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Having visited South Africa I was keen for a return visit to this amazing continent and decided on a family beach and safari holiday to Kenya.I thought I knew what to expect but how wrong I was,the whole experience was a completely different one to South Africa.

Driving through the chaos of Mombasa it is clear how poverty stricken the country is and how desperately they need the tourists to re build after the troubles in 2007/8. Yet despite this the people are warm and friendly and have to be admired for their resilience.

We stayed at Shanzu beach just along the Mombasa Coast, an idyllic spot on the Indian Ocean. You must bear in mind that hotel ratings are not the same as European ratings and water and electricity are in short supply so you may experience some disruption.

Staying on the Mombasa coast is a very good base as you have a wide range of excursions including trips out to the bush,snorkelling ,Dhow cruises, nature trails and a fabulous trip we took to Mombasa town.
This was a private tour around the colourful streets of Mombasa, an experience not to be missed but i would suggest you do this as an organised tour. We saw the famous tusks, the dhow harbour, fort Jesus and the local markets.

The highlight of our holiday has to be the Safari to the Tsavo national park - a long bumpy road journey one way which enabled us to visit a Masai village and the experience of a lifetime on the return when we flew back in a 12 seater plane, the views of the Tsavo were breathtaking.

We stayed at Crocodile camp,aptly named as the crocodiles come out of the river and are no more than 50 yards away from your tent or in our case little wooden hut. This was a truly "out of Africa " experience.

We were lucky enough to see numerous animals and birds including Lion,Zebra,Giraffe, the Red elephants and a rare sighting of two cheetahs. The roads can be bumpy in the Tsavo and we also encountered a heavy downpour which made driving treacherous, luckily our experienced driver was amazing. One thing to point out is that the Tsavo is a national park and all vehicles have to remain on the designated roads, if you wanted to try and be more up close and personal with the wildlife then look for a private game reserve where you would be able to go off roading.

I think you have to go to Kenya open minded as it can be a real culture shock when you leave your hotel grounds, it is fair to say you will be pestered when you are out and about and some people can find this intimidating and you will be expected to tip for everything.

My tips:
Take a torch and check if your hotel and safari lodge provide mosquito nets, if not you can buy them in the UK.
If you are taking a safari try and have at least one leg of the journey by air - road journeys are long and bumpy.
Learn Swahaili - only joking !! you only need to know 2 swahili phrases to survive.
Jambo which means Hello and the favourite saying "Hakuna Matata" - i am sure you have heard this in a famous song it literally means no worries.
Finally - Go to Kenya and embrace the wonderful people and their fascinating culture.