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Serengeti vs. Masai mara Safari
I would like to do a short safari (about 5 days) and was wondering
which park would be better to see the most wildlife (variety and quantity). I'll be arriving in Nairobi middle of Jan. 2005) It appears that the migration is at the south eastern part of the Serengeti in January, Feb and March . I'm also very interested in the Masai culture. |
On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 13:02:21 -0400, swg
wrote: I would like to do a short safari (about 5 days) and was wondering which park would be better to see the most wildlife (variety and quantity). I'll be arriving in Nairobi middle of Jan. 2005) It appears that the migration is at the south eastern part of the Serengeti in January, Feb and March . I'm also very interested in the Masai culture. I seem to observe here that the wildebeest migration may be overrated. It's just too easy to say, "You've got to see the migration!" My personal opinion is that I would not necessarily adjust my itinerary to the migration. East Africa is always interesting, whether the plains are full of wildebeest or not. For such a very short safari it may be a waste of time to travel to the far end of the Serengeti. If money plays no role, you could fly there though, provided that a tourism company provides you with all the required service, collects you from the airfield, etc. Otherwise I wouldn't do it, unless you have an overriding reason to see many wildebeests. For a 5 day safari I would go to Kenya and see Amboseli and Maasai Mara. Or Samburu and Maasai Mara, or perhaps passing by Lake Nakuru on the way to Maasai Mara, but you should be careful not to be travelling long distances all the time. The safari may feel rushed anyway, because 5 days is really short. Hans-Georg -- No mail, please. |
Hans-Georg Michna wrote:
I would like to do a short safari (about 5 days) and was wondering which park would be better to see the most wildlife (variety and quantity). I'll be arriving in Nairobi middle of Jan. 2005) It appears that the migration is at the south eastern part of the Serengeti in January, Feb and March . I'm also very interested in the Masai culture. I seem to observe here that the wildebeest migration may be overrated. It's just too easy to say, "You've got to see the migration!" My personal opinion is that I would not necessarily adjust my itinerary to the migration. East Africa is always interesting, whether the plains are full of wildebeest or not. For such a very short safari it may be a waste of time to travel to the far end of the Serengeti. If money plays no role, you could fly there though, provided that a tourism company provides you with all the required service, collects you from the airfield, etc. Otherwise I wouldn't do it, unless you have an overriding reason to see many wildebeests. For a 5 day safari I would go to Kenya and see Amboseli and Maasai Mara. Or Samburu and Maasai Mara, or perhaps passing by Lake Nakuru on the way to Maasai Mara, but you should be careful not to be travelling long distances all the time. The safari may feel rushed anyway, because 5 days is really short. Five days is too short for a Samburu - Masai Mara combination, unless you are flying. If not, you would only have one full day in Samburu, one half day in Nakuru and one full day in Masai Mara. The rest of the time would be spent on the road. I would suggest Nakuru and Masai Mara, rather than Amboseli or Samburu and Masai Mara. More diversity, less travel. -- Johan W. Elzenga johanatjohanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/ |
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In article , Hans-Georg
Michna wrote: On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 21:04:42 +0200, lid (Johan W. Elzenga) wrote: Five days is too short for a Samburu - Masai Mara combination, unless you are flying. If not, you would only have one full day in Samburu, one half day in Nakuru and one full day in Masai Mara. The rest of the time would be spent on the road. I would suggest Nakuru and Masai Mara, rather than Amboseli or Samburu and Masai Mara. More diversity, less travel. Johan, yes, I agree. Actually the thought went through my mind also. I didn't actually want to propose Samburu + Lake Nakuru + Maasai Mara. I should have made that more clear. I agree that Lake Nakuru, then Maasai Mara is probably one of the best combinations for a 5 day safari. Hans-Georg Just one month ago we spent 8 days on safari to Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Drivers can go off road only in Massai Mara so getting close to distant animals is vastly more fun here. Amboseli is sparsely populated by comparison, both vegetation and animals. Be sure to be at Lake Nakuru when countless birds fill the sky in formation; we saw this late in the afternoon. To save money we chose a safari with tent camping just outside Maasai Mara gate; loved it. Had hot showers when "good" hotels elsewhere in Kenya did not. ---Ken Mantei (We used Matembo Tours in Nairobi; ask for Maimuna to arrange it and driver-guide Steve Odour.) |
How much would a safari to Masai Mara cost on a per person basis? We
