Hi from Edinburgh, I am completely new to safari so looking forward to reading up them on here. A safari is my dream holiday and I am finally making my dream come true in October this year.

I have booked a 5 day safari and a week at the beach. Here is where I am staying, would love to hear peoples opinions (hopefully not too many bad ones) and ideas for what to do on our 7 days at the beach resort - don't like lying about too much, and want to see stuff

1.Lake Naivasha - Sopa Lodge
2.Mara - Keekorok Lodge
3.South Coast of Mombassa - Pinewood Village

Hopefully hoping to get lots of travel tips on here, so throw them at me please.

OK and here is my first question - Do I need walking boots for the safari part? We are on a driving (not walking) safari. Thanks in advance

Hi Julie, welcome to safaritalk. I know little about your destinations but I will say it's very, very unlikely you will need hiking boots on the itinerary you've described. And if you could possibly change to have a bit more time in the bush and a little less on the beach, you might like it. But that can be expensive, so if you can't change, please enjoy your trip!

Kind regards,
Leely

Welcome to safaritalk, Julie.

Personally, a beach is a beach. There are probably more idyllic beach hidays outside africa. I would second increasing the time you have allocated for safari if costs permit. You need more than five days to fall into Africa time! I think you would regret not spending longer in the bush

Thanks for the advice. It is a set holiday that I am going on, I did ask about only doing 5 days on safari and was advised by the travel agent (africa specialist) that for a first timer it would be just enough! I should have found this site first I suppose. It just means that I will have to go back again and see more.....what a great excuse for another safari!

Thanks Leely for answering by boots question

Hi Julie - we did Mara and Lake Naivasha 3 years ago as our first safari (although we avoided the beach and went to Rwanda for gorillas instead ) and had a great time. If you get time during your stay at Naivasha, ask the camp if they do a trip to Lake Nakuru - this is where there are 1000's of flamingo and it's well worth the trip. Nakuru NP also has plenty of other game including lion, leopard, and both black and white rhino. At Naivasha we stayed at a place called Lloldia House and for us Nakuru was about a 2 hour drive to get to, so not that far.

I also agree that you shouldn't need your hiking boots.

Hope you have a great holiday - keep a diary whilst away and write a trip report on this site when you return

Any agent that only recommends 5 nights on safari and a week at the beach is certainly no specialist!

Who are you booking through?

Try to talk to the agent and tell them that you still wish to change as he was wrong ......... that's a safari specialist?

Thanks Whorty - Lake Nakuru is part of the itinerary, which is great!

I am allowed to post the name of the company on here? ( I will post it on a seperate post and it can be deleted if not allowed)

Right this is the company and the holiday itinerary

http://www.realafrica.co.uk/Kenya/KL01B_Ke...fari_and_beach/

Also, I'll be in the Mara in just a few weeks (!!!) but not at Keekorok and an entirely different season. I do believe I've read positive things about Keekorok in the past.

Another tip, though not particularly revelatory: You'll want lots of memory for your camera.

I find that your feet can get very hot on Safari, even in an open sided vehicle! A sturdy pair of sandals are very comfortable as long as you are not walking in the bush. Regarding your 5 day safari I dont think its a bad idea for a first trip the journies can be quite exhausting and it all depends on how old/fit you are. One useful bit of advice is hold on tight if you are standing in the vehicle as the "roads" and tracks can be very very rough and you can get bruises in all sorts of places! Also watch out for branches of acacia which can tear into bare arms through the open sides of the vehicle. You will have a wonderful time and its great to relax at the beach afterwards. I am not sure where Pinewood Village is but ask your tour operator if you are anywhere near Shimba Hills which is a tree-house type lodge away from the coast, cool and a very different experience. Well worth a night away from the sea.

Having looked at the price, the bulk of cost in that trip is for the safari portion.

It is a scheduled package rather than a tailored trip, that most of us on the forum would take.

All that considered, extending your time on safari would massively increase the budget for the trip unfortunately, as that price is incredibly competitive.

Perhaps a memeber with Kenya sfafari experience could give you an idea on pricing comparisons?

Julie, welcome to SafariTalk!

Pinewood is quite close to Shimba Hills National Reserve.
http://www.kws.org/parks/parks_reserves/SHNR.html
Maybe you could even go to Tsavo East for a couple of nights. That should be easy to arrange in Diani.