KARIBU FAIR

PLACE:  Arusha- Tanzania

DATE: 31^ST MAY – 2^ND JUNE

Karibu is the leading travel trade event in East Africa. Originally created to promote Tanzania, it’s now a regional event that also features many products and delegates from Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Karibu’s major function is one of a relationship broker who targets, attracts and matches the needs of buyers and suppliers.

By attending the Karibu Fair, you will minimize the time spent searching for the right providers and accommodations to suit your clients’ tastes and budgets. With over 250 exhibitors to choose from, you can select from a wide range of legendary destinations, new hotels, lodges and camps situated in secluded breathtaking settings off the beaten track.

The event provides an ideal opportunity for overseas buyers and travel journalists to meet the market leaders in the East African tourism industry and learn about emerging trends and developments.

INDABA 2013

DATE: 11th – 14^th of May
VENUE: Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC), South Africa





An indaba is an important conference held by the izinDuna (principal men) of the Zulu or Xhosa peoples of South Africa. (Such meetings are also practiced by the Swazi, who refer to them using the close cognate indzaba.) These indabas may include only the izinDuna of a particular community or may be held with representatives of other communities.

The term comes from a Zulu language word, meaning "business" or "matter"
INDABA is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and one of the top three ‘must visit’ events of its kind on the global calendar.

It showcases the widest variety of Southern Africa's best tourism products, and attracts international visitors and media from across the world. INDABA is owned by South African Tourism and organised by Witch & Wizard Creative (Pty) Ltd.

For two years in a row, INDABA has won the award for Africa’s best travel and tourism show. This award was presented by the Association of World Travel Awards.
INDABA is a four day trade event that attracts well over 13000 delegates from the travel tourism and related industries.

EVOLUTION OF ECHOLOCATION IN TOOTHED WHALES

Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals. Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects. Echolocation is used for navigation and for foraging (or hunting) in various environments. Some blind humans have learned to find their way using clicks produced by a device or by mouth.

Some 30 million years ago, Ganges river dolphins diverged from other toothed whales, making them one of the oldest species of aquatic mammals that use echolocation, or biosonar, to navigate and find food. This also makes them ideal subjects for scientists working to understand the evolution of echolocation among toothed whales.

New research, led by Frants Havmand Jensen, a Danish Council for Independent Research / Natural Sciences postdoctoral fellow at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, shows that freshwater dolphins produce echolocation signals at very low sound intensities compared to marine dolphins, and that Ganges river dolphins echolocate at surprisingly low sound frequencies.
"Ganges River dolphins are one of the most ancient evolutionary branches of toothed whales," says Jensen. "We believe our findings help explain the differences in echolocation between freshwater and marine dolphins. Our findings imply that the sound intensity and frequency of Ganges river dolphin may have been closer to the 'starting point' from which marine dolphins gradually evolved their high-frequent, powerful biosonar."
The scientists believe these differences evolved due to differences in freshwater and marine environments and the location and distribution of prey in those environments.

A complex, underwater environment
To sustain themselves, river dolphins must find their food, often small fish or crustaceans, in highly turbid water where visibility seldom exceeds a few inches. Like their marine relatives, they manage this using echolocation: They continuously emit sound pulses into the environment and listen for the faint echoes reflected off obstacles while paying special attention to the small details in the echoes that might signify a possible meal.
The environment that freshwater dolphins operate in poses very different challenges to a biosonar than the vast expanses of the sea where most dolphins later evolved. "Dolphins that range through the open ocean often feed on patchily distributed prey, such as schools of fish," Jensen says. "They have had a large advantage from evolving an intense biosonar that would help them detect prey over long distances, but we have little idea of how the complex river habitats of freshwater dolphins shape their biosonar signals."
 
Shy study animals with a surprisingly deep voice
To answer that question, the researchers recorded the echolocation signals of two species of toothed whales inhabiting the same mangrove forest in the southern part of Bangladesh: The Ganges river dolphin, an exclusively riverine species that is actually not part of the dolphin family but rather the Platanistidae family, and the Irrawaddy, a freshwater toothed whale from the dolphin family that lives in both coastal and riverine habitats.
Surprisingly, the echolocation signals turned out to be much less intense than those employed by marine dolphins of similar size and it seemed that the freshwater dolphins were looking for prey at much shorter distances. From this, the researchers surmise that both the dolphin species and the river dolphin were echolocating at short range due to the complex and circuitous river system that they were foraging in.
While both Irawaddy and Ganges river dolphin produced lower intensity biosonar, the Ganges river dolphin had an unexpectedly low frequency biosonar, nearly half as high as expected if this species had been a marine dolphin.
"It is very surprising to see these animals produce such low-frequent biosonar sounds. We are talking about a small toothed whale the size of a porpoise producing sounds that would be more typical for a killer whale or a large pilot whale," says Professor Peter Teglberg Madsen from Aarhus University in Denmark, an expert on toothed whale biosonar and co-author of the study.

