Kenya is a country of breathtaking beauty and great contrasts - from palm-fringed sandy beaches to the snow-capped peaks of Mount Kenya which straddles the Equator; vast open plains and savannah, acacia woodlands, tropical rain forests, small farms, ranches and rich estates of tea, coffee, pineapple, wheat and sisal and harsh arid deserts in the north. The Great Rift Valley, a massive fracture line in the earth's surface, runs from Jordan through Kenya and Tanzania to Mozambique, with soda and fresh water lakes, interspersed by volcanoes, stretching through the length of the Rift.

These variations in altitude and terrain create contrasts in the climate - from the hot humidity of the coast to the cold, sometimes frosty, early mornings and warm, sunny days of the central highlands and the dry burning heat of the northern deserts. The people are just as varied and intriguing - a fascinating mix of cultures, with many tribes maintaining the colourful traditions and pastoral way of life that seem to belong to another age.