sclarke1

I took your advice from last year when I was considering joining a group safari to Kenya and I'm in the process of planning a private trip for my husband & I for Sept. 2011. I have been pouring over the great trip reports and advice on this forum for the last 6 months. I have decided to include gorilla trekking and would like to do both Kenya & Tanzania if possible. Given my preference to travel in early Sept., should I skip the Serengeti and concentrate time in the Mara for possible migration viewing? I would like to see an elephant park either Amboseli or Tarangire. I would also like to do the crater. My budget only allows me to do one gorilla trek -- I know that this extension is expensive given the short time there but I really want to see the gorillas. I have been in contact with a couple of operators and have received some itineraries. None of them seem quite right. One of the agents is really pushing just a Tanzania/Rwanda trip and pushing it to late Sept/early Oct. I am concerned about doing the gorilla trek in early Oct. as the rainy season is close. This agent has also said that I could do Kenya/Rwanda in early Sept. but there is no way to include the crater. It looks like my idea for the trip is possible, tinydancer did a similar trip. I realize that the exact timing of my trip is dependent on the gorilla permits. Can someone suggest an itinerary that might work that I can send out for pricing?

sclarke1

I forgot to mention that I need to keep the trip to 2 weeks.

mkulove

Here is tinydancer's itinerary, you may want to modify it a bit to fit into your time frame. If on a tight budget, do all lodges in Serengeti.
__________________________________________________ ____________
1 nt Arusha Coffee Lodge
3 nts Oliver's Camp / Tarangire
2 nts Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
2 nts Dunia / Serengeti
4 nts Sayari
Fly to Nairobi
1 nt House of Waine
Fly to Masai Mara
2 nts Serian mobile camp
3 nts Serian Main camp
Fly to Kigali
1 nt Top Tower Hotel Kigali

mkulove

oops sorry and add
3 nts Virunga Lodge/ 2 gorilla treks

sandi

tinydancers itinerary is lovely, but if you only have 14/days in-country and wanting to also include Rwanda, you need minimum 3/days for that.

If including Rwanda, have you checked international flights? You should do so. Also, more flights from Kigale/KGL Rwanda into Nairobi/NBO so that should be easy segment and you should then be able to return home out of NBO even with a visit to Tanzania. Do some research on flights.

So, consider Rwanda first as this is a more physical trip, whereas safari is/can be rather sedentary. Then back to Nairobi for safari in Kenya, then to Tanzania to visit Ngorongoro.

Consider:
Day 1 - Arv. KGL, depending on time maybe direct transfer to Parc Volcanoes - o/n (if evening they you'll have to take a day from something down below... maybe the Mara or Lake Manyara)
Day 2 - Gorilla trek - o/n
Day 3 - Transfer back to KGL, fly to NBO - o/n
Day 4 - (If you can afford flights, when often this can come out more economical than with own guide/vehicle and all the driving)... Fly to Amboseli - o/n
Day 5 - Amboseli - o/n
Day 6 - Fly to Nairobi; connect to flight to Mara - o/n
Days 7, 8 & 9 - Masai Mara - o/n
Day 10 - Fly to Nairobi; connect to flight to Kilimanjaro/JRO Tanzania; you'll require another Visa; transfer to Arusha - o/n
Day 11 - Drive to Lake Manyara - o/n
Day 12 - Drive to Ngorongoro; crater tour - o/n
Day 13 - Ngorongoro, option: morning crater tour or Olmoti Crater Trek or Crater Rim Walk - o/n
Day 14 - Drive to Arusha; dayroom; transfer for flight to Nairobi and connection to homebound.

If you can't afford to fly, consider:

Day 4 - on return from KGL to NBO - o/n (note: if you happen to arrive on first flight you might want to consider sightseeing here... lots to see)
Day 5 - Drive to Amboseli - o/n
Day 6 - Amboseli - o/n
Day 7 - Drive to Nairobi; lunch; drive to Lake Nakuru; game drive - o/n
Day 8 - Drive to Masai Mara - o/n
Days 9 & 10 - Masai Mara - o/n
Day 11 - Drive to Nairobi; fly to JRO; to Lake Manyara - o/n
Day 12 - Drive to Ngorongoro; crater tour - o/n
Day 13 - Ngorongoro, option: morning crater tour or Olmoti Crater Trek or Crater Rim Walk - o/n
Day 14 - Drive to Arusha; dayroom; transfer for flight to Nairobi and connection to homebound.