A new perspective on the evolution of biosonar
The study suggests that echolocation in toothed whales initially evolved as a short, broadband and low-frequent click. As dolphins and other toothed whales evolved in the open ocean, the need to detect schools of fish or other prey items quickly favored a long-distance biosonar system. As animals gradually evolved to produce and to hear higher sound frequencies, the biosonar beam became more focused and the toothed whales were able to detect prey further away.
However, the Ganges river dolphin separated from other toothed whales early throughout this evolutionary process, adapting to a life in shallow, winding river systems where a high-frequency, long-distance sonar system may have been less important than other factors such as high maneuverability or the flexible neck that helps these animals capture prey at close range or hiding within mangrove roots or similar obstructions.

Improved tools for counting animals
Freshwater dolphins are among the most endangered animal species. Only around a thousand Ganges river dolphins are thought to remain, and they inhabit some of the most polluted and overfished river systems on Earth. The results of this study will help provide local collaborators with a new tool in their struggle to conserve these highly threatened freshwater cetaceans. Using acoustic monitoring devices to identify the local species may help researchers estimate how many animals remain, and to identify what areas are most important to them.

15 BEST PLACES TO VISIT WHILE IN NAIROBI

Some of the things to do in Nairobi are some of the most unique things that you can do in the world.  Most of the tourist attractions listed below are a bit outside the city core excluding the Masai market.  Being the financial hub and largest city in all of Eastern Africa, Nairobi is very unique in that it blends the vast wildlife with the various cultures in the region.  You can get a great taste of nature since most of the tourist attractions include getting up close and personal with animals.

 

1.   

 1.  Nairobi National Park

In spite of Nairobi's increasing expansion and population, this is still a place where, with a bit of luck, you can see a fair sample of Kenya's wildlife. This is a park in the middle of the capital city of Kenya.

At the Nairobi National Park you will find all your safari needs. While on safari then you can see all of The Big 5 (excluding the elephant) at the park. You can picnic at the park and for those that are adventurous you can even camp there as well.  There are plenty of opportunities to see a variety of animals throughout the park.

In the park there are some attractions visible. This are the Animal orphanage and the Nairobi safari walk.

Safari Walk

Safari Walk is located at the main entrance of Nairobi National Park and is a great place where you can learn about Kenya’s parks and reserves as well as seeing a variety of animals.

Nairobi Animal Orphanage

The animal orphanage is also at the main entrance of the national park and is a great place to get up close and personal with all kinds of animals.  At the orphanage you will have the opportunity to play with a cheetah.

 

       2. The Giraffe Center

Located right next to the popular Giraffe Manor (hotel that features giraffes), you can stand on a platform and touch and feed the giraffes.  It’s a great way to get up close and personal with giraffes and take great pictures as well.

3.David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

For the conservationists, and those who love elephants, this is a MUST SEE.    It is not far outside Nairobi City Center the elephant orphanage is inside the Nairobi National Park.  To see the orphan elephants you must go between 11am and 12pm (daily). You can also sponsor the orphans if you would like. Take Shillings to buy souvenirs’ including T-Shirts, Bags, Soap stone carvings and other memorabilia in support of the elephants.

 

4.     Karen Blixen Museum

Karen Blixen Museum was once the centre piece of a farm at the foot of the Ngong Hills owned by Danish Author Karen and her Swedish Husband, Baron Bror von Blixen Fincke. Located 10km from the city centre, the Museum belongs to a different time period in the history of Kenya. By visiting the museum you will get to know much about the location of Out of Africa and hearing the stories about this woman who did so much. Well-maintained, informative guide and worth the quick trip over.

  

5. Karura Forest Reserve

Karura Forest Reserve is located in the northern part of Nairobi city. At 1,041 hectares, it is one of the largest urban gazetted forests in the world.  The forest contains nearly all the 605 species of wildlife found in Nairobi. This is a perfect place to recollect and relax looking at the plantations such as the Eucalyptus saligna, indigenous trees such as Croton megalocarpus locally known as ‘leleshwa’ and also some shrubs such as Solanum incanum locally known as (Mutongu) and listening to the music from the birds. Other attractions include: Mau Mau caves,Scenic waterfalls and rivers, Picnic sites, Marked walking trails, Small wetlands that are habitats for birds, The incinerator formerly used by Central Bank of Kenya to burn old currency notes and The area about which the late Professor Wangari Maathai carried out a campaign against illegal acquisition of forest land. Karura is good for Forest walks,  Forest drives, Bird watching, Butterfly watching, Cycling,  Running, picnicking retreat, prayers etc and more so nature lovers its take you there.

