Top > World > 2007 > January > 2007-01-23

Rains Trap Hundreds of Tourists in Kenya?s Safari Park

Every year, thousands of tourists make their way to Kenya to enjoy the stunning natural scenes and witness the glory of the animal kingdom in its natural splendor. One of the most popular destinations for these tourists is the country?s Masai Mara game reserve, especially during the New Year period when people flock to see the annual migration of literally millions of wildebeest across the crocodile-infested Mara River.

This year, however, hundreds of tourists were disappointed when roads into the game reserve were cut off and many could not make their way in or out of the area. As a result, many frightened tourists were trapped in the reserve overnight in conditions that they certainly did not expect to experience when they booked their holidays. Some tourists were stuck in their vehicles after mud puddles made it impossible for them to drive anywhere. They had to spend the night surrounded by wild animals and bad weather conditions.

The Chairman of Kenya?s Tourism Board, Jake Grieves-Cook, said that many tour operators were advised not to bring their customers to Masai Mara due to the bad traveling conditions and were told to find alternative reserves. The situation has caused immense frustration to many tourists who expected to enjoy a peaceful holiday in Africa?s wild, and instead needed to battle extreme weather conditions.