Help on 1st time Kenyan safari
 

There are 2 different trips that my husband & I are considering for a first time safari. Both are in Kenya but are at different times of the year -- one would include the migration. Any advice would be appreciated. Both safaris are ~$6,200 pp. incl. air.

Option 1 - Aug. 2010
Day 1 Depart USA
Day 2 Amsterdam/Nairobi - Norfolk Hotel
Day 3 Olpajeta - Sweet Waters Tent Camp
Day 4 & 5 Samburu - Serena Lodge/Samburu Lodge
Day 6 Aberdare - Ark Tree Lodge
Day 7 Lake Naivasha - Else Mere
Day 8 Lake Nakura - Else Mere
Day 9,10 &11 Masai Mara - Keekorok Lodge
Day 12 Depart Nairobi

Option 2 - Feb. 2011
Day 1 Depart USA
Day 2 Amsterdam/Nairobi - Wildebeest Camp
Day 3 - 10 Lewa Downs - Lewa Safari Camp
Day 11 & 12 Laikipia - Il Ngwesi Lodge
Day 13 Shaba NP - Joy's Camp
Day 14 & 15 Masai Mara - Richard's Camp
Day 16 Depart Nairobi

For our budget of $6,200 pp could we do a trip that would include both Kenya & Tanzania and travel at a time to see the migration?

All the itineraries look great . However your , outfitter could have advised you on the second part . Since february is low season and there are less animals in Mara at this time , you can be winged to another place . I suggest on your second visit you include Amboseli , Tsavo East & West , and Lake Bogoria . It will give you difference test from the one you will get this year . For this August , the parks and places to stay are great ! You might just experience the Migration in the Mara ! Are you working through a local or international outfitter ? I would recomend www.villagelifesafari.com as your ground handlers in Kenya . Good luck.

Tabby.

Hi tabby,
first of all be sure to use a company that is a member of KATO - the Kenya association of Tour Operators -just in case of anything.well i think you can do a trip for both countries but not exactly those lodges you have mentioned..may be you ask a quote from the people who organize our conference hotel accommodations from AITEC - www.cruzeiro-safaris.com (spell check) hope i have it correctly. All the best.Shams

Just to clarify -- I am trying to decide which of the 2 options to take. I can't do both. Both of these trips are completely planned with no chance to make any changes. They are sponsored by 2 different zoo organizations. My other choice would be to plan my own trip using a tour operator. Any thoughts??

You would have an amazing adventure with either. Africa is impossible to beat. The thing I don't like about pre-planned trips is the value. On the 12 day itinerary @ $6200 PP, the first two days you do nothing but fly. On the final day you fly - so you are really only getting 9 days on safari. In both itineraries you travel to 5 different locations. That's a lot of packing and moving. At least on Option 2 you look to have 12 days in the bush.

Both of your itineraries sound lovely and they do include your air fare. Since the prices are the same, I would lean toward Option 2. It gets you out of Nairobi quickly and into the bush and you have a nice long stay at Lewa Downs in the middle.

Just from a value point of view, #2 is much better. You should be able to plan #1 as a private safari for 2 for less depending on where you're flying from. The only issue is you might be running into availability problems for this August. Also the Serena Lodge in Samburu is closed until June 2011. Not sure when Samburu Lodge will reopen so you'll need to be booked at alternate accommodations there.

The itineraries themselves are completely different. What are your goals for the trip? #1 is a typical group itinerary (looks like all drive) that moves around a lot and hits the usual parks but does give you a lot of diversity. #2 is more unique and much higher end and while the long stay is nice, most of your time will be spent in one region (will the zoo group be working on a particular project here?) with only 2 nights in the Mara and that strange single overnight at Joy's camp in Shaba. Perhaps if you posted a link to this second itinerary, we could better understand its purpose.

