Four British tourists on safari were robbed at gunpoint by bandits dressed as Masai tribesmen in Kenya.

A gang of six men, two armed with AK-47 rifles, attacked their campsite in a private conservation area near the Masai Mara park.

They escaped with valuables, including cash, camera equipment and documents, after storming the camp shortly before midnight.

A Kenyan police spokesman at Narok, the nearest town, said no one was hurt.

"The tourists were attacked by six bandits. There were two men among them who were armed," he said. "They stole the property of four tourists from the UK.

"We are looking in the area, so we may be able to arrest the attackers.

"We suspect they may have been Masai because they were wearing Masai attire, but we will know more when they are arrested. People may wear Masai clothes, but are not Masai."

The incident at the isolated Mara Porini campsite close to the Tanzanian border happened on Monday night.

A spokesman for Game-watchers Safaris said commercial director Mohanjeet Brar was travelling to the site to investigate.

His colleague, operations manager Gurmukh Jabbal, said the raiders had the distinctive elongated earlobes and bright red cloaks of the Masai.

He said the gunmen targeted British guests in two tents, believed to be two couples, after taking a member of staff hostage.

He said: "They were about to go into a third and asked their hostage whether there were armed police nearby. Thankfully he said yes and the attackers ran off into the bush. Everyone was very shaken, but no one was injured."

A Foreign Office spokeswoman confirmed the incident, but said the tourists had not asked for assistance.

She said: "The British people are fine."