Tembea Kenya

The recent wave of insecurity and the ensuing succession of international travel bans to Kenya, have left the country’s tourism sector struggling. Last year, tourism dropped by 15 per cent compared to 2012. In the run-up to this year’s summer high-season, the number of tourists predicted to fly into the country is expected to be even lower.

In response to the problem, President Uhuru Kenyatta promised in May that the government would lower entry fees to national parks and remove Value Added Tax (VAT) on air-tickets provided by travel agents. Additionally, and perhaps most controversially, he also announced that from June 12th all private firms that catered for an employee’s domestic trip expenses, would be awarded a tax rebate. The announcement was received with mixed results: employers remain reluctant to pay to send their workers off on holiday until Members of Parliament have passed the 2014 Finance Bill and the directive is set in law.

UP magazine supports the President’s efforts to encourage Kenyans to take advantage of the wealth of amazing destinations this country has to offer. For a Nairobian, it is easy to get stuck in a vacation rut which is limited to: a) trip to the Coast (“when one long weekend”); and b) a visit to the family, (“whenever else I have a chance”).

In an effort to shine a light on some of the getaway options available to Nairobians looking for a break from the usual , UP magazine has come up with some alternative suggestions for great places to visit. So pack up your bags, don’t forget your toothbrush and join UP on an exciting adventure around a few of our country’s lesser known destinations.

Before delving into these rural delights however, we decided to find out more about a trend that has been booming in our city: slum tourism. As part of our quest to understand whether slum tourism is beneficial to the people on its receiving end, we pitched two voices against each other to see who came out trumps. Hailing from the muddy paths of Kibera, Octopizzo is a high-profile rapper who runs a slum tourism agency and believes that he is making a positive contribution to the neighbourhood in which he grew up. On the other side of the spectrum we find Mike Onyiego, a learned and well-travelled journalist, who argues instead that the benefits of slum tourism are enjoyed exlusively by those behind the camera and that ultimately, the benefits for the community are next to nil.

Nanyuki on a shoe-string provides the ultimate guide for a trip to this mushrooming town. From adventures, activities, good food, bars and art, Nanyuki has everything you need for a weekend away from the city lights. For those who wish to travel a bit further, we set out to discover a delightful eco-tourism lodge run by the Maasai in Shompole conservancy, south west of lake Magadi on the border with Tanzania. Over the past month we also ran a UP Magazine competition. Readers were asked to write in with their top weekend getaway and the winner, who was selected at random, was awarded an all-inclusive night for two in a banda at Fisherman’s Camp, on the shores of Lake Naivasha.

This month we are excited to launch a new section: “UP Lift”. Here we focus on well-being and health and talk to you about yoga as a way of winding down from a long car trip, while munching on our top snack of the moment: baked sukuma wiki chips.

So, won’t you join us as we tembea Kenya and uncover what other secrets we may have overlooked? As always join the conversation and send us an email at info@upnairobi.com