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#1
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Kenya animal migration
I am thinking to go to Kenya to watch animal migration in the end of
Sept to beginning of Oct. Several questions might need help. Appreciated. - Is it a good timing, since I know it's seasonal activities? - What's the proper length of vacation days? will 7-10days be too boring to stay in different national parks (It's my first time to have this kind of tour, i.e. wildlife kinda of tour) ? I saw a wide range of tour package in different sites, from 4-5 days to 10-14 days. I will fly from shanghai. - Is it better to purchase local tour package in advance or it's very easy to book upon arrival. - Is it dangerours to travel alone? Thanks, Eunice |
#2
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Kenya animal migration
mazda610328 wrote:
I am thinking to go to Kenya to watch animal migration in the end of Sept to beginning of Oct. Several questions might need help. Appreciated. - Is it a good timing, since I know it's seasonal activities? I've only been to nearby Tanzania but the migration typically is in Kenya's Masai Mara during the time frame you mention ... you can track it at sites like this one ... http://www.atta.co.uk/nomad/index.html .... seems a bit late reaching Kenya this year because of the excellent conditions in the Serengeti. - What's the proper length of vacation days? will 7-10days be too boring to stay in different national parks Depends entirely on you ... we've taken two trips to Tanzania, 13 and 10 nights on safari, and could easily have stayed longer but others are bored after 3-4 days once they check off the major animals on their list. - Is it better to purchase local tour package in advance or it's very easy to book upon arrival. I understand July - Sept is peak travel time in Kenya so most of the good places will be filled already. For example we are booking a long trip to Tanzania next January when the migration is massed on the short grass plains and two of the lodges we are using have been booked 100% full since March for next January and February. So book in advance for the busiest times. - Is it dangerours to travel alone? You should hire a drive/guide. Bill |
#3
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Kenya animal migration
Thanks much, Bill. It's helpful.
I just checked some website covering consolidated Safari Operators info. and found that the cost per day ranges widely. For budget ranges around USD 70-100 per day per person, is it normal price or cheap? what's the lodging quality I could expect, clean & acceptable or lousy? And~ when you were in Tanzania, what did you do there? Watching animals all day long? How long does it take to travel from Masai Mara to Serengeti? Best, Eunice Bill wrote: mazda610328 wrote: I am thinking to go to Kenya to watch animal migration in the end of Sept to beginning of Oct. Several questions might need help. Appreciated. - Is it a good timing, since I know it's seasonal activities? I've only been to nearby Tanzania but the migration typically is in Kenya's Masai Mara during the time frame you mention ... you can track it at sites like this one ... http://www.atta.co.uk/nomad/index.html ... seems a bit late reaching Kenya this year because of the excellent conditions in the Serengeti. - What's the proper length of vacation days? will 7-10days be too boring to stay in different national parks Depends entirely on you ... we've taken two trips to Tanzania, 13 and 10 nights on safari, and could easily have stayed longer but others are bored after 3-4 days once they check off the major animals on their list. - Is it better to purchase local tour package in advance or it's very easy to book upon arrival. I understand July - Sept is peak travel time in Kenya so most of the good places will be filled already. For example we are booking a long trip to Tanzania next January when the migration is massed on the short grass plains and two of the lodges we are using have been booked 100% full since March for next January and February. So book in advance for the busiest times. - Is it dangerours to travel alone? You should hire a drive/guide. Bill |
#4
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Kenya animal migration
mazda610328 wrote:
Thanks much, Bill. It's helpful. I just checked some website covering consolidated Safari Operators info. and found that the cost per day ranges widely. For budget ranges around USD 70-100 per day per person, is it normal price or cheap? Sounds very low to me given the cost of park entry fees etc ... my guess is on a trip like this you are sharing a jeep with many other people, doing one game drive mid-day instead of doing one in the early AM and another in the afternoon, and staying at the cheapest accomodations ... I don't know much about Kenya, maybe Dave Patterson or Hans-Gorg Michna (who both know Kenya well) can chime in with some words of wisdom on this and correct any misconceptions I have. what's the lodging quality I could expect, clean & acceptable or lousy? I don't know ... in Tanzania pretty good lodges like the Serena or Sopa chains are running around $400 double per night with all meals while the "Wildlife Lodge" chain with supposedly lousy service, shabby rooms and indifferent food are around $200/night/dbl rack rate. Comparable lodges in Kenya are supposedly cheaper (the Serena in Masai Mara is under $300 double, for comparison), but I don't know what you'd get if paying $100 per person for the vehicle, driver, park fees, food and lodging ... And~ when you were in Tanzania, what did you do there? Watching animals all day long? Our goal was to get in as many game drives as possible and photograph animals ... you can see how we did at this site ... http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/africa/ ... if you have limited time