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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 AUGUST 2017 39 Travel Why a Kenya safari should be your next holiday IF you want to explore the beauty of an Africa safari, then there is one place that stands out from the rest – Kenya. Located in East Af- rica, this piece of Africa has one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World, the Great Migration. Here you can view the Big 5. More so, you can experience the tension be- tween life and death as herbivores and predators meet. Thinking of picking up an authoritative guide before leaving? You can check out https://blog.alienadv.com/kenya- safari-complete-guide to read the online guide for Kenya Safaris. From sustainable tourism and globally recognized models of wildlife management, Kenya offers tourists the chance to experience pristine wilderness and interna- tionally significant habitats. The most impressive, and the best known of Kenya's national parks happens to be the Maasai Mara National Park. This national park is located in the Narok Coun- ty of Kenya, bordering Tanzania. Stretching over 1510 square kilo- metres, this region is full of breath- taking vistas, endless plains and an abundance of wildlife. The reserve has been named after the ancestral inhabitants of the area, the Maasai people, as well as their description of the area as seen from afar. The word Mara, or Maa in the Maasai language means spotted as refer- ring to the trees, grasslands and cloud shadows that mark the area. This land has also become world well-known for its Maasai lions, the Tanzanian cheetahs, African leopards and the great migration of millions of wildebeest, zebra, and Thomson's gazelle from the Serengeti each year. It is for this that tourists flock to the area and why the Maasai Mara has become to be known as the pride of Kenya. During the months July to- wards October, over two million wildebeest with their grey-black fur, white beards and tails and short manes thunder across the plains from the Tanzanian side of the Serengeti eco-system to the Kenyan side. This chaotic mix of hoofs are followed by the distinct black and white of the zebras, and not forgetting the thousands of Thompson's gazelle. The herds head toward Kenya to graze and breed. They do this on instinct annually. There is a peaceful charm look- ing at the massive amount of herds grazing in the glass lands. At times your guide will point out the pres- ence of one of the lions of the Maasia Mara. If you are lucky you might see one of the most known lion packs, the Marsh Pride, a fam- ily of lions that can be found along the Mara River. The heart-stopping tension of an epic life-and-death saga plays out as the herds try to cross the Mara River. This river is filled with vi- cious crocodiles trolling the water, awaiting the onrush of their prey. The wildebeest will stand rest- less on the edge of the Mara River. Then, without any warning, they will storm down the ledge, and then jump into the muddy water of the Mara River. Even from a far you can see and feel their fear. Then more, thousands wildebeest and their calves, will follow the first group of wildebeest. After that pure chaos will break out. Splashing water, calves that are drowning, and crocodiles and hip- pos attacking the herds as they try to cross the Mara River. Some of the herds will die of ex- haustion as they try to cross the river and battle of predators. Gi- gantic vultures will then begin to feed on the carcases of the mam- mals that lay scattered at the banks of the river. Those that have made the crossing will more on to the rich grass lands of Kenya. The Maaisai Mara National Park isn't the only reserve in Kenya, as this country is one of the world's magnificent wildlife destinations. It have some of the highest and best bio-diverse populace of wildlife in the world. From the stretched out glass lands to the swamplands of Amboseli National Park, where you can view elephants grazing in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. The types of animals you can view in Kenya include antelopes, giraffes, buffalos, zebras, hippos, warthogs and many other her- bivores. And besides the Maasia Mara lions, you will see leopards and cheetahs, and the rest of the Big 5; elephants, buffaloes, and rhinos. Safari holidays in Kenya are not about mass market package holi- days. Many of the safari lodges aren't permanent, therefore their impact on the land are at a mini- mum. But many camps are co- owned by the local tribes, which means that the money goes direct- ly back to the local communities. The magic of going on a safari is the dream of many. The smell of the rain when going out on a safari trip will be edged into your mind. But seeing the animals in their nat- ural settings, just awe-inspiring. And Kenya is one of the best places to view game, including the Big 5, which makes it a great place to go to for a safari. Travelling from Malta to Kenya is relatively easy, particularly with Emirates, but also with British Air- ways: you could even check out the neighbouring Tanzania whilst vis- iting the region. Spiders are statistically among the things most feared by humans. People have jumped from multi-storey windows to escape them, opting for certain death instead! While most spiders are venomous and some species can deliver lethal bites, there's no real danger from our own native webspinners, so no need for base-jumping drama then. Still, we do have one or two impressive types, one of which is the Lobed Argiope (M: Brimba Kbira tal-Widien). Its relatively large body (we're still talking thumbnail-sized, mind you), knobbly abdomen and long striped legs render it quite the looker. But for all her fearsome appearance, this lady is no threat to us. Flying insects aren't so lucky, though: the argiope's large, strong web will trap any insect from midge to mantis; it seems to favour wasps, which often feature among its mummy-wrapped victims. Incidentally, I wrote 'lady' before because that's the one we're most likely to spot, the male being a minuscule version you'd hardly notice even if you're looking directly at him. Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate Text and photo Victor Falzon 570. LOBED ARGIOPE GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 473: Draught proofing - Use folded up newspaper to plug any gaps in your windows or doors and cut your heating bills. Bees and pollinators are in decline – nearly one in ten wild bee species face extinction in Europe – an indicator of the plight of ecosystems across the countryside. Bees pollinate the plants we need for food and materials. The monetary value of pollination by bees and other insects has been estimated at €22bn in Europe every year. But they cannot be measured in monetary terms alone – they are also critical to maintaining and promoting wider biodiversity. It has also been estimated that European farming polices are causing higher demand for pollination; but honeybee stocks are insufficient to supply 90% of demands, meaning that we are increasingly dependent on wild pollinators. Yet bees and pollinators are especially impacted by those same intensive farming policies and practices (such as loss of wildflower meadows and hedges, and the application of harmful pesticides), and by climate change. For future food security it is essential that we maintain a diverse wild bee population – in a changing climate we may be dependent on a wider variety of species in the future. The Commission should introduce a pollinators initiative to remove the threat to bees and pollinators. 10 actions for a biodiverse Europe Take action to protect pollinators