Kenya

[Anonymous]

Go south and climb Kilimanjaro. EXCELLENT and attainable hike for people of even moderate fitness.

DO NOT go to Uganda though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would love to hear more about what hotels and how are you getting around?
Thank you

Before the safari, staying at Bidwood Suites in Nairobi (seems to be a little away from all the activities we want to do which are in Karen) which was one of few places that had 2 bedroom suites available. After safari, staying at Aeroclub of East Africa which is right by Wilson airport. The safari camps we are staying at are the Serena group (Sweetwaters Serena and Mara Serena). All hotels can arrange taxis for local outings. You would have to work with a tour operator/travel agent to arrange the rides to the camps or you could fly-in from one camp to another.

Giraffe Manor is a luxury hotel where guests can interact with giraffes, while the Giraffe Centre is an affordable conservation education center open to the public. I believe that the giraffes roam freely between both locations, so the giraffes seen at the manor are the same ones at the center. We are going to the Giraffe center and not the Giraffe Manor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go south and climb Kilimanjaro. EXCELLENT and attainable hike for people of even moderate fitness.

DO NOT go to Uganda though.

I would just hike to Kilimanjaro base camp because that’s an easy day trip. Full climbing takes at least a few days and you may have to deal with altitude sickness.

[Anonymous]

After safari, head to Diani Beach. Nomad Beach Resort is nice and has great food. Take a day trip to Mombasa, wander the Old Town to get a taste of Swahili culture and check out Fort Jesus. You can fly in and out of the airport at Diani or take a taxi from Mombasa (takes about an hour). Take the Likoni Ferry to get a glimpse into something other than the made-for-tourist attractions.

[Anonymous]

These posts are all super helpful - thank you! Any recommendations for an agent / operator that specializes in Kenya? Friends raved about Green Safaris, but they're not in Kenya ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was just there in August. What’s your budget and adventure level?

High adventure, mid level budget for these sorts of things

I can recommend Mara Siria Tented Camp if you are good with something more rustic and personal. Food was excellent and great game drives in the less crowded Mara Triangle area. The views up on the escarpment were amazing and it wasn’t an airbrushed luxe experience if you want something a little more real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These posts are all super helpful - thank you! Any recommendations for an agent / operator that specializes in Kenya? Friends raved about Green Safaris, but they're not in Kenya ...

Travel Beyond is good (I think they have a $10-15K pp minimum to work with them). They do a TON of volume so their pricing is super competitive once you’re within their spend thresholds.

Piper + Heath gets good reviews too though I thought they were kinda abrasive (but they def know their stuff).

Just know with Kenya it’s very different from say a SA or Bots or Zambia safari - even if you’re on a reserve where you can off-road and escape crowds - so talk to your operator / agent more about what you envision for the safari experience and make sure Kenya delivers on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These posts are all super helpful - thank you! Any recommendations for an agent / operator that specializes in Kenya? Friends raved about Green Safaris, but they're not in Kenya ...

Travel Beyond is good (I think they have a $10-15K pp minimum to work with them). They do a TON of volume so their pricing is super competitive once you’re within their spend thresholds.

Piper + Heath gets good reviews too though I thought they were kinda abrasive (but they def know their stuff).

Just know with Kenya it’s very different from say a SA or Bots or Zambia safari - even if you’re on a reserve where you can off-road and escape crowds - so talk to your operator / agent more about what you envision for the safari experience and make sure Kenya delivers on that.

PP here - Last thing is the operators and agents mostly all know each other / it’s a tight circle (lots of the OG agents for these safaris are kids / grandkids of OG colonists and many of the families are intertwined now via marriages), so beware of that if you start shopping around a lot between agents - you’ll get snuffed out pretty quickly and they usually aren’t too pleased about it.

[Anonymous]

This is helpful. Thank you. Husband and I did Safari in South Africa and Zambia 20+ years ago. Now we’re looking to do it as a family trip with two teens but don’t want to go back to the same places. Chose Kenya as something different and because it’s a bit easier to get to. PP, how do you say the Safaris differ in Kenya from South Africa, Zambia? I think you’re insinuating more crowded? Anything else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is helpful. Thank you. Husband and I did Safari in South Africa and Zambia 20+ years ago. Now we’re looking to do it as a family trip with two teens but don’t want to go back to the same places. Chose Kenya as something different and because it’s a bit easier to get to. PP, how do you say the Safaris differ in Kenya from South Africa, Zambia? I think you’re insinuating more crowded? Anything else?

NP - yes, more crowded and also the landscape is different. I love Kenya but you could also try Namibia if you'd like something different and less crowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is helpful. Thank you. Husband and I did Safari in South Africa and Zambia 20+ years ago. Now we’re looking to do it as a family trip with two teens but don’t want to go back to the same places. Chose Kenya as something different and because it’s a bit easier to get to. PP, how do you say the Safaris differ in Kenya from South Africa, Zambia? I think you’re insinuating more crowded? Anything else?

NP - yes, more crowded and also the landscape is different. I love Kenya but you could also try Namibia if you'd like something different and less crowded.

They can avoid the crowds if they stay on a private reserve in Kenya. A good agent will find places that match what you’re looking for (and the more specific you are, the better).

So PP I’d say reflect on what you and the fam are looking for and then reach out to different agents to see who you click with. The chubby travel + fat travel Reddit forums are really good for recs for this too (they refer to FIRE terms, not actually being chubby or fat lol!) You could even try posting this there and see what replies from agents you get as a “pre-screen” to see who you’d want to chat with more. I see that a lot on that forum.

[Anonymous]

I recommend working with Go2Africa. Specifically with Mary Keet. She's the best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would love to hear more about what hotels and how are you getting around?
Thank you

This is why you need a TA for safari. Logistics are complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These posts are all super helpful - thank you! Any recommendations for an agent / operator that specializes in Kenya? Friends raved about Green Safaris, but they're not in Kenya ...

Go2Africa

[Anonymous]

https://www.honeyguidesafaris.com/

Best experience of my life. Tell Kate your vision and leave it to her. Try the camel trekking.