Besides requisite Visas, you'll also require a Yellow Fever inoculation for transit between all three countries.

As you see, you can certainly visit Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. Whomever said otherwise... well, I'll leave it there. Use these as a guideline and I'm sure it'll work for you in some fashion.

atravelynn

Are your two weeks including international flights? If so, that could be more of a challenge.

sclarke1

Regarding the 2 weeks -- I guess it depends on the cost. I'm flexible however, it may be dificult for my husband to be away from work much longer. I'm hoping my plans will include Labor Day.

From a flight standpoint, I was looking at KLM from DTW/AMS/NBO then Kenya Air from NBO to KGL. The flight from AMS gets into NBO at 20:15 and then there is a Kenya Airlines flight at 23:50 arriving KGL 00:15. I could collapse in bed and then use that day to recover from the travel and sight see around Kigale before transferring to Parc Volocanoes. Is this reasonable and does it give me enough of a buffer if flights are delayed? I don't have to use KLM (not using frequent flyer miles) it seemed convenient out of DTW.

sclarke1

Sandi & atravelynn thank you for replying, I was hoping that you both would provide some advice.

Leely2

<From a flight standpoint, I was looking at KLM from DTW/AMS/NBO then Kenya Air from NBO to KGL. The flight from AMS gets into NBO at 20:15 and then there is a Kenya Airlines flight at 23:50 arriving KGL 00:15. I could collapse in bed and then use that day to recover from the travel and sight see around Kigale before transferring to Parc Volocanoes. Is this reasonable and does it give me enough of a buffer if flights are delayed? I don't have to use KLM (not using frequent flyer miles) it seemed convenient out of DTW.>

These flights make sense to me. I added a full night-and-day buffer in Nairobi--partly because I wanted to revisit the city after several years' absence but also because I wanted to recover before going gorilla trekking. In retrospect I'm not sure I was less exhausted my first day in Kigali because I ended up taking a <i>very</i> early flight NBO-KGL, which left me feeling tired after an exciting "I'm back in Ah-freekah!" visit in Nairobi (including dinner with Sandi ).

I was using miles, though, so somewhat limited.

luv2globetrot

sclarke,

We did almost the exact trip you're describing in Sep 08! (actually Sep 23 - Oct 8).
When you say 2 weeks, do you mean once in Africa or including traveling? We spent 14 nights in Africa.
It was busy, and we had a lot of moving around (some at the fault of a mistake by one of the travel companies) but it all worked out in the end and it was one of the most amazing trips we have ever had!!
Here's my trip report...hope it helps!

http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...anda-kenya.cfm

Good luck!

www.luv2globetrot.com

sclarke1

luv2globetrot - It will probably be less than 14 days in Africa. I'm still trying to work that out. What a fabulous trip. Your pictures were great. I noticed that you were wearing long sleeves in most of the pictures. I realize that it can be quite chilly in the mornings and evenings. Were you doing that for sun protection or warmth?

atravelynn

sclarke1

Sandi’s suggested itinerary would achieve your goals of migration, crater, "ele park," and Rwanda for gorillas.

Now that you know what you want for flights, you might need a few alterations to that itinerary to keep the trip within 16 total days--or less. Some changes to Sandi's itinerary are shown below.

Consider:
Day 1 - Arv. KGL and collapse
Day 2 – Morning Never Again Memorial and city tour then drive approx 2.5 hours to Volcanoes Nat Park
Day 3 - Gorilla trek o/n
Day 4 - Transfer back to KGL, fly to NBO - o/n
Day 5 - (If you can afford flights, when often this can come out more economical than with own guide/vehicle and all the driving)... Fly to Amboseli - o/n
Day 6 - Amboseli - o/n
Day 7 - Fly to Nairobi; connect to flight to Mara - o/n
Days 8, 9 & 10 - Masai Mara - o/n
Day 11 - Fly to Nairobi; connect to flight to Kilimanjaro/JRO Tanzania; you'll require another Visa; transfer to Arusha - o/n
Day 12 - Drive to Ngorongoro; crater tour - o/n (note no Manyara in this itinerary)
Day 13 - Ngorongoro
Day 14 Drive to Arusha; dayroom; transfer for flight to Nairobi and connection to homebound.

Staying a total of 3 instead of 4 nights in the Mara would make this a 15 day trip in total, with 13 days in Africa.

