Kenya Safari

junebabies

Has anyone done a safari in Kenya, who did you book with? Any tips on where to start looking?
I was thinking fly to mombasa, spend 5 nights there at beach resort, then do a fly in safari to Masai mara for 2/3 night then fly back to mombasa for 2 nights before home.
Does sound OK? Any advise welcome.

shanec1928

try and avoid a stop over in Addis Abba or if you must try for as little time as possible the airport is a kip!

adrian522

I did it alright yeah. I flew to NBO then did the safari, it was a tented accommodation which you can upgrade if you want and the driver etc. I think it was 2 nights/3 days sort if thing.

Bigmac Africa Safari's was the name of the company.

This involved driving from Nairobi to Masi Mara NP and then afterwards you could go back to Nairobi but I went to Nakuru NP to do a further days safari with the same driver but organised my own hotel I think.

After all that I flew out to the coast. Diani is worth a stop on the coast, nice beach etc.

junebabies

adrian522 wrote: »

I did it alright yeah. I flew to NBO then did the safari, it was a tented accommodation which you can upgrade if you want and the driver etc. I think it was 2 nights/3 days sort if thing.

Bigmac Africa Safari's was the name of the company.

This involved driving from Nairobi to Masi Mara NP and then afterwards you could go back to Nairobi but I went to Nakuru NP to do a further days safari with the same driver but organised my own hotel I think.

After all that I flew out to the coast. Diani is worth a stop on the coast, nice beach etc.

Thanks, did you book it yourself or with a travel agent? So you flew into Nairobi and flew home from mombasa??

spockety

I was going to suggest you go to Nairobi first then onto Mombasa. Overland into Masai Mara is (or certainly was when I did it 20 years ago) is a pretty painful journey, so fly if you can. It's a quick hop from Nairobi (Wilson Airport, not Moi Intl), but from Mombasa I'm not sure how practical it is.

Also was going to suggest you take the overnight train from Nairobi to Mombasa. Unreal experience, white tuxedo dining car service for first class etc. Unfortnately I see they've since upgraded the line and now it's just a 4 hour daytime journey! Probably still worth considering, you'll see a lot out the window compared to a flight.

If you are set on going into and out of Mombasa, perhaps consider Tsavo as a safari destination rather than the Masai Mara.

As someone else already said, savage beaches along the cost around Mombasa. Diani was mentioned, but from what I recall of it it was just a stretch of hotels on a beach. Consider going North instead to Malindi, great town to explore but also has the beaches.

Do your research on tourist safety in that area. I was also going to suggest going further north to Lamu Island, really amazing spot, but from what I can gather it has been overrun with Somali terrorists since I was there and is now a total no go

faceman

I used to live there, its such as amazing place. You might find it easier to fly to Nairobi and start with the safaris and finish with the coast/Mombasa.

+1 to Diani Beach. Make sure to go for dinner with Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant while there.

If you are going to the Mara and you can time it with the annual wildesbeast migration you are in for a treat. Time varies annually but usually Sep to Nov is good. This site gives the expected dates for each year. https://www.africanmeccasafaris.com/travel-guide/kenya/parks-reserves/masai-mara/wildebeest-migration

If you can fit it in and fancy a bit of equatorial luxury, a trip to Mount Kenya Safari Club is great. Just below the equator, on the slopes of Mount Kenya. The lodges with a river view are the spots to book! Think the African equivalence of Ashford Castle.

How much off the beaten path would you like to go or would you rather stick to the hot spots?

junebabies

Thank you both for your advise, will look into everything you have mentioned. Shoukd have said have 2 teen girls so don't want to go too far off the beaten track

adrian522

junebabies wrote: »

Thanks, did you book it yourself or with a travel agent? So you flew into Nairobi and flew home from mombasa??

Yeah, I booked it all myself, didn't use a travel agent.

Correct yeah, flew with Turkish airlines, also had an internal flight from Nairobi to Malindi,

Wuff Wuff

East of Mombassa

Kerry25x

Highly recommend Hell's Gate National Park if you got the chance to go, it's a few hours outside Nairobi but well worth the trip. Stunning place to go hiking or even cycle around and you'll meet plenty of wild zebras and giraffe roaming free, really magical.