With Kenya now back on the road to recovery with the peace agreement now in place between the two warring parties, tourism confidence is now being experienced with hotel bookings on the rise.

I have been told that some lodges (Keekorok and Mara Serena) have no rooms available as a result of being fully booked.

In the previous posts i even mentioned that the supermodel Naomi Campbell was in Kenya in the month of March for her holiday! Anyway, Masai mara has usually been a hot travel destination in Kenya. When choosing your tours to Masai Mara in Kenya, you need to be aware of certain issues that will impact the final cost of your tour. Let me explain:-

1. Park Fees

As I write this post, the current park fees in Maasai Mara are as follows

    * Non-Residents - US $40 per person(US$ 20 for children)
    * Citizens - Kenya Shillings 200 (100 shillings for children)
    * Residents - Kenya Shillings 1000 (500 shillings for children)

Tourists fall under the category of Non residents and foreigners with work permits in Kenya are classified as residents.

2 ) Road vs Flying Packages

The beauty of traveling by road to Masai mara is that you are able to cut down on costs of transport which can be further reduced if the expenses are shared when traveling in a group. Taking a flying package means you encour all the costs since you will need to pay in addition to the tickets. The advantage of flying packages is that you reach Maasai Mara faster and the trip is less bumpy and dusty :-)

3) Self Organised Tours vs Tour Operator Assisted Tours

If it were up to me to decide, i would definitely use tour operators. For one, they enjoy better rates with hotels and lodges so even if they mark up, you still end up paying less for accommodation compared to when you book on your own. Secondly, tour operators provide you with an experienced tour guide who knows where wild animals usually congegrate in the Mara. When you travel alone and are not experienced, you might need to hire local guides who are not cheap. Also, should your vehicle break down while in the Mara, you will have the extra headache of fixing it yourself which doesn't sound too funny to me.

Check out these tours to Masai Mara or you can send me an email by filling out this form and i can assist you in your travel plans. I hope your enjoy your tour and it exceeds all your expectations.