Kenya - hot sun, arid plains, big animals, blue skies, safaris
- or -
Blue sea, palm-fringed beaches, coral-white sand ...

But there is another Kenya, a Kenya that few tourists know about. It is green and fertile, not too hot (average 25°C), never too cold. But it still has the blue skies and the warm sun.

This other Kenya is in the south-west corner, close to Uganda and Tanzania. It is in the highlands (5,700ft). It grows its own food which is always fresh and tasty. It has another of Kenya's well-kept secrets, the only soapstone quarry in the country, where craftsmen carve every sort of animal, as well as trinkets, ornaments

And all this is based around the typically Kenyan town of Kisii - busy, bustling, sometimes chaotic, dusty, colourful, with open markets, street traders, hawkers, and the Gusii people who are among the friendliest in Kenya.

There are good hotels, cheap hotels, campsites, restaurants, car hire firms, bus tours, safaris ...

But the best bit of all? It is not a typical tourist spot! Kisii is a commercial hub and goes about its business.

Kisii is a fantastic base to see SW Kenya - the Maasai Mara, Lake Victoria and the towns on its shores - Kisumu, Homa Bay as well as Nakuru Lake, even Uganda and The Serengeti in Tanzania.

From Kisii, it is easy to get to;

• The Maasai Mara game reserve
• The Tabaka soapstone quarries
• Rambwe Game Reserve
• Kisumu and the Kenya/Tanzania and Kenya/Uganda borders.