kerikeri

hi everyone!
i will have a brief (10 days) time in kenya before a volunteer assignment. i'm a female. adult not college student.

i have very little time to plan and my chief concern is personal safety alone in nairobi/mombasa.

how bad is nairobi as a place to stay overnight and do day trips?

what about the train to mombassa - as a sightseeing option and to get there and then fly back to NBO at the end?

would you self-drive anything in kenya as a female alone? i can drive 4w but i prefer tarmac.

i've contacted some companies and have not yet heard back what they propose.

i'd appreciate your input.

oh, and do you think tsavo is worth adding to my itinerary.

this is all taking place in june, would i be disappointed with masai mara at that time?

thank you. i just learned about this today and am scrambling.
thankyou
kerikeri

kerikeri

me again. i should add that i'd go about $2K on the biudget- but i'd rather save money on beach lodgings as long as it's pretty and i'm safe.

i'd rather fly in than drive unless the long drive is worthwhile for sightseeing.

and lastly what about bthe ark? are there really elephants as in the photos? is that drivable from nairobi?

thank you again.

Nyamera

Hi kerikeri,

I’ve been alone in Mombasa and Nairobi. I felt perfectly safe in Mombasa and safe enough in Nairobi. Nairobi isn’t bad at all to stay overnight and do day tips. It’s not advisable to walk the streets after dark, but I did it anyway and it wasn’t that bad.

I’ve never taken the train to Mombasa. As it’s overnight, it isn’t that good for sightseeing, but people say it’s an experience in it’s own.

I’d love to self-drive without doing a sex change first, but I’m afraid of the cost, driving on the left, getting lost and having mechanical problems. Some day I’ll do it. If tarmac is a material that’s dear to your heart, Kenya will make you cry. Though drunk, speed-loving drivers are the greatest danger.

Tsavo is worth adding to any itinerary and the Mara is never disappointing. Though if it rains, the animals will “disappear” from Tsavo.

I’ve never been to the Ark, but yes there are elephants and I think it’s about 3 hours from Nairobi.

$2K is a lot for 10 days if you’re not all the time on safari.

Is your plan to visit Nairobi, the Mara, Tsavo or Aberdares, and the coast?

kerikeri

you're so nice to respond.

i don't have much of a "plan"!

i selected mombasa because there was a pretty picture on a web site, but i am now thinking i'm going to get muggedon the beach at night.

i guess i wanted to do whatever is "the" thing to do in kenya the way "okavango" is "the" thing to do in bostwana.

it seems that masai mara is it, but then i saw those pictures of the ark and thought- wow, if there really are elephants right outside i could be really happy just sitting at this hotel for three days.

but is that foolish and a terrible place to go?

i also would like to see those flamingos are they there in june?

as for tsavo- well, i missed herds of elephants at chobe (rain) so i am still seeking that experience.

any recommended accoms- and thanks for dissuading me of the self-drive option and the day time rail journey option!
any fave hotels?

thanks

JanGoss

kerikeri:

You might want to fly to the Mara for 3 - 4 days. Then fly back to Nairobi, take Kenya Airways to Mombasa. You can then spend a few days at the beach and also do a Tsavo stay (Satao Camp is great - I'll be there for nine days in August). Though I know Nyamera has walked around the cities alone, I personally wouldn't consider it. The one time I did walk two blocks to the city market I was warned by people at the hotel not to take any money,wear a watch or jewelry, not tell anyone where I was staying and even not to wear my glasses because they could be stolen off my face! If you have special places around Nairobi that you want to go such as Giraffe Manor, Sheldrick Trust I would get a price from a safari company or cab hire.

You can look at
www.Kenyalastminute.com. This is a side business of Southern Cross Safaris (www.southerncrosssafaris.com) whom I have used on ten occasions. They are a very reputable company in Mombasa (in business since 1957). They were voted "Best Tour Operator in Kenya 2005" by Travel News Magazine readers. If you email Torben he can make suggestions for you.

As to self drive, don't. You must understand that Kenya has little to no road signs. Though I've been there nine times, I wouldn't be able to find my way out of Nairobi! There are so many round-abouts with no signs directing you which way to go. Then, if you lucky enough to get started, there are very few service stations if you have a flat or car trouble and no AAA if you get stuck. Then there is the traffic itself. I'm used to the awful Boston drivers, but Kenya drivers are something else!

You will absolutely fall in love with Kenya and its wildlife and people. Just be careful if traveling alone.

kerikeri

that is also wonderful to read. i'm going to click right over to that web site immediately. i love the idea of just flying in.

if i did fly to masai mara would i get a transfer to the lodges? similarly how to i get to tsavo, also flying?

thanks

Patty

kerikeri,
The lodge or camp where you're staying will pick you up from the airstrip.

www.safarilink.co.ke shows scheduled flights to Tsavo West but not Tsavo East. To get to Tsavo East, you'll need to travel by road.

Walking around Nairobi isn't that bad during the day. I leave any valuables in the hotel safe and just carry enough spending money and a credit card in my pocket.

