Kenya Safari Holidays Information Guide

Kenya Safari Holidays Information Guide
A Kenya holiday gives you the exclusive chance to merge the total relaxation of a beach holiday vacation with a true Kenya wildlife safari tour. The commencement of cheap safari holiday packages to the Kenya coast of Mombasa, Malindi, Watamu, and Lamu Island has in fact brought down the prices of traveling to Kenya and most of the wholesale package tour operators, safari company and travel agents in the Europe, Japan and America now offer packaged travel holidays to Kenya. This is great news for those searching for perfect beach holiday and adventure safaris in Kenya sun vacation destination.

It also means that you can take advantage of the cheap tours to Kenya and go on a Masai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo safari holiday as an excursion from the beach. What many travelers especially from Australia and Canada have done in the past is to book a beach package holiday in Kenya, taking advantage of the cheap flights and hotel resorts , villas in Mombasa and then sign up for a few days to travel on Safari in Kenya
 
How to Plan a Perfect Kenya Holiday

Step 1: Book a Package Holiday to the Beach in Kenya safaris
Step 2: Book your Kenya Safari Holiday

There will of course be travel companies, tour operators and safari agencies that will book both your beach and safari holiday under one package, this can take away some of the work involved, just be sure that you are getting a good holiday deal.

Step 1: Package Holiday on the Beach in Kenya
Research and book a cheap package holiday on the beach in Kenya .Kenya has some of the best beaches in the world, with popular beach holiday destinations that include Malindi, Diani and Mombasa. The Kenya coastline is out of this world; with bone-white sands, crystal clear waters and coral reefs that make Kenya is a great place to Scuba Dive as well as to laze on the beach. The historical city of Mombasa consists of a maze of narrow streets, a busy port, the historical Fort Jesus, some incredible mosques as well as some great places to eat including a range of Italian, European, Asian and Swahili restaurants.

Step 2: Kenya Safari Holiday
Research and book a day or multi-day Kenya safari holiday for a few days either before, during or after your beach holiday. Holiday safari in Kenya must surely be the home of the safari, in fact it could be argued that the safari was born in Kenya as the word 'safari' is a Swahili word that means a journey. (Swahili people come from Kenya, Tanzania and northern Mozambique).

Kenya has a vast array of national parks with pretty much every wildlife that you could ever hope to see as well as Africa's single most famous safari draw, the annual Great Masai Mara Migration safari that happens between September and October every year as the vast herds of wildebeest travel between Tanzania's Serengeti and Kenya's Masai Mara park reserve which takes its name from nomadic Masai people, who wander as freely across the Kenya-Tanzania border with their cattle.

If you book your safari holiday, whilst you are still at the coast, make sure that you either have transport or if you can be collected. Most organized safaris in Kenya leave from Nairobi, but there are ones that will collect you from Mombasa or even right from your hotel.

Illustration of a Kenya Holiday Safari
The Masai Mara safari Adventure safari below is great for combining with a beach holiday on the Kenya coast and can be booked from African safaris and Adventures. It is fairly short, only lasting three days and starts and leaves from Nairobi. So you could organize to go on it before or after your trip to Mombasa and the coast.

Masai Mara Safari tour Adventure
This safari will take you through the Great Rift Valley on to a tented camp in Kenya's famous Masai Mara reserve. You will get to explore the diverse wildlife, crossing rolling plains spotted with famous acacia trees. Your game viewing drives are spread out over all three days, with excellent chances of seeing the "Big 5" - lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino. The varied wildlife and natural environment, in addition to the colours and culture of the local Masai people, come together to provide a spectacular safari experience.

Day 1: Nairobi to the Masai Mara Game Reserve
pick up from Nairobi or Mombassa hotel resort and travel through the Great Rift Valley on to the Masai Mara Game Reserve. In the afternoon you can go on vacation safari, through the vast open plains and flat-topped acacia trees, and keep your eyes peeled for some rare wildlife, such as the rhino or the elusive leopard.

Day 2: Masai Mara Game Reserve
You will spend the day on safari in search of the park's large populations of wildebeest, buffalo, lion, elephants, and giraffes. Marvel at gazelles, impala, and ostrich from wonderful vistas along the Esoit Oloololo Escarpment. Later you stop at a traditional Masai village for an optional visit to learn about the local Masai culture.

Day 3: Masai Mara Game Reserve and Nairobi
Go for an early morning game drive and watch the sun as it rises over the savannah of the "Mara". In the late afternoon, you will return to Nairobi where your safari ends.

Best Time for Kenya safari travel: Best time to travel to Kenya

Best Time for Kenya safari tour and travel: Best time to travel to Kenya

What’s the best season for an African safari in Kenya?
There are several factors to look at if you want to determine the best season for an African safari in Kenya. Kenya is located under the equator and it’s hot throughout the year. In principle, the country is an all-year round destination. However, you have the dry and rainy seasons, and each has it’s pro and cons.

Dry and rainy seasons:
Most tourists come during the dry seasons: from December to February and, especially, from July to August. The popular parks (especially Masai Mara and Amboseli) are crowded then, and prices are higher. July-August is a bit cooler then December-January, when the average daily high temperature is 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

In between the dry periods, the rainy seasons take place: the ‘long rains’ (April to June) and the ‘short rains’ during October-December.

It depends on your own priorities what’s the best season for an African safari holiday in Kenya. The big plus of the dry seasons is that wildlife viewing is easier. The vegetation is less dense, and the animals come out to the water places, so safari guides know where to find them.

