JUMP INTO A NEW ADVENTURE

Dear Reader,

Happy New Year 2012.

The old year which had a fair share of dramatic events is now behind us and it is my hope, that the just started year 2012 will bring less anxiety.

The first newsletter of this year is short because the news of other major events dominated recent headlines.

I wish you a very successful and prosperous year 2012

Karl-Heinz Straus

Park entrance fees in Kenya up

Kenya Wildlife Service has raised the park entry for Lake Nakuru and Amboseli to USD 80 from 1st Januar 2012. The new prices for Tsavo East and West, Meru and Kora is now USD 65. Kenya Wildlife Service gave as reason the rising costs of staffing, maintenance, improving security and government policy that parks should be self-financing.

Kenya's tourism revenue up by 11%

Kenya's income from tourism went up to USD 960 m from USD 864 m in the first 10 months of 2011. The number for tourist arrivals also went up 16 per cent, to one million compared to 896,000 in the 10 months to October 2010.

Serena has taken over Movenpick Hotel in Dar es Salaam

Serena Hotels is now in Dar es Salaam as part of the expansion to complete the safari circuit in Tanzania. It is operating under Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel.

Turkish airlines and South African airlines now fly to Kigali in Rwanda

A 32% rise in revenue and 28% more tourists in Rwanda has led to more and more airlines arranging flights to Kigali. A marketing campaign is planned for 2012 to increase numbers of tourists in Rwanda.

Volcano erupts in Virunga National Park in DRC

Nyamuragira, Africa's most active volcano, erupted in a spectacular display of spewing lava, and bright orange smoke and ash in the DR Congo's Virunga National Park. The volcano, which erupts on average every two years, is situated approximately 40km north of the city of Goma in North Kivu province, and just northwest of Virunga's other active volcano, Nyiragongo. The eruption and lava appears to be coming from a low-level fissure on a flat area east of the volcano, with the lava flowing north toward a non-populated section of Virunga National Park but there is no danger to wildlife as yet. The eruption appears to be of no danger to the surrounding population and the city of Goma - or the mountain gorillas and other wildlife. Since 1882, the 3,058 meter high Nyamuragira has erupted more than 40 times, but fatalities from these eruptions are rare. Foreign visitors are finding such an opportunity extremely tempting and several brave travelers have already arrived to witness the spectacle first hand.

Tanzania has more to offer than Kilimanjaro, Seregenti and Ngorongoro

Tanzania is well know for the Serengeti, Ngorongoro the highst mountain in Africa the Kilimanajaro. But Tanzania has much more to offer for visitors who want to see and experience unknown areas. There are in total 17 national parks, game reserves and a number of dramatic lakes like Lake Victoria - 2nd large lake in the world - and Lake Tanganyika, the longest fresh water lake in the world.

New strategy beefs up security at Kenya's beaches

A plan to streamline beach operations has also started taking shape, courtesy of the Sh150 million Beach Management Programme pilot programme. Stakeholders in the tourism sector—including boat operators, curio sellers and other traders along the beaches— have started to relocate their activities along the 12-kilometre stretch from Tudor and Mtwapa creeks. The more than 2,000 operators will be stationed at designated places to enhance security at the shoreline to avert incidents of tourist harassment. The six-month project was initiated by the Kenya Wildlife Service and funded by the government.

Kenya is much more than mini bus tourism

By Michael Poliza
You see, living in Cape Town as I did then, I was used to southern Africa's sustainable, small-scale tourism. I had been spoiled by destinations such as Botswana where the tourist industry was young (especially compared to East Africa), with the number of tourists carefully controlled, and the lodges and camps small. What a shock in the Masai Mara to find 20 or more vehicles all clustered around just one lion! I was convinced Kenya couldn't offer a genuine wilderness experience.
I was so wrong!
A year later, when I finally decided to go back, I tried to keep an open mind. I'm glad I did.... After a few days, I realized that if you know where to go, Kenya offers an abundance of breathtaking unspoiled wilderness. I'd say more than 90-95% of visitors visit less than 5-10% of the country. If you stay away from the crowds -- possible even in the famous Masai Mara -- you will experience some of the most unique areas in the world.
Kenya's diversity is clearly breathtaking: the plains of the Mara, beaches on the Indian Ocean, rainforest in the highlands, snow on Mount Kenya, huge waterfalls, vast deserts, volcanoes, picturesque dunes, fantasy rock formations, deep swamps, etc. -- hard to imagine, but it's all here! I now visit at least three or four times a year, often with friends. I have become something of an expert in finding the most beautiful and untamed places.
My personal favorite is clearly the North. Lake Turkana, Suguta Valley, Lake Logipi, Aruba Rock, and Chalbi Desert are areas that are hard to reach and still totally unspoiled -- and stunning. I have spent much time in these areas. My new book reflects my love for this part of the world. Let's hope any future development in these untouched areas will be on a responsible and sustainable scale.
3rd Jan 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-poliza/exploring-kenyas-pristine_b_1180892.html

Further Information

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