Ile

As we are going in august for a quite long driving safari in Kenya, I would like to find some maps.

For Kenya, I found some: Nelles, ITMB, Freytag &Berndt; but I couldn't find Shell/Marco polo which seems to be the best one. Any Ideas where I could find it please?

As for the parks (we'll be in Amboseli, Nakuru, Hell's Gate, Masai Mara) can we find maps at the entrance? Or is it better to buy them here?

I also found (on this forum ) a T4A Map Pro at www.tracks4africa.com/t4a_maps_pro.asp

Could you please tell which one did you use?

Thanks!

Patty

I have the Globetrotter Kenya map. However, since it's the only one I have, I can't tell you if it's worse or better than the other ones

Buy your country maps from home. I paid $17 for the above map in Kenya but it sells for $8.95 on amazon.com. You can also request a country map from the Kenya Tourist Board in your country (if there is one) but it might take them 3 months to send it I got mine after I returned home along with a very nice magazine type publication.

The parks do sell maps and guidebooks specific to each park and those usually cost about 500-1000 KES. The national park maps and guides are of good quality. There are several maps for the Mara reserve and I'm not sure if they sell different ones at various gates. I would buy the individual park maps locally.

The T4A map is really for GPS use. The Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda map is very basic. Are you taking a GPS unit?

Ile

Thanks Patty.
I was thinking that it's better to have at least one good map bought here.

And yes, we have a GPS, but I wasn't able to find a better map.
I remembered I had the Google Earth files that you had put on the forum.
Thanks!

I'll try to do the same with our itineraries/accommodations.

Patty

Yes, I agree I'd buy at least one good map now. That way you can stare at it daily before your trip

T4A is the best GPS map that I could find too and I did buy that one. When you get back, you can send your waypoints to Eben to add to his mapping project. You can email him through his www.go-safari.com site.

luangwablondes

It would be nice, if you buy the T4A maps, to record some waypoints(lodges, camps, hotels, gates, waterholes, migration crossings,anything of interest including fuel stations)as a contribution. They will add your efforts to the next maps and can be used by others-like me too. Contact Wouter Brand at T4A if you are interested. He will go over some of the things you may need to do. The type of gps you should have and its settings. The maps are revised and updated frequently by contributors, so are the most uptodate you will find.

kimburu

I found a lot of maps and park guides at the bookshop on the ground floor of teh Sarit Center in Nairobi. Even though I am sure you can usually buy maps at Park HQs keep in mind that there are multiple entrances to parks but only one will be near park HQ, so unless you know you will be going through that entrance it is probably better to get the park maps in advance - if you have trouble getting them online or at a bookshop the official KWS maps are available at Kifaru Ark Shop at the main gate to Nairobi National Park (or at least that's what I was told). Also at Tsavo and Meru.

Ile

Luangwablondes,
Thanks for the contact details; I'll talk to Wouter Brand!

Kimburu,
thank you for the ideas. On one way I would like to buy everything here, before getting to Nairobi, on the other hand, if I buy all these maps now, I am afraid I'll spend all my free time (not so much, unfortunately) "reading" them!
Fair enough seems to make it fifty-fifty!