Vacations Blog

Trouble still seems to be brewing in Kenya’s Masai Mara as the local people block the entrance gates to tourists. The protests have been off and on for 3 weeks in wake of a new deal signed between Narok County Council and Equity bank over a new smart card system that has been implemented in the Game Reserve. The idea behind the smart card was to eliminate corruption and make the entrance process much more efficient. The protests are on-going as the Narok County Council broke the law by secretly doing this deal as the countries constitution states, decisions like this must be made clear to the public prior to any final decisions being made, which was not the case.

Thousands of tourists have descended on the Masai Mara during this festive season on a Kenya safari only to see their path has been blocked by angry protesters. On tourist said “Someone has got to fix this mess; I did not take a loan to come and see Masai people protesting outside the park. I want to see the animals.” Anyone who has the vaguest idea of what’s going on in the Kenya economy will know that the Masai Mara is an important revenue generator for the country.

If you are still to book your festive trip and are looking for a trouble free holiday then a Zambia safari to the South Luangwa National Park is right up your street, and although the Masai Mara is a spectacular Game Reserve, now is certainly not the time to visit in wake of recent developments.

The main reason that so many people have become wound up by this situation is because under the contractual payment obligations if the total annual revenue isn’t more than Sh1.5 billion the Narok County Council must pay 50% of the difference alongside a service fee of the total revenue collected to Equity bank. The problem is that Narok locals say the Masai Mara doesn’t earn Sh1.5 billion annually and therefore the 50% difference plus a service fee will have to come out of the Narok County Councils pocket instead of using that money to improve the local region.

A situation as complex as this simply won’t work itself out overnight and until a compromise is made it would be better if you are looking for a trip to Africa to travel to climb Kilimanjaro in Tanzania instead. Although Tanzania has a similar system in operation they have the right balance and issues surrounding the smart card system throughout the parks in Tanzania are almost non-existent.

Zanzibar is not just one island but is in fact the main island in the Zanzibar archipelago which is situated in the Indian Ocean roughly 25 miles of the coast of mainland Tanzania. The two main islands in the Zanzibar archipelago are Zanzibar and Pemba which lies around 50 miles to the north.

The entry point to the archipelago is Stone Town which is the capital and main port. The city of Stone Town hasn’t really changed to much in the last 200 years and still has its famous maze like windy roads which everyone seems to get lost in. Most of the houses you see in Stone Town were built by Arabs and they all look very similar with their big wooden doors with large brass studs all the way down them.

There are many wonderful resorts here including the Zanzibar Serena Inn and the Dongwe Ocean View. These magnificent hotels are dotted all over the island of Zanzibar, bringing you some of the best sites on the island.

Spice plantations are a big part of the history of Zanzibar and this is what brought the Sultans of Oman a few hundred years ago. This is also where the slave trade began and you can check out the museum on the island if you head into the middle of the city. You are able to book yourself on a spice tour where you will be greeted with the aromas of nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and many other spices.

Tours to Nungwi in the ever popular north of the island are available from Stone Town. Nungwi is a fishing village and the only place on Zanzibar where they construct the dhows that you see quite regularly in the Indian Ocean. This area of the island has some of the best beaches in Africa as well as some wonderful coral reefs which are ideal for snorkelling and scuba diving.

There is also a spectacular coral reef surrounding Prison Island, which was the home for unruly slaves back in the day. Most people visit Prison Island to swim with the local family of turtles that live here.

You are able to book your Zanzibar holidays through the Internet and over the phone through many companies around the world, but make sure you do your research into where you want to stay on the island and what you want to do otherwise you might end up with a bit of an unexpected surprise.