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Kids Safari- Family Safari Holidays in Kenya

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Family Safari in Kenya photo credit: Adventure Company

I have worked at safari lodges that do not encourage children, this was mainly due to the fact that they did not have the facilities to cater for children, this however does not mean that if you have kids, you should not go on safari, you just have to make sure that the safari you are going on is right for you and your family.

All Inclusive Safari Adventures
Probably the easiest way to do this is to go on an all inclusive safari holiday, designed specifically with children and families in mind.

The Adventure Company (see banner link below) offers just this with child friendly safari holidays, not only in Kenya, but Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. And whilst initially their safaris don’t look that cheap, they do include pretty much everything including flights and all transfers. I guess what you are paying for is not having the hassle of having to organise flights, transport, accommodation and the safaris as well as piece of mind as you know that the holiday is designed with families in mind.

Example Family Safari in Kenya:

Land of The Masai Family Holiday

Highlights include:

Meet Masai Warriors in Kenya
Explore the Masai Mara Game Reserve
Elephant Orphanage & flamingos

Nairobi

You catch a daytime flight to Nairobi. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel where you will sleep for 2 nights.

Whilst in Nairobi, the capitol of Kenya, you will be taken to meet the animals supported through local conservation projects, namely giraffes and elephants at the Sheldricks Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Manor where you and your family will get to view the animals in close proximity and learn about them and their plight in the modern world. Your safari begins at the Naro Moru River where Mt. Kenya towers in the distance.

Kenya’s Rift Valley Lakes

The Sweetwaters Game Reserve offers excellent game viewing, and has been instrumental, through its breeding programme, in helping to conserve the endangered black rhinos. Onwards to the Rift Valley lakes – Nakuru to see flamingos and rhinos; Naivasha to view hippos from a cruise boat (optional).

Masai Mara Game Reserve

On day 7 of your tour, you’ll descend into the Great Rift Valley and rolling grasslands of the world-famous Masai Mara Game Reserve. The Mara is effectively a northern extension of the Serengeti, the most famous of neighbouring Tanzania’s national parks, which lies just across the border. Sightings of the ‘Big Nine’ (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, cheetah, giraffe, zebra and hippo) are common, as are herds of wildebeest which roam across the plains. You should arrive at your lodge in time for lunch, followed by an afternoon game drive. You’ll explore the extensive grassy plains where elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, and various gazelles – with attendant predators of lion, cheetah, jackal and hyena can be seen.

Masai Culture

You will also get to meet and know some of the semi-nomadic Masai tribesman to learn about their fascinating culture – including a lesson in how to throw a Masai hunting spear, this is fantastic especially for the children who will learn about a culture completely different to their own.

More Information
For more information on this and other family safaris in Africa take a look at The Adventure Company link below:

Further reading:

Tags: Family, Kenya, Kids, Safari
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Cheap Safari in Kenya

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

Of all the safari holiday destinations in Africa, Kenya is probably the most famous, yet because it is one of, if not the closest African countries to Europe and the UK that can offer a big 5 safari, it is also one of the cheapest safari destinations to get to, sa long as you know how!

The specialist safari tour operators, which most people use to go on a safari holiday in Africa, are just that, specialist. Because of this they simply cannot compete in terms of price with the large package holiday companies. The specialist safari holiday travel agent will make your life a little easier, and you will have the peace of mind that everything has been organised and booked for the whole trip, but is because of this that their prices are often higher especially with safaris to Kenya than if you are prepared to try my method:

How to go on a cheap safari to Kenya
Many of the big package holiday companies like Thomas Cook and Lastminute.com offer package holidays to the beach in Mombasa in Kenya. I found one a few days ago:

14 nights in Kenya for under £500
Yip, 14 nights at a 3 star Laguna Sea Lodge Hotel on the beach in Kilifi, including flights and transfers for only £449 in January, in February, the prices rise to around £500 or just above and then up again in March, so hurry! The Laguna Sea Lodge Hotel is located 64km north of Mombasa along the main beach resort strip in Kenya that includes Diani beach, Bamburi beach (where I stayed a few years ago), Nyali beach and Malindi. Check out this one and others: African Holidays on www.lastminute.com

But I don’t want to go on a beach holiday in Kenya, I want a safari holiday:
Agh haa, but that is the beauty of this, from your hotel in Kenya, or before you leave, you can organise to either hire a car or a driver to take you to some of the best national parks in Kenya and stay at a safari lodge for a few nights, where you can either go on a self drive safari in Kenya or have the lodge to take you on a guided safari. Sure you will be paying for your accomodation on the beach in Mombasa as well as the safari lodge, but I bet that this still works out cheaper than if you were to try and book a safari holiday to Kenya from the start.

This way you will get the best of both worlds, a relaxing holiday on the beach, with some snorkeling and perhaps some scuba diving, and then an African safari as well.