I removed Lake Manyara from Sandi’s original itinerary or it would have gone over your allotted number of days. That move leaves just one park in Tanzania—the crater. Granted, it is highlight of the continent. You could swap a day in the Mara so that Lake Manyara is back in the itinerary and so that you are spending a little more time in Tanzania, but in September that would be a poor trade-off.


Here’s another possibility that would balance your time in Tanzania with Kenya so it would be more of an even split between those countries. It trades “ele park” Amboseli for Tarangire, a trade I personally would make unless seeing Kilimanjaro was important to me.

Day 1 - Arv. KGL and collapse
Day 2 – Morning Never Again Memorial and city tour then drive approx 2.5 hours to Volcanoes Nat Park
Day 3 - Gorilla trek o/n
Day 4 - Transfer back to KGL, fly to NBO - o/n
Day 5 – Fly to Mara – o/n
Day 6, 7, 8 - Mara – o/n
Day 9 – Fly Mara to NBO, then NBO to JRO and o/nt in Kilmanjaro or Arusha
Day 10 – Drive to Tarangire, about 3 hours
Day 11 - Tarangire
Day 12 –Drive to Ngorongoro, about 4 hours
Day 13 – Day in Ngorongoro and/or nearby activities
Day 14 – Morning in crater and drive to JRO and fly home

Like the first itinerary in this post, it would be 16 days total with international flights.

To knock this last itinerary option down to <b>15 days total with international flights,</b> you could drive about 4 hours from Tarangire on Day 12 to the crater and then do an afternoon crater visit. Instead of a whole day devoted to crater activities on day 13, you could do a morning drive into the crater and then head to JRO for your evening flight home. (So no Day 14.) You could also do just a SINGLE half day crater visit instead of one on the day of your arrival to the crater AND ANOTHER on the day of your departure from the crater. Doing just one half-day crater visit would be less costly.

To further reduce this last trip option by a day so that it would be <b>14 days with international flights,</b> you could stay a total of 3 instead of 4 nights in the Mara (along with the reduction of one night at the crater mentioned in the above paragraph.)

<I>“One of the agents is really pushing just a Tanzania/Rwanda trip and pushing it to late Sept/early Oct. I am concerned about doing the gorilla trek in early Oct. as the rainy season is close. “</i>

If you stated you have 14 days total, this is a reasonable response. Regarding the rainy season: rainy and dry seasons are getting less predictable. The Virunga Mountains are a rainforest anyway and showers can occur at any time. Cloudy skies are better for gorilla photography than cloudless skies with bright sun. If you did late Sept/early Oct. I’d go to Rwanda first.

<I>“This agent has also said that I could do Kenya/Rwanda in early Sept. but there is no way to include the crater.”</I>
That does not seem right.

In mid-Sept in the Mara I wore long sleeves pretty much all the time. Short sleeves in the Samburu and Meru regions.

If you can manage 16 days total, meaning 14 in Africa, there would be few compromises you'd have to make.

luv2globetrot

I wore long sleeves mostly just for sun protection. It may have been a tad chilly early in the morning so I'd have a fleece layer, but by midday it was pleasantly comfortable everyday. We did bring our rain/wind breakers which we needed maybe once or twice and are lightweight enough to always bring along with us. The exception was Samburu which was quite hot and dusty...we typically wore short sleeves and turned our convertible pants into shorts while there.
I find layering is key while traveling anywhere.
Can't wait to see how your trip turns out!!
Just thinking about your planning brought back so many wonderful memories!!! You will have a great time no matter what you do!!! Africa is AMAZING!!!

www.luv2globetrot.com

sclarke1

atravelynn -- thanks for your suggestions.

Here is an itinerary that Eastern & Southern has provided:

Day 1- Arrive Nairobi/fly Kigali - o/n Laico Umubano Hotel
Day 2- Kigali/Volcanoes National Park - o/n Gorilla Mt. View Lodge
Day 3- Mountain Gorilla Trek – transfer to Kigali - o/n Laico Umubano Hotel
Day 4- Kigali/Fly Nairobi – explore Nairobi - o/n Nairobi Serena Hotel
Day 5- Nairobi/Fly Amboseli - o/n Amboseli Serena Lodge
Day 6- Amboseli - o/n Amboseli Serena Lodge
Day 7- Amboseli/Fly Nairobi-Maasai Mara - o/n Mara Serena Lodge
Day 8- Maasai Mara - o/n Mara Serena Lodge
Day 9- Maasai Mara - o/n Mara Serena Lodge
Day 10- Maasai Mara/Fly Nairobi/Fly JRO - o/n Serena Mountain Village
Day 11- Arusha/Lake Manyara - o/n Kirurumu Tented Camp
Day 12- Lake Manyara/Ngorongoro - o/n Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 13- Ngorongoro - o/n Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 14- Ngorongoro/Kilimanjaro - Fly Nairobi- Depart for home

It has us doing the gorilla trek and then transferring to Kigali
on the same day. We fly to NBO early the next day (Day 4)and spend the day in Nairobi. Does this itinerary look too rushed? I may be able to add another day.

