I have now been back for a few days and here is my take on a fantastic holiday.
As most people on these boards I was a bit worried if I fit in, what is the age range, and the gender split. On these forums the question got asked, and the answer for this tour was
On the main tour there will be 23 travellers (3 men, 20 women) with the last place on the trip also provisionally booked. Of that group, 5 will be extending their stay with the coastal extension. The ages of the group are from early-twenties through to late-seventies.
Being one of the 3 this seemed to be even more worrying. The age range itself turned to be out 1 guy at early twenties, and then a steady age range from 35 up.
But at the end this all didn’t matter, everybody got on with nearly everybody.
I arrived in Heathrow quite early, and most people seem to do so. When standing in the queue for the Kenya Airlines flight the local JustYou representative was hard to miss. She introduced us to the tour manager Barbara. Having done the check in it was easy to group up with other travellers (caught up with 3 including fraserlynn but I lost them during the security check). Otherwise there is nothing to do in T4.
At the gate and on the flight the tour manager went around and introducing travellers who were sitting close and weren’t aware that there were others right next to them. This way nobody was really on their own anymore.
The connection in Neirobi Airport was a bit chaotic. Earlier in the year the international terminal burned down and everything is improvised. You get on a bus from the plane to the terminal, go through immigration and collect your entire luggage. We then regrouped and took the shuttle bus to the domestic terminal, which is in fact a cargo hangar. Recheck your luggage into the domestic flight to Mombasa. This should hopefully be easier easier for next tours as JY and the tour manager are now aware of the situation and can act on it.
Arriving in Mombasa it is time to split your luggage. The best I have seen was someone who had their soft shell hold all packed ready in their overall suitcase, therefore only had to take it out without repacking, and without having to carry 2 pieces of luggage until this point.
This is also the time to start wearing something comfortable and suitable for a safari, and to get your camera accessible.
When leaving the airport the most important decision of the holiday has to be made. The group gets separated onto the buses in little groups of up to 6. For the next 4 days you are on a bus with the same people, and the same driver. I ended up being on the bus with 5 people I got on with very well, and we all connected to the driver. My assumption is that on bus 1 we just were the most keen people with 4 of us on the beach extension and 5 of us on all 3 excursions in Mombasa. But I didn't really hear any complaints from the other buses about their constellation. It just seems to work out.
The next 2 hours is just a transfer drive to the park, we used it to get to know each other and rest from the flights. But then your safari starts.
The 4 days of safari have the following break down.
Thursday afternoon, the initial drive to the lodge. This is the reason you should wear the right clothes from the airport.
Friday all day, with a packed lunch break
Saturday early morning & Saturday late afternoon with free time around lunch at the lodge.
Sunday morning when leaving the park for Mombasa
Last year they didn’t see any giraffes, this year they are plentiful. But then, we didn’t see a rhino or a leopard. That's nature. The game drives were great and the drivers knowledgeable. There are lots of animals to see, and a lot of them even close up. The highlight must have been a lion guarding a kill, some very close up elephants, 2 cheetahs and lots of zebras. The lodge has some watering holes around, and we got some night time visits by elephants as well.
The lodge is very functional, so you don't get any luxuries such as air condition or mini fridge. The food is good, the buffet is plentiful and the bar is open long enough as well, especially when followed by early mornings. While you get a free bottle of water every day you would want to buy some more.
The drive to Mombasa is via lunch at the Tamarind restaurant which is really nice and their filet steak is one of the best. After that it is saying good-buy to your driver.
The traveller’s beach hotel in Mombasa is currently in part renovation, so the hotel side is partly mixed into the club side. This doesn’t make much difference, but the drinks are better on the hotel side than on the club side where the all-inclusive guests are. So is the service, while the prices are the same. At lunch (not included) we mostly had from the dishes labeled 'for kids'.
The dinner buffet was great nearly every day and they do cater for special needs. The waiters we had were great and they really know what you want after just a couple of days.
The private beach is a no go area. You can’t step onto it without somebody trying to sell you something, be it woodwork or a ride in a boat or on a camel/horse.
There are 3 excursions on offer and they don’t really need to be pre-booked.
The Dolphin Dow is a great boat tour. It starts really early with a 2 ½ hour bus ride through Mombasa City and great country side. The ferry is an experience in itself. The dow crew puts in a lot of effort in catering and the snorkelling is fantastic. They can’t give a guarantee on seeing dolphins, and unfortunately we missed out. But from the excursions, in my opinion, this was the best.
La Marina boat tour is a shorter day than the Dolphin Dow. The drive is less than 30 minutes and therefore starts later. There is an option of snorkling (not as nice as on the Dolphin Dow), being driven in a glass bottom boat, or a land excursion. After that the lunch is in the restaurant which was a BBQ including ostrich and crocodile. It's back onto the boat after that with an acrobats show and some 'fashion show' which needs a volunteer from the crowds.
The Mombasa City tour was a bit of a let down for me. We visited the wood work shop which was quite interesting and the best place to buy souvenirs. But appart from that we saw the tusks which are the symbol of Mombasa, the ferry which we already travelled on for the dolphin dow, the old harbour which isn’t much to look at, had a quick walk across the market of which we spent most time in a spice store, and ford jesus.
Doing all three excursion (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) makes the Mombasa part very full if you are not on the extension.
Wednesday evening is the last dinner on the Tamarind Dow. Another great boat ride with BBQ and life music.
The Thursday felt a bit weird as 5 of us stayed on while 18 left. Most of us booked the add-on under the assumption that this is the preferred option and the odd one would leave early. And also at only a few hundred pounds more it is worth it. This turned out not to be the case. Luckily we got all on very well and used the extra days to relax as we were doing the excursions in Mombasa.
The travel home was as chaotic as the travel there. The transport to Mombasa seems very early, but I rather am early than late. The advantage is that the luggage was checked through all the way to Heathrow with no need to pick it up in Neirobi. Being early enabled us to get isle seats for the long flight, but we spent hours in Mombasa airport with nothing to do.
We got promised support for the transfer in Neirobi but in the end nobody was there. The shuttle bus turned out just fine and easier than on the way out. Neirobi airport is expensive and there weren’t enough seats at the gate.
Overall it is a great trip and I would recommend doing it. For someone like me who doesn't like sitting around every day is filled with something to do, but there is an option of not doing anything when arriving in Mombasa.
I am not sure about the add on, it might be worth asking when booking if there are plenty of people on it.