   6.  Nairobi National Museum 

The Nairobi National Museum is the flagship brand for the National Museums of Kenya. Located on Museum Hill, the museum showcases Kenya's rich Heritage with four distinct themes representing Kenya's Culture, Nature, History and Contemporary Art. Other attractions within the compound include the Snake Park and Botanical Gardens as well as a State of the Art Auditorium that occasionally hosts concerts, film shows and other events. Dining and shopping facilities await you after your tour with us in our commercial wing. Enjoy your visit with us at the National Museum.

Nairobi Snake Park

The Snake Park is an exciting place to visit, whether you have stopped in Nairobi and are looking for something to do or you have some free time on your hands.

Located at the Nairobi National Museum grounds, the snake park is what scientist or museum experts, would call a 'live exhibition'. And you can understand why, the "exhibits" are truly alive, unlike the ones in the museum itself.

Here you will find more than just snakes, let the name not fool you. The main attraction is the snakes of course but there's also plant life that you could learn from, an aquarium with all sorts of fish (like catfish, tilapia), crocodiles, alligators, birds, lizards, monitor lizards, turtles and tortoises. Plan to spend no less than an hour as you go through the park.

    7. Bomas of Kenya

Bomas of Kenya is a tourist village in Langata, Nairobi. Bomas (homesteads) displays traditional villages belonging to the several Kenyan tribes. Each boma (homestead) in this cultural village was built using traditional specifications of myriad Kenyan tribes; through architecture, crafts, music and dance this village serves to preserve Kenyan culture.

8. Nairobi Railway Museum

Kenya Railways represents the historical growth of this country and Nairobi Railway Museum narrates the tale of this country’s evolvement; indeed it is the rail that developed Kenya to the country it is now! The Nairobi Railway Museum provides answers to many unanswered questions concerning the early history of the railway and Kenya’s development.

9. Kenya National Archives

The Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service was officially established by an Act of Parliament in 1965.This centrally located collection contains historic photographs, Kenyan crafts and paintings. 

 

10. Nairobi Gallery  Built in 1913, this Old PC's office building was fondly referred to as 'Hatches, Matches and Dispatches' because of the births, marriages and deaths that were recorded here.  The Nairobi gallery is located right in the heart of Nairobi City next to Nyayo House. Today, the museum holds temporary exhibitions all year round giving visitors something new to look forward to.  Currently they are displaying an amazing exhibit of photographs from the 2007-2008 election crises entitled Kenya On Fire. These amazing and tragic photos are not to be missed.

   11. Kibera 

Kibera is a division of Nairobi Area, Kenya, and neighborhood of the city of Nairobi, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the city centre. Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa. This is a place worth visiting as one gets to see how people in the slums dwell.

 

12. Maasai (Masai) Market

The Maasai Market is the destination where you want to buy all of your tourist souvenirs.  You can find the market in Nairobi on weekends where you will find a massive collection of all kinds of things to buy.  You can find anything from clothes to wooden and brass carvings. 

   13.  The Matatu Experience

After you ride a Matatu your experience with local transportation will never be the same.  Blaring sound systems and giant flat screen TVs are part of the ride.  At night you will find neon lights both inside and outside the vehicles.  These type of Matatus are typically unique to Kenya.

Friendly tip: Make sure you ask how much the ride is before you get on.

    14. Ngong Hills

The Ngong Hills are peaks in a ridge along the Great Rift Valley, located southwest near Nairobi, in southern Kenya. This is a beautiful area for a day trip or afternoon drive - made famous in Out Of Africa as Karen Blixen loved them. Mostly people a hike and it’s a best place for relaxation

      15. African Heritage House 

The African Heritage House overlooking the Nairobi National Park is described by the Architectural Digest as "an architecture arising from the sere Kenyan plain like an outcropping of earth, a vision of usefulness informed by the African genius for decoration" .Inside one journeys through a spectrum of African textiles, masks, art, artifacts, crafts, books and photographs. Designed by American Alan Donovan, co-founder of the African Heritage, Africa's first Pan African Gallery, the house is a combination of the mud architecture from across Africa.