There are literally hundreds of safari companies in Kenya today, each offering dozens of safaris. So how do you decide which one best suits your needs.
Here are my top tips for choosing a safari.
1. Price
Obviously cost is going to be a major factor, and safaris range from US$50 per day, to hundreds of dollars per day. As the safaris also vary in length and can usually be catered according to your tastes, it is worth deciding in advance whether you are willing to take a slightly lower budget option in order to spend a few extra days, or whether you would prefer the shorter, more luxurious trip. I recommend a minimum of five days to guarantee seeing most of the animals.
2. Accommodation
Price is not the only factor determining which accommodation you take. The lodges are generally of a very good standard, have swimming pools, nice restaurants and all mod cons. However, they are very protected from the animals and in my opinion you get a much better African experience if you camp. On a safari my husband and I did recently, we had a variety of animals walking through our camp - baboons, hyena, and a giant monitor lizard. At nights we would lie in bed listening to the animals in the distance, or the rain beat down on the roof. And there is nothing to beat opening a tent door in the morning to watch the sun rise over the African plains.
If the thought of camping conjures up images of flooded pyjamas and rocks digging into your back all night, take heart. Even the cheapest safari companies provide mattresses, and the luxury camps have all the facilities you would expect from a lodge, but with the added adventure of being in the open.
3. Game Parks.
Each game park is different. The Maasai Mara is famous for its herds of Wildebeast during the summer migration, and for being the place where you can see a dozen different animals all together. Amboseli is the image conjured up when dreaming of Hemmingway adventures. With a backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, it is one of the most photogenic of the parks. Lake Nakuruis home to thousands of flamingos that fill the lake and dazzle it a bright pink. And Samburu, in the more northern regions, has different species of giraffe, zebra and ostrich than the others. It is also hotter, and more desert-like.