to look at pics these are the pages that are most popular, with the cheetahs, lions and birds ... http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta...06/cheetah.htm http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta...lion_fight.htm http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta...etah_T4710.htm http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta...lion_T2707.htm http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta.../birds_all.htm To get shots like this we have a private vehicle so we can stay out as long as necessary and, especially important, leave the lodge at first light ... most people wait for breakfast at the lodge and get to the animals about 2 hours after the best action. How long does it take to travel from Masai Mara to Serengeti? They are adjacent, the Masai Mara is basically just the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem ... however Tanzania shut the border crossing many years ago so it's not feasible to drive directly across the border there and most people return to Nairobi, then to Arusha and then to Serengeti ... for the months you mentioned there is more going on at Masai Mara so if you go there I wouldn't stress out trying to reach the Serengeti to see lower numbers of the same animals .... in Sept and Oct I think the best parks in northern Tanzania are Tarangire and Lake Manyara plus the Ngorongoro Crater area. Bill |
#5
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Kenya animal migration
Hi,
Hope you don't mind me jumping in here... I own a travel company and would be very wary of any company offering safari drives for less than $100 per day (speaking of Tanzania or Kenya). First, the park fees are $30 - $50 per person per day, so check to see if the sites that are offering safaris for $70 - $100 even include your entry fees. A camping safari will run more than $100 per day... and that is WITH a bunch of people. Bill is right on the money there. If you want to go for a quality experience, I would suggest spending the money required to match your expectations. I don't mean dishing $600 per day, but for LODGING (not ground tents), and meals that are not shared affairs around a picnic table... AND if you want to be able to get out and take photos at your own pace, you certainly will not want to share an "overlander" or even a completely full van where people will be jostling for space when The Photo steps in front of your lens. Sorry there's no good Cheap safari out there that will give you the experience you hope to have. A camping safari is excellent if you are not bothered by sleeping on a ground mat, raising a mug with a group of strangers-soon-to-be-friends, and if you are there for the sheer experience of being in Africa. If you are looking for more, you're going to have to pay for it. PS: the Crater is one of the most expensive parks with a daily entry fee AND a "service fee"... the Serengeti has the daily fee and a "transit fee" tagged on. safari njema! Lisa Bill wrote: mazda610328 wrote: Thanks much, Bill. It's helpful. I just checked some website covering consolidated Safari Operators info. and found that the cost per day ranges widely. For budget ranges around USD 70-100 per day per person, is it normal price or cheap? Sounds very low to me given the cost of park entry fees etc ... my guess is on a trip like this you are sharing a jeep with many other people, doing one game drive mid-day instead of doing one in the early AM and another in the afternoon, and staying at the cheapest accomodations ... I don't know much about Kenya, maybe Dave Patterson or Hans-Gorg Michna (who both know Kenya well) can chime in with some words of wisdom on this and correct any misconceptions I have. what's the lodging quality I could expect, clean & acceptable or lousy? I don't know ... in Tanzania pretty good lodges like the Serena or Sopa chains are running around $400 double per night with all meals while the "Wildlife Lodge" chain with supposedly lousy service, shabby rooms and indifferent food are around $200/night/dbl rack rate. Comparable lodges in Kenya are supposedly cheaper (the Serena in Masai Mara is under $300 double, for comparison), but I don't know what you'd get if paying $100 per person for the vehicle, driver, park fees, food and lodging ... And~ when you were in Tanzania, what did you do there? Watching animals all day long? Our goal was to get in as many game drives as possible and photograph animals ... you can see how we did at this site ... http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/africa/ ... if you have limited time to look at pics these are the pages that are most popular, with the cheetahs, lions and birds ... http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta...06/cheetah.htm http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta...lion_fight.htm http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta...etah_T4710.htm http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta...lion_T2707.htm http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta.../birds_all.htm To get shots like this we have a private vehicle so we can stay out as long as necessary and, especially important, leave the lodge at first light ... most people wait for breakfast at the lodge and get to the animals about 2 hours after the best action. How long does it take to travel from Masai Mara to Serengeti? They are adjacent, the Masai Mara is basically just the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem ... however Tanzania shut the border crossing many years ago so it's not feasible to drive directly across the border there and most people return to Nairobi, then to Arusha and then to Serengeti ... for the months you mentioned there is more going on at Masai Mara so if you go there I wouldn't stress out trying to reach the Serengeti to see lower numbers of the same animals ... in Sept and Oct I think the best parks in northern Tanzania are Tarangire and Lake Manyara plus the Ngorongoro Crater area. Bill |
