KENYA: PARADISE OF THE WILD

Africa is the cradle of the human race. Despite the number of years that humans have dwelt in this continent, the development of heavy industry in the area is still limited, which allowed the preservation of local wildlife and habitats to thrive their original state. Everyone should visit Africa at least once in their lifetime. Can you hear the primal roar of the untamed power of nature?

Text by Cai Jinhong Photos by Shen Haibin & Getty Translation by Sonia

肯尼亚：狂野天堂

非洲，这个人类起源地之一，经过漫长的岁月，仍然鲜有现代工业的痕迹。大自然仍保持亘古之初的朴实风貌，更多的野生动物也得以保存。

一生总要去一次非洲吧？你是否已经听到来自狂野大地的呼唤呢？

Kenya lies at the intersection of the Great Rift Valley of East Africa and the Equator, giving rise to its nickname of the Cross of East Africa. Warm climates provide Kenya with a beautiful yet untamed savannah, breathtaking mountain ranges, beautiful coasts, and wild animals that still capture our imagination.

Migration to Paradise

The natural migration of East African wildlife has been listed as one of the 50 sights that everyone must witness in their lifetime. Those who have the fortune of seeing this natural wonder flrsthand have echoed this sentiment.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is widely held as the best maintained game reserve in Africa. It covers 200 square miles of savannah, woodlands, and riverside forests, and is home to large and diverse populations of wild animals and plants. Herds of zebras, giraffes, gazelles, and wildebeests are scattered across the seemingly endless plains of lush, green grass. The acacia woods are also fllled with birds and monkeys. Elephants and African buffalo roll about in the marshes, while hippopotamuses and crocodiles swim in the rivers.

The dry season arrives at the Serengeti National Park of Tanzania to the south every July and August. The withering grass and dwindling watering holes soon prove incapable of supporting the large herbivore populations in the area. Rains and fresh grasses in the north compel these animals to embark on an epic migration that takes them across the borders of Tanzania and into the Maasai Mara Reserves of Kenya.

The Great Migration earned its nickname by its sheer scale and the unmatched diversity of animals that participate in this annual trip. To survive, creatures of every species, age, and gender from every direction gather into a moving mass that spreads as far as the eye can see. The noises generated by their stampeding hooves and cries can only be described as deafening, while the dust clouds they create could cover entire horizons. Zebras march at the van while wildebeests make up the vast majority of the horde. Gazelles, giraffes, and even birds are also part of the Great Migration. It is said that there are four million wildebeest in the savannah of the Maasai Mara. The endless sea of migrating animals is a most epic sight to behold.

肯尼亚是东非大裂谷和赤道线的交汇点，因此又被称为“东非十字架”。温和的气候条件使得肯尼亚拥有美丽并充满野性的大草原，气势恢宏的山峦，风景秀美的海滨，还有各式各样令人叹为观止的野生动物。

“天国之渡”

东非野生动物大迁徙被誉为“人生必须见证的50个景观”之一。有幸能去观看一次迁徙奇观，那也算是终生难忘之幸事。

马赛马拉野生动物保护区，被广泛认为是非洲最好的野生动物保护区。保护区由开阔的平原、林地和河岸森林组成，这里生活着数不胜数、种类繁多的野生动植物。每年七八月，由于南面坦桑尼亚的塞伦盖蒂国家公园进入旱季，干枯的水草无力支撑众多的草食动物，北部雨水和新鲜青草对动物们形成巨大的诱惑，它们越过坦桑尼亚和肯尼亚边境，蜂拥迁入马赛马拉，以排山倒海之势形成一个壮观的入场式，覆盖了两侧的地平线。在迁徙大军中，角马是主力，斑马是先遣部队，还配之以羚羊、大象、长颈鹿等等，凡是草食动物都加入到这个行列，甚至有的鸟类也参与进来。据说，仅马赛马拉草原上的角马就有400万之众！如此众多的动物汇合成军，前不见头，后不见尾，真是铁流万里，蔚为壮观！……