Tips for Planning a Safari to Kenya: Kenya offers you a home for safaris and is one of the top tourist attractions in the world. If you are a wildlife enthusiast, then you will want to organize a safari to Kenya, but you need to think about things first, like where to go, when to go, what to look out for, and where to start. You will find so many options, and this can be overwhelming, especially if this is your first safari to Kenya. In this article, we will discuss tips on how to plan a safari to Kenya, and below are some of the most important tips.
Do Extensive Research About Your Destination
Kenya offers you an all-year-round safari destination with more than ten destinations in different parts of the country, and you can best determine which destination to visit by researching them. Kenya has about 23 national parks, and some of the safari destinations in Kenya include Masai Mara National Park, Samburu National Park, Meru National Park, Amboseli National Park, and the coastal beaches, mountains, and Tsavo West and East National Parks, among others. The activities you wish to participate in during your safari determine the safari destination you choose. When researching a destination, you need to look into things like the location, transport costs, park entrance fees, accommodation costs for different types of accommodation (including basic, mid-range, and luxury facilities), the safari activities offered and their costs, and the best time to visit.
You also need to plan and find out whether you are going to visit a national park or a conservancy. This is extremely important to understand before you experience and understand the rules in each, depending on which you choose to visit.
Decide on National Parks, Conservancies, or Reserves
Before listing popular safari destinations, you need to know the difference between national parks, conservancies, and reserves in Kenya. Understanding the difference makes it easy for you to plan your holiday to Kenya.
National Parks in Kenya:
Tips for Planning a Safari to Kenya. You will find national parks as vast public lands that authorities have gazetted to protect wildlife and conserve ecosystems. This is public land, and no one, including locals living around the protected areas, can live there and carry out different activities. You can visit the National parks throughout the year, following strict rules and after prior booking, planning, and payment of the entrance fees.
Conservancies:
Conservancies are usually land that communities own, either privately or in partnership with the surrounding local communities. Although they are still wildlife reserves, people from the local communities still get to use the land, although in small and managed portions. The money from the conservancies goes back to the communities to support their different developmental projects.
The government does not own the land, and since they are not under the control of the Kenyan government, you will find fewer rules and regulations to follow, and you can carry out some activities not allowed in national parks, such as guided walking, off-road drives, and night drives. The pros of visiting conservancies are that you get a much closer feel to the wildlife, and you will find fewer visitors compared to national parks.
Reserves:
Reserves resemble national parks, and the only difference is that the community owns the land, but the Kenya Wildlife Service and the county government of Kenya manage it. The main purpose of reserves is to conserve wildlife, but you can carry out a few human activities with controlled management.
Where to Stay/Accommodation
Once you have decided on which places to visit, the next step is to think about the different accommodation facilities you might prefer, and below are some options.
Safari lodges in Kenya:
A safari lodge is an accommodation facility that sits within or close to national parks or conservancies, allowing you to have close interaction with the wildlife, which you can sometimes see loitering around the lodge. Safari lodges vary in size, have upscale amenities and facilities, spacious rooms, and prices and comfort vary from budget to luxury lodges.
Mobile safaris:
Mobile safaris in Kenya offer you a thrilling way to get closer to nature, and tourists mostly use these to watch the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Unlike fixed camps, the mobile safaris move every few days to a new location to properly see the wildlife and the different landscapes around the park. It allows you to visit unreachable areas of the park, unlike fixed camps. Mobile camps usually consist of comfortable walk-in tents with en-suite facilities and beds. The pros of mobile safaris are that you get to experience the real essence of nature, since they are also fully catered.
Tented camps:
These have a similar layout to lodges, and you will find them right in the heart of the bush in different national parks. The difference between safari lodges and tented camps is that the tented camps are a bit larger and have fixed tents and en-suite bathrooms. Most of the tented camps in Kenya are luxurious; however, you will find some simple ones that are still comfortable.
Campsites:
You will find several public campsites in Kenya, and all you need to do is bring your tent, car, cook your meals, and enjoy the nature around the national parks. Some campsites are located within national parks, whereas others are in conservancies, which means that you might encounter wild animals at any given moment. Facilities in camps are minimal; some facilities are shared and are not for the faint-hearted. Get in touch for assistance in booking your accommodation.
