Medium Safari

Medium Safari

Safaris Kenya By Air & Road To National Parks & Game Reserves

Kenya has 8 provinces namely, Western, Central, Eastern, North Eastern, Rift Valley, Coast, Nyanza and Nairobi. For all your air transport by either road or air transport Nairobi is the hub and where most of the air charter companies and airlines are situated. Mombasa being the second largest town of Kenya has also air operators based there and Nanyuki in Central province where you can get commercial and private flights to various destination within Kenya and to the neighbouring countries with East Africa. The Headquarters or capital city of Kenya is Nairobi where major historic sites and the Nairobi National Park is situated.

In Kenya we have the following National Parks & Game Reserves namely,Maasai  Mara,Samburu,Shaba,Meru,Lewa Downs,Tsavo East,Tsavo West,Amboseli,Chyulu Hills, Oldonyo Owasi,Lake Naivasha,Lake Bogoria,Lake Baringo,Lake Nakuru,Lake Magadi,Lake Victoria,Mt. Kenya,Aberdares,Kakamega Rain Forest,Wazini Island,Funzi Keys Island,Mfangano Island, Lake Turkana,Indian Ocean,Manda Lamu Island,Diani,Watamu,Mt. Elgon just to mention a few. These national parks & game reserves have both tented camps, lodges, exclusivity properties which serve both budget and high paying tourists with continental cruisine and African dishes. The wildlife that you will see includes insects,trees,flowers,reptiles,birds and mammals all these are scattered and you might be lucky to see them at one national parks or game reserves.

Safaris by road packages

Road packages are available and it will depend on your budget and there are variety of vehicles to choose from ranging from tour van, landcruisers, pajeros, land rovers, vitara Suzuki, RAV 4 and many others. There are road packages where you can join other tourists especially when you are only visiting one national park or game reserve and you are charged per person who includes accommodation, meals, game drives and transport to and from there. If you have upto 7 people the ideal vehicles to use is the land cruiser 4by 4 or the tour van as the can accommodate upto 7 pax.Please note we have areas where you will need to use a 4 wheel driver as the roads are in a very bad shape so when planning for a safari please consult first before booking. The RAV 4,pajeros,land rovers,vitara Suzuki are ideal to areas like Lake Nakuru,Lake Magadi,lake Naivasha,Sweet waters,Outspan,Tsavo,Kisumu,Eldoret,kakamega,Kitale for only 4 pax.You can decide to buy full road package together whereby you will have the advantage of getting discounted rates or buy each product separately. Road packages have been tailor-made to enable you be able to have a memorable safari and it ranges from 2 days upto 15 days depending with ones budget and it can be planned in that you criss-cross the entire East Africa Region giving you value of your money. Car hire services are available on self-hire on very competitive rates  and you can decide to drive yourself if you are familiar or engage a driver there are saloon cars ,Mercedes Benz, Volvo,Toyota,Muso,premera,passat, and many others which you can choose from .There are insurance covers to be taken by tourists that covers the geographical area that you will be visting whereby incase you fall sick or in event of an accident or incident you can be airlifted to the nearest and most equipped hospital and please remember to take a travel insurance before you commence your safari. Also note should you intend to extend or travel to the areas that are not covered in your insurance first advice your insurance company as if you do without their knowledge or approval then if anything happens you will pay from your pocket. Also ensure you insure all your valuables and incase you are robbed ensure you get an abstract from the nearest police station to enable you to claim if not the insurance company will not compensate you. Most of the drivers are qualified English speaking and guides and should you require a tour guide/driver of another language their extra charges and you have to indicate when inquiring to avoid last minute disappointments. Please also ensure before departure to a safari you are given a copy of the insurance cover which should be comprehensive, valid drivers license copy, aid public service vehicles certificate, transport licensing board license valid copy and the inspection report copy these documents are vital incase of an incident or accident for your claim.

Air Safaris Using Private Charter or Scheduled flights

Kenya has many air operators ranging from airlines and air charter companies that provide segmented charter flights in line with ones needs and wants. Wilson Airport is the hub for private charter flights for light aircrafts and domestic commercial flights to national parks and game reserves whereas Mombasa Airport and Nanyuki serves flights both private charter and scheduled flights within Kenya major cities ,national parks and game reserves.Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is the hub for all international, regional flights and domestic .

Hotel owners ,airlines and air charter companies have put their synergies to together by coming up with flying packages that are affordable and discounted whereby you will purchase your air ticket which includes,accommodation,meals,game drivers excluding luxuries like drinks,tips,curios.These flying packages are only to tourist destinations and not major cities. We have flying packages to Maasai Mara,Samburu,Amboseli,Tsavo,Ukunda,Malindi,Mombasa,Kiwayu,Meru,Mt Kenya,Aberdares,Loisaba,Shaba,Chyullu Hills, Finch Hattons,which are for different  hotel chains  and based on budget and exclusivity properties. We have hotel chains like Sarova Hotels,Sopa Hotels,Simba Lodges, Fairmont Hotels,Saruni Hotels, Heritage Hotels, And Beyond,Kicheche,Nyumbu,Basecamp Explorer,Sekenani,Mara Hippo, Governors camp, Karen Blixen,Sentrim Hotels, Orion Hotels and  many others. The hotel chains with exclusivity use are, And Beyong, Saruni, Governors, Serena Hotels, Check & Peacock, and Fairmont Hotels.

