Pumbavu,
I've found that E&S is more than willing to book any camp I request (including some obscure places). The standard itineraries they list on their website may lean more toward the larger mid-range lodges and camps, but I've asked for many, many different custom itineraries and so far haven't encountered any camp or lodge in Kenya which they can't or are unwilling to book. I've never gotten the feeling from them that they have certain preferred camps or lodges that they push clients toward. I think Serah gets a kick out of the fact that I sometimes ask for places that are a bit off the wall :)

When will you be there? We arrive Nairobi on Nov 15 and leave on Nov 30. We're heading to El Karama Ranch first, then from there to the Aberdares, Lake Nakuru, Baringo, and Navaisha before heading down to the Masai Mara.

Have a great time at Sweetwaters. We were there in Jan and saw a rhino come to drink at the waterhole both nights.

BTW you have some lovely photos of Kenya on your site!

I fly out on Nov 8th and back on the 21st, mainly around Nairobi except for the last weekend at Sweetwaters!

Patty-

Thanks for the information on Ilkeliani. Even though it's a bit rushed, I'm sticking with one night Nakuru-Mbweha, two nights Serena, and now two nights Mara Base Camp. My Uganda itinerary is still a bit in the air, but I plan to arrange it to catch the 9am EBB-NBO flight so we can have time for an afternoon game drive in Lake Nakuru. So far Serah at ESS has been wonderful to deal with and has made helpful suggestions without "pushing" any one thing over another. Since she said Julius would be available, I'm almost ready to wire our deposit. Thanks for everyone's help, and I'll definitely keep you posted.

-Matt

Mattm
Glad to hear you've had a good experience with Serah so far. Thanks for keeping us updated!

BTW I'll try to check out Basecamp and take some pics for you while I'm there as it seems very close to Ilkeliani.