Kenya is a gorgeous little country on the Eastern side of Africa. She is home to the Maasai Mara and her breathtaking annual wildebeest migration, home to a majority of the world athletics champions and home to an insanely gorgeous coastal line that just so happens to include Mombasa and Lamu.
That’s how beautiful this country is. But as world-famous, as she may be in some circuits, there are still some facts about this country that even Kenyans are not too familiar with. That being said, here are 10 things we bet you didn’t know about Kenya
- Kenya has a ‘cheese tasting’ culture
Almost no one would associate Kenya with cheese. But wouldn’t you know it; the country has a rich cheese tasting culture that is the preserve of a few enthusiasts who know where to look.
In Limuru, there is a farm called ‘Brown’s Cheese’ that has a cheese factory that offers tasting tours to those interested. You get to see and learn how the cheese is made, eat quite a bit of it and drink some wine.
- It Doesn’t Care About Gravity
Have you ever wanted to see something roll uphill? Kenya’s the place to go.
Kituluni Hill in Machakos County has a stretch where water flows uphill and cars roll upwards. It turns out that gravity isn’t as immutable as we think!
What’s really going on here? Kituluni Hill is a so-called gravity or magnetic hill.
It’s a bizarre optical illusion in which a small downslope appears to be an upward slope due to the surrounding terrain.
Kituluni Gravity / Magnetic / Magic Hill in Machakos
- You Can Go, Snake Hunting!
You have probably heard of pythons, mambas, cobras and puff adders. Most of us prefer to keep our distance from these slithery vials of poison. But for the dare-devils, a chance to act out scenes from Anaconda and go hunting for pythons in the wild is simply too tempting to pass up. Kenya has well over 100 documented snake species, most of which are elusive, poisonous and not the kind of creepy-crawlies you want keeping you company by the wayside. In Watamu, there is an outfit called ‘Bio-Ken’ which has taken it upon itself to show you all Kenya has to offer in terms of snakes. You can book tours that will take you through some of the densest forests, rugged rocky cliffs and watery riverbeds (all this in the name of finding these elusive creatures).
4.You can swim with Dolphins in Kenya
Although this is not an exclusively Kenyan thing, it is still pretty awesome. From having dinner in floating restaurants, to feeding crocodiles and having breakfast with Giraffes, the number of thrilling things you can do in Kenya is simply mind-blowing.
You can swim with dolphins in Wasini. These are dolphins in the wild, so you can’t quite get them to stand still long enough to hold a conversation or pet them, but they do swim up real close.
5. It’s Poetry In Motion
Oral traditions formed the basis of human culture for thousands of years – even after we discovered writing. While many died out with the invention of the printing press, they’re still going strong in Kenya.
Poems and songs form a huge part of cultural events like marriages, and each cultural group in Kenya has its own favourite fables and histories.
While you’re in Kenya, make sure to listen in. You might discover some of mankind’s oldest stories, passed down from one generation to the next.
6. The National anthem, adopted in 1963 is based on a traditional Kenyan (Pokomo) folk song.
The Kenyan national anthem was borrowed from a Pokomo lullaby, which was composed by Mzee Menza Morowa Galana of Makere village.
7. Kenya has the second most active Twitter community in Africa
Kenyans are the second most active on Twitter in the African continent, a new survey reveals, Conducted by Portland Communications and Tweetminster, the study also shows the growing social networking platform is becoming an important source of information in Africa.
It also emerges that young people tweeting from mobile devices are driving the growth of Twitter in Africa with 68 per cent of those polled saying that they use Twitter to monitor news and 22 per cent of respondents use it to search for employment opportunities.
8. Kenya has one of the highest literacy levels in Africa
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, data of September 2020, Kenya has one of the highest literacy levels in Africa, currently ranked second after Zambia with 85% of those above 15 able to read and write.
9. Elizabeth became Queen while in Kenya
Princess Elizabeth was staying at The Treetops Hotel at Aberdare National Park with her husband, now Prince Philip, when she got the news that her father, King George VI, had passed away.
Of course, she had to go back home and get coronated, but technically, she became Queen of England while in Kenya.
10. Kenya is perfect for big blockbuster film locations
You may not know this, but now and again, big movie production houses in Hollywood do tour the world to produce all those wonderful silver screen pictures that we simply cannot get enough of. Kenya, being an annoyingly gorgeous country, has been host to some of the most renowned on-location film shoots. Here are some of the most famous movies shot on location in Kenya.
- Out Of Africa (Perhaps the one movie that shows Kenya’s beauty in its full splendour)
- King Solomon’s Mines
- Nowhere in Africa
- The Constant Gardener
- To Walk With Lions
- Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
- The Ghost and the Darkness
- Mississippi Masala
With well over 40 million people and some of the most fascinating wildlife on the face of the planet, Kenya is not only beautiful, eclectic and insanely sunny, but she is also strong and peaceful.