There are 2 daily departures to Maasai Mara morning service and afternoon, whereas one daily early morning service to Amboseli, one morning flight from Meru, Nanyuki, Samburu, Shaba, Lewa Down to Maasai Mara and 2 services to Lamu and Malindi via Kiwayu which departs at 1345 hrs and 1530 hrs departing from JKIA & Wilson Airport respectively. Out of Mombasa,Ukunda,Malindi we have one daily flight departing Mombasa at 0730 hrs and out of Maasai Mara after lunch at 1345 hrs to Mombasa,Malindi and Ukunda.From JKIA we have flights after 2 hours to Mombasa ,4 flights daily to Eldoret and Kisumu,2 flights daily  to Kitale and Kaka mega.

A part from the flying packages we also have private charter flights for those who would want to have scenic, sight seeing and aerial photography flights as with scheduled flights you are unable to do all this but on private charter you will have chartered the aircraft and you will have the right to ask questions and request the pilot to let you take a photo of a feature which is enroute to your destination. We also have emergency evacuation charter flights whereby you may have food poison and you require expert for treatment thus requiring an air ambulance to airlift you, so please take a medical cover for evacuation and treatment whenever you are a safari and we have the services available in Kenya.

Mammals At The National Parks & Game Reserves In Kenya

Some of the mammals that will be seen in Kenyan National Parks and Game Reserves are as below,

Common Duiker

A medium-size, slender Duiker, with long legs, large ears and pointed horns. The horns are usually only present in the male, ranging from 7-18cm in length. The pelage coloration ranges from grizzled grey to yellowish brown with a black streak running from the top of the russet forehead to the nose. The undeparts are white tinged with grey and the legs are grey having a black band just above the hooves. The short tail is black above and white below. Females are generally larger than males.

They are mainly found in woodland habitats with scattered bush and scrub, avoiding arid desert regions, as well as areas of open plains and dense forest. They feed mainly on the leaves and shoots of bushes, as well as tree bark, fruits and seedpods, rarely do they eat grass. They also consume insects and other animals matter from time to time, including frogs, small mammals and birds. They obtain the vast majority of their water requirement from their food and are able to survive for very long periods without drinking. Females give birth to single calves in dense cover, the newborn are able to run within 24 hours. They remain in dense cover sucking from the female 2 to 3 times a day growing very rapidly and by 6 months are as large as adults.

Kirks Dik Dik

The commonest Di Dik in East Africa. A small delicate antelope, with a grizzled grey and brown coat, the legs are rofous/grey.The head, neck and shoulders sometimes show a flush of rofous brown. White patches encircle the large dark eyes and the males have short, spiky horns, measuring 6-11cm in length. The elongated nose is a distinctive feature, serving as a very effective cooling device. They have prominent preorbital scent glands. Female Dik Dik are slightly larger than males.

A relatively common inhabitant of arid regions with bush or scrub cover. Dik Dik lives in pairs and are very territorial, each male guarding his own ‘patch' against other males. Territorial boundaries are marked by a succession of dung/urine sites, which are re-stated daily by both males and females. As well as dung sites the animals mark their territory by using preorbital scent glands. These glands exude a secretion which the animals spread on twigs, branches and grass stems. They are active during the day and night, but seek shade during the hottest period of the day. They have extremely sensitive eyesight and hearing, seeking cover at the slightest sign of danger.

Steinbok

A small, slender antelope with a reddish coat. The underside and the insides of the large ears are white. The horns, which are present only in male, are straight spikes, measuring between 9-19cm in length. They have long legs and the appearance of being higher at the hindquarters than at the shoulder. They have a pale patch around the eyes, contrasting with dark areas surrounding the preorbital scent glands. A triangular patch of black fur extends up the muzzle from the black nose. The young have a heavier, fluffier coat than the adults, but retain the same coloration.

An animal of dry savannah and wooded hill sides, they graze on grass and browse trees, bushes and shrubs, as well as scraping with their hooves to expose roots and tubers. They are able to subsist without water, obtaining their entire fluid requirement from their food. They are active during both the day and night in undisturbed areas, but will avoid the midday heat by seeking shade in regular resting places. Females will produce young throughout the year, the newborn, weighing about 1 kilo at birth; will suckle from its mother almost immediately .The young commence grazing at about 2 weeks old and are weaned at 3 months. There are reports that from time to time Steinbok may take refuge underground in old Aardvark burrows, both for resting and for nursing young.

Oribi

A small, slender built antelope with long legs and neck, the hindquarters are rounded and slightly higher than the forequarters. They have large pointed ears below which is situated a scent gland which appears as a patch of bare black skin. The coat is of silky fine hair, reddish to fawn above and white below. The chin is white and the dark eyes contrast strongly with the white eyebrows. The legs are reddish-fawn with tufts of slightly longer hair at the knee joints. The horns, which feature in the male only, have rings on the lower third, are curved backwards and grow to a length of 8-19cm.The rofous tail is very short and has a black tip. Females are slightly larger than males.

An antelope of open grassland regions, where they require short grasses for feeding, and taller grasses for cover while resting. The males will establish and defend territories forcesfully, marking their areas by the use of six different scent glands found about the body. A female will hide her newborn in thick grass for the first 3 or 4 days of life, from then on, over a period of about a month, the calf will begin to spend more and more time accompanying its mother. The young grow rapidly and attain full adult height at around 3 months. When alarmed the Oribi will emit a loud shrill whistle and will commence a ‘stotting' performance, springing into the air with legs held rigid. Occasionally they will inflict considerable damage to cultivated crops, particularly during their night feeding.

About the Author

Anthony Juma is the Editor and Senior Aviation Director at Wings Over Africa Aviation. 
This is an Air Charter Company that specializes on Safaris Kenya By Road & Air To  National Parks & Game Reserves. The website has guided thousands of travelers to achieve their dream holiday. For more information and guidance, visit the site at http:// / www.wingsoverafrica-aviation.com/index.php/our-rates.html

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