SERENGETI – AMBOSELI – MURCHISON FALLS AND MORE SUFFER FROM EXCESSIVE RAINS
(Posted 04th December 2019)
Air Kenya has given notice that they will for the time being not use the Nanyuki airstrip, gateway to the lodges and tented camps on Ol Pejeta, the Mount Kenya Safari Club and other conservancies and lodges / resorts in the area.
The condition of the airstrip was worsened by the ongoing heavy rains which are not only affecting the Kenyan safari circuit but also parks like the Serengeti in Tanzania and Murchison Falls in Uganda.
Wrote Air Kenya: Greetings from Airkenya!
We would like to inform you that effective today, 04th December 2019, Airkenya is temporarily suspending operations into Nanyuki Civil Airstrip due to the prevailing rains.
If your guests are staying at Fairmont – Mt. Kenya Safari Club, Airkenya will pick and drop them at Mount Kenya Game Ranch Airstrip.
Otherwise the alternative Airstrip will be Lewa Downs.
Kindly call or email our reservations and operations team to make the necessary adjustments.
Phone: +254 (0) 20 391 6000
In Uganda did the Uganda Wildlife Authority but also affected lodges, camps and safari operators issue warnings that the ferry services at the main Nile crossing at Paraa have been challenged due to extremely high water levels which turned the otherwise docile river into a raging beast and made driving cars on to the ferry literally impossible.
Guests staying at the Southern river bank and entering the park from the Masindi side have not be able to cross the river to the main game viewing areas but were restricted to reach the viewing point of the main falls while guests trying to enter the park from the Pakwach side also found flooding of several areas restricting access to and from the lodges on the side north of the river.
It is understood that flights to and from the Pakuba airfield will be stepped up to allow guests to leave the park or else to reach the park’s core areas.
Several video shots from the falls viewing point was found on Twitter and needs no further description or explanation:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1202071693323309056
FLOODS ALERT. Water levels on River Nile have raised & submerged the ferry docking point at Paraa Murchison Falls National Park. It is difficult for vehicles to enter the ferry. The small bridge is also washed away. Tangi has also flooded. BE ALERT Thank you.
Hundreds of passengers were yesterday stranded as the key Pakwach road was flooded and made impassable. Those affected were quick to point towards rapid climate change which according to their sentiments made the situation very much worse with some camp operators in the area calling the situation ‘unprecedented floodings‘.
Only 15 cms of fast running water can sweep a man off his feet while it only takes two feet of rushing water to wash a car away when trying to cross a flooded area.
More rains are forecast for the region between today and the coming weekend, with residents advised to exercise caution and avoiding known flash points where flooding has occurred in the past. The current weather pattern is caused by what is known as the Indian Ocean Dipole, the equivalent to the Pacific’s El Nino phenomenon.
Meanwhile has the extent of the flooding across Eastern Africa become apparent when the BBC published a map, showing the number of affected people and the casualties this unusual weather phenomenon has caused.
Tour and safari operators and their respective associations across Eastern Africa are in constant contact with their members who in turn get feedback from their driver guides about local situations, which can then be relayed to others to avoid flooded areas and seek alternative routes.