The big advantage of the rainy seasons is a vibrant, exotic and lush scenery and flora, less tourists, and about 30-50% lower prices for accommodation and tours.

On the other hand, it’s harder to get around in some parks during the rainy seasons because of roads are turned into mud. You will generally need a 4WD in the parks then.

The best of both worlds:

Some say that March offers the best of both worlds, making this the best season for an African safari. Intermittent rains start during this month. Game viewing is excellent over short new grass of the plains. Spring-like conditions are moderated by cool nights and the average daily high temperature is 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you are a bird lover, then the best time to go is between October and April. During that period, next to the many hundreds of bird species already present in Kenya, there are also more than 120 migrant species present who have arrived from the Northern hemisphere.

Nairobi-Mombasa train with Kenya Railways

Mombasa train service schedule

Once referred to as the Lunatic express has now re-branded ‘The rift valley railway train services’

The Nairobi Mombasa train schedule.

The train departs Nairobi three time a week – Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Fridays. The train return from Mombasa on Tuesdays Thursdays and Sundays.

The train serves an an economical way to travel to and back from the coastal areas. The journey is a night ride both ways and the ticket cost includes, dinner, breakfast and beddings.  

The reporting time to board at the Nairobi train station is by 6.00 p.m. to board the train to Mombasa or to Nairobi which departs at 7.00 p.m.   You will need to check with the front office to collect your boarding pass and coupe allocation number.

There are two or three sittings for dinner depending on the number of passengers, this is booked with the Dining Car steward who after departing Nairobi / Mombasa, will visit each carriage (if you prefer the first sitting, which is the most popular, you are advised to find the Dining Car and book this prior to departure from Nairobi / Mombasa).

 

Nairobi-Mombasa train travel in Kenya safari holiday tour

Again bedding and meals are included in the cost of your train ticket. The steward will bring your bedding and make up your beds during the early evening.

Your coupe can only be locked from the inside so please do not leave any valuables in your coupe when empty. We also recommend that you secure the window and pull down all the blinds whenever leaving your coupe unattended.

The train is expected to arrive in Mombasa / Nairobi at 8.30 a.m. the following morning.

Fist class coupe will accommodate two persons and the second class will take four persons with sleeper beds.

First class fare.

Cost of a return ticket is US$ 150 Per person.

Cost of a one-way ticket either way is US$ 75 Per person.

Second class fare.

Cost of a return ticket either way is US$ 130 Per person.

Cost of a one-way ticket either way is US$ 65 Per person.

It is a wonderful experience to be chugging through the Athi Plains and beyond, there is so much to see from the train at the day time little gap that is missed when driving down the Nairobi - Mombasa Road.

Nairobi-Mombasa train with Kenya Railways,Nairobi airport transfers to railway station Rift Valley Railways Train safari journeys from Nairobi to Mombasa to Nairobi African great train travel and tours. Train travel from Nairobi to Mombasa and Mombasa to Nairobi can help complement your tour experience during your safaris in Kenya.

African Sermon Safaris can help you book the train service when you take Kenya safari holiday tour and travel in Kenya to include Masai Mara safari tour with them.

Kenya safari - Wildlife safaris Kenya

Safaris in Kenya - Wildlife safaris Kenya tour:

Kenya has a magnificent climate and landscape - part of which rests on the equator - making for a land of astounding contrast. There are snow-capped mountains, such as Mount Kenya, Africa's second largest mountain after Mount Kilimanjaro in neighbouring Tanzania. The waterfalls and lush tropical forests of Aberdare National Park provide a welcome relief from the arid open plains of Samburu and Kenya's north-eastern region. If that isn't enough, visitors can bask in the sunshine on the palm-fringed white beaches of the Coast Province.

Most visitors to Kenya experience this extraordinary contrast by spending a few days on the coast, bathing in the warm, tranquil waters of the Indian Ocean, before venturing inland for that quintessential of African experiences: the Kenya safari. Wildlife in Kenya is astounding; particularly in the Masai Mara, home of the big five - elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, lion, leopard - as well as hippos, crocodiles and the now endangered cheetah. Birds and wildlife are as abundant as they are varied and it is a wholly unforgettable experience. Imagine being surrounded by thousands of wildebeest and zebra, thundering along like a great train towards greener pastures. This is their Great Annual Wildebeest Migration in Masai Mara. It is both humbling and mystifying.

But there's much more to a safari in Kenya than just game drives. Safari lodges themselves are superb for wildlife viewing while you enjoy your lunch between game drives. Lodges and camps are usually located beside rivers, which lure all sorts of wildlife to drink and bathe. Safari lodge activities are quite unique, what with invitations to silver-service bush dinners; night game drives to track the leopard; bush picnics and Maasai dancing. Discover all the secrets of Safaris in Kenya and Masai Mara safari tours and more in the photo-illustrated Kenya safari holiday wildlife holiday travelogue.

All information for Kenya travel can be found on this web site, including visa requirements, jabs and the best malaria tablets for Kenya. From thrill-seekers looking for excitement and adventure, to sun-worshippers planning a relaxing Kenya beach holiday safaris - a Kenya tour vacation has it all.

Whether you're planning a beach holiday safaris in Kenya, wildlife safari, or a Kenya beach safari tour combo, you will discover plenty of information here to help with your preparations. Perhaps you're unsure about which game reserve(s) to visit or maybe you're just wondering when is the best time to travel to Kenya?