Our flight back from Nairobi to London Heathrow left at a decent time in the morning, getting us back mid afternoon.

Nairobi airport is quite busy compared with other hubs, and we were surprised to find our hand baggage travelling through one security scanner, only to immediately travel back through another. Maybe they were set to scan for different kinds of items: certainly one of the security staff excitedly discovered what he thought was an unauthorised glass bottle in mine, only to find that it was actually a light bulb, which I carry as a spare, having been caught out in this respect a number of times.

In Summary

Our overall feeling was that this had been a very good trip - but only because we had developed the experience to avoid what is bad about visiting Kenya, to concentrate on what works best.

Kenya's principal problem is that it has been such a major tourist destination for so many years that, not only are the numbers of people visiting too many for comfort, but the service provided is mainly geared to this level of market. In Zambia in particular, the various camps and lodges etc, in contrast, try every inch of the way to provide you with the very best possible experience. The overcrowding aspect is particularly important in the context of game viewing, where ideally you don't really want to see any other human beings at all!

We believe that - in collaboration in particular with the Porini portfolio of camps - we have largely overcome this problem by focusing on the Conservancies that surround many of the National Parks, and which offer a much superior experience. But you do need to know what you are doing.

In particular we would advise avoiding the cheap packages that offer you ten days or so in Kenya for little more than the cost of the international flight there and back: they are likely to involve spending most of your time driving in minibuses between large tourist hotels, with little focus on the wildlife. A locally booked tour is also likely to involve minibus, rather than flight, travel between your various destinations. Although it might be cheaper it uses up a disproportionate amount of your precious time out there, and we cannot emphasise enough how poor an experience game viewing is from a closed minibus.

In its favour, Kenya's countryside is spectacularly beautiful, and its range of wildlife is majestic. There is also a very varied spread of places to visit - each park has its own very different characteristics. So, yes, by all means do consider taking a safari here: we at AfricaAway will endeavour to provide you with an excellent experience!

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