Initially I wanted to travel to Tanzania and Kenya. I have been to Kenya and thought it made sense to go somewhere new . But we are trying to hold down costs to under $4500 for (ideally) 10 days of safari time, so thinking that staying in one country would make more financial sense (please correct me if I am wrong).

We are traveling in mid August (would prefer Sept but there's a teacher in the group!) and would like to see the migration (I realize we're dealing with nature here so no guarantees). We also want to visit Nairobi for a day to spend a little time at Sheldrick's and adopt an elephant .

So, now I am wondering if I should just revisit Kenya?

From what I have read it seems that Kenya is a bit less costly than Tanzania (is this true)?

My other question: is there anything I would see in Tanzania that I wouldn't see in Kenya (other than the crater)? In other words, would we be missing out on adventures that Kenya cannot offer (and Tanzania can)?

Appreciate your responses!!!!

Except for the Crater that is unique to Tanzania, Kenya is outstanding in August. The Migration will be in the Masai Mara and all the other parks/reserves are great for diverse game and eco-environments.

And, Kenya prices, staying in mid-range lodges/camps, are somewhat less expensive than those in Tanzania; also the Visa is only USD$25 vs US$100.

Kenya offers great migration Expirience,We have the crater in Tanzania while in Kenya we have a semi arid expirience where you can expirience arid wildlfe in Samburu,and laikipia,savannah wildlife in amboseli and maasai mara and mountain wildlife in Mount Kenya.

So you are the judge.

To turn it around, you can go to Samburu in Kenya and some subspecies of wildlife not in Tanzania (Reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich.)

Places are a bit more spread out in Kenya than they are on the northern circuit of Tanzania, making it harder to do it all by road.

In 10 days you should have enough time to see a lot of Kenya, even by road -- we had a 10 day driving safari in Kenya and visited Nairobi, Mt. Kenya, Samburu, Sweetwaters, Lake Nakuru and the Mara, with a short flight back to Nairobi at the end.

Overall I think the diversity of landscapes and wildlife (as ShayTay pointed out) would make me recommend Kenya over Tanzania if I had to choose between the two (although I loved both countries). In 2007 we spent about $3000 per person for 10 days in Kenya, versus $3800 per person for 10 days in Tanzania, including Zanzibar. So Tanzania was more expensive for us, but that also depends on where you choose to stay and what company you work with.

Where have you already been in Kenya, on your previous visit?

Go to Kenya and have a great time. So it appears you have some travel mates now.

Thank you all for your responses and information.

atravelynn--yes--thanks-- I now have travel mates--3 and possibly 4, but because I got my hopes up before(and then had the big let down) will wait to celebrate when it gets booked (but the Libra in me will stay forever optomistic)!

MyDogKyle--previous vist took me to Nairobi, Amboseli, Tsavo, Aberdares, Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Mombasa. But that was so long ago that (a) it's changed and (b) I've changed --so I could go to any of the same places and it would be like a new adventure I'm sure!!!!

I'm starting to get super excited again because it looks like it is really going to happen now. Can it be?

This forum has kept me going and I really appreciate all the feedback, information and encouragement you all have provided.

Thanks again for being there--lots more questions to come in the near future!!!

Best of luck with the planning! One of many fun parts of a trip.

If I were you, I'd concentrate on Kenya and revisit some of your favorite places (the Mara for sure!), and definitely include Samburu for something completely different.