are a couple planning to visit East Africa for 1 week in November. Incognito wrote in message ... In article , Hans-Georg Michna wrote: On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 21:04:42 +0200, lid (Johan W. Elzenga) wrote: Five days is too short for a Samburu - Masai Mara combination, unless you are flying. If not, you would only have one full day in Samburu, one half day in Nakuru and one full day in Masai Mara. The rest of the time would be spent on the road. I would suggest Nakuru and Masai Mara, rather than Amboseli or Samburu and Masai Mara. More diversity, less travel. Johan, yes, I agree. Actually the thought went through my mind also. I didn't actually want to propose Samburu + Lake Nakuru + Maasai Mara. I should have made that more clear. I agree that Lake Nakuru, then Maasai Mara is probably one of the best combinations for a 5 day safari. Hans-Georg Just one month ago we spent 8 days on safari to Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Drivers can go off road only in Massai Mara so getting close to distant animals is vastly more fun here. Amboseli is sparsely populated by comparison, both vegetation and animals. Be sure to be at Lake Nakuru when countless birds fill the sky in formation; we saw this late in the afternoon. To save money we chose a safari with tent camping just outside Maasai Mara gate; loved it. Had hot showers when "good" hotels elsewhere in Kenya did not. ---Ken Mantei (We used Matembo Tours in Nairobi; ask for Maimuna to arrange it and driver-guide Steve Odour.) |
How much would a safari to Masai Mara cost on a per person basis? We
are a couple planning to visit East Africa for 1 week in November. Incognito wrote in message ... In article , Hans-Georg Michna wrote: On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 21:04:42 +0200, lid (Johan W. Elzenga) wrote: Five days is too short for a Samburu - Masai Mara combination, unless you are flying. If not, you would only have one full day in Samburu, one half day in Nakuru and one full day in Masai Mara. The rest of the time would be spent on the road. I would suggest Nakuru and Masai Mara, rather than Amboseli or Samburu and Masai Mara. More diversity, less travel. Johan, yes, I agree. Actually the thought went through my mind also. I didn't actually want to propose Samburu + Lake Nakuru + Maasai Mara. I should have made that more clear. I agree that Lake Nakuru, then Maasai Mara is probably one of the best combinations for a 5 day safari. Hans-Georg Just one month ago we spent 8 days on safari to Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Drivers can go off road only in Massai Mara so getting close to distant animals is vastly more fun here. Amboseli is sparsely populated by comparison, both vegetation and animals. Be sure to be at Lake Nakuru when countless birds fill the sky in formation; we saw this late in the afternoon. To save money we chose a safari with tent camping just outside Maasai Mara gate; loved it. Had hot showers when "good" hotels elsewhere in Kenya did not. ---Ken Mantei (We used Matembo Tours in Nairobi; ask for Maimuna to arrange it and driver-guide Steve Odour.) |
Hello,
I live here in Kenya and if you don't mind I can give you the name and address of a low cost yet well established tour companies that can assist you with all the information you need to organise your safari. Her name is Marylin and the company is called African Sky Charters - http://www.africanskycharters.com her direct email address is : . Get in touch with here their company also has charter flights and they can organise for you to fly to Samburu, Serengeti and Maasai Mara game reserves and any other in east africa. Some time because of the bad roads your safari can be tiresome that's why I suggest air safari. Hans George is right 5 day are quite short if you plan to visit most parks around here that's why it will be wise to minimize on road safaris. You are very much welcome to East Africa and I am sure you will enjoy your visit. Michael. |
Hello,
I live here in Kenya and if you don't mind I can give you the name and address of a low cost yet well established tour companies that can assist you with all the information you need to organise your safari. Her name is Marylin and the company is called African Sky Charters - http://www.africanskycharters.com her direct email address is : . Get in touch with here their company also has charter flights and they can organise for you to fly to Samburu, Serengeti and Maasai Mara game reserves and any other in east africa. Some time because of the bad roads your safari can be tiresome that's why I suggest air safari. Hans George is right 5 day are quite short if you plan to visit most parks around here that's why it will be wise to minimize on road safaris. You are very much welcome to East Africa and I am sure you will enjoy your visit. Michael. |
When I visited here in 2000 I only had four days. With group's help I decided
