Independent travel in Kenya has proven to be very difficult and, for all intents and purposes, not really an option. Dealing with safari operators is a protracted card game, and behind every poker face the same relentless, singular goal: milk every last dollar imaginable from the tourist!! In fact, the more effective you are at negotiating favorable terms and pricing, the more you simply drive operators to promise things they don’t intend to deliver. One thing is for sure: honesty is not a pillar of business ethic in Kenya.
As in many other places, Kenya has local prices and tourist prices. Kenya’s park fees are no exception: a staggering $60/person/day for gringos, versus $10 for locals. Add to that logistics and you’re deep at least $100/day to see some sights. To experience the real magic of Kenya (i.e. its national parks), be prepared to throw down a bit of scrap and play ball with the slippery safari guides.
dollars for Kenyans, not shillings!
The immigration officer at the Kenyan border demanded that I convert my shillings back to USD in order to pay the $25 visa fee. The Kenya Wildlife Service accepts park fees in dollars, and applies an arbitrary exchange rate for those paying in local currency (78 to the $, vs. current market rate of 76). Go figure… the other day, I was listening to a broadcast session of the Kenyan parliament, and there was lengthy discussion of the threat posed by excessive investments made by American firms in Kenya's energy sector: “mista speaka sir, these foreign investments are strategically dangerous and do not have the Kenyans’ best interests in mind…” It seems the Kenyans need to make up their minds about our dollars – had I been present, I would have kindly pointed out the nearly $600 million Kenya receives annually from the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Masai Mara National Reserve
Curiously spelled differently from its namesake (the Maasai people), Masai Mara is Kenya’s most popular and well-known reserve and occupies the northern reaches of the Serengeti ecosystem, the majority of which lies in Tanzania. The rolling grasslands of the African savannah, peppered with flattop acacia trees, are a site to behold! Not to mention close encounters with the big cats and endless masses of wildebeest and zebras. Mara is the Africa we’ve all seen on Animal Planet; witnessing it in person can by itself easily justify a trip to Kenya.
Lake Nakuru National Park
The joke in Lake Nakuru is on the tourists, and the baboons get the last laugh. These clever little beasts pounce on safari jeeps by the dozen, darting through windows and roofs with a keen eye for junk food. In uncanny, anthropomorphic form, the baboons playfully bounce antennas and examine themselves in side-view mirrors.
Meanwhile, pink flamingoes swarm the alkaline shores of Lake Nakuru, forming a dynamic mass that rings the lake’s entire circumference. The flock is alive with activity along its edge as birds shuffle and jockey from one spot to the next.
Amboseli National Park
Truth be told, Amboseli was a sad sight. Having not had proper rain for over a year and a half, the plains are conspicuously devoid of the grasses that support large mammals. Perished elephants and zebra abound, lying for weeks unperturbed by scavengers or predators. This is in sharp contrast to Masai Mara, where little remains of a fallen animal after a day or so, save some scattered bones. Amboseli is best known for the view of Mt. Kilimanjaro it offers as a backdrop to its myriad animal life; sadly, the weather permitted only a faint glimpse of Kili while I was visiting. Amboseli is also an amazing place to observe elephants, which have acclimated to the presence of people due to ongoing research there for many years.