#6
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Kenya animal migration
LisaG wrote:
If you want to go for a quality experience, I would suggest spending the money required to match your expectations. I don't mean dishing $600 per day ... I agree with Lisa ... we are using a well-regarded ground agent in Arusha, booking directly with them because we know exactly where we wish to go, and it's costing in the range of $350 - 400 per day for two people staying at Serena - Sopa class lodges with a private guide and an over-sized vehicle set up for long-lens photography. We could shave off some costs with another person in the jeep or getting a smaller jeep or not spending so many days at the more expensive parks like Serengeti or Ngorongoro, but with a private driver it's probably hard to get this below $250/day or so. Then there are people paying $1,400 per night for a double at the CCA lodges and finding they have to share a vehicle on their game drive ... but they are happy because they have a deluxe luxury lodging experience. Sorry there's no good Cheap safari out there that will give you the experience you hope to have. Sad but true, due to the high cost of park fees and need to have a driver/guide. PS: the Crater is one of the most expensive parks with a daily entry fee AND a "service fee"... the Serengeti has the daily fee and a "transit fee" tagged on. We didn't break out our costs all the way to the entrance fees, but I think it's still only $25 per day at Lake Manyara and Tarangire ... you can actually find cheap lodging outside Manyara in the aptly named Mto Wa Mbu ("Mosquito River") and do a cheap safari there, but it's a small park ... but Serengeti is I think $50 per tourist per day plus $6 for the jeep plus $1.50 for the driver or $107.50 per day for two people just to get in ... and add another $10 "guide fee" (though you don't get the guide) if going off the main road to the good stuff like Gol Kopjes ... Ngorongoro is even worse, I think $30 per day per person just to be in the Conservation Area and $100 per jeep to descend to the crater floor, now limited to only 6 hours per day to boot ... so $160 per day for two at Ngorongoro crater ... that's why I was skeptical about the $100/day or cheaper trips ... I think Kenya fees are lower than Tanzania fees though (for now). Bill |
#7
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Kenya animal migration
Actually 7-10 days is good.You can visit the maasai mara but to make it
more better you can accomodate more parks just to make your tour more intresting. Actually right now is the best time to visit August to October.You can click on this link to get the migration map http://www.destination-connect.com/e...pmigration.htm To make your vacation better i would advice you to accomodate mombasa so that you can enjoy the beach. You can check on some of these itineraries 8 day safari http://www.destination-connect.com/e...wmarketing.htm 11 day safari inclusive of the kenya coast Day 1: Met on arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, briefed by the Destination Connect representative and transfer to Safari Park Hotel or similar- Nairobi. Booked on bed & breakfast basis. Free evening entertainment by the resident safari cats. Optional City Tour of Nairobi Overnight at the hotel. Information about NAIROBI Nairobi is a cosmopolitan and multicultural religious city, with many immigrants from former British colonies, including India, Somalia and Sudan. This is highlighted in the number of churches, mosques, temples and gurdwaras within the city. Day 2: After breakfast, depart southwards to Amboseli National Park famous for its spectacular view of the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro (weather permitting). Arrive at Amboseli Serena Lodge/Similar in time for lunch and at 1600hrs enjoy an afternoon game viewing drive in the park. This is in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro, beside Acacia trees and a natural spring, amidst more big game than almost anywhere else in Africa. Dinner and overnight at the lodge. Day 3 Full day game drive in the park, to see more of the spectacular views in the park. Information about AMBOSELI Amboseli lies immediately North West of Mt. Kilimanjaro, on the border with Tanzania. Amboseli was established as a reserve in 1968 and gazetted as a National Park in 1974. The Park covers 392 km2, and forms part of the much larger 3,000 Km2 Amboseli ecosystem. Large concentrations of wildlife occur here in the dry season, making Amboseli a popular tourist destination. It is surrounded by 6 communally owned group ranches. The National Park embodies 5 main wildlife habitats (open plains, acacia woodland, rocky thorn bush country, swamps and marshland) and covers part of a Pleistocene lake basin, now dry. Within this basin is a temporary lake, Lake Amboseli, that floods during years of heavy rainfall. Amboseli is famous for its big game and its great scenic beauty - the landscape is dominated by MT Kilimanjaro. Activity Game viewing, bird watching Day 4: After breakfast, depart and drive to Nairobi with a snack stop ( OWN ACCOUNT) Then proceed to the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park arriving at Lake Nakuru Lodge / Similar enjoy a game drive in the park that also takes you to the shores of the lake famous for its birdlife especially flamingoes that form a pink hue across the lake enroute to the lodge. Dinner and overnight at the lodge. Information about LAKE NAKURU Lake Nakuru is a very shallow strongly alkaline lake 62 km2 in extent. It is set in a picturesque landscape of surrounding woodland and grassland next to Nakuru town. The landscape includes areas of marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky