Please help me choose which 2afrika tour
 

Trying to decide between two 2afrika.com tours...The first is their 11 DAY WHITE MOUNTAIN SAFARI which visits Serena Mountain Lodge, Lake Nakuru National Park, Masai Mara National Park, Nairobi and Amboseli National Park. This tour stays in a few days hotel and a few days tent camps.
The 2nd option is their 13-DAY GREATEST WILDLIFE AND CULTURAL SAFARI which visitsNairobi, Lake Nakuru National Park, Masai Mara National Park, Serengeti National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Arusha. This tour stays in all hotels. The 2nd tour is longer and a bit more expensive.
However, my cocern is missing the Amboseli National Park (on the other tour I would miss Mount Kilimanjaro, right?) Which tour would you recommend? Would we be missing out on the experience by staying in all hotels and not trying the tents?

Hi, Megtr--
My travel partner and I will be leaving this Monday on 2Afrika's Grand Combo Safari. We had some concerns about missing Amboseli ourselves and were thinking about opting for the longer Wangiko Safari which is essentially the Grand Combo with the addition of a couple of days in Amboseli. Actually, Ken Heiber helped us make our decision. He's quite accessible by phone, and after discussing with us what our exact goals were, he helped us decide on the Grand Combo though it was some money out of his pocket since the Grand Combo was less expensive. Give him a call. Can't hurt.

Unless you prefer a group tour, you don't have to choose between 2 standard safari itineraries and feel that you're missing out on a particular experience. You can create a custom, private itinerary for the 2 of you based on your specific choice of parks and accomodations where you decide where you want to go and stay and for how long. You can do this through a number of US based agencies (including 2afrika) or any Kenya/Tanzania based safari operator. It won't cost much more than a group itinerary and may even cost less if you book through an in country operator.

Also, some of these itineraries include very long drives that you may not be aware of. From the Masai Mara to Amboseli via Nairobi is a good 10 hour drive. Is that something you're willing to do? With limited time, flying back to Nairobi from the Mara and then driving to Amboseli might be a better option. Same goes for travel from the Masai Mara to the Serengeti. I would ask 2afrika where they cross between the 2 countries. If it's the Isebania border crossing, that's another 10 hour drive.

The combined Kenya/Tanzania itinerary tries to cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. With a time frame of 9 nights (not counting flying days), it may be better to concentrate on one country instead.

The 2afrika tour does use the Isebania crossing and it is a long long drive.

If you want to stick with 2afrika ask Ken Heiber about designing an independent itinerary for you with the places you specifically want to visit and have him include some flights.

Depending on time of year and number of days you have and price he comes up with for an independent itinerary - stick with one country only. You can always return to visit the other country.

If Ken's prices are not to your liking, or he not agreeable to do so - you can find a number of other outfitters - most in-country Kenya or Tanzania or Kenya/Tanzania. A search on this board will find the names of in-country outfitters who have received excellent reviews.

megtr,

First, the time of year you are going would have an impact on which itinerary is best.

11 day trip is all Kenya. I'd like to know how many days you spend in the Mara. Tented camps are a big plus.

13 day trip includes Kenya and Tanzania and allows you to see two outstanding areas of Tanzania--Serengeti and crater.
I'd like to know how long you have in the Serengeti and where you'll be staying. The time of year is important too. No tented camps is a big drawback.

I'm not avoiding your question on which to choose, but I'd look to other companies to get exactly what you want. If you like the 13-day trip, you can stay in some tented camps. Many agents will customize your trip. Or you could find a group trip that does what you want.

Here are some other companies that you can check for Kenya and Tanzania to see what kind of trips they offer. All have been mentioned favorably on this board.

Africa Adventure
Africa Dream Safaris
Eastern & Southern Safaris
Fish Eagle
Gametrackers
Go2Africa--which is different from 2afrika
Good Earth
International Expeditions
Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT)
Roys (only custom safaris)
Thomsons
Wild Trek Safaris

I always start with the trip I want, then find the agent that can do it rather than see what a certain agent provides.

Please share your next step in planning.

Doing it yourself is the way to go but you must either have (a)lots of money or (b) lots of time.

Why not check out some other tour providers if you haven't already done so. I assume 2afrika aren't rock bottom budget - so try exploreworldwide.co.uk (or maybe .com).