Honeymoon in Kenya

We are looking to include a safari and some beach time during our 8-10 day honeymoon in Kenya this christmas. Is this possible? Is it a good time to go?

Looking at safari in Masai Mara and then beach time at Watamu or Mombasa. Are these good places to visit?

Any thoughts/advice will be greatly appreciated.

Kenya is a superb destination for a honeymoon. The Massai Mara is the best location for a safari, but it is a long way from the coast and best accessed from Nairobi. Christmas will be near the time of the election and it might be a good idea to avoid Nairobi. Tsavo National Park, which is near the coast, is a good alternative. Safaris can be booked from the coastal resorts. Diani Beach, on the south coast, would be a good location. it is only an hour's drive from Mombasa, a lot closer than Watamu and other north coast resorts. There is also quality reasonably priced self-catering acomodation at Diani Beach, ideal for a couple on honeymoon.

Super time to visit Africa.
Masai Mara will be your first priority for honeymooning.
Amboseli will be the second.
Tsavo should be your third priority.

For the beach, Tiwi beach resort can be your answer.
Try www.mtnmadness.org<BR>They have some nice packages.
All the best.

AVOID www.MTNMADNESS.ORG BY ALL MEANS. They are touts. Dont know why they havent been removed yet.

Be careful with ANY suggestion made, especially PM, on this board: if it is a new psoter, chances are 95% it is a tour operator.

Hi, Im not a touroperator, just spend a romantic holiday in Kenya myself<BR><BR>1. BEACH<BR>Go to Lamu Island.<BR>Weve met people working at resorts at Diani Beach, who told us themselves Lamu is the place to go, because it is so laidback, whereas in Diani and all other beaches you get constantly harassed by beach boys etc. We loved Lamu, it has such a nice, multicultural atmosfere, a beautiful stonetown, good food and you can walk around after dark feeling secure.

Shela on the side has better beaches.
You can ask sailors to drop you at a remote beach if u want to be all by yourself (see below).
You can go sailing, fishing, snorkling, go for a villagewalk, visit the Swahili museums, have fabulous monster crab at Seafront Cafe. In the mainstreet, there s a lovely coffeeshop with romantic garden, serving breakfast, pastries and wine. At the seaside, close to the Donkey sanctuary is a rooftopcafe with cocktails and nice loungebeds.

2. MOMBASA:
Lovely romantic upscale Tamarind restaurant (incredible food for 50$ with champaign & cocktails included)

3. MASAI MAARA:
We didnt do this, but appareantly you can do a balloonsafari with champaignbreakfast and gamedrive for 380$. Considering that a balloonflight in belgium is 150 euros, that seems doable.<BR><BR>4. NAIROBI<BR>We stayed at Millimani, which is a neighbourhood with restaurants, a shopping mall (YaYa center) and good public transport & taxiconnections to the city center.<BR>On saturdaynight: Club Afrique<BR>The place in itself is really cool, wih its seventies-style electric boogie scene, little dancefloor, with seats around and an upperfloor and three bars.
They have a superb Congolese band "Rhumba Japan Band" playing from 10PM-1AM.
The dancing girls are fenomenal (trust me, I can compare with Congo & Brussels). Its not crowded with prostitutes.<BR>2- on weeknights Casablanca (Millimani, near YaYa Center)<BR>Maroccan stylelounge bar, with excellent (and expensive) cocktails, waterpipes, open fireplace and in weekends dancing, bar and open fire outside. Personally prefer quiet weeknights; weekend quite some prostitues.<BR><BR>More info on sailing:<BR>Try to go sailing with Manal boat.<BR>The young, very competent crew (Captain Vasco da Gama, Africa, Sun and Hassan) will show you the most beautiful, isolated places of the archipellago, cook for you, teach you some Swahili, show you the stars, take you snorkling, be good company or leave you alone if youre after a romantic 1-1-outing.

You can find the boat and crew in the harbour, in the evening, in front of the big hotel/internet space, the boat has a Scottish flag.
Their prices are very reasonable compared to other offers and you do not ahve to pass any beachboys.

Fly 540 is a new airline (modelled after EasyJet, 50seater),
connecting Lamu to malindi and Nairobi:
good prices, ponctual service and competent, enthousiastic staff

We did :
1- Taca ruins (9AM-7PM):
sailing to the mangroves - go fishing - sailing to a beach, lunch (cocunut rice with vegetable stew and fish if u catch some), waiting for the water to rise - go to Tacna ruins, visit the ruins, see the ocean - sailing back underneath the stars
2- Village walk (9AM-3PM):
sailing to a village, meeting the boatrepairmen, villagers, shops - sailing to ocunut beach for swimming and lunch - sail back
- snorkling wasnt possible when we were there (strong currents & sandy waters)<BR>3- sailing to Manda Island (airport) with some detour<BR><BR>Theres lots of other possibilities:
- snorkling (in the right season, when we were there the current was too strong, causing sandy water)
- going to islands further in the archipellago (1 day back, 1 day forth)
- apparently you can even spend the night on the boat

There s a guy called Ali offering dinner with his family, appearently also in LP. We didn`t like it so much: ended up eating with tourists only, out on the porch, paying a far to high price for the food. the Seafront Cafe has amazing monstercrab at 300 Sh.

Thank you all for your fast responses - I'll start making my plans this week and will be sure to come back with some more questions.

Thanks again!

I have have been hasseled by beach boys at Diani Beach. They are not a problem away from the crowded hotel beaches.

I know that www.africaguide.com are online booking agency working with local consolidators.
I would recommend them because I got a good listing of KATO member groups and my safari trip was peaches.
Give it a go and you will be rest assured

Good luck mate