Kenya Safari Trip -suggestions
 

So we have sorta finalized our trip and have come up with the following plan. While every tour operator suggested Tanzania, we have decided for logistics to stay in Kenya (we plan to get married while at one of the camps). The total cost for these camps and the internal Kenyan flights between the camps has been quoted at $7500 per person. Seems a little high, but wanted to get people's opinion. Please let me know if you have any suggestions / thoughts/comments/opinions, etc.

Feb. 10-14 - Tortilis Camp, Amboseli National Park
Feb. 15-18 - Sosian Ranch, Laikipia
Feb. 19-22 -Elsa’s, Meru National Park
Feb. 23-26 - Camp, Masai Mara

What's the camp in the Mara?

The camp in the Mara is not decided yet. It will be one of two places, each costing approximately $350 per person, per night.

With air (presume you're flying everywhere, but are these schedules or charter flights) add to the cost. Besides, you're staying at pretty expensive places for long periods of time.

Where will you be getting married? I assume the price for this is included! What was the cost?

Why, may I ask 5-days at Amboseli... quite a bit of time here. Sure, it's nice to not rush around, but that's quite a bit of time here.

... and the price increases for 2007 are in for most places and they are up there.

I didn't follow your earlier thread... with whom are you booking your trip?

Actually, we are only at Amboseli for 4 nights (my typo).

All internal Kenyan flights are scheduled flights, except for one charter.

The following costs were purposely excluded: Wedding Costs, International flight and Nairobi hotel costs.

The $7500 does include 2007 price increases. I just wanted to get people's opinion on whether this seems like a price that is in the ballpark for such a trip.

At $440/nt/person for 17/days, at this time seems more like 2006 prices for July/August. Guess, with the 2007 increases this may be in line.

Which one is the charter (from where to where)?

I would think that you'd need a minumum of 2 charter flights both to and from Sosian. Are you taking Tropic Air from Meru to the Mara?

Is this 4 nights at each location with 16 nights total? The pricing doesn't seem out of line to me considering the properties you've chosen and the charter flight(s) necessary.

4 Dasy in Amboseli sounds like a LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG time to me.

Check to see if it is the "high" season there. When I went in October it was dusty and barren. You have probabably seen 1/2 dozen other posts from me basically stating I am not a big fan of Amboseli. 2 days there is pushing it.

Unlike Wayne Hazel, I am a fan of Amboseli. Plus I like hanging around a place for a little longer than average.
I had a most enjoyable stay at Tortilis. That said, I still think 4 nights is too long in Amboseli. How about 2 nights Amboseli and 2 nights elsewhere? Maybe Aberdare (a more wooded/forested region) or near Amboseli is Shompole (where I've never been).

If you get married at Tortilis, then 4 days may be needed if one is for the wedding and the next day is a leisurely morning with no safari activity until the afternoon.

Anyway, congrats on the wedding and on choosing Africa as the location. Whether you spend 2 or 4 nights in Amboseli is a detail.

You mean one return charter right? Two flights?

From a quick calculation I come to the same conclusion as Patty about the price - she's a lot more reliable than me so that is absolutely no surprise!You could certainly do a fantastic trip cheaper, but if you are set on these properties it looks like that'll be the cost from 2007. :-s

And how nice to have Sandi back posting. :)

NewYorkCity1

frankly, i had a moment of hesitation before posting.
You got a very special Safari,( one that i couldn't have conceived even if i had to plan 50 different alternatives). probably chosen by the properties ... what can i say ?

i wanted to make sure that u r aware that it is a hot season! Amboseli will be hot & dusty. On the other hand game would be concentrated at the swamps.

still, U ask for "suggestions / thoughts/comments/opinions, etc."
IMHO Lynn's idea is good: Aberdares is high altitude(cooler), different sort of landscape (4X4 tour up, high waterfalls)... U can also stay at one of the night-viewing lodges Ark or Treetops (Aberdares) or Mt. Lodge (Mt. Kenya) all situated around elevation of 2000m

guess i'm beginning to sound like Cato the Elder ("Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam."), closing my "speeches"
with the same recommendation: Lakes...
as a zoologist, i can stay at one or two parks for the rest of my life and be enlightened. but i would think that you could enjoy a more varied kind of experience - wouldn't u like to take a boat on a lake? (slide quietly on the water, view hippos, sunset, birds...)

Blessings

aby

Another vote for Shompole. An ideal, perfect, romantic and private stop for a wedding and/or honeymoon.

I just returned from a 2-days visit at Shompole and this one is a "keeper." The individual rooms (rather houses - move over Singita) with separate sleeping, bath, shower and private pools) are almost completely open to the surrounding areas. Though the sleeping area is enclosed in wonderful mossie net. There are als two (2) private rooms/houses at Little Shompole that are even more private; these have 45m lap pools.