hillsides covered with a Euphorbia forest on the eastern perimeter. The lake catchment is bounded by Menengai crater to the north, the Bahati hills to the north east, the lion hill ranges to the east, eburu crater to the south and the mau escarpment to the west. Three major rivers, the njoro, makalia and enderit drain into the lake, together with treated water from the town's sewage works and the outflow from several springs along the shore. Lake Nakuru was first gazetted as a bird sanctuary in 1960 and upgraded to National Park status in 1968. A northern extension was added to the park in 1974 and the lake was designated as a Ramsar site in 1990. The foundation of the parks food chains is the cyanophyte spirulina platensis which can support huge numbers of lesser flamingo. Activity Game viewing, bird watching Day 5: Depart Nakuru after breakfast and drive through the floor of the Rift Valley to the world famous game reserve, the Maasai Mara arriving at Mara Serena Lodge / Similar in time for lunch. At 1600hrs enjoy an afternoon game drive in the reserve. Dinner and overnight at the lodge. Day 6 & 7: Full day in the reserve with both morning and afternoon game drives at 0630hrs and 1600hrs respectively. The Mara is the northern extension of the Serengeti and its rolling plains are home to hundreds of plains game together with predators that feed on them. All meals and overnight at Mara Serena Lodge / Similar. Information about MAASAI MARA The Maasai Mara is Kenya's most celebrated game park, it offers the possibility of seeing "the big five" and many other species of game. This is where the great wildebeest migration is a spectacle to behold for any would be visitor to Kenya mainly in July and August of each year. We drive straight to our Permanent campsite along the Talek River, which borders the reserve. Accommodation is in large stand-up tents with beds. Showers are available in the camp and meals are served in the dinning mess or in the open. Activity Game Watching, Wildlife, Ethnic, Traditional Dances, Photography, Relaxation, Camping. Day 8: Say good-bye to the "bush" as you depart the Maraand drive back to Nairobi arriving early afternoon. Lunch at the carnivore and thereafter proceed to JKIA airport for your scheduled flight to Lamu. Met on arrival and transferred to Kijani House Hotel. Dinner & Overnight at Kijani House Hotel or similar. Information about CARNIVORE The Carnivore is a unique experience. This open-air meat specialty restaurant has become a standard stop on the safari trail. Every type of meat imaginable, including four choices of wild game, is roasted on traditional Maasai swords (skewers) over a huge, visually spectacular charcoal pit that dominates the entrance of the restaurant. DAY 9& 10 You have two more leisurely days to enjoy the beach and activities available at Kijani. For a change of pace, you may also take a traditional dhow and sail to the town of Lamu, the oldest surviving town on the coast of East Africa. The old stone town has narrow winding streets, historic mosques and a colorful market. There are no cars allowed on the island, so transportation is by donkey or dhow. The atmosphere here is friendly and relaxed and day to day life here has changed little over the centuries. Overnight DAY 11 Spend your morning at leisure. After lunch you will be transferred to the airstrip where you will depart on the Kenya Airways flight back to Nairobi. Upon arrival you will be met and taken to dinner. Afterwards you will be driven back to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to connect with your flight home. The migration period is tricky its better you book in advance reason the demand for accomodation is usually high. Its not dangerous to travel alone cause you will have a tour guide. Parks have beefed up security Paul enquiries@destination-connect,com mazda610328 wrote: I am thinking to go to Kenya to watch animal migration in the end of Sept to beginning of Oct. Several questions might need help. Appreciated. - Is it a good timing, since I know it's seasonal activities? - What's the proper length of vacation days? will 7-10days be too boring to stay in different national parks (It's my first time to have this kind of tour, i.e. wildlife kinda of tour) ? I saw a wide range of tour package in different sites, from 4-5 days to 10-14 days. I will fly from shanghai. - Is it better to purchase local tour package in advance or it's very easy to book upon arrival. - Is it dangerours to travel alone? Thanks, Eunice |
#8
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Kenya animal migration
The Migration is arriving in the Mara as we speak. Lodges have been
booked out well in advance and accommodation is scarce. The 'migration' remains in the Mara through to October and viewing remains good, but I would recommend booking in advance. 3 nights in the Mara is generally enough, then Kenya has a host of attractions to keep you busy. The Rift Valley with flamingoes, Amboseli and views of Kilimanjaro or relax on the beach. Its as safe as visiting London on your own. Walk in the wrong areas (which are normally obvious) and its not safe mazda610328 wrote: I am thinking to go to Kenya to watch animal migration in the end of Sept to beginning of Oct. Several questions might need help. Appreciated. - Is it a good timing, since I know it's seasonal activities? - What's the proper length of vacation days? will 7-10days be too boring to stay in different national parks (It's my first time to have this kind of tour, i.e. wildlife kinda of tour) ? I saw a wide range of tour package in different sites, from 4-5 days to 10-14 days. I will fly from shanghai. - Is it better to purchase local tour package in advance or it's very easy to book upon arrival. - Is it dangerours to travel alone? Thanks, Eunice |
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