The Kenyan Safaris Are Expensive post is part of the South America & Africa Points Heist Trip Report.
Can I get more ad revenue please? The idea behind points trips was not to pay to travel. That only works if you have no sense of adventure or are too cheap to pay for anything that isn’t on the all inclusive menu. Indeed, many points people just fly from point A to point B to enjoy the perks of first class. While drinking champagne up in the air never gets old, it isn’t the only reason to travel.
So how much did this all cost?
Entrance Fees
I went to two parks, Mara and Amboseli. The entry fee for Mara was $70 per day. I stayed two nights in Mara. The entry fee for Amboseli was roughly $60 per day. I only went to the park once.
Entry Fee Mara: $140, $280 for two
Entry Fee Amboseli: $60, $120 for two
Hotels
Two nights at Keekorok Lodge in Mara: $443.30
Doctor Mara for Malaria/Food Poisoning: $25
Two nights at Kibo Lodge Amboseli: $426.82
Two nights at Four Points Nairobi: $50.90 (cash and points) + $91 other night, $141.90 total
Guide
The drive to Mara.
The game drives in Mara for two days.
The drive to Amboseli.
The game drives in Amboseli.
The drive to Nairobi.
Total: $1050 + $100 Tip= $1150
A local said an appropriate tip was $20 for the whole time. I also read $20 a day was appropriate. I gave $100. Tip what you want and don’t bother commenting if you think I should’ve given more or less.
Maasai Tour
$20, $40 for two
Grand Total
$2627.02
That does not include souvenirs which I chose not buy, but this dagger looked like a winner.
Overall
Though I think I got a solid deal based on what I did, safaris are expensive. If I do another safari, I will do it in Kruger Park in South Africa. There I would rent my own car, hire a guide, and stay at a camp for much less. However, readers have said that Kruger is overrun with tourists and still pricey. Some have recommended safaris on private land where there are less people and more animals. At this point, I’m safari-d out with no plans to go on another one for a long, long time. If I do get an itch to see the king of the jungle, I’ll go to Animal Kingdom.
Great info thanks! Safari is def a bucket list item so this was a big help
You’re welcome, thank you for reading.
Good info on Kenya – have been reading all your African reports, thanks.
From couple of other travelers I’ve figured out that Kenya/Tanzania are generally 1.5-2 times more expensive compared to South Africa, plus the service is hit & miss at some places.
From our SA trip last year I can say that we did 2-week exploration tour with safaris in Kruger (3.5 days) and Addo parks (1 day), Hluhluwe, Swaziland (1.5 days) + some of the Garden Route with Knysna for about the same money as you did 1 week in Kenya.
Granted that we did not hire a guide, but did rented cars – roads in SA is in much better condition. The only organized safari we went on was in Kruger: $100 for 2 people in semi-private setting (with another couple) for 6-hours. We wanted to compare it with our self-driving experience, and I still like self-driving better, although it’s a bit different.
Kruger Park was not too crowded – mostly locals doing a week-long safari vacations there on camper vans and jeeps. But it may depends on season as well. In 2016 Kruger had a very bad drought, in 2017 after rain season it came back to green and lush with a lot of baby animals being born. Tons of elephants, literally 😉
Like you, I had enough safari for few years, but loved South African nature and people. One of the most welcoming country I’ve been to, for exception of Port Elizabeth. And food was great to wonderful everywhere we went: “Ocean Basket” is a must for seafood lovers.
Would like to visit Maasai people and Serengeti migration some year, but judging by your prices will need to find more affordable options there.
Thanks for the information. I also love South Africa. Those posts are coming soon. Today, I’m starting my Zanzibar trip reports.
I love the picture of you with the knife preparing for the zombie apocalypse.