<i>For our budget of $6,200 pp could we do a trip that would include both Kenya & Tanzania and travel at a time to see the migration?</i>

Where are you flying from? I think if you concentrated on mostly Kenya (which is less expensive than Tanzania) you could do it but again for this migration season, you'll want to check on accommodations soon.

I'm with Patty. The first is a typical group routing, and for the Samburu part it will be difficult to be at the Serena or even Game Lodge... both damaged by recent floods. Only the Sopa and Simba Lodges are taking "groups" if there's availabilty.

And yes, the second itinerary (Feb '11 which is at mid-season rates) is offering higher-end accommodations, and assume the "zoo group" is doing something at Lewa where there are many projects going on. Many of the same species found at Samburu (not included on this itinerary) can be found at Lewa. But why only 1/nt at Joy's in Shaba, and then only 2/nts in the Mara. It would be a whole lot easier to depart Laikipia (Il Ngwesi) to the Mara (omit Shaba/Joy's) and add the nt to Richard's.

If you were designing your own, with 12/days in Feb, you can do both Kenya & Tanzania, but not with the same Kenya stops. Feb is great for the Migration in Tanzania at the Ndutu or Southeast Serengeti area. You can arrive NBO, visit the Mara (3/nts), then fly to Tanzania for remaining days... visiting Tarangire (2/nts), Ngorongoro Crater (1/nt), Ndutu or SESerengeti (3/nts) - aware though that while the Mara will be at mid-season, Tanzania will be at peak-season rates.

Day 1 - Arv. NBO - o/n
Day 2 - Fly to Mara - o/n
Days 3-4 - Mara - o/n
Day 5 - Fly to NBO; connect to flight to JRO; transfer to Arusha - o/n
Day 6 - Drive to Tarangire - o/n
Day 7 - Tarangire - o/n
Day 8 - Drive to Ngorongoro Crater - o/n
Day 9 - Drive to Ndutu/SESerengeti - o/n
Days 10 & 11 - Ndutu/SESerengeti - o/n
Day 12 - Fly to JRO; fly to NBO, homebound.

Good luck!

"My other choice would be to plan my own trip using a tour operator. Any thoughts??"

Unless you have a group of friends with the zoo trip that you wish to travel with, I'd at least give my own trip a shot.

As others have stated, Samburu Serena is a no-go for Aug as it will not be rebuilt until at least June of 2011.

Sandi's itinerary would get you to both countries, which is what you wanted; you'd see the Mara at a bit of a discount, which is what you don't want to miss in Kenya; you'd see the Crater, a world heritage site; Tarangire is good for eles and baoabab trees along with other animals; the migration in S. Serengeti would be a fitting grande finale highlight.

Send this out for costing!

Your basic budget of $6,200pp includes air from USA, right? Making sure we understand that that leaves about $4,500 for Africa. If you break it out on your own tour.

regards - tom

Everyone, thank you very much for your input. I'm not sure why there is only 1 night at Shaba. The zoo group has a close affiliation with Lewa thus the majority of time is spent there. Regarding the time at the Mara, the 3 days/2 nights is an optional add-on to the base trip that I would do so that I could see another area of Kenya plus see hippos. I may have the days mixed up because we fly to the Mara from the Lewa airstrip not Shaba.

Tom -- yes, excluding air I would have about $4,500 for Africa.

I was somewhat hesitant trying to do my own tour not knowing what operators are reputable and good. These 2 options presented themselves and seemed like any easy way to get to Africa. I am a little concerned about only getting to see a small part of Kenya with the trip to Lewa. However, we were getting some very nice accommodations for a reasonable price. I don't want to spend the entire time travelling either. Sandi's suggestion sounds like a good compromise. Would $4,500 be enough to do the trip that she is suggesting?

One night at Shaba may be because that area is very scenic, but the animals are more scarce and timid. I am doing just one night at Shaba in my upcoming trip.

Lewa is a wonderful place and you'd really become familiar with it, staying for that many days. Combined with the Mara, that makes for a great trip.

