Where to begin for planning a safari?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 10,509
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Where to begin for planning a safari?
I'm at the very beginning stages of planning a safari for next December and would really appreciate any advice for planning. Are there any guidebooks that people have found really useful? I've been lurking and reading trip reports and clicking every photo link I see. Unfortunately that doesn't necessarily help narrow down my options but just makes me with I had the time and budget to go NOW for the next 6 months or so.
My time frame is late December 2011. I'll be leaving between Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 and returning on Jan 1. My total budget is about $7,000 (including airfare). A quick look at airfare yields results of $1,500 - $2,000, leaving me around $5,000 in my budget. What can I do with $5,000? I want to spend as much time as I reasonably can, but I'd rather have an amazing two weeks than try to stretch my budget further than I should and let that impact the quality of the trip. I don't need anything fancy, but I don't want to miss out on something purely to save money and be there longer.
I know I want a good chunk of time on Mara, and someone's photos of the Samburu tribe were amazing. I've been following another trip report that focuses on the Porini camps and all of the camps sound fantastic. Basically if you tell me there will be wildlife and landscapes, I'd probably be happy with just about anything. Lions, elephants and giraffes are the ones I think I'd drool over the most, but again, just about anything will probably knock my socks off.
I've read a lot of comments about operators. Is there a listing of various operators somewhere, or is just using google and noting names from trip reports my best bet? Someone mentioned regularly scheduled flights within the country, is there a listing of this sort of information somewhere (I'm used to traveling to large citites where your transport options are subway, taxi or train and you go to a website to find the correct route).
What else do I need to be figuring out? I know so little that I don't even know what I need to be learning.
Thank you for any help!
My time frame is late December 2011. I'll be leaving between Dec. 10 and Dec. 17 and returning on Jan 1. My total budget is about $7,000 (including airfare). A quick look at airfare yields results of $1,500 - $2,000, leaving me around $5,000 in my budget. What can I do with $5,000? I want to spend as much time as I reasonably can, but I'd rather have an amazing two weeks than try to stretch my budget further than I should and let that impact the quality of the trip. I don't need anything fancy, but I don't want to miss out on something purely to save money and be there longer.
I know I want a good chunk of time on Mara, and someone's photos of the Samburu tribe were amazing. I've been following another trip report that focuses on the Porini camps and all of the camps sound fantastic. Basically if you tell me there will be wildlife and landscapes, I'd probably be happy with just about anything. Lions, elephants and giraffes are the ones I think I'd drool over the most, but again, just about anything will probably knock my socks off.
I've read a lot of comments about operators. Is there a listing of various operators somewhere, or is just using google and noting names from trip reports my best bet? Someone mentioned regularly scheduled flights within the country, is there a listing of this sort of information somewhere (I'm used to traveling to large citites where your transport options are subway, taxi or train and you go to a website to find the correct route).
What else do I need to be figuring out? I know so little that I don't even know what I need to be learning.
Thank you for any help!
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 9,326
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Given your interest in E Africa this could be a good starting point (and you can see which operators people used too)
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...omment-4208167
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...omment-4208167
#4
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,138
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Take a look at Go2Africa's website. They provide info on a broad range of possibilities.
http://www.go2africa.com/
http://www.go2africa.com/
#6
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 8,675
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just remember that if you plan to be in-country from Dec 20th, you go into "peak" season for pricing as over the Christmas/New Year's holiday.
Otherwise, check the link Kavey provided for names of the various used by those who visited.
go2africa is a reputable outfitter, but South African based. Better to go with someone who specializes in Kenya and/or East Africa only.
Otherwise, check the link Kavey provided for names of the various used by those who visited.
go2africa is a reputable outfitter, but South African based. Better to go with someone who specializes in Kenya and/or East Africa only.
#7
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 133
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good advice here, as always.
My only suggestion is to submit requests (with budget and time limitations, any exclusivity preferences, etc.) to multiple outfitters, as some may surprise you with a deal others might not have. I used Go2Africa for Kenya, myself, and thought they did a great job; they assigned me to one of their travel consultants who used to live in the area and still goes back regularly to check properties. But it's always possible that you'll find a better deal with local specialists, so it never hurts to request multiple quotes, then follow up with more research on places that sound promising to you.
My only suggestion is to submit requests (with budget and time limitations, any exclusivity preferences, etc.) to multiple outfitters, as some may surprise you with a deal others might not have. I used Go2Africa for Kenya, myself, and thought they did a great job; they assigned me to one of their travel consultants who used to live in the area and still goes back regularly to check properties. But it's always possible that you'll find a better deal with local specialists, so it never hurts to request multiple quotes, then follow up with more research on places that sound promising to you.
