is done and appreciating all.
Norm:
Could you describe a typical day on one of these tours and what can one expect by way of lodging and meals?
Daniel:
Most student groups ideally seek out for budget accommodation. We usually seek group accommodation in safe and ideally located hostels or camping sites often inside the national parks. Meals are also prepared by people grounded in such services and picnics are well arranged depending on a day's program.
We are always keen to have visitors experience African cuisine and drinks and our meal times are always very exciting and fabulous!!
Norm:
Where do these tours originate and how does one reach this area from North America or Europe?
Daniel:
Ideally we prefer adequate interaction with potential participants, mostly their lecturers who organize it for them. Nairobi is the economic hub of East and Central Africa and most airlines land here. From here there can be transfers to the countryside depending on the theme of each visit or the agreed itinerary.
Nairobi is quite accessible from any part of US or UK we also book air tickets for customers from any part of the world.
Norm:
How popular are these tours and what is the average age group of the participants?
Daniel:
Study tours are the norm so top speak. They are becoming even more popular with Western institutions that have come to appreciate the need for practical exposure of undergraduate and graduate students in tropical ecology especially. Also
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