Dear Forum Friends:

I was active back in 2006 and for a couple of the following years. I hope this forum is still as excellent as it was.

Would like to take my 9 year old granddaughter to Kenya in a couple of years when she will hopefully remember the trip for a long time.
Was thinking of partially replicating our prior trip.
Fly into Nairobi, maybe stay two nights instead of one.
Fly to Samburu, spend a few days there. Last time we stayed at Larsen's Camp.
Fly to Masai Mara, spend three - four nights there. We stayed at Governor's Camp.
Skip Kizingo at Lamu Island. although we really enjoyed it there.
Last time we used Southern Cross, they were great and the cost seemed competitive.
Any suggestions? Especially for the best value in a tour operator, and which camp to stay in each place.
Thanks
Kevin from California

My husband and I used Spirit of Kenya for our first safari in April 2024. We flew into Nairobi for two nights on our own before being picked up by our driver for the trip to Amboseli and then on to the Masai Mara.

Our package price was based on several things, among them was closing from three levels of accommodations. The name of each lodging choice was given and I relied on Trip Advisor and other reviews to make a decision. We chose the luxury option for each of our locations. We were happy with our decision but think we could have gone with the midrange choice in the Maasai Mara as we really weren’t in our room enough to enjoy the place.

Hope this helps.

Hey Kevin, first of all warm welcome back, regarding your post on a Trip to Kenya, I would suggest getting a good tour packages from booking website or Viator they have some excellent deals, hope that helps.

Anyone else with any other advice?

I would work with a safari planner who can work within your interests and budget. I have been to Kenya 8 times, including the last three January/February. I've used both the Wild Source out of Colorado and Expert Africa out of the UK. I've had some outstanding experiences, in each case the safari planner came up with ideas that were better than my own. They also have access to industry discounts or deals that I cannot leverage by just booking rack rates available on the website. They will handle all logistics from the minute you land in Kenya until you leave. You're not wrong in starting to look now, especially if you're planning to go in high season, the best camps book out early. One suggestion I have for the Maasai Mara, it's become a bit of the wild west with rogue guides who misbehave and very crowded sightings. I prefer the private conservancies that limit sightings to 8 or fewer vehicles and the wildlife is much more relaxed, on top of that you are contributing to the conservation of the land and support the local tribes who co-own that land. Your last itinerary doesn't include the possibility for rhino sightings, but you could include either Nairobi National Park (which is very very rich with rhinos!) or Ol Pejeta or Lewa in northern Kenya for those. Highly unlikely you'll see them in the Mara. I was struck by how relaxed and close up the rhinos were in both Ol P and Lewa!! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, I'm happy to help you plan!

Thank you very much

E-gads...Viatour would be the very last place I would look for a safari in Kenya..
Travel planner is the way to go.