I'm not sure about staying at Laico Umubano Hotel, it doesn't receive very good reviews on Trip Advisor.


I'm confused about how to arrange the flights. I don't have much experience at this. When I was researching it seemed logical to use KLM from DTW-AMS-NBO then Kenya Air from NBO to KGL. For the return to the states I had chosen the option to depart from another city NBO rather than KGL. This leaves me with purchasing a one-way ticket from KGL to NBO. E&S has suggested that I purchase a round-trip KGL-NBO-KGL and depart for home from KGL.

To confuse me even more, sometimes my searches for flights to Africa result in a KLM flight DTW-AMS-KGL(with a stop in EBB). This flight would get me into KGL at 8:50 pm rather than after midnight using Kenya Air via NBO. Help!

atravelynn

<i>"It has us doing the gorilla trek and then transferring to Kigali on the same day. "</i>

I've done that twice--works well.

<i>Does this itinerary look too rushed?</i>

Not really. To accomplish your goals, there is not much else you can do. The only thing different I would do if you have 14 days in Africa is I'd stay 4 nts in the Mara and give up Lake Manyara. You can drive from Arusha to Ngorongoro in 4 hours or so without spending the night in Manyara. I'd also ask about staying at Ol Tukai in Amboseli instead of Serena.

How will you spend your full day in Ngorongoro?

<i>"I may be able to add another day."</i> That would be good. Then you could have 4 nts in the Mara plus the night in Lake Manyara.

<i>"I'm not sure about staying at Laico Umubano Hotel</i>"
I have not seen any TA comments. It was just fine when I was there for 3 nights at various points throughout my trip. The garden had lovely birds, especially the crowned crane.

I'll respond to flights in next post or maybe others can. If you are really all confused you could do flights through AAA or a place like Premier Tours. It would probably cost a little more but could be worth it.

atravelynn

Without looking at flight schedules, I'll mention I've bought one way tickets between African countries to make things work, even if I pay a premium. It was less of a hassle than forcing my itinerary to accommodate a round trip ticket, thereby backtracking.

sclarke1

Here is another itinerary provided by a different agent.

14 September – KLM #6034 / Leave Detroit 7:20 PM, Arrive Amsterdam 9:10 AM
15 September – KLM #571 / Leave Amsterdam 10:20 AM, Arrive Arusha 7:45 PM, transfers, overnight Arumeru River Lodge
16 September – Drive to Tarangire National Park, overnight Boundary Hill Lodge
17 September – Tarangire National Park, overnight Boundary Hill Lodge
18 September – Tarangire to Ngorongoro Crater rim, overnight Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
19 September – Ngorongoro Crater, overnight Kirurumu Tented Lodge
20 September – Lake Manyara National Park, fly Nairobi, Kenya Airways #478 / Leave Nairobi 5:20 PM, Arrive Kigali 5:45 PM, transfers, overnight Umubano Laico Hotel
21 September – Kigali City Tour, drive to Gorilla Trekking Base, overnight Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
22 September – Gorilla Trekking day, drive to Kigali, overnight Umubano Laico Hotel
23 September – Kenya Airways #442 / Leave Kigali 1:55 PM, Arrive Nairobi 4:25 PM, transfers, overnight Fairview Hotel
24 September – Fly to Masai-Mara Game Reserve, overnight Karen Blixen Camp
25 September – Masai-Mara Game Reserve, overnight Karen Blixen Camp
26 September – Masai-Mara Game Reserve, overnight Karen Blixen Camp
27 September – Fly to Nairobi, dayroom, transfers, KLM #566 / Leave Nairobi 10:30 PM, Arrive Amsterdam 5:40 AM
28 September – Delta #251 / Leave Amsterdam 8:05 AM, Arrive Detroit 10:40 AM

I couldn't do the gorillas first due to availablity of permits and my desire to keep the trip in September. I traded Amboseli for Tarangire. This itinerary has more camps and smaller lodges than the E&S plan.

Has anyone stayed at Boundary Hill Lodge?