#8
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 14,440
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here are two past threads on researching an initial trip. The one started by aknards ends up with aknards giving some advice after going on her first trip.
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...-did-i-dre.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...ng-my-trip.cfm
Guidebooks: The Complete African Safari Planner by Fodors and Africa’s Top Wildlife Countries by Mark Nolting
To see what $5000 would do at Lion Porini (which has been mentioned very favorably and a place I hope to go) during your travel timeframe:
If you travel Nov 1 to Dec 19, the cost is at a low of about $1825 per person sharing for 3 nts.
From Dec. 19 to Jan 2 for 3 nts it is about $2400 per person based on shared accommodations with an added $35 surcharge for days right around the holidays. That was last year’s pricing.
Single supplements are about $100 per day.
http://www.porini.com/kenya.html?sub=porini-lion-camp
I found that Eastern & Southern Safaris had good pricing for a private trip for one person during the most expensive time of the year, with about half the trip in the (more expensive) Mara.
KATO site—list of operators in Kenya
http://www.katokenya.org/katomembers.asp
TATO site—list of operators in Tanzania
http://www.tatotz.org/members-directory
INTERNAL FLIGHTS
Kenya
http://www.flysafarilink.com/
http://www.airkenya.com/destination_Nanyuki.asp
It is typical to let your safari provider (the camp you are staying at or the company that will drive you from place to place) book your flights internal flights.
Check out some companies on the East Africa Index link Kavey posted and follow WindowlessOffice's advice.
“I don't need anything fancy, but I don't want to miss out on something purely to save money.” Consider the Kenya Wildlife Service bandas. I loved the bandas I stayed in during my Sept. visit and listed their similarities with $1000 a night luxury accommodations in a report titled, “Sept Private Drive-Fly: # of Cars/Sighting, Budget KWS Bandas, Birds & More”
Although it is more expensive, Tanzania might offer a better destination during the late December timeframe. The wildebeest and zebra migration is usually nearing Tanzania's Southern Serengeti at that time. The herds would have left the Maasai Mara in Kenya by December. But there are always resident herds of wildes and zebra in the Mara.
When just starting out it may seem as if there are all these options and your job is to find the one right one, as if the others are all inferior. There are many good possibilities and if you scan the reports, you'll see no matter what people choose, they come back happy--and ready to return.
Keep us posted on your plans.
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...-did-i-dre.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...ng-my-trip.cfm
Guidebooks: The Complete African Safari Planner by Fodors and Africa’s Top Wildlife Countries by Mark Nolting
To see what $5000 would do at Lion Porini (which has been mentioned very favorably and a place I hope to go) during your travel timeframe:
If you travel Nov 1 to Dec 19, the cost is at a low of about $1825 per person sharing for 3 nts.
From Dec. 19 to Jan 2 for 3 nts it is about $2400 per person based on shared accommodations with an added $35 surcharge for days right around the holidays. That was last year’s pricing.
Single supplements are about $100 per day.
http://www.porini.com/kenya.html?sub=porini-lion-camp
I found that Eastern & Southern Safaris had good pricing for a private trip for one person during the most expensive time of the year, with about half the trip in the (more expensive) Mara.
KATO site—list of operators in Kenya
http://www.katokenya.org/katomembers.asp
TATO site—list of operators in Tanzania
http://www.tatotz.org/members-directory
INTERNAL FLIGHTS
Kenya
http://www.flysafarilink.com/
http://www.airkenya.com/destination_Nanyuki.asp
It is typical to let your safari provider (the camp you are staying at or the company that will drive you from place to place) book your flights internal flights.
Check out some companies on the East Africa Index link Kavey posted and follow WindowlessOffice's advice.
“I don't need anything fancy, but I don't want to miss out on something purely to save money.” Consider the Kenya Wildlife Service bandas. I loved the bandas I stayed in during my Sept. visit and listed their similarities with $1000 a night luxury accommodations in a report titled, “Sept Private Drive-Fly: # of Cars/Sighting, Budget KWS Bandas, Birds & More”
Although it is more expensive, Tanzania might offer a better destination during the late December timeframe. The wildebeest and zebra migration is usually nearing Tanzania's Southern Serengeti at that time. The herds would have left the Maasai Mara in Kenya by December. But there are always resident herds of wildes and zebra in the Mara.
When just starting out it may seem as if there are all these options and your job is to find the one right one, as if the others are all inferior. There are many good possibilities and if you scan the reports, you'll see no matter what people choose, they come back happy--and ready to return.
Keep us posted on your plans.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
tinydancer
Africa & the Middle East
8
Jun 25th, 2009 10:14 PM