Northwest to Nairobi
 

Has anyone flown Northwest from US to Nairobi? Heard after we bought out tickets that Northwest/KLM is notorious for losing luggage in Amsterdam. Am going on safari, so having change of clothes would be nice ... any experience and/or advice would be appreciated.

Last year we went on KLM (NW does not fly there) from US to Kenya. Didn't have any problem. But we always pack an "emergency" carry-on with one day's worth of clothes and other needed things.

Susan<BR>We used Continental for our Newark-Amsterdam segment and KLM for Amsterdam-Nairobi and did not have any problems. We always do what Dave does in regard to emergency clothes. You won't need lots of stuff on safari. We stayed in four camps and in three of them we had free laundry. Do not worry too much about your luggage. Have a small bag as a carry-on with you. Where are you staying? Check if your camps provide laundry and use those services. They did a great job with our clothes. If you staying in Nairobi before your safari you may store your extra bag in your hotel. <BR>Have a great time. It was our second safari and we are thinking about another one.

Thank you both for alleviating my concerns about the KLM portion of our airline trip to Nairobi. Will pack clothes in carry-on luggage just in case. All our camps (even in Selous, Tanzania) offer laundry services, so we should be all set even if luggage is lost! Thank you again. Susan.

Where are you staying Susan? For how long? Are you traveling with a big group? Tell us more about your trip. Please, Susan. I went to Kenya two years ago and can't stop thinking about it since then

The bagage problems in Amsterdam were in 2000. Situation is normal now. You are no more likely to lose your bags on KLM than on any other airline. I have done over 300 trips on KLM since 1990, and they have *never* lost my luggage.

Thanks for your interest Harry. We are going to Kenya and Tanzania for almost three weeks. We arrive in Nairobi and depart the next morning for our flight to the Mara, where we are staying at the Mara River Camp, which is actually outside the reserve. We fly back to Nairobi and travel by road to Amboselli, where we are staying at Tortillis Camp. After several days, we cross the border to Tanzania, spend the night in Arusha before going to the N-crater, where we are staying for two days at the Serena. Drive south to Tarangire National Park, for a couple of night at the Tarangire Safari Lodge. Then we go back to Arusha for our flight to Selous, where we we conclude our journey with a stay at the Selous Safari Camp. Fly to Dar Es Salaam, where we leave for home. It's the trip of a lifetime for me and something I have dreamed of since I was a little girl. If you have been to any of the named camps/lodges, please let me know. Thanks for everyone's interest and help. Susan.

Oops! Forget to answer your other question. It is just my husband and me on the trip. Private safari using a Tanzanian-based tour operator, which some friends have used in the past.

Susan,<BR>The one thing I wished I had known about before going to Kenya was the demand that people have for simple things like pens. Everywhere we went, children and adults would ask if I had a pen I could give them.<BR><BR>You might want to think about bringing a few boxes of pens or even pads of paper. The kids just have an unbelievable lack of access to basic school supplies. Anyway, just a thought.<BR>

Hi Ryan. Yeah, we are all set on "gifts" that we will have with us. Children's and adult size new t-shirts, pens, pencils, writing paper, postcards, lipstick and nail-polish for the women, etc. Many of the items seem so trivial to us, but I have been told are sought after by others. Don't worry - we won't be going empty-handed and we will not use these particular items for haggling over souvenirs. Thanks for thinking of others. Susan.

Did Kenya last year and had the trip of my life, one thought, instead of the lipstick and nail polish, I would take small bars of soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes. No candy or treats. One guy wanted the tee shirt right off my back, said he would wash it. They need everything and you will want to help them all. When we returned I sent two boxes of (stuff) to some Kenyans that I had met. They will all try to give you there address. Don't know how reliable the mail servic is, I never heard if the parties received the gifts, but I tried, postage was $30 for shoe box size. Have a great trip, KLM will be fine, don't worry about that part of your trip, it will be a nice overnight flight, all flights leave late for Nairobi. Buck

Thank you everyone for your advice. Needless to say, I am looking forward to this trip and am even looking into Botswana for 2004. Starting to save my pennies now! Thanks again. Susan.

Just one correction regarding Buck's statement. Not all flights are overnight. We took KLM flight at 11 am from Amsterdam arriving in Nairobi around 9:30pm. We spent our first night in Norfolk Hotel. We left Nairobi at 11:05 am and arrived in Amsterdam around 5:30 pm. But I agree that it was a very easy flight and it seemed short. We spent time reading our books. On the way to Nairobi I had 3 seats for myself and my husband had 3 for himself as well. On the way back our plane was full.