You have several good options. Either zoo trip is good. Sandi's itinerary is good. There are many excellent companies you could book with. Why not ask what ground operators the zoo is using? The zoo most likely does not have its own vehicles and guides, even if zoo naturalists accompany you. You could inquire with those same ground operators. Or pick from a huge list of others.

Doing the whole trip on your own for $4500 could be tough. Not in Kenya, but including Tanzania. Also are all tips included with your zoo trip? That would make it an even harder price to beat. One thing to check with the zoo is does everyone get their own window? Nobody stuck in any middle seat?

Investigating your options, getting some pricing, and weighing the tradeoffs is a good way to ensure you end up with the best option for you.

Yes, all the tips are included and you are guaranteed a window seat. A stop at a cultural boma and a day trip to the Mt. Kenya Animal Conservancy is also included. From others that I have spoken with, it seems like the trip is a good value.

The aspect that I like about the zoo trip is that it is focused on conservancy of the animals. The places that we are staying reinvest the monies into Kenya & conservancy rather than lining the pockets of some company in the U.K. for instance.

I don't know what ground operators are being utilized.

I realize that it just comes down to trade-offs in making my decision. I was looking for some input outside of the organizations that are planning the trips. I truly appreciate everyone's comments.

Trip #2 would do the most to reinvest in conservation, with the lengthy stay at Lewa and Il Ngwesi Lodge.

Another factor to consider is whether Flying Doctors emergency evacuation insurance comes with the zoo trips. That makes the zoo more attractive.

If you get bitten by the Africa bug, you may end up going back again anyway. The zoo trip #1 or Sandi's itinerary would be easier to do on your own at reasonable cost. The advantage of group costing with your ready-made zoo travel mates will benefit you most on the zoo #2 trip, I think. The insight you will gain and activities you will be involved in at Lewa will probably be hard to duplicate on your own, as I'm sure the zoo has special things set up for you. Most individual intineraries don't spend a week in Lewa, though I spent 4 nights and was not ready to move on after that.

So the most unique opportunity is zoo #2, and with your added nights in the Mara, it looks great.

If this is a one time visit to Africa and you wish to see the highlights of both Kenya and Tanzania, maximizing species and seeing the migration, then Sandi's itinerary (or something similar) is what you want.

Zoo trip #1 is the most standard itinerary that could be easily duplicated as a private trip or you could find it as a group offering another time. But this trip would have wildlife variety and numbers similar to Sandi's, all within Kenya. Two lodging issues: I'd prefer to stay somewhere else or somewhere in additon to Keekorok in the Mara in August, from a location standpoint. Samburu Serena is closed, find out where you'd be instead.

Let us know what you decide. Very exciting options.

Yes, Flying Doctors insurance comes with both zoo trips. All my uncertainty in choosing comes down to whether I'll be able to make it back to Africa again. I have a feeling that I will indeed be bitten by the Africa bug.

Could you provide more detail on what you meant by Zoo trip #1 or Sandi's trip having more wildlife variety and numbers? What species would I see on those trips that I wouldn't on the Lewa trip?
Thanks!!!

With #1 you get a high elevation forest (Aberdare), freshwater lake (Naivasha) and soda lake (Nakuru). You can also see rescued chimps at Sweetwaters. Species you might encounter in Aberdare include giant forest hogs, colobus and Sykes monkeys (it would be best if you could include a game drive in the Salient on your way to the Ark as generally this is just a shuttle trip). At Nakuru you could see flamingo and Rothschild giraffe. Naivasha has excellent birding. On both trips you should see most of the northern/eastern species such as reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, beisa oryx, gerenuk, Somali ostrich. As far as wildlife numbers, Lewa and the Mara have high game density so that wouldn't be a concern for me on #2.

No doubt, the "zoo" trip has special pricing (including Flying Docs and tips... nice), and especially staying Lewa 7/days, which are likely a professional courtesy besides being based on # of people traveling.

