In case anyone is interested I came across this map giving an overview of how affected by drought various areas are in Kenya - from Jan 4 but it will no doubt be updated again at the same Web site from time to time - click on "maps" in the left hand menu for a list of all types of map - quite intersting actually. Of course this is from the perspective of human tragedy, but I guess some people will be interested to know when they are going to be visiting a real disaster area versus an area on the edge of one - might help to explain what you see.

I am not suggesting anyone avoid parks in the badly affected areas - they undoubtably need all the financial support they can get. If you come upon this post later, I would suggest you read this trip report for a bit of perpective of what it's like for a safari tourist in some of these areas at the time this map was drawn up for.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34753308

Let's hope/pray for lots and lots of rain this year because it is looking pretty worrying.

Link to map

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/...c=1&cc=ken


By the way, they don't have a similar map for Tanzania, which is good news, I guess.

Kimburu,
Thanks for the link.

Here’s a Maasai perspective:
http://maasai-association.org/httpdo...i-drought.html

Kimburu:

I will pray for rain but not LOTS of it. Too much rain at once will again bring massive flooding, which they don't need. Just a nice steady light rain would be best. That way it will have a chance to soak into the ground and not just wash soil, animals and people away. So many trees have been felled in the past that there isn't much to hold the soil in place with a real heavy rain.

I remember my first trip in 2001, I stayed at the Serena in Nairobi. The entire reception area was being replaced because of flooding that went inside the building!

Let's just pray they get enough rain - yet not too much all at once.

Jan

hi, hey have you guys been seeing the stories about LAKE VICTORIA? drying up very fast now. many stories on allafrica.com about this. i will be seeing this lake while in entebbe in march. i'll see whats going on.
time is going so fast- that june will be here before you know it.june is pretty much the end of the long rains. if those rains dont show up-i dont even want to think about that.
thx, d

You're quite right Jan. I will pray lightly.

Dave, I hadn't heard about the problems at Lake Victoria. Went to All Africa and, ugh, unearthed a web of problems (as usual).

Also started reading about the predictions of an Amyworm invasion this spring in Tanzania.

I guess there is a lot to "pray lightly" about currently.

Oops, meant Armyworm. I have a good friend named Amy--she wouldn't like Amyworm.