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Great
Escapes and High Adventures
SKYDIVING
KENYA
There are many ways
to see Kenya on safari, but how about from
14,000 feet above the ground, falling
earthwards at 120 miles per hour? For
adrenaline junkies, the Kenyan coast has
become the latest hot spot for aerial
adventure- where the equatorial atmosphere
at sea level can give skydivers more than
a minute of full freefall over the
beautiful blue Indian Ocean,
before touching down on pure white sands
on one of the world's best beaches.
This is the draw for
international skydivers who gather at
Diani Beach on Kenya's South Coast each
year for the Kenya Skydive Boogie. This
event, now in its 14th year, is proving
very popular both with experienced
skydivers and those interested in
experiencing the thrill of freefall for
the first time.
What began as a
social event organized each year among
Kenyan divers has become a major event on
the international skydiving calendar. The
term Boogie is generic term for a
gathering of skydivers from all over the
globe, and each year brings a bevy of
boogies as enthusiasts meet up in the
world's best skydive destinations. To the
uninitiated, one skydive location may not
be that different to any other, but wind
and weather conditions, altitude and the
facilities and attractions on the ground
all combine to make each boogie
unique.
The Kenyan boogie
is becoming increasingly popular- as it
is one of the
only such events where divers are based at
asingle beach resort and can depart from a
nearby airstrip and dive
from an aircraft directly over their
base. This
means that at Diani, skydivers stay at the
Safari Beach Hotel
- take a short 10 minute drive to Ukunda
airstrip, take off
in a waiting Air Kenya Twin Otter, and
then dive directly over
the beach- landing on the sands right at
the doorstep of the resort.
Throughout the 2002
event, over 120 divers made continual
skydives over 2
weeks, the Air Kenya plane carrying an
average of 13 loads throughout
the day. The air over Diani was filled
with colour as parachutes
drifted on the gentle ocean breezes, with
divers making touchdowns
on the palm lined beach, just a few feet
from their hotel. Divers
could wander back into the resort, compare
their jumps with other divers-
freshen up- collect a newly packed chute
and within 10 minutes be
airborne again.
For the skydiving
addict, this is a perfect arrangement-
some of the divers
at the 2002 event completed 19 jumps in a
single day. But this is
not just about
frequency- the other draw is the freefall.
More
below
SAIL
INTO THE PAST: If you are looking for
a safari with a real difference, an all
new Sailing Safari based around the
historical island of Lamu offers an
enticing blend of adventure, history,
culture and romance. This fascinating
safari is one of the first tourism
projects to be funded and assisted by the
Tourism Trust fund of the European Union,
which is working to spread the benefits of
sustainable ecotourism and community
tourism throughout Kenya. The 7-day safari
is a joint effort between African Quest
Safaris, the Kenya National Museum and the
local communities of the Lamu Archipelago.
Sailing from Lamuís stone town, a
traditional dhow will carry you along the
waters of the antique spice trade, through
a beautiful tropical archipelago,
discovering ancient ruins and visiting
small villages where East Africa's Swahili
culture is at its most pure and
welcoming.
The
island of Lamu is regarded as one of the
most exotic and romantic places on earth-
where life has changed little over the
centuries, a place with own unique,
relaxed lifestyle and atmosphere. The
winding narrow streets of its 14th Century
Stone Town (recently declared a World
Heritage Site) are filled with living
history, and the air is rich with the
aroma of spices. In Lamu there are no
cars, and all transport is by foot or
donkey- ensuring that life is lived at its
own leisurely pace.
The Dhow
Safari uses Lamu as a base for exploring
the neighboring islands of Manda, Pate and
Kiwaayu- where visitors discover some of
East Africa's oldest settlements,
including the ghostly ruins of Takwa and
the remote settlement of Siyu. Transport
is by sailing dhow, and the islands will
be explored on foot using donkeys as pack
animals.
Local
guides are on hand to bring the
fascinating history of the archipelago to
life- but this is no staid museum tour.
The safari visits small villages
throughout the islands, and time is spent
learning about the traditions and cultures
of the local people, sampling the local
cuisine and lifestyle.
At Siyu,
guests will attend a special night Ngoma
in the village square, where ñ
traditional dancers ñ men dressed
in White majestically twirl their sticks
and sing to the music of the piper and the
slow beating of the drum under a starlit
sky. The safari reaches its end at
Kiwaayu, an uninhabited paradise, where
there is plenty of time for swimming,
snorkeling and relaxing on the beach. This
competitively priced safari is perfect for
anyone looking for a genuine adventure,
and promises to give visitors a first and
experience of the history and culture of
this region.
BUNGEE
JUMPING IN KENYA
Kenya's reputation as Africa's premier
adventure destination has been bolstered
by the opening of East Africa's first
Bungee Jumping operation on the banks of
the Tana River at Sagana, just 95 km North
of Nairobi. 'Bungeewalla' now offers high
adrenaline jumps at their base and
campsite, shared with the country's most
popular White Water Rafting
outfit.
This
combination of rafting and Bungee makes
the Tana a one stop adventure center.
Bungee jumping is a popular extreme sport
worldwide. Started in New Zealand, it
involves jumping from bridges or towers
with your ankles attached to a long rubber
bungee cord. Kenya's bungee is from a
specially constructed 60 meter tower over
the Tana River. Jumpers ascend the tower
attached to a safety rail by specialized
climbing harnesses. Once at the top, they
are fitted with the bungee cord, and are
then free to take the plunge over the wild
waters of the Tana.
