Burundian crisis disrupts tourist arrivals in west Tanzania sanctuary

Political crisis in Great Lakes countries including Burundi has been cited as the reason behind the reduction in tourist arrivals at west Tanzania's Katavi National Park, an official said Monday.

Acting chief park warden Frederic Mofulu said the park is highly affected by the crisis in the Great Lakes region because of its closeness to Burundi, DRC, and Rwanda.

"Now things are not okay in Burundi. This reduces the number of tourists visiting the park in the past years," the official said.

Located 1, 235 km from Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam, the sanctuary is one of the richest parks in Tanzania with almost all the big five game animals, namely lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros.

Mofulu said that in 2014/2015, the park recorded 4,335 international tourists. But until March this year, the sanctuary recorded only 1,088 tourists, raising worries total number of arrivals won't reach the target by the end of this year.

According to Mofulu, cattle grazing inside the park also remained a serious challenge to the sanctuary in recent years. He said between March and June, park rangers seized more than 400 cattle which were found inside the 42-year-old sanctuary.

Katavi park is approximately 4,471 square kilometers in area, which makes it the third largest national park in Tanzania. The park encompasses the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi and Lake Chada floodplains. Endit