It will be absolutely hot during February which is "summer" in East Africa. Shompole does have 3-speed ceiling fans, though the nights are comfy to sleep as it's dry (unlike on Zanzibar which is also humid). And then there is the pool into which you can dip whenever.

Game viewing will take you to Lake Natron, home of the flamingoes and where they birth their young. And they do night drives very late (because of the heat) going out at 10pm to Midnight or later - very very interesting!

From Shompole, there are short Charter flights to/from Amboseli and the Mara; other areas are a bit more expensive, but doable. We did the drive from NBO to Shompole on some beautiful scenic roads down the escarpment to Lk. Magadi. Then is was rough, some volcanic and lots of sand) but truly African - total drive 4-hrs. We flew from here to Tsavo (over Amboseli which as Wayne mentioned, was very dry and dusty).

Shompole is a definite to consider. And they will do weddings here.

Again, as Patty asked, which camps in the Mara are being considered?

-------------
from Author: atravelynn

Unlike Wayne Hazel, I am a fan of Amboseli.... That said, I still think 4 nights is too long in Amboseli. How about ...Aberdare (a more wooded/forested region) ...
-------------

Well I am glad we agree on the four nights issue ;)

Unfortunately i am not a fan of Aberdares either. Actually the big problem there is we didn't get enough time there. We drove in after 6PM, went straight to Treetops and left in the morning. So we really didn't see much.

I just uploaded my video for Nakuru/naivash/Aberdares ... very little of Aberdares, just our arrival at Treetops... which I am not a big fan of either ;)

www.waynehazle.com/nakuruweb.mov
30MB file.

Thank you everyone for adding their input. It is greatly appreciated since I am such a newbie with regard to East Africa.

Responses to Patti and Sandi - We are staying at the Offbeat Safari Mara camp. The only charter is to Sosian (from Nairobi). All other flights are either Air Tropic or Air Kenya. Getting married at Sosian.

I am curious as to everyone's opinion about Amboseli being too long (4 days). Maybe we reduce it a day and stay an extra in the Mara or at Sosian. Part of our thoughts were that we haven't had a vacation since 2004 and are getting married, so we don't mind just spending time together (well at least a few days anyways).

On another note, now we probably need a new tour operator. Our tour operator had been ok (having to realize that we picked each property and gave the travel plan to the operator), but now there seems to be two wrinkles which are giving me second thoughts about this operator.
(1) I asked that we stay at the New Stanley instead of the Norfolk (as the prices are significantly cheaper than the Norfolk) and the quality is similar. The tour operator refused to book us there suggesting that since she doesn't have a contract with them that she feels we should do it ourselves. I said ok, but afterwards I thought it was unusual that since she doesn't get a commission she refused to book it. Anyways.....

(2) and more importantly I had asked on the phone if the price of the trip could be slightly discounted to approximately $7300 from $7500 (especially since there will be four of us for part of the trip (at Sosian and at least one other camp)) and I received a 100% unprofessional email complaining about all the work that had been done and how we changed the trip proposal twice, etc, etc. I wasn't bothered that they were not going to discount, but I was bothered by the childish email response complaining about what we asked for.

I know that everyone has chipped in before regarding "can you suggest a tour operator", but we are desperate to confirm this trip, so please give me your thoughts on tour operators.

Wayne,

Where did you stay in Amboseli and was your video over 1 day or two days?

thanks.

NewYorkCity1

The 'New Stanley' is again called "Stanley" - in case u search for it on WWW

i support your decision about the Tour Operator - this is no professional service !

Aberdares - Let's all call it by its local Kikuyu name NYANDARUA NP
after all who knows who is Aberdare?
(& who cares?) ;-)

aby

I personally would be inclined to shift a night from Amboseli to Sosian because of the different types of activities available and since you're getting married there.

Are you booking this through Offbeat Safaris?

OK who is Aberdare? Some Lord or Baron perhaps?

NewYorkCity1:

I stayed at thw Amboseli Sopa. OK facilities. Our room was VERY VERY VERY far from the main section. Grounds are dark and so once we were in for the night, we were IN.

The video includes October 10th which was a full day safari (including Masai Village) and October 11th getting up early seeing Kili and leaving for the Tanzania border.

the best video did not get recorded. We broke down leaving Amboseli, had to hitch seperate rides to the border. We lost my Mom at he Tanzania border for 20 heart stopping minutes.

Then the video picks up with us driving through Arusha to Lake Manyara. Maybe the toughest day of the trip.

Patty,

I am not sure about your question about Offbeat. We were using an american tour operator and not offbeat.

Offbeat has been more than professional (as we expected since they have been used for a prior Riding Safari). The suggestion of another day Sosian will go over well, since we can ride horses there.

Wayne,

Thanks. Lost your mom. That would make any day a bad day.

John