What you have to ask is whether you want to spend 7/days at Lewa, having never visited and maybe not getting back (ever) or as with most of us here, eventually.

Considering the suggested itinerary I show, including both countries, the $4,500 for both might actually be tight for February travel when it's peak-season in Tanzania. If you wish for February, it's not too early to send your request to a few tour operators, safari planners, in-country outfitters for quotes to see if you can pull it off. At this time, 2011 rates are slowly trickling in... most won't be set before August... but will give you an idea. At the same time, check a site as Kayak at www.kayak.com for flights, schedules, fares for February travel.

For certain you can do #1 or similar on your own, selecting though nicer properties, especially for Kenya in <b>Feb 2011</b> as for Aug 2010 space is already tight throughout Kenya. This zoo group is holding whichever space as a blocked booking, which will have to be released shortly if #1, or at least 2/mo prior arrival if #2.

Years back I was often tempted by association itineraries, especially given the prices, but when dissected, these weren't ideal for my needs, which decision you now have to make.

You might also want to consider Sep for Kenya. Airfare is generally lower in Sep than Aug, the migration should still be in the Mara and you may have an easier time getting space.

If you haven't done so already, you might want to check out the East Africa trip report index to see where others have gone and which operators they've used http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...port-index.cfm

You could send for a few quotes, then compare with the zoo trips.

Good luck!

Thanks for the above link for the trip report index. It looks like it has some realy great information -- I can't wait to read it. It will certainly provide some good information on itinearies. However, most of the reports are somewhat old -- the most recent is Aug. 2008. Anyone have suggestions for tour operators that have been used more recently?

On the main Africa & Middle East forum page, you can access more recent trip reports (they're listed below the "new topics" section). Click on either the Kenya or Tanzania tag to see only trips reports for those countries.

I've used Eastern & Southern in Kenya as recently as Sep 2009 and will be using them again next month. Gamewatchers is also a very reputable operator in Kenya. For Tanzania, Roy Safaris and Good Earth come to mind. You can either book the Kenya and Tanzania parts separately or through one operator as most work with partner operators in the other country.

"Could you provide more detail on what you meant by Zoo trip #1 or Sandi's trip having more wildlife variety and numbers? What species would I see on those trips that I wouldn't on the Lewa trip?"

Patty gave you a good rundown of the variety on #1 and some of the unique species. This trip really would have the most different species of mammals.

On Sandi's itinerary, you have BOTH the Mara AND the Serengeti, which have all the species you associate with Africa. So it's a double dose. In addition, the migration is in the S. Serengeti where it is easier to see than when it is spread out over other parts of the Serengeti, which is the case during other times of the year. Plus it is birthing time so you may see many baby wildes. The crater has all the predators and species you might might hope to see in the highest concentration of anywhere in Africa. So there would be more animals and more chances at predators but not more variety of species on Sandi's trip than what you'd have with Zoo #2. In fact Zoo #2 has some of the species found in Samburu.

Do you have a daily itinerary of what you'll be doing for the week in Lewa? That might help you decide too. I know Earth Watch has run programs there and I wonder if you will be doing some volunteer activities during your stay, similar to the Earth Watch folks.

For companies: I used Eastern and Southern, based in Nairobi, as recently as Aug and will be in Sept. The other names Patty mentions would be companies I'd be comfortable going with too. Pick up a Fodors Complete African Safari Planner and on page 25 they mention numerous agents.

You can also see who the ground operators are for your zoo trip because that means the zoo was confident in using them for the upcoming trips, so you might consider them too.

One other thing to consider is how enjoyable you find group travel. If that is your preferred mode of style, then score more for the zoo trips. If you are not group people, then even saving a considerable sum may not be worth it.

Dven if you have a custom trip, it is likely you'd be sharing a vehicle with another couple people at Lewa anyway, espeically if you are flying in. Something to keep in mind.

Again, any of these options would give you a nice trip. There is not a clear loser that you should avoid.