to spend one night in Nairobi. The next day a drive came for me and took me to the airport and I flew to Samburu for two nights. I stayed at the Samburu Serena. The lodge arranged my two game drives a day. I saw a lot of animals. Samburu is a beautiful place. When the two days were up my safari guide drove me to the airstrip. My flight went to Nairobi. Again the same diver met me and took me to the Carnivour for lunch. After a couple of hours it was time to fly to the Mara. I stayed at tbe Intreprid Mara a luxurious tented place. I had three game drives a day. Saw many more animals and birds. When we went to a hippo pool we actually watched a group of wildebeast and zebra suddenly appeared. There was a good two thousand and they did a crossing! This was in November of 2000. There wasn't enough grass and they would go back and forth.. I would have liked to have another day in the Mara. But I only had two days to spare. It was a safari of a lifetime. Anne |
jamboafrica wrote:
You know my friend that time of a season in Masai Mara there will no migration all animals will be in Serengeti on Tanzanian side. Nonsense. There will be no migration, but there are still plenty of animals in Masai Mara all year round. Most animals are residential, not migratory. -- Johan W. Elzenga johanatjohanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/ |
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Hans-Georg Michna wrote:
On Sun, 3 Oct 2004 13:12:00 +0200, lid (Johan W. Elzenga) wrote: jamboafrica wrote: You know my friend that time of a season in Masai Mara there will no migration all animals will be in Serengeti on Tanzanian side. Nonsense. There will be no migration, but there are still plenty of animals in Masai Mara all year round. Most animals are residential, not migratory. Johan, I also think it is time we leaned a little against the current overvaluation of the migration. Some tourists are now made to believe that a visit to east Africa is worthless if they don't see The Migration. I had already written something to that extent a little while ago. I agree that a river crossing is something worth seeing, but on the other hand the vast majority of tourists who actually visit at the time of the migration won't see that anyway. It often requires far more patience than the normal tourist bus has. Absolutely true. And also, the more minibuses on the bank of the river, the less likely that the crossing takes place at all. So the more people concentrate on seeing a crossing, the less likely they will actually see it. People should concentrate less on the 'obvious' things like big cats and migration, and start realising that there is so much more to see. I rather look at a group of zebras on my own, than one cheetah surrounded by 30 cars. -- Johan W. Elzenga johanatjohanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/ |
Hans-Georg Michna wrote:
On Sun, 3 Oct 2004 13:12:00 +0200, lid (Johan W. Elzenga) wrote: jamboafrica wrote: You know my friend that time of a season in Masai Mara there will no migration all animals will be in Serengeti on Tanzanian side. Nonsense. There will be no migration, but there are still plenty of animals in Masai Mara all year round. Most animals are residential, not migratory. Johan, I also think it is time we leaned a little against the current overvaluation of the migration. Some tourists are now made to believe that a visit to east Africa is worthless if they don't see The Migration. I had already written something to that extent a little while ago. I agree that a river crossing is something worth seeing, but on the other hand the vast majority of tourists who actually visit at the time of the migration won't see that anyway. It often requires far more patience than the normal tourist bus has. Absolutely true. And also, the more minibuses on the bank of the river, the less likely that the crossing takes place at all. So the more people concentrate on seeing a crossing, the less likely they will actually see it. People should concentrate less on the 'obvious' things like big cats and migration, and start realising that there is so much more to see. I rather look at a group of zebras on my own, than one cheetah surrounded by 30 cars. -- Johan W. Elzenga johanatjohanfoto.nl Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/ |
I have to disagree (respectfully) with the over-simplification that
the migration is over-rated. If you are planning your first safari to East Africa (and maybe your only safari for years to come), it is smart to plan around the migration. I was in the Western Serengeti a few weeks ago and was amazed to see Landcruisers filled with tourists desperately searching for wildlife. They were staying at camps in the West and were driving to back and forth to Seronera to find animals! They were sick of all the driving - and the road there is not even that bad! Some of then decided to fly back to Arusha - the thought of driving back in the dust to Ngorongoro with little hope of seeing anything was too much for them! I even saw a few vehicles driving up through the southern Serengeti! These poor people appreciated the wide open spaces and lack of other vehicles but they saw exactly one animal - a lost jackal - in the distance after 4 hours of driving! Meanwhile, my partner was on safari in the Mara and they hardly drove anywhere. They parked the cruiser on a hill, picnic and sat there all day watching the action in all directions. They saw hyena's chasing some limping wildebeest, lions facing off against elephant, jackal sniffing out a baby impala, cheetah strolling by, while listening on the radio for a crossing! They