Activities to Do on a Safari in Kenya
Tips for Planning a Safari to Kenya. One of the other important things you should consider is what activities you want to do on your safari while in Kenya. While game drives and wildlife watching are the main reasons for the safari, you can carry out several other activities, and below are a few options:
Game drives:
Game drives are the main activities you will carry out on a Kenyan safari, and you will want to do these a lot during your safari. Most national parks offer two game drives, one in the morning and the other in the evening, and a few offer night drives. You will carry out game drives in 4×4 safari vehicles, and many of these carry a maximum of 6 people.
Cultural trips:
As part of enjoying a Kenya safari, you can also enjoy the cultural aspect by visiting nearby communities and learning more about the culture of the people in Kenya. Most lodges have contact with the villages, and you can easily organize cultural trips. You will find the Masai villages as the most visited; however, Kenya has over 40 tribes.
Guided nature walks:
Some safari destinations offer guided walks or walking safaris, and this allows you to explore the flora and fauna with experienced guides. This is a better way to get closer to nature and spot all the different and smaller things that you might have missed during the game drive.
Hot air balloon rides:
This activity is not for the faint-hearted, but it is one of the activities you should tick off your bucket list. Mostly carried out in the Masai Mara, hot air balloon rides offer another way of enjoying the wildlife, but from a different perspective (above), and after your one-hour balloon ride, you get to enjoy a bush breakfast with champagne.
Other activities you can carry out in Kenya include bird watching, photography safaris, hot air balloon safaris, hiking, bush dinners and breakfast, research experiences, and boat rides, among others. Contact us for more information.
Sustainability on a Safari
Asking the right questions when planning a Kenya safari is your responsibility as a tourist, and you need to think about this during your safari planning. You need answers to many questions, especially about being able to afford the safari. Traveling to Kenya can be entertaining, but it can also be destructive, so before choosing the right safari company, do your due diligence and conduct extensive background checks on the company before you book.
Below are some of the questions you need to think about and ask your tour company as you plan your safari to Kenya.
Sustainability:
You need to find out whether they can provide correct information about the safari destination, and whether they follow the conservation rules and guidelines, like waste reduction and using fuel-efficient vehicles, among others.
Your budget:
Make sure that the tour company you are working with considers your budget. Feel free to discuss your current budget with the operators so that they can fully advise you on what to expect with your estimated budget.
The weather in Kenya:
Kenya experiences two distinct weather patterns: the dry and wet seasons. You will find two dry seasons: the long dry season from June to October and the short dry season from December to February. The two wet seasons include the short season experienced from mid-October to November and the long rain season from March to May. The dry season is also the peak season, but note that the rains are unpredictable and you can experience them at any time of the year. Get in touch with us.
How to Get Around Kenya
Tips for Planning a Safari to Kenya. You have several ways to get around Kenya on your safari, and transportation is one of the most important aspects when it comes to planning a Kenya safari. You need to think about this, and below are the best ways to get around Kenya.
By road: This is the most commonly used mode of transport to get around Kenya. Kenya’s road network is good, allowing you to travel to safari destinations located in different parts of the country with little discomfort due to the long distances. You will mostly use road transport because it is cheaper and also provides beautiful scenery.
By plane: Tourists who have limited time on their safaris and have many safari destinations prefer to fly to the different safari destinations. You will find several airstrips that local flight companies, including Mombasa Air and SafariLink, connect. They are, however, expensive compared to driving.
By train: You will rarely use trains, especially when traveling with a tour company, but if you are traveling solo, you will find trains that run between Nairobi and Naivasha, Nakuru, and Mombasa, and you will travel by road to your destination the rest of the way.
Tips on How to Go on a Safari in Kenya
To easily help you properly plan for your Kenyan safari, here are some important personal tips that you can use to properly plan for your safari.
- Charge your camera and bring extra camera batteries and lenses. Although smartphones can take extremely good photos, they are not as good as the old-fashioned safari cameras that take lovely safari photos. Make sure that you bring them.
- Pack right because this is one of the best ways in which you will enjoy your safaris. Check out our website for the right packing list; however, some of the things you need to carry include proper clothing, binoculars, hiking boots, travel documents, and many more.
- Invest in a good tour operator to have the best safari experience in Uganda.
- Make sure that all your travel documents are valid and grant you access to Kenya and the different safari destinations.
- Do not forget about travel insurance because you are traveling to a new location.
- Look at your budget and get to know the different activities you can carry out, the best time to travel, and the different accommodation facilities to choose from.
The best Kenya safaris result from your budget and the tour operator you have chosen. Get in touch with us at Anthill Safaris to help you plan your safari.
