Nairobi Travel Answers

I am afraid it is very difficult for you to find a group to join in on the Internet, as that period is a low season so there are very few tourists. So I think your option is to try to find a group when you arrive in Nairobi. If you can't find a tour in both Tanzania and Kenya you can go for the one in Kenya and then you can cross the border to Tanzania by yourself and try to find another group in Arusha by visiting some of the travel agencies there. ( I did this in January and it was still very difficult. they had to pack me with a private tour which gave a great dissatisfaction to the other members of the group...) In low season the tour agencies cooperate putting all their clients together. So you can end up traveling with an agency different from the one you have booked.... Also in my opinion it is very difficult to find a 7-day camping tour because tourists usually book for 3-5 days. So they will have to transfer you from one group to another. But that's not bad, anyway..it is just very difficult to preaarange on the Internet. Finally I think visiting Zanzibar for 4 days is a good idea! Go to Nunguy or Kendwa. Good luck!

thanks for your suggestion. I'm aware that I'm traveling in the shoulder season, and even from here I find that most operators don't have a group so they are promoting a private tour. I don't want to be alone with just the driver and the cook. I'd rather have some people to share the experience. I have found some in Kenya that they claimed to have daily departures for a short safari which is what I'm planning doing in Kenya. I feel a bit uncomfortable booking one operator to cover both countries. I'm planning to book another safari with another operator based in Arusha from here but it will be for 7 days. Most safaris in Tanzania are for min 5-7 days due to the distances. I was going to do exactly what you did, and after reading some other postings I decided not to do it. Now I feel better because you had confirmed my fears based on your own experience. Another thing that I didn't want to wait until I get to Africa to hire an operator, is that they will only accept cash, and I don't want to carry that much cash. Also the scams are going rapid when you try to book one locally. Tell me how was your safari experience where you traveling solo, and did you stay at a tented or pitched tent

as far as the operators targeting high end lodges goes, you do not have too many alternatives - East Africa is not a budget place, I´m afraid, and Tanzania in particular aims for the luxury tourists (and their purses). There are more affordable options like camping in smaller sanctuaries and national parks, but you´d need your own transport and camppimg/food outfit for that - and I supppose you do not want to burden yourself with all that. There are a number of operators aiming for the tourist "mass market" and running many tours on a more or less daily schedule indeed. So if you try to get in touch with Pullman or Somak, you might get lucky and join a group to share the experience. I don´t have experience with either of them as I usually do my safari self-driving, but they are certainly around a lot. Depending on your time schedule you can also try to hit the Nairobi malls right after your arrival and study the offers of local operators at the mall blackboards. there are also some good offers, some also targeting non-residents. Of course, this might also mean running in circles trying to organise a trip and losing time you´d rather spend sightseeing....

I realize that now and the few that are offering a budget type of safaris are not willing to work with solo travelers. I don't want to walk around in Arusha carrying all that cash alone trying to find a tour operator. That's why I'm investing all this time using my computer to do all the planning. I already have a couple of operators to go on a safari in Kenya

Hello! I'm a Dutch woman, married to a Kenyan and living in Kenya, Southcoast. My experience is that it is very easy to book a safari at one of the offices here. Normally they already have some bookings and you'll be placed in a safaribus with maybe 5 others. To pay for safari you can just go to an ATM and withdraw the money from your account. So I don't see a problem in that. Here at southcoast they especcially offer safari's where you will stay in lodges or tented camps (this last one, is like a hotelroom inside a fake tent). If you want this, I do know a safari-office at Diani Beach you can trust and of which untill now I have only heard good things. But I must say last month I got in touch with another Dutch lady living in Nairobi, whose Kenyan husband is a professional guide and has his own safari company and she told me (if I remember it right) that they also offer safari's where you are really camping in real tents at campsites where the animals can even walk around your tents, cooking your own meals or being done by a cook. Their safari's can go to Kenya as well as Tanzania. It really sounded like what you are looking for. I don't know if they have a group in october which you can join, but you can always try to contact them and ask about it. Their email is: info@africamp.net Good luck, and if you have any more questions, feel welcome to sent me an email: marriettevdvelde@hotmail.com