07-03-2017, 04:28 AM
Certainly you’ll want to choose where you go in Africa based on what time of year you go.
We went on a safari in the Masai Mara in mid December 2015, right before the rainy season. We stayed at the Mara Explorers Camp http://maraexplorers.com and it was fantastic. It wasn’t a fancy place but we were out on safari during the day so it wasn’t like we were missing a swimming pool or a bar.
They arranged for a driver to fetch us from Nairobi. It was a long drive, and he was pleasant enough, but he didn’t speak much English.
Since we saved money not paying for a froufrou Disneyfied resort, we splurged and booked our own private safaris through Mara Explorers. It was the three of us, a guide, and a driver in a Land Cruiser. Going in a rugged off-road vehicle meant we could go where we wanted -- there were caravans of safari minivans that had to stick to the roads -- and being on our own meant we could do things our way. If we wanted to stay and watch the lion cubs, we stayed and watched the lion cubs. Also, because we were on our own, we got a tip from the cheetah preservation folks where we could go to see some cheetahs, as long as we promised not to bother them or stay very long.
We saw everything except a rhino.
Probably the highlight was, we spent one of the nights not at Mara Explorers, but camping in the park. It was actually just over the border in Tanzania, so technically it was the Serengeti. It was the three of us, our guide, our driver, a cook, and three guards. Plus another two park guards who came and hung out with us. All night long there were a couple lionesses that were pacing the perimeter of our camp. We slept well but our guide did not. Of course it was a bush camp, so no facilities, but I’m not embarrassed to have pooped on the Serengeti.
We also walked with our guide from Mara Explorers down to the local village, where he was from, and were introduced around, met his mother. There are still people there that dress traditionally, not just for the tourists.
We went on a safari in the Masai Mara in mid December 2015, right before the rainy season. We stayed at the Mara Explorers Camp http://maraexplorers.com and it was fantastic. It wasn’t a fancy place but we were out on safari during the day so it wasn’t like we were missing a swimming pool or a bar.
They arranged for a driver to fetch us from Nairobi. It was a long drive, and he was pleasant enough, but he didn’t speak much English.
Since we saved money not paying for a froufrou Disneyfied resort, we splurged and booked our own private safaris through Mara Explorers. It was the three of us, a guide, and a driver in a Land Cruiser. Going in a rugged off-road vehicle meant we could go where we wanted -- there were caravans of safari minivans that had to stick to the roads -- and being on our own meant we could do things our way. If we wanted to stay and watch the lion cubs, we stayed and watched the lion cubs. Also, because we were on our own, we got a tip from the cheetah preservation folks where we could go to see some cheetahs, as long as we promised not to bother them or stay very long.
We saw everything except a rhino.
Probably the highlight was, we spent one of the nights not at Mara Explorers, but camping in the park. It was actually just over the border in Tanzania, so technically it was the Serengeti. It was the three of us, our guide, our driver, a cook, and three guards. Plus another two park guards who came and hung out with us. All night long there were a couple lionesses that were pacing the perimeter of our camp. We slept well but our guide did not. Of course it was a bush camp, so no facilities, but I’m not embarrassed to have pooped on the Serengeti.
We also walked with our guide from Mara Explorers down to the local village, where he was from, and were introduced around, met his mother. There are still people there that dress traditionally, not just for the tourists.