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Hi all,

I am planning a trip to Kenya a few weeks from now and i've already made arrangements for Mt Kenya, but I have still not booked a safari. I will be based at a friend's apartment in Nairobi, and don't have the time or money to do a multiple park safari trip, so I can only do a 3 or 4 day trip with two parks relatively close to each other. Sooo... I wish to do one of two things: 1) Maasai Mara and Hell's gate national park (i'm an avid mountain biker and thought this would be a cool trip, riding with the wildlife), or 2) tsavo and amboseli . First of all, does anyone have any experience with these parks and would like to share their experiences on which I would probably find the most interesting. I suppose I'm much like everyone, who wants to see as much cool and diverse wildlife as possible, but I would also appreciate other aspects as well (tranquility, low-costs, cultural experiences). I'm fairly divided between the two, and would like some input if someone can help, perhaps someone knowledgable about all these parks. Is maasai mara really that much better than the other parks in terms of wildlife?

Secondly, if someone could shoot out some names of safari companys that they have booked with that they have found to be good prices with decent quality, please mention as currently i don't have much... I'm looking for as low of a budget as possible (well, almost). Also is there a safari that rents out bikes for hell's gate?

Thanks very much for the help!

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1

Some safari companies for Kenya...

If you're keen to see the big cats, Masai Mara is your best bet. Amboseli is nice for the views of Kili, and lots of elephants... In Tsavo you can "dive" with hippos (see them from an underwater cage-thingie)

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Hi fishcurry, you have loads of recommendations for guides and TO's plus discussions in this Kenya branch.
Regarding Mount Kenya see the thread Guides to climb Mt Kenya started September 10th 2007. Paul with id Guest+ recommends Wilson Gatoto (legohi@yahoo.com or mobile 254(0)726998949), I could add Michael Gichigo (snowpeaks99@yahoo.com / own website a bit abandoned / little office in the center of Nairobi but now just in front of where it is supposed to be according to their site on the same street). But there are of course many others. Just write to the two for a start, then check out and compare. Michael's response can come with delay as he's on the mountain a lot.
For visiting or mountain biking in the parks you mention, these guys might give orientation as well but better get additional advice from someone who has really biked in these parks if possile at all. Cheers and good luck!

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Maasai Mara is at least a 3 day trip south west of Nairobi; a decent Mt Kenya climb is a 3 day trip north of Nairobi therefore logistics may be a bit of a nightmare if you are on a tight budget. A better bet might be to drive down towards Namanga and then through Amboseli and into Tsavo West/East National Parks and then back to Nairobi.

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Also try Paul at:

Taste of Africa Tours and safaris
Direct Line : +254-722677967
Office :+254-20241445
Telefax :+254-20252086
E-mail: paul@tasteofafricasafaris.com
web :www.tasteofafricasafaris.com
Skype: safariskenya

Edited by: bundubasher

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thanks all for the recommendations. i am looking at the operators right now. has anyone managed to find masaii mara or amboseli safaris that charge less than $80 US / day?

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