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I Am an Award winning, 42km Marathoner

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They say You either Go Big or you Go Home and I normally tend to decide to Go Big. Take this as a Public Service Announcement. I Wangechi Gitahi, founder of Wangechi Gitahi Travels, I am officially an award winning Marathoner, having successfully completed the 42km race, at the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon 2024. I officially enter the history books of those who have successfully completed a Full Marathon and thus been elevated to 42km+distance. So next time you bump into me, or mention me in conversation, please address me correctly and add “Marathoner Wangechi Gitahi ” to my other titles. My medal, a reminder that I am now officially recognized as a 42km Marathoner My relationship with Standard Charted Nairobi Marathon goes way back, like way back. When it was launched in 2003, it piqued my interest and curiosity as it was the First International Marathon I knew of,…

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Africa

The animal haven that is Amboseli National Park

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Amboseli National Park is found in Oloitoktok, which is in Kajiado county in Kenya. The park is famous for being home to large herds of Elephants and like Maasai Mara National Reserve, it extends into Tanzania. The park is also famous as it is located at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, thus offering guests a look at the majestic mountain, without having to climb it. I was excited as we ventured into Amboseli National Park, as I really wanted to see herds and herds of elephants, which is what the park is famous for. Elephants are indeed interesting animals everything from having great memories, to being gigantic in size but equally as soft in nature. They tend to live in communities and everyone takes care of everyone.  The head of the home is interestingly, the oldest female in the group, thus making them a matriarchal society. They have been known…

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Africa

Exciting Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Cape Cross

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Swakopmund locally referred to as “Swakop” is located within the Namib Desert yet also has access to the Atlantic ocean. It is the coastal town of Namibia and is located about 350km West of Windhoek. It is more like a resort town, very organized, super neat and has lots of German influence from the buildings to the main delicacies. This town is indeed a mystery as on one side of the road you could be enjoying the beaches along Atlantic Ocean while on the other you could be hiking sand dunes. We enjoyed staying here as well as exploring its neighbouring towns. Walvis  Bay: Walvis Bay is indeed an exciting and interesting area to visit. I was impressed by the large number of flamingoes that we spotted in several areas like Birds paradise, to actually getting to hike the famous Dune 7. Everyone spoke so highly of  hiking the dune…

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Africa

Namibia 101

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1.It is officially known as Republic of Namibia and its capital city is called Windhoek. 2. It borders the Atlantic Ocean, South Africa to the East and South, Angola and Zambia to the North, Botswana to the East 3. The official language is English. 4. It has a population of about 2.4 million people 5. Its main income earners are fishing, mining and livestock. 6.The citizens of Namibia are called Namibians. 7. They were colonized by Germany and later taken over by South Africa up to 1990. 8. It is the second least populated country after Mongolia. 9.It has the worlds largest cheetah population in the world. 10. Kenyans do not require a visa prior to travel to Namibia. Ensure you have your travel documents in order. For my exploits of Namibia, check out: Northern Namibia: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/culture-extravaganza-in-opuo/ Southern Namibia: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/exciting-swakopmund-walvisbay-capecross/

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Botswana 101

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1. Botswana is officially known as the Republic of Botswana and its capital city is called Gaborone. 2.The citizens are referred to as Batswana while an individual is referred to as a Motswana 3. It is a landlocked country bordered by Zambia to the North, Namibia to the West and North, Zimbabwe to the North East and South Africa to the South and South East. 4. Botswana is mainly a desert with about 70% of it being covered by the Kalahari Desert. 5. Its main income earners are mining, tourism and cattle. It is the highest producer of diamonds by value in the world. 6. The official language is English but the most spoken language is Setswana. 7. It has the largest Elephant population in Africa. 8. It has a population of about 2 million people. 9. The Okavanga Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage Center 10: Kenyans do not…

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Africa

Gliding on the Okavango Delta

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Botswana is a landlocked country that is famous for being home to the Kalahari Desert, the Okavango Delta , the famous movie “gods must be crazy” and being a major producer of diamond. If you are hoping to meet semi-dressed bushmen walking around, you will be disappointed as modernization got to most of them. Livestock is very important to the Botswana economy such that at the border points and when entering several towns like Ghanzi, you are required to dip your shoes and any other shoes in ones possession in a mini-dip that is aimed at preventing the spread of foot and mouth. We mainly stayed in Maun town as we really wanted to explore the Okavango Delta. We enjoyed the below while in Botswana. a) Riding a Mokoro on the Okavango Delta: The Okavango Delta is a sort of large oasis in a country that is dominantly desert. It  is…

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Africa

Zimbabwe 101

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Zimbabwe is officially referred to as the Republic of Zimbabwe and its capital city is Harere It is a landlocked country and is bordered by Mozambique to the East and Southeast, South Africa to the South, Zambia to the Northwest and Botswana to the West and Southwest. It has a population of about 16million people It has 16 official languages with the most commonly used being English, Ndebele and Shona It shares the famous Victoria Falls locally known as “Mosi-oa-Tunya” and means, “Smoke that thunder” with Zambia. Its main income earners are farming, mining and manufacturing. It gained its independence from Great Britain in 1980. It has one of the highest literacy levels in Africa. The main religion is Christianity and it is open to other religions. A Kenyan does not need a visa to visit Zimbabwe. Ensure you have all your documentation in order. For my exploits of Zimbabwe,…

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Africa

Zambia 101

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Zambia is officially known as Republic of Zambia and its capital city is called Lusaka It is a landlocked country that is bordered by Democratic Republic of Congo to the North, Tanzania to the Northeast, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the South , Angola to the West and Malawi to the East. Its official language is English. Its border with Zimbabwe has the  popular Victoria Falls locally known as :Mosi-oa-Tunya” which means Smoke that Thunders. It has a population of about 16.5 million people The main religion is Christianity and is open to all other religions All the local languages in Zambia are  Bantu Mining is the main income earner for Zambia with the main mineral being copper. It gained its independence from the British and was previously known as Northern Rhodesia Kenyans do not require a visa prior to travel. One receives an Entry Visa stamp at the…

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Africa

Seychelles 101

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Seychelles is officially known as the Republic of Seychelles. It is made up of 115 islands and is located in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. Its capital Victoria, is the smallest capital in the world. It has the lowest population in Africa, having less than 100,00 people. It is home to the Coco De Mer plant which only grows in Seychelles and whose seed is the largest and heaviest in the world. It is home to the Giant Aldabra Tortoise, which is one of the largest tortoise specie in the world. The official languages are English, French and Seychelloise Creole. The main religion is Christianity Fishing and tourism are main the income earners in Seychelles Kenyans do not require a visa prior to travel, but receive a visa stamp upon arrival. Ensure you have all your documents in order. For my experience in Seychelles, check out:…

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Africa

Fascinating Bulawayo

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Matopos National Park, Zimbabwe

This is the second largest city in Zimbabwe and is located in the South West. As we arrived, we didn’t have an itinerary thus were both intrigued and excited about what we would find. Our arrival into Bulawayo was great as the train station is neat and clean and devoid of the “madness” in most train stations. It is a great town where we met some amazing people, enjoyed beautiful  scenery  and I seemed to lose my mind in various instances. Highlights of Bulawayo: 1) Matopos National Park Matopos National Park is indeed an interesting place especially due to the Matobo Hills Rock formation. On every turn, boulders upon boulders of rocks can be seen and they are quite a sight. At times, they seemed as if they had been neatly arranged atop each other instead of having occurred naturally. One can easily see the effects of erosion on the…

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