How much safari is too much?

Hi Chillg8r
When Richard talks about the conservancies he is referring to ones like (but not limited too) Mara North, Naboisho, Ol Dereski, Olare Motorogi and others. There are places to stay atop the Oloololo escarpment but these wouldn't be ideal as you're outside the Mara ecosystem and it'll be a drive to get down to the plains. There are a number of very good places to stay inside and around Mara North/Lemek and the Mara Traingle conservancies (this last one is not technically a conservancy) at the foot of that escarpment and they would all be good areas to be based. Most border the Mara river. However, as I mentioned staying in any of these places is very expensive by almost anyones standards. They are selling a very exclusive experience. There are no other game vehicles except those belonging to the very few lodges in each conservancy. You cannot do a game drive in them unless you're a guest of the lodge. When you check the prices you're first reaction is likely to be one of shock (we're talking hundreds and hundreds of dollars a night - often well over a thousand) but do keep in mind that these lodges are not keeping this money themselves. The way the conservancy system works (very briefly) is that the conservancy leases the land for around fifteen years at a time from the local Maasai. The Maasai still get to use parts of the land for their cattle, (which is actually the natural state of affairs and is to the advantage of many animals - the situation inside the reserve itself where cattle and Maasai herders are 'technically' banned - though hundreds and often thousands of cattle are taken inside the reserve at night by the Maasai - is not a natural system) though most is dedicated to wildlife. The animals gain, the Maasai gain and the tourist gain. It's a win-win situation though might not be sustainable in the long term because it's reliant on exclusive high end tourism paying massive bucks to visit and tourism is very up and down. So, essentially when you check the conservancy lodges prices keep in mind that you'e not just paying for a bed and meals but to preserve the entire eco-system. For more on all this have a look at the website of the project I am currently working on: www.walkingwiththemaasai.com

Any lodge/camp you chose in the conservancies will be amazing. If, as you indicate, you are on a more normal budget though some of the more affordable ones are the Kicheche Camps, the Basecamps (they also have a camp in Talek village which is fantastic but is for the reserve not the conservancies) and Offbeat Mara (I really like the low-key nature of this one). If you're after a more cultural experience then I would suggest also checking out Maji Moto Eco Camp which is quite far north of the reserve but is a good price (around US$100 a night I seem to recall) and Jans Camp in the Loita Hills where the wildlife is very different (colobus monkeys, turacos and other forest creatures). Camps in the main conservancies are also listed here (along with more info on each conservancy) http://www.maasaimaraconservancies.co.ke/ and http://www.maasaimara.com/ which covers the reserve as well.

As for visiting towns if you go to places like Kakamega forest, Kitale (Saiwa Swamp, Cherengeni Hills and museums etc), Mt Kenya region or around Lake Victoria then you will automatically be visiting the towns. Yes, cheap, simple but normally clean and comfortable places to stay in all those places (Kakamega forest has a wonderful value guesthouse/lodge). It's all very safe and would be very rewarding for you. Normally when you rent a car in Kenya it comes with a driver, but self-drive is possible though don't expect to save much money and it's more hassle and more tiring. There are also decent bus services but as you're holidaying as a family it's better to go with the freedom of a private vehicle.

There's a new edition (couple of weeks old) of the Lonely Planet Kenya guide out. We've expanded it quite a lot from the previous editions and it gives you all the details on all of this and includes places to stay in all the towns etc that tourists are likely to visit. Richards guide is also excellent but I'm not sure when the new edition is out.

If you need any suggestions for Ethiopia I'm also happy to help as I write that guide as well - you can email me direct on mail@stuartbutlerjournalist.com
Stuart

Stuart and Richard,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback. Its amazing how much you learn just in the process of preparing for a journey like this. You both have presented me with a lot of things to research and read up on so if i don't comment for a few days that is why.

One of the lodges I was considering "splurging" on in the Maasai area, and why I asked about the Oloololo escarpment, is a relatively new place called Mara Engai Wilderness Lodge. Thoughts? (edit: I just put pen to paper on the proposed total cost of a stay there and it is too rich for my blood.....it came out to ~$1200/day + airfare!)

In Ethiopia my initial thoughts are to fly into Addis from Nairobi and immediately fly into Arbaminch to spend ~7 days traveling about the Omo Valley area with a guide. I've been given a proposal from Leola Ethiopia Tour. That will leave us nearly 3 weeks to travel the Historic north and Addis.

In S Africa I think our focus will be from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth with a side trip to Kruger before flying into Nairobi.

Finally, I want to thank The Lonely Planet and Rough guides (and others) for giving us the information that has made our travels possible. As I mentioned we have done a lot of independent travel, and while my American friends think we are the most adventurous people they know I would not call it adventure travel. We've net too many people in our travels that I WOULD call adventure travelers and we are not them. We have rarely participated in organized tours and, only on a couple of occasions, N. Thailand for example, have we hired a car with a driver. Your books have been our guides, for the most part. In 2000 we took our 9 year old son out of school and travelled for a year. (We did create a website for that adventure, www.wheresmax.com ,if you are curious.) Since then we've travelled through Brazil, Peru, and most recently spend 3 months traveling through Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Your colleagues information has been indispensable. So again, THANK YOU.

M

Hi all,

So I am excited to say that my flights to the continent have been booked so I've been making some hard choices wrt itinerary. At this point it looks like this:

1. Arrive in JNB near dusk so I will either spend the night at an airport hotel to recover or spend the night in a [art of Jo'burg with cafe's and restaurants. The plan is to rent a car early the next morning and spend two days traveling, via the panorama route, to Kruger.
2. Even though I searched for accommodations in Kruger on December 8th for August 28th my first choices were already booked so I ended up booking 2 nights in a Riverside Bungalow in Skakuza and one night in Satara. Since we've decided to spend the dough for a guided safari in Kenya we will self drive this part of the trip.
3. Take a roundabout/scenic route back to Jo'burg and fly to CPT. We will then spend ~10 days in the eastern and western Cape.
4. Fly to Nairobi and head out to Maasai Mara within a day or two of arrival for 3 nights, 4 days. perhaps driving there and flying back? We have narrowed it down to Aruba Safaris or Basecamp but am still open to ideas. They both seem to be good choices and reasonable prices.
5. Fly to Addis and leave the next day for a 7 day tour of the Omo valley. because the flights seem to leave in the afternoon we may drive there but fly back on the last day. We are communication with 3 guides at the moment, Gamo Travel, Leola, a fellow named Yoseph and a fellow named Malek.
6. This leaves us 3 weeks to travel the Historical route and to Harar independently.

So what do you all think? We had to cut out much or Kenya simply due to time constraints and my sons desire to visit the eastern Cape. One would think that 2 months would be plenty of time to do everything but its amazing how the time can get used up. We don't want to be in too much of a hurry and won't be except for the middle 3 weeks when we are in the Cape-Kenya-Omo Valley. the 2 weeks at he beginning and the 3 weeks at the end should be a pace more to our liking.

I would love any and all of your input. Almost everything we've arranged so far can be changed except for the flights over to Africa.

Finally, thats for your input so far, this is going to be another great adventure.

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