Kenya & Tanzania--Too Many Days--Where Should I Cut?
 

We're planning on late September 2008--four low-maintenance fifty-somethings. Two days each from US-Nairobi so that we can get night flights to/from US to London or Amsterdam, and then again to Nairobi. Ditto for return to US. Wildlife viewing is our primary interest. Conservative budget but no camping or cooking! Here's where we'd like to go, plus the number of nights; it's not in any particular order.
Samburu Natl Reserve 1
Lake Nakura NP 2
MasaiMara NR 2
Serengeti NR 2
Ngorongoro 2
Tangire NP 2
Tsavo West 1-2
Amboseli 1-2

Also considering taking the night train to Mombasa and staying two nights at Leopard Beach Hotel in Diani. Fly back to Nairobi, stay overnight at Giraffe Manor. Then return home.

So, where should I cut--any serious duplications? Would you also recommend tour operators who do both Kenya & Tanzania for the safari portion of the trip--I think I can book the Mombasa/Leopard Beach/Giraffe Manor portion myself to save a few $$.

Thanks to all--happy holidays!

hi moondoggie
here are some general guidelines:

<i>&quot; any serious duplications?&quot;</i>
There are no duplications whatsoever !!!
* any park is different from the other
different parts of the same park are &quot;non-duplications&quot;... Same area of same park in different times (even on the same afternoon) are &quot;non-duplications&quot;

Nevertheless, you should consider doing less parks, since you'd like to maximise your wildlife viewing (vs. spending your time on travelling from one park to the other)

Samburu 1 night - that's a sin!!
2 nights are a minimum!
(Nakuru can be done in 1 night,)
IMO - drop Serengeti (in Sept add days to Mara! also because of budget
considerations)
i may cut off a few more parks, but will surprise you for adding Arusha NP (if the Search function works you'll find my reasoning for that. to make it short: unrivalled Colobus monkeys close encounters + Blue monkey.)

I would add a NVL night-viewing-lodge:
Ark / Mt. Lodge / Treetops
I would add Naivasha + walking among wildlife on Crescent island at minimal costs (no NP fees)
again i hope the sesrch functionworks properly &amp; you'll get more info on it

Drop another park? - Tsavo
it's off the road, unless done on the way to the coast. Do it on your second trip - it ain't a beginner's kind o'park

Consider doing only Kenya

if you do Ngorongoro stay only one night in the park and save $$
after the GD stay out near Karatu
(Farmhouse / Gibb's etc'. you can cut the budget by staying in Karatu in a simple hotel)

If you decide to do Serengeti - remember a flight saves a lot of time (&amp; kms) and saves $50 for passing through NCA

you haven't counted a night in Nairobi, so i haven't either

<font color="green">
my recommendation:

NVL - 1
<b>Samburu 2-3
Nakuru 1-2
Mara 3-4</b>
{Naivasha 1}
{Arusha - 1}
Tarangire - 2
Ngorongoro - 2 (though 1 night out as mentioned)

yours is 13-15 my minimum is 14

</font>

aby

if you add day 15:
Mara or Samburu

recommended operators - the forum is full of thosemost use 5-7 same operators, but there are many cheaper

Below is a standard itinerary but affords what I believe is the appropriate amount of time in/at each park:

Day 1 - NBO
Day 2 - Morning sightseeing: Sheldrick, Blixen, Giraffe Center; lunch; drive to Aberdares (The Ark) or Mt. Kenya (Serena Mntn Ldg) for night viewing at salt-lick
Day 3 - Drive to Samburu - o/n
Day 4 - Samburu - o/n
Day 5 - Drive to Mt. Kenya - o/n Sweetwater's (also night game drives)
Day 6 - Drive to Lake Nakuru - o/n
Day 7 - Drive to Masai Mara - o/n
Days 8 &amp; 9 - Masai Mara - o/n
Day 10 - Fly to NBO; fly to JRO; drive to Tarangire - o/n
Day 11 - Tarangire - o/n
Day 12 - Drive to Ngorongoro; afternoon crater tour - o/n
Day 13 - Morning crater tour; drive to Lake Manyara - game drive -o/n
Day 14 - Drive to Arusha - from here it's easier to get to Zanzibar then back to NBO and to Mombasa.
- or if not to the beach, can depart for home from JRO or back to NBO for homebound flight.

If you choose to fly any of the legs, know there are flights between NBO/Samburu, NBO/Nanyuki (Mt.Kenya), Samburu/Mara, Lk.Naivasha/NBO or Lk.Naivasha/Mara, NBO/Amboseli, NBO/Tsavo W. Most are morning departures only. NBO/Mara/NBO has morning and afternoon flights.