were on the Western side of the Mara and saw very few other vehicles - except for the crossing areas as you stated. While they did not see a crossing, the whole day was filled with anticipation anyway. Who do you think had the better safari? I agree that there is more to an East Africa safari than the migration - but for most people a safari is a once-in-a-decade experience. For them, planning to be in the vicinity of the migration is a good start. And then they can branch out from there. Eben lid (Johan W. Elzenga) wrote in message ... Hans-Georg Michna wrote: On Sun, 3 Oct 2004 13:12:00 +0200, lid (Johan W. Elzenga) wrote: jamboafrica wrote: You know my friend that time of a season in Masai Mara there will no migration all animals will be in Serengeti on Tanzanian side. Nonsense. There will be no migration, but there are still plenty of animals in Masai Mara all year round. Most animals are residential, not migratory. Johan, I also think it is time we leaned a little against the current overvaluation of the migration. Some tourists are now made to believe that a visit to east Africa is worthless if they don't see The Migration. I had already written something to that extent a little while ago. I agree that a river crossing is something worth seeing, but on the other hand the vast majority of tourists who actually visit at the time of the migration won't see that anyway. It often requires far more patience than the normal tourist bus has. Absolutely true. And also, the more minibuses on the bank of the river, the less likely that the crossing takes place at all. So the more people concentrate on seeing a crossing, the less likely they will actually see it. People should concentrate less on the 'obvious' things like big cats and migration, and start realising that there is so much more to see. I rather look at a group of zebras on my own, than one cheetah surrounded by 30 cars. |
In article ,
ClimbHighSleepLow wrote: I have to disagree (respectfully) with the over-simplification that the migration is over-rated. If you are planning your first safari to East Africa (and maybe your only safari for years to come), it is smart to plan around the migration. We had to go when the opportunity arose; couldn't pick a month. But the last two weeks in July this year we found the Mara loaded with animals. Vast herds of wildebeeste of course, standing around and running around. All the rest that we saw elsewhere on 3 other safari's also except for the skyful of pelicans and flamingos we saw at Nakuru. In the Mara our driver/guide went off the road to show us a lot. In the other safaris we had to stick to the roads. This would be a big factor for me if I ever get to choose a safari again. Leopards, for example, didn't seem to hang around the roads; we had to drive out to them. ---Ken |
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On Mon, 04 Oct 2004 23:49:22 -0700, Incognito
wrote: In the Mara our driver/guide went off the road to show us a lot. In the other safaris we had to stick to the roads. This would be a big factor for me if I ever get to choose a safari again. Ken, same for me. I can only hope that the density of tourist cars remains reasonably low, so this will remain as it is. I'm not even sure whether it is an official or an unwritten rule, or none at all. Hans-Georg -- No mail, please. |
Hans-Georg
No, I did not say that Seronera is devoid of animals - I said the opposite! I said that in September wildlife was spread thinly in the Western Serengeti and Southern Serengeti. Tourists were driving TO Seronera to see wildlife and especially the cats. If you have to be in the Serengeti at this time then Seronera and the North Eastern areas below Kleins are certainly better options. My point is that tourists are booked to stay in places when they could've stayed at more convenient places if they were given intelligent options! They end up driving for hours in the dust and tsetse flies in the wooded areas only to see much less than they have hoped. In general, most people come to the Serengeti and Mara to see open plains filled with animals. There are other places in Africa where it is better to search for animals (such as Botswana and Selous, etc.) The Mara is my favorite place in East Africa and I like it any time of year, but I like it MUCH more during the migration. When the migration is in the Serengeti, I have to find very good reasons to be in Southern Kenya rather than Tanzania! Sorry. Eben www.go-kili.com Hans-Georg Michna wrote in message . .. On 4 Oct 2004 20:43:41 -0700, (ClimbHighSleepLow) wrote: Meanwhile, ... in the Mara The problem is that this is not only true when the migration is there. Maasai Mara is always good and very rich in wildlife. I know it---I have visited it at all times of the year. But I would also say that I find it very difficult to believe that the area around Seronera Lodge is ever as devoid of wildlife as you describe. The main reason is that most animal species do not follow the migration anyway, and even of those that do, a large fraction always stays (a small fraction only for the wildebeest). It also doesn't coincide with my own observations. Hans-Georg |
Serengeti vs. Masai mara Safari
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