Fun and Affordable Kenya Safari

Talk about going on holiday and the image that comes to mind are five-star resorts on white sandy beaches or luxury tented camps in the Mara that cost a fortune.

This does not have to be the case, there exists affordable holiday packages for tourism here in Kenya:

Marsabit, Mwea, Kakamega, and Kitale are areas hardly thought about when thinking holidays, but they are some of the most affordable and relaxing holiday options.

The Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) has affordable holiday packages that include camp-sites as well as self-catering bandas with attractions like wildlife, bird watching, forest fauna and national game reserves.

In Marsabit, enjoy a stay at Allia Bay Guest House on the shores of Lake Turkana with the same facilities for self-catering. A day's stay will cost you $ 25.



A stay at the Isukuti Houses in the Kakamega National Park with self contained bandas each with one bedroom and two single beds, hot running water in the bathroom and a fully equipped kitchen will cost you $ 25, a standard charge throughout the season.



The Sable Bandas at Shimba Hills are another economically priced option at $ 15 per person as are Tree Top Bandas at Salwa House at $ 32.

You can also make it a mountain of a holiday at Sirimon Bandas on Mt. Kenya for $ 40 or Kapkuro Bandas on Mt. Elgon for $ 20.

Romantic Kenya Holidays

Just as Prince Williams popped the question by a secluded lake 'somewhere nice in Kenya' you can also spend your holidays in some of these Wildlife conservations.

Here are travel sites worth looking at:

Olorgesailie prehistoric site: Located along Magadi road, an hour's drive from Nairobi, It is famously renown as the "factory of stone tools" and the only place in the world with the largest number.

Olorgesailie has excellently preserved biological and cultural evidence about the evolution of man.

This was made possible by heavy falls of alkaline volcanic ash from the nearby Mt. Suswa and Mt. Longonot, which might have contributed much to the accumulated ash in the lake basin. There is evidence of humid climate during part of the middle Pleistocene that is given by temporary lakes and swamps that exist in the area today. The sediments left by the lake cover an area of 80 square kilometers.

What to expect:

• Museum and site- One can take a walk to see the actual site and the discoveries made here
• Bird watching - The site is a bird watcher's paradise citing the highest number of migratory bird species in Kenya.
• Mountain climbing- On average it takes 3 hours to ascend and the same to descend on Mt Olorgesailie.
• Camp and picnic site- affordable camping facilities available.
• Baboon camp- congregation of baboons in the evening 1 km from the campsite.

The Kakamega Forest National Reserve: Located about 418 kilometers from Nairobi. It is the only natural tropical rain forest left in Kenya today with about 380 species of plants in the reserve.

For visitors, the best time to visit the park is during the rainy season (April-July) when the flowers are blooming. Accommodation is provided at the park in the form of a guesthouse, self-help bandas and two campsites.

The Rondo Retreat Centre  within the park, provides a serene environment with good accommodation; hotels are also available outside the reserve.

Visitors can enjoy the beauty of the park by walking on its nature trails, camping, picnicking and even going out on night-time game walks. The trails cover about 7 km and visitors are accompanied by guides. The highest point in the forest; Buyango Hill, is recommended for hikers.

There is a wide variety of unique wildlife and birdlife to be observed in the park. Visitors can observe animals like the bushpig, gray duiker, civet, Sunni, clawless otter; nocturnal animals like the ground pangolin, porcupines, leopard; rare primates like the black and white Colobus, De Brazza monkeys, Blue monkey, olive baboon, and red-tailed monkey. Incidentally, the De Brazza Monkey is called "Karasinga" in Swahili, due to its white beard.

Floating houses 
This includes floating homes in Kilifi, small lake like cottages, beach-front Arab-style cottages bush homes in Maasai Mara; All run by Langata Link company.

Christian resorts
Christian resort chains such as Jumuia resorts offers reasonably priced hospitality services at Kanamai in Mombasa, Limuru, Nakuru and Kisumu.

PCEA Guest House and Conference Center on the North Coast of Mombasa is another christian based resort offering self-catering apartments.

Cave tribes
Can you imagine a life in the caves without all the modern conveniences and gadgets you are used to?

Visit the Warianguko tribe in Samburu, see cultural events such as weddings, customary hunting, traditional healing, hear folk tales of the Duruma people

Note: Taking up the package, offers that often include transport, accommodation, meals and sites' entry fees can help you save costs as opposed to paying for each separately, especially if you are travelling as a group or family. Other issues to factor in mind when going on a safari are as follows:

• Factor in expenses such as safari cards, which you need to access national parks.
• Add provisions like food items for self-catering accommodation,transport cost, binocular and clothing such as water-proof jacket, especially if traveling with young children.
• Rates are subject to change and you should contact the KWS or other operators or hotels to get the current rate.
• Shop with a list of foods items you need, as their will be no running back to the shops once you are in the park. Or you could find out in advance if shopping services are offered.

After spending the year working hard, an affordable few days reward such as Nairobi Safari Walk, is well-deserved treat to get rested and ready for another year to toil.