Watching lions hunting had seemed like a great idea from the comfort of my luxurious safari lodge.

But a few hours later, as our 4x4 threw us around dirt tracks in the dead of night, it suddenly felt much less enticing. As I scanned the countryside for tell-tale signs - think hungry-looking eyes, bloodied carcasses and scattered bones - I was beginning to believe I might be happy to forgo a face-to-face encounter with one of the animal world's most notorious killers.

And when we finally caught a glimpse of four pairs of eyes staring back, I was pleased to note there was a sizeable chunk of inky-black savannah between us. Naively, I had assumed we would have a quick look from a safe distance, tick lions' off our must-see list, and beat a hasty retreat back to our lodge.

What I was not prepared for, however, was going off-road, parking up alongside the fearsome creatures - and turning off our vehicle's engine as well.

I'm no expert, but keeping your engine running seemed a not-unjustified precaution when sitting in a open-topped car less than five yards from an animal known to have a taste for human flesh. And the fact that I was sitting at the back of the vehicle, in the pitch-black, on the edge nearest the biggest lion, made the whole experience slightly too adrenaline-fuelled for comfort.

Happily our guide told us the lions had already found their dinner and were settling down for a post-meal snooze. And after what seemed like hours - but was probably no more than about 15 minutes - we headed back across the African plain to the welcoming lights of our lodge, breathing a sigh of relief at having escaped such a grisly death.

But it had not been the fear of peckish wildlife which almost prompted my mum to have a nervous breakdown when, a few weeks earlier, I had announced I was going to Kenya.

"Kenya?" she screeched down the phone.

"You can't go there now. You'll get shot. Or firebombed. Or worse."

I had been invited by the Kenyan Tourist Board, which was keen to get the message out that it was back to business as normal after the country's post-election violence earlier this year.

And, with my guidebook showing pictures of sweeping savannahs, palm-fringed beaches and colourful coral reefs, I was only too happy to put that claim to the test.

Straddling the equator, with 300 miles of coastline overlooking the Indian Ocean, snow-topped mountains and lush coffee plantations, it is no wonder that Kenya's second largest industry is tourism.

But since the unrest following December's disputed elections - which saw 1,500 people killed and 600,000 displaced - tourism has dropped by 70 per cent, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

My experience with the lions had confirmed my image of Kenya as an animal-lovers' destination. And sure enough, in just the half-hour journey from the airport to our safari lodge at Lewa Downs, we glimpsed giraffe, zebra, rhino, elephant and dozens of antelope.

A horseback safari later that day brought us closer to some of the animals than I ever dreamed possible.

But several dust-covered 4x4 rides and a few hundred out-of-focus animal pictures later, I was looking forward to heading to Mombasa and sampling the more sedate side of Kenya's tourism industry.

On the way - just a few miles from our five-star hotel and in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro - we stopped off at a traditional Masai village, where a red-cloaked warrior showed us around the mud hut he shared with the first of his two wives and at least four children.

The villagers were eager to show us their lifestyle and demonstrated how to make fire without matches, told us how they made their homes from elephant dung and wood, and sang us some traditional tribal songs.

I had imagined Mombasa to be a palm-fringed multicultural melting pot with a hint of spice blown in across the ocean by the tropical trade winds.

And I was not disappointed. The coast is lined with five-star hotels, complete with infinity pools, spas, tennis courts and white sandy beaches. I had secretly hoped we were through with close encounters with predatory wildlife.

But instead we were taken on an hour-long boat trip on a traditional Kenyan dhow to snorkel over an offshore coral reef. The ocean was crystal clear and as warm as bath water - and as soon as I dipped my head under I could see shoals of brightly coloured fish, many different types of coral and even a few starfish.

My question of whether there were sharks in the area was greeted with a worrying silence and - after a brief but unhelpful consideration of whether I would prefer a lion- or shark-induced death - I managed to put the thought to the back of my mind.

Fortunately, a seafood lunch just an hour later reminded me of my privileged position in the food chain. Kenya is a country of contrasts - with ramshackle tins sheds, Aids orphanages and begging children just outside the security gates of the hotel compounds.

But although the contrast is unsettling, it is these people whose livelihoods are most at risk if the tourists stop visiting. Kenya is desperate to entice the tourists it so depends on to come back.

And with dozens of cheap deals, hundreds of welcoming smiles and a newly-signed peace deal, now is surely the best time to visit.

KENYAN TRAVEL FACTFILE:Netflights.com can offer six nights half-board on the beach and three nights' safari including most meals, followed by one night in Nairobi including breakfast, for £1,559. The price includes return flights from London Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic and all pre-payable taxes. Valid for departures August 25 to October 20, with no book-by date. For more information, call 0871 700 8630 or see: www.netflights.com Virgin Atlantic flies to Nairobi daily from Heathrow. Sale fares start from £507.70 including all taxes, for travel up to June 30. For more information call 08705 747747 or see www.virginatlantic.com See also: www.lewa.org/wilderness_trails.php www.leopardmico.com www.sopalodges.com www.baobab-beach-resort.com www.travellersbeach.com www.windsorgolfresort.com www.wasiniislandkenya.com www.tamarind.co.ke/mombasa/index.php