Sunday, January 11, 2015

3 Days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya

the Season of Great Wildebeest Migration and Big Cats Photoshoot
July 11 to July 13, 2014

“In a country where only men are encouraged, one must be one's own inspiration.” ― Tegla Loroupe

My 37th country to visit, 33rd solo backpacking trip, 3rd country to visit in Africa, 1st part of 11-days East Africa adventure and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure.

Although one of Africa's more powerful economies, Kenya is still a developing country, and so certain aspects of the country's society and infrastructure may come as a shock to some visitors from developed countries who are unfamiliar with the poverty and poor quality of life experienced by locals. Kenyans understandably pursue the business opportunities offered by tourism with a zeal that may be off putting to some visitors, but are usually open, talkative and friendly once business matters have been settled.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Kenya

A safari is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa. Traditionally, the trip was a big-game hunt, but today, safari often refers to trips to observe and photograph wildlife—or hiking and sight-seeing. The Swahili word safari means long journey, originally from the Arabic "safarÄ«yah" meaning a journey. The verb for "to travel" in Swahili is "kusafiri", the noun for the journey is "safari".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safari

3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (countless zebras and wildebeests)

3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (arrival flight tickets to Nairobi)

3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (visa-on-arrival sticker)

This another race against time, very short backpacking researched in somehow detailed manner has a compressed itinerary designed as follows; 

July 11 Friday: Nairobi Airport arrival & Masai Mara Safari Adventure Day-1
July 12 Saturday: Masai Mara Safari Adventure Day-2
July 13 Sunday: Masai Mara Safari Adventure Day-3 & going back to Nairobi

TOTAL BUDGET : USD1,369.46 = PHP59,571.51 (64.15% went to plane ticket)

Basic Words to Remember;
hello - ambo;   thank you - Asante;   I love you - ?????;   goodbye - Kwa heri!
yes/no - Ndiyo / Hapana;   sorry - ?????;   please - Tafadhali;   excuse me - Samahani!
toilet - choo;   train station - treni;   airport - uwanja wa ndege

timezone - +0300H UTC;   capital - Nairobi;   language - Kiswahili
currency - shilling 86 KES = 1 USD
visa - Filipinos are visa on arrival in Republic of Kenya
requirements: yellow card and $50 visa fee for single entry (very relax immigration) 

Vaccine Requirement for Travellers before visiting Africa;
Yellow Card (Carte Jaune) for Travellers Disease Protection

3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (our safari tour driver)

3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (tourmate on his canon's canon lense)

3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (locals at the gate)

3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (locals at the gate)

Interesting Facts about Kenya: 
1. After coffee, Kenya’s biggest income generator is tourism
2. For the Kenyans, however, coffee is considered an export product, not something for local consumption. The local favorites are tea and beer.
3. Kenya’s Great Rift Valley was formed around 20 million years ago, when the crust of the Earth was split.
4. Most Kenyans are either very poor or very rich. Very few can be classified as middle class.

5. The men of Kenya are allowed to have more than one wife.

I booked this 3-days tour via link below. The Travel tours office is based in Central Nairobi City. Fortunately, upon query they also offer tours in Tanzania. I grab this opportunity to negotiate for a combined tour of Kenya safari and Tanzania hiking.
http://www.wildraceafrica.com/index.php/kenya-safaris/kenya-camping-safari/14-sample-data-articles/162-3-days-maasai-mara-camping-safari


3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (roaming for the kills)

3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (elephant on the move)

3-days Masai Mara Safari Solo Adventure in Kenya (cheetah on day-2)

Arriving from Nairobi International Airport;
Filipinos are visa on arrival in Republic of Kenya regardless if transit or tour for how many times as long as the 90 days maximum limit per entry as mandated by local immigration is not exceeded. As for me, when I encountered the Immigration Officer in Nairobi Airport, I have my Kenya arrival visa sticker and stamp in around 5 minutes with no single question at all. I handed-over the filled-up application form, $50 paper bill and the yellow card.

Anyways, I divided this wonderful journey into different set of posts to be more specific on its content;

1 comment:

  1. Wonderful article, Which you have shared here about the Masai Mara Kenya safari. Your article is very interesting and I liked your way to share your amazing experience in this post. Thank you for sharing this article here.

    ReplyDelete

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