Planning a safari in Kenya can be overwhelming, but it really boils down to understanding five main things: (1) the time of year you wish to visit; (2) which spending bracket you fall in i.e., budget, mid-range, or luxury; (3) whether you want a private or group tour; (4) your mode of transportation, both to the national park and while doing game drives; and (5) how many days you want to do the safari.
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1 When to Go on Safari: Low Season vs Peak Season. As with every vacation, planning to go on safari during peak season will cost you much more than going during low season. However, visiting during the low season runs the risk of encountering rainfall that’ll impact your game drives. Also, high season, specifically when visiting the Maasai Mara during the Great Migration which occurs July – October, will cost more because spotting wildlife is easier.
2 Determining Whether to Go on a Budget, Mid-Range, or Luxury Safari. This decision comes down to what you’re comfortable spending. If money isn’t a problem, then naturally luxury will be the best option for you. However, if you’re more cautious of your spending, then budget or mid-range will likely be best. The stark contrast between budget and mid-range is the kind of accommodation you’ll be staying in. Budget safaris are small tents, and you may not have your own private bathroom. Mid-range, you’re either in a more upscale tent that doesn’t feel like you’re camping or you’re in a small comfortable cabin. Luxury, you can expect a soaking tub, outdoor shower, and incredible accommodations. Many of these safari brackets also depend on the lodge you choose, not all descriptions I provide will apply to lodges, e.g., you can find some beautiful luxury tents.
3 Exclusive Experience or Group Tours. Another way you can cut costs is by deciding to go on group game drives. That means every day you will do your game drive, i.e., driving around the national park with a group of people, or get an exclusive tour with your travel group.
4 Getting to the National Park and Going on Game Drives. There are two ways to get to a national park to go on safari, and this stands true of whether you’re visiting the Maasai Mara or the Serengeti in Tanzania. Speaking for the Maasai Mara specifically, you have the option of flying or driving into the park from Nairobi (and other locations around the country).
Flying to the Maasai Mara is a 1.5-hour flight in a tiny plane that may be longer depending on where in the park your accommodation is located. Driving into the park can take anywhere between 5-6 hours. Opting to drive is the cheaper option, but the road, albeit scenic, is known to be bumpy. Flying is costly depending on how expensive the flights are. Also, there’s a 10-15kg baggage limits for small airplanes. Most hotels, like ours at the Radisson, held our luggage in storage so that we could travel light and meet the luggage restrictions.
Another thing you want to know is which vehicle you’ll be in when driving into the park and/or for game drives. The three main kind of vehicles offered are the 4×4 Toyota Land Cruiser Jeeps, a Tour Minibus or Van, or a 4×4 Open Side Jeep. Both the land cruiser and minibus have roofs that pop open that you’ll be able to pop your head out from for better views. The open side jeeps have roll up widows and roofs.
5 How Many Days to Go on Safari. I believe 4 days and 3 nights is the perfect duration to go on safari, but it depends on what you want to get out of being on safari and your budget of course. There were people on safari for upwards of 30 days! I could have easily stayed a full week and a half; I was so fascinated by the animals and being engulfed in their environment.
To read about my safari experience, see this post.
