Take an Earth Day Safari or Barbecue in Uruguayby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 17 Apr 2008 09:15 PM Nairobi tour operators are hoping travelers who want to embark on green vacations to celebrate Earth Day 2008 will consider visiting Kenya. Game parks there used to draw thousands of safari loving adventure seekers each year, but ever since the region was marred with violence following a post-election crisis visitors have been reluctant to tour local conservations parks. That means Kenya's rich wildlife, from its rhinos to whale sharks, is now at risk unless the country can regain visitors. According to local officials, the deaths of more than 1,000 people due to riots and ethnic clashes prompted tour operators to cancel chartered flights to the east African country, dealing a heavy blow to its tourism industry. As a result, revenues to parks and reserves have plummeted and countless conservation initiatives have been put at risk. Tourism officials and Kenya Wildlife Services have been forced to step up their efforts to lure visitors back to the wild. Several tour operators are offering special safari packages just in time for the April 22nd celebration of Earth Day in an effort to attract more tourists to the area. You can choose from a variety of safaris. There are those that cater specifically to families, couples, thrill seekers, and photographers. For more information on Kenyan safaris click here. If you rather spend your Earth Day soaking up natural riches while digging into meaty dishes you might consider a trip to Uruguay. The South American country is well known for its incredible vistas, but not very many people know that it is also home to some of the best beef in the world. Uruguay is a laid-back country of some 3.2 million people and is located in between the visitor rich countries of Argentina and Brazil. In an effort to attract meat loving tourists to the region, which is one of the world's leading exports of beef (Uruguay rakes in $817 million in beef exports last year), local officials grilled up 26,400 pounds of meat last week to set a new Guinness world record. Members of the Uruguay army set up a grill nearly a mile long and firefighters lit six tons of charcoal to kick off the massive barbeque. Then, some 1,250 people grilled the local beef while 20,000 spectators looked on. The former world barbeque record was set by Mexico in 2006, but the Uruguay cookout bested that record by a resounding 4 tons of meat. Related Articles: Going Green On The Road-Part 2 State Natural Areas--An Adventure in Nature Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevanttravel tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags earth day, Earth Day travel, Kenya, safari Discuss this article
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