JanGoss

kerikeri and Patty:

I think it would be best to do the Mara first via Air Kenya, then fly back to Nairobi, transfer to JKIA and immediately fly to Mombasa (only a 45 minute flight). You would be met at the airport and taken to your beach hotel. Then when you want to go to Tsavo SXS would pick her up at her hotel and drive her to Tsavo East -Satao Camp. If you decide you also want to see Tsavo West or Amboseli they could arrange that also.

kerikeri

you're all amazing.

seriously this is saving me so much time. do you have a favorite place in masai mara? i really felt i missed put on the experiences of wildlife viewing from my accommodations during the botswana trip. on the very last morning there were some elephants just as we were departing and i have ever since dreamed of watching the animals from the comfort of my room/ tent.

would anyplace in masai mara provide that experience?

thanks again. you're lifesavers!

kimburu

In my case I found Nairobi to be a pretty intense experience but maybe it was my mistake to try to "experience it for myself" rather than just believing what others had said. Also, if the six-foot, glue-sniffing, stoned transvestite had chosen another tourist to bug as the last of the sun disappeared I might have felt better about it ;-) . When his/her friends joined him/her I felt like I was getting into a scene out of Night of the Living Dead, trying to drag myself to the safety of the house (well in this case it was the well-lit and busy intersection 50 metres away). Of course nothing happened in the end but I have to say I would prefer the adrenaline rush of meeting a rhino in the bush!
All I'm saying is that while you shouldn't be too scared to spend time in Nairobi, take the precautions and if you stay out past sunset you may have "an experience".

I would agree that self-drive is likely to be an experience too, and after dark I would imagine a bit "hairy" for a woman alone. If you do it I beleive there are some "rules" for drivers alone like don't stop for anyone or anything unless you are totaly sure why, keep your windows up and doors locked driving in Nairobi (especially from the slums to Westlands) - so check those out.

If you go to the Ark or Mountain Lodge (a similar concept) you really will see the elephants like in the photos - and more or less than that, depending on luck. I certainly think it's cool to hang out by a waterhole like that. Jan didn't mention it but the camp she recommended in Tsavo has a busy waterhole too - the amount of activity there will depend on the time of year(that's from an enquiry I made to the people who run the camp, not me) and I have a feeling June won't be too good beacuse the rains have just been. Ask any safari operator you contact about this. Lastly, your budget should be okay but if it is getting too tight there are inexpensive and more basic lodges/camps in Tsavo East (but still comfortable and en suite) which you could visit on your way to the sea. The towns of Tsavo and Voi both have camps near them - but maybe Tsavo isn't the place to go in June?

Don't miss the Masaai Mara. If you are flying to the cost anyway, check out Lamu. Pictures are even prettier than Mombassa!

kimburu

cost = coast

santharamhari

Although, i havent been to the ark......i havent heard anything great about it. If you have a time and budget limit......you'd rather go on safari elsewhere......Mara, Samburu etc etc

Hari

Chinook

Hi kerikeri

A good option to the Ark or Mountain lodge could be The Mwaluganye forest Elephant Sancturay : http://www.webkenya.com/eng/safari/shimba_hills.php

Not far from Mombasa and a less expensive option

Have a nice trip -)
Chinook

fuzzylogic

Hi Kerikeri,
Don't be too paranoid about Nairobi - in the daytime just apply common sense. After dark - good advice not to wander around. Sad but true.

I would do the train trip if you can, and Mombasa is a great place to explore. There are companies in Nairobi with whom who can arrange a safari.

If it were me, Í'd try and book a short trip to Ambroseli or Samburu from Nairobi; then take the train to Mombasa; find somewhere to stay on Tiwi Beach and fly back.

Cheers.

kerikeri

thank you again!

lots to plan.

amboseli over samburu?

what about the flamingo lake? no?

thank you again!
kerikeri

Nyamera

Kerikeri,
I went to Tsavo in June 2004 and thought it was a good time of the year, but my driver kept saying that I’d have seen a lot more in July or August. I had elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks and impalas right outside my tent at Tarhi Camp. And Jan had a friend with very big tusks coming right up to her tent at Satao Camp.

If the picture you’ve seen is of a beach, it’s probably not Mombasa Town that you would like to visit. Mombasa is interesting itself, but the white beaches with coconut trees are to the south and to the north of the town.

I took the bus to Voi and was picked up by the camp in Tsavo and then I continued to Mombasa and flew back to Nairobi. If you go by train or plane to Mombasa you could pick up a Tsavo safari when on the coast. Reading posts on Trip Advisor from people who go on beach holidays, I’ve got the impression there’s a wide selection and competitive prices for short safaris to Tsavo. Though I wouldn’t like to return to Mombasa for the flight to Nairobi when in Tsavo you’re already halfway to Nairobi.

To see hundreds of thousands of flamingos you’d have to go to Lake Nakuru. I don’t know if I would go there having only 10 days and a need to visit the coast as well. I took the bus to Lake Nakuru in June last year and there certainly were more than a few flamingos. On a short standard road safari itinerary you’d visit Samburu (or Amboseli), L. Nakuru and the Mara, but for a solo traveller it’d be more expensive than flying to Samburu and the Mara – unless you go on a group tour.

I’d say there’s a higher animal density in Samburu than in Tsavo, but there are also more people. I haven’t been to Amboseli, but it’s more crowded than Samburu. There is an interesting swamp environment and the view of Kilimanjaro. In Samburu there are species like the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra and the Somali ostrich that you can’t see in southern Kenya. All three parks are known for their elephants.

JanGoss

It is true that animals tend to disappear right after rains, but this is true not only of Tsavo but in Amboseli and Samburu also.

Animals are smart enough to realize as soon as it start raining that food and water will be plentiful everywhere, and they disperse going into smaller groups and traveling long distances. They leave the permanent water supply (rivers, lakes and waterholes fed by a borehole) for the time when they can't find water anywhere else. When the wildebeest, zebra, impalas, etc. move, so will the big cats so they can find their prey. As the dry season progresses, they move back to the areas where they know water and food will be available.