Dr_Andrea

Rwanda for gorilla trek, Kenya, and Zanzibar (Mnemba)? We would be leaving from JFK and at most can take 14 nights. Do you think it would be too much traveling? Or is it possible? We don't want to feel like we are picking up every two nights.

OnlyMeOirish

Hi Dr Andrea,
We did Rwanda and Kenya in 9 nights last year so it is possible. Here is what we did:
Rwanda 2 nights doing just one Gorilla Treck, Lake Nakuru 1 night, Masai Mara 4 nights, Nairobi 2 nights.

Imelda

sandi

The standard Rwanda trip is 4/days. Mnemba 3-4/days, the rest for Kenya, depending on where you'll be visiting. The Mara at minimum 3, or 4 if time of year justifies and 3/days somewhere else. If you don't want to be moving, than 4+4+4+2 traveling.

Day 1 - Arv NBO, o/n here or flight to KGL for o/n
Day 2 - Fly to KGL (if you didn't day prior), drive to PNV - o/n
Day 3 - Trek w/ gorillas *- o/n
Day 4 - Drive back to KGL (if you don't do a 2nd day or trekking), fly to NBO - o/n
*if trek only morning Day 3, and see gorillas early enough you can get back to KGL for fligh to NBO (maybe)
Day 5 - 10 - Kenya (6/days for Mara, Laikipia, Meru, or other??
Day 10 - Kenya to ZNZ, to Mnemba
Day 11-13 - Mnemba
Day 14 - to home

Dr_Andrea

I meant 14 nights including air. Leave on January 3rd and return the 16th.

OnlyMeOirish

Our trip was 11 days including air. Here is the link to my itinerary and trip report: http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...rish&fid=4

Dr_Andrea

thanks....but when I click on the link the post won't come up.

matnikstym

Here it is Dr. Andrea:

http://tinyurl.com/yrfzay

atravelynn

If the whole trip encompasses 14 days, you could do this and decide whether you wanted the 11th in Kenya or to Mnemba.

3 – Fly, leaving home
4 – Fly, arrive NBO
5 - Fly to KGL , there’d be time for Never Again Memorial, drive to PNV - o/n
6 - Trek w/ gorillas o/n PNV
7 –Trek w/gorillas and drive back to KGL to o/n early
8 – Mara
9 – Mara
10 - Mara
11 - Mara
12 - Kenya to ZNZ, to Mnemba
13- Mnemba
14 - Mnemba
15 – Leave Africa
16 – Arrive home


With 14 days, you many want to do just Rwanda and then a week in Kenya with 3-4 days in the Maasai Mara.

Dr_Andrea

WOW! You guys are so amazing! I just called delta to try and redeem my skymiles into two business class seats. They can get me out but not back at this point. They have two seats from JFK-Amsterdam-NBO on 1/3. But they don't have any flights back from the 13th-17th. What gives? Any advice? I saved the other flight for 48 hours. But what should I do?

Dr_Andrea

AGH! I am still in the same situation. I still have the outbound seats on hold.

bat

Are you looking at DAR for your return? That is more convenient from Mnemba and you can do an open jaw.

Dr_Andrea

hmmm. what is an open jaw?

Patty

Open jaw is when you fly into one city and out of another.

I just did a quick availability check and unfortunately for you there are currently no award seats on the KLM flights from NBO, JRO/DAR, or EBB back to AMS between Jan 13th to 17th, 2008.

There's availability on any of those dates on Air France from JNB to CDG but that takes you quite a bit out of the way unless you wanted to do a Rwanda/South Africa combo. Normally I wouldn't recommend East and Southern Africa together but if you <i>really</i> wanted to use your miles and can't get a flight back from East Africa, that may be worth considering.

There are KGL-JNB flights on Rwandair on Sun, Wed, and Fri. If those days of the week don't work, you could try routing via NBO on other days.

Your other option would be to ticket a one way itinerary at this point and hope that KLM releases award seats in the future (decent chance, I think, since you still have 11 months, but no guarantees).

Have the DL agent document the fact that you're ticketing one way but will need to add a return later and they'll waive the $50 per ticket reissue fee when you're able to add your return flight. If you've tried and simply can't find any available flight later, you may need to pay a $50 per ticket redeposit fee to put the miles back into your account but I'd ask and see if they can waive that too (I was told redeposit fee waivers are granted on a case by case basis).

Best of luck!