Safari Rally

Safari Rally

July

The Safari Rally, a grueling weekend auto race, takes place on a 2,550-mile circuit over unpaved roads. Starting outside Nairobi, Kenya, the route is considered the toughest in the world; the roads climb in and out of the Great Rift Valley, and there are severe changes in climate. Furthermore, it's the rainy season when the race is held, and the roads can turn into virtual swamps. There are usually about 100 entrants, and fewer than 10 to 20 finish.
The rally began as part of the celebrations marking the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and was called the Coronation Rally . It generated such interest that it was continued and renamed the East African Safari, with Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania on the route. Since 1974, it has been confined to Kenya. Nairobi gets rally fever at this time of year. The city is hung with flags, and cars sprayed to look like rally cars zoom around the streets. Thousands of spectators watch the race at various points along the route.

CONTACTS:
Embassy of the Republic of Kenya
2249 R St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-387-6101; fax: 202-462-3829
www.kenyaembassy.com

SOURCES:
GdWrldFest-1985, p. 126