What are the best National parks to Visit from Mombasa?
Tsavo and Amboseli National Park are the two nearest to Mombasa, but if you still want to, you could still drive up to the Masai Mara. Take a look at my Google map of Kenya to get an idea.

So there you have it, the last time I visited Kenya, I did something similar, except I took the train down from Nairobi to Mombasa, and used a hotel on the beach as a relaxing base to my Kenyan Safari and it was one of the best holidays I have ever had and one that i plan to do again.

Tags: Cheap Safari Deals, Kenya
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Two Cheap(ish) Winter Sun Holidays in Africa

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

Sunset on The Gambia River

Lets face it, travelling to Africa, especially if you are looking to go on Safari is never ever going to be as cheap as popping over to Spain, but there are a few deals out there and depending on what you are looking for and how far down the African continent you are willing to fly you can grab yourself a pretty cheap safari holiday and at this time of the year enjoy a winter sun holiday as well.

The further you travel down Africa, the more wildlife you tend to find, the only problem is the more the cost of the flights, so i have found a couple of destinations, that are cheapish where you can enjoy the beach as well as some of Africa’s wildlife.

The Gambia

As a Safari Holiday Destination, don’t expect to see the Big Five in The Gambia, but that is not to say you cannot see some fantastic African wildlife. Most people who travel to the Gambia, sadly only go to spend their whole time on the beaches. Whilst the beaches in the main resort district of Kombo west of Banjul are great, I do feel that there is much more than sand sea and sun to The Gambia.

You can take advantage of the all inclusive cheap holiday packages to The Gambia and then go and do some sightseeing once you get there.

www.lastminute.com offer some excellent package deals to The Gambia, I have just noticed a 2 star seven night stay including flights for only £289 or if you are looking for a little more comfort, a seven night stay at a 4 star hotel located on the beach near Banjul, including flights for only £379.

You could also try this link to Thomas Cook Gambia Holidays as I have just checked and they have a bunch of all inclusive holidays to The Gambia starting from £303 this January.

I did this a few years ago and I would highly recommend a Gambia river boat safari, that can either be taken as a day long excursion or turned into a week long adventure, where we saw a fantastic culture and variety of both bird and animal life, including hippos, chimpanzees at the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Association project, baboons, western red colobus and vervet (callithrix) monkeys and believe it or not dolphins in the Gambia river estuary!

Gambia positives

Cheap flights and holiday packages available
Stunning birds makes an excellent birding holiday destination
Fantastic winter sun holiday destination – sunny and war during our long cold winter
Great beaches
Friendly people, if not sometimes a little too friendly

Gambia Negatives

Not a safari destination if you want to see animals like elephants and lions
This is real Africa, don’t expect all the creature comforts of the West, that is not to say that it has to be uncomfortable, just lower your sights a little. For some this is a negative – some a positive!

Kenya - Mombasa

My second tip as an excellent place to escape and find some winter sun without breaking the bank is Mombasa in Kenya. Kenya is famous for it’s African wildlife safaris and has one of the greatest wildlife specticles on earth in the Great Wildebeest Migration on the Masai Mara.

You have to travel a little further down the African continent, right up to the equator and so the flights to Kenya tend to be a little more expensive than travelling to The Gambia, but unlike the Gambia, you will find all of the Big 5 animals and much more here.

Similar to The Gambia my tip is to take advantage of the cheap beach holiday packages in Mombasa and then go on an excursion to one of the many fantastic national parks that Kenya has to offer including the Amboseli National Park and Tsavo National Parks which are not too far from where you will be staying in or around Mombasa on you “beach holiday in Kenya.” If you wish you can quite easily also organise a trip to the Masai Mara, which is a little further away.

Again I found some pretty good holiday deals on www.lastminute.com where you can stay for a full 14 nights at a 3 star hotel on the beach in Kilifi for only £449, including flights, I think this is an excellent deal.

Again another great place to have a look for an all inclusive holiday is Thomas Cook Holidays to Kenya

On a 14 night stay in Kenya, you can quite easily combine a beach and Safari holiday together, I have done exactly this and I would say that not only are the beaches fantastic around Mombasa, there is also plenty else to keep you entertained.

Scuba Diving in Mombasa
I took my PADI scuba diving licence during my stay in Mombasa in Kenya. I would say that it has to be one of the cheapest places in the world to do it and they have some excellent reefs and plenty of fish for both scuba diving and snorkelling.

Kenya Posetives

World famous wildlife destination
Beautiful beaches around Mombasa
Mombasa is an excellent Scuba Diving location
Beach hotels are great value for money

Kenya Negatives

Further away than the Gambia and so a little more expensive

So there you have it: My tip on two excellent, but different African winter sun holiday destinations that wont break the bank.

Tags: Cheap Safari Deals, Kenya, The Gambia
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