After the
jump, they are collected in a raft, and
returned to the bank to rest, recover, or
even take to the rapids and raft. The
bungee location is an ideal stop en route
to Mt Kenya or Samburu- and can be
combined with a day's White Water rafting
on the Tana.
KENYA'S
COAST: KITE SURFING PARADISE
A recent tour by the Blues III
Professional Kite surfing Team from Italy
has confirmed Kenya's place as a major
destination for this exciting new sport.
Kite surfing is a faster, more thrilling
alternative to Windsurfing. With a Kite
powering the board instead of a sail, a
strong wind and waves allow the surfer to
perform acrobatic jumps, flips and
turns.
The 14
day Blues III tour took in the best of the
Kenya coast with time off for safaris in
nearby Tsavo National Park. This
combination of wind, waves and wildlife
makes this an ideal location for the Kite
surfing fanatic. The Prosurfís Kite
& Windsurf Center at Nyali Beach has
top notch equipment and training for both
professional and amateur wave riders,
while the conditions at Che-Shale near
Malindi make for world class
Kite-surfing.
So
perfect, in fact, are the conditions at
Che Shale that it has become a host for
international Kits Surfing championships.
The trade winds that once brought the
spice trade to the Kenya coast are now
spicing up the waters as travelers looking
for waterborne adventure converge to ride
the waves.
For
most skydivers, it's
all about the fall-
the pure
freedom of flight that
lasts from the time a
jumper leaves the plane
until the parachute is
pulled at around 2000 feet.
The average diver falls at the incredible
speed of 120 miles
per hour- but those who have never tried
it may be surprised
to know that this experience does not feel
like falling-
the continued momentum of the plane sends
the diver earthward
on a sustained arc- which means that there
is none of the
stomach lifting "plunge" sensation that
you may expect.
This is the nearest
experience possible to flying free as a
bird &endash; freedom at its most pure and
simple.
This is one of the
main draws at Kenya's Skydive Boogie- a
combination of sea level altitude and
equatorial
temperature means a
long freefall- often just over a minute as
opposed to the usual average of around
30
seconds. That may
not sound like much of a difference- but
just try it- and you will relish every
second of
your
freefall.
There is plenty to
enjoy as you do. The views from
14,000
feet are literally
breathtaking as you leap from the door of
the
aircraft into the
thin cool air. You are plunging
towards
paradise - stunning
blue water that stretches to the limits
of
the stunning blue
sky. Then, as the air currents grow
warmer,
and your chute
opens, the thin strip of white below
is
gradually defined
as the sands of idyllic Diani beach, and
the
detail of the coral
reef and tiny fishing boats become
clear.
For skydivers used
to landing in paddocks and fields, this is
a
unique experience,
and many take their time descending
to
the beach, letting
their chutes drift back and forth over
the
sea before touching
down on the sand. The favourite dives
of
the day are the
special sunset jumps, timed to let divers
glide
across the beach as
the sun dips to the horizon. Even
for
non-jumpers, this
is a special time of day, the air over
the
beach filled with
the coloured silk of parachutes as the
divers land and gather for sundowner
drinks.
This is a social
sport, and the Boogie
is a very social
event. Skydivers from
16 different
nations gathered at
Diani, including
members of skydiving
clubs and
specialist skydive formation
teams. The
international camaraderie
adds to the Boogie
experience, and
being based in a
single beach resort
made this Boogie
ideal for fun both
on and off the
ground. Of course,
travelling to Kenya
for the boogie
also gave them the
opportunity to
combine their
skydiving with some
more 'down to
earth' safaris
throughout the
country.
If you are a
non-skydiver, there is no need to feel
left out.
The Boogie is an
ideal chance to be introduced to the
sport.
Specialized tandem
jump and skydive instructors are on
hand
throughout the
event.
Tandem jumps are
the best way to discover
skydiving.
Physically attached
to an instructor, you jump together,
giving
you all the thrill
of a skydive, with none of the stress
of
managing your
descent and parachute along the
way.
These jumps are
extremely popular- and
straightforward-
after a 15 minute
safety briefing, you are ready to climb
on
board the plane and
jump. A tandem jump is an
unforgettable
experience,
but for
many-
it is not
a
"once in a
lifetime" thrill. After this introductory
taste of the
pure adrenaline and
freefall, plenty of jumpers- even
those
who may have felt
some apprehension at throwing
themselves out of
plane- can't wait to do it
again.
The Boogie also
offers full accelerated freefall courses
with
professional
instructors, in which students become
fully
fledged, qualified
skydivers.
For all of
the
fun of
the
Boogie, this
is
a
serious
professional event,
which is run to exacting
international
safety standards.
The organizers- Kenya Skydivers-
establish
a full scale DZ
(Drop Zone) on site at the hotel, with
teams of
Kenyan
ArmyParatroopers (each with 1000 jump
experience)
on hand to
professionally pack and check each and
every
parachute used.
Full safety equipment and rescue boats
are
on hand throughout
the event.
The Boogie is
organized by Harro Trempeneau of
Kenya
Skydivers, who has
been skydiving since 1976. He can
also
arrange skydives in
Nairobi, or for the truly adventurous-
he
can arrange a
special skydiving safari, letting you
freefall with
a view of Mt
Kilimanjaro, or drift over the plains of
the Maasai Mara.
So when you are
planning your safari to Kenya, look
beyond
the usual, and take
to the skies for a very
different
perspective on
paradise. For more info on Diani Beach,
see
the Related Links
above.
If you are over 18,
physically fit and looking for
adventure-
come to Kenya for
this year's Diani Skydive Boogie, to
be
held in October
2003. For more information, click here or
here
or email organizers
for more details.
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