That's why I have you driving most of the route to get to some areas not covered by flights or time wasted returning to NBO and needing o/n to get wherever next day. Also, driving is better for your budget.

With a conservative budget, I wouldn't think Giraffe Manor would meet those requirements; GM is expensive.

Very good suggestions, all--thank you, thank you. Is all this book-able on our own, or would you agree that we should book with an outfitter/guide/driver/travel company? Is four people enough to comprise our own small tour group, or should we resign ourselves to the fact that we may need to add ourselves to a larger tour group? We would like to stay within $5000 per person excluding transport to/from Nairobi. Also, we are not committed to Diani--just would like to enjoy the gorgeous ocean somewhere convenient on the coast after our safari. Other ideas? And, since Leopard Beach doesn't even post their rates, I'm afraid that might be out of our reach also.
Merry Christmas, y'all!

Use a tour operator or outfitter who can provide all your transfers, guide/vehicle, book the hotels/lodges/camps, arrange flights, etc.

There is no one hotel/camp chain that provides accommodations at all of the locations shown on the itinerary I suggested (or any other). Thus, you'd have to coordinate between numerous companies for transfers, vehicles or whatever. Too many pieces of paper/confirmations to deal with and you're responsible for all follow-up/thru when a professional can do it all.

As 4/pax traveling together, you can certainly have your own private itinerary with your own guide/vehicle throughout (but for the flying portions). If visiting both Kenya &amp; Tanzania, you will have different guides/vehicle in each, but otherwise, it's the safari you wish, where you visit, for how many days, the accommodations you choose and travel on the dates you desire rather than a set itinerary with set departure/return days if booking a group tour.

You can do a search on this board for tour operators/outfitters who have been received well by many here on Fodor's. Just enter &quot;Kenya Tour Operators&quot; (w/o the &quot;&quot;) in the search box above, and threads containing names will appear in the left column.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Moondoggie, I’d skip Diani if wildlife viewing were a primary interest. Though the coast is nice and good for the budget, but NOT at an expensive place like Leopard Beach. $5000 doesn’t sound overly conservative to me. When I have less family around to annoy I’ll tell you what I’d do with the money.
Merry Christmas!

Nyamera, please give us your ideas!
Hope everyone had a good holiday. My DH got us a telescope--wish we could bring it to Africa, but it would take up one entire baggage allowance!

If you don't mind telling, which telescope did you get?

Moondoggie, my ideas aren’t quite as many or as brilliant as I thought on Christmas Eve. I’d keep to one country and more nights at fewer places. I almost always book directly with the camps, but I haven’t done a normal road itinerary. In your case I’d book a private road safari for 4 people with an operator in Nairobi or Arusha. I’d want at least 3 nights in Samburu (4 are better) and 5 nights in the Mara (12 are better). In between you could have a night or two at Lake Nakuru (or 3 for Nakuru and Naivasha) and before Samburu you could stay at Ark / Mt. Lodge / Treetops (haven’t done that myself). If you really want to go to the coast, the bus would be quicker and cheaper than the train. Then I’d stop halfway in Voi and arrange with a camp to pick me up for at least 3 nights in Tsavo East. There are colobus and blue monkeys in Diani, but for the coast I’d prefer Lamu. It’s so far away though that I’d fly from Nairobi.
I’ve only heard positive reports about these Kenyan operators:
Eastern and Southern http://www.essafari.co.ke/
Southern Cross http://www.southerncrosssafaris.com/
Gamewatchers http://www.porini.com/
Gametrackers http://www.gametrackersafaris.com/

An itinerary would be:
1 night Nairobi (Kenya Comfort or something in that style)
1 night Aberdares or Mt. Kenya
3 nights Samburu (the camp/lodge where your operator gets the best price)
3 nights Nakuru and Naivasha (have to think about this one)
5 nights the Mara (Serena, Intrepids or Governor’s – or Rekero to blow your budget)
1 night Nairobi
3 nights Tsavo East (Tarhi or Satao)
4 nights coast :-?
Too many nights and these stays really are too short …

moondoggie,

September would be the ideal time for mara, I think you can skip serengeti,my ideal itiernary would be
2 nights samburu
4 nights mara(flight connects samburu and the mara)
1 night nakuru
2 night amboseli
2 nights crater(stay at farmhouse,gibbs)
2 nights tarangire
3 nights zanzibar

Should be ideal, im mara stay near the north western part to maximise your migration viewing, samburu is good for leopards, if you love birds spend 2 nights at nakuru, to minimise costs drive to samburu, mara and nakuru(though the roads are bad), and spend a day in between at nbo at panfric, before leaving for amboseli. all other places are good to drive too like tarangire, crater and amboseli(no need to take flights)

Avoid the manor as its expensive
Keep us updated....what you finally decide

Sonali