Hayes & Jarvis Masai Mara to Coast Safari & Voyager Beach Hotel, Mombasa - April 2007
We spent 8 nights on the Hayes & Jarvis Masai Mara to Coast safari followed by 5 nights at the Voyager Beach in Mombasa during April 2007. Here follows a rather lengthy account of our trip - hope it is useful!
The Journey
We flew out from Heathrow Terminal 4 to Nairobi with Kenya Airways on a night flight, which took about 8 hrs and then back from Mombasa, also with Kenya Airways which was a direct daytime flight and took 9 hrs (this flight only operates on a Saturday, all others are via Nairobi). There were minimal delays in both directions and the in-flight service was adequate (2 meals were included and each seat had its own seat-back TV screen). You can book your seats in advance by contacting the reservations office for the country you are flying from (the UK no is 01784 888222). It is worth doing this as there were a number of people on our plane who had been split up from their travelling companions. The check in at Heathrow was open at least 3 1/2 hrs before departure and we had no problems checking in; at Mombasa, we had to queue for ages to get through the first stage of security, but other than that the check in was ok. On arrival in Nairobi, the visa desks had signs saying that they were only accepting dollars that but they did eventually let us pay in pounds. It's probably better and cheaper to take dollars if you can. You also need to fill in arrival and departure cards. We only had to wait a short while for our transfers to and from the airport, which were handled by Rhino Safaris. The transfer into Nairobi took over an hour due to rush hour traffic but the transfer from Mombasa was fine.
The Weather
We knew that we had taken a gamble by going at Easter as the 'long rains' start in April in Kenya. Luckily, the only daytime rain we saw was on the last full day of our holiday and whilst we were at the airport waiting to go home. The rain was in the form of torrential downpours which had everyone scooting for cover! The weather in Nairobi and for the first half of our safari was great - between about 25 and 30 degrees, but as we got nearer to the coast, our altitude dropped and it got hotter and hotter. When we arrived in Mombasa, the temperature was in the mid-30s and it was very humid. This meant that we only managed to do one excursion from the hotel as even small amounts of physical activity were exhausting. We were also only a couple of hundred miles from the Equator so the sun was very strong. The majority of other guests didn't seem to care about this and turned themselves lobster red each day, whereas we made sure our sun beds were always in the shade and we also saw guests swimming with t-shirts on to try and protect themselves from burning.
We knew that we had taken a gamble by going at Easter as the 'long rains' start in April in Kenya. Luckily, the only daytime rain we saw was on the last full day of our holiday and whilst we were at the airport waiting to go home. The rain was in the form of torrential downpours which had everyone scooting for cover! The weather in Nairobi and for the first half of our safari was great - between about 25 and 30 degrees, but as we got nearer to the coast, our altitude dropped and it got hotter and hotter. When we arrived in Mombasa, the temperature was in the mid-30s and it was very humid. This meant that we only managed to do one excursion from the hotel as even small amounts of physical activity were exhausting. We were also only a couple of hundred miles from the Equator so the sun was very strong. The majority of other guests didn't seem to care about this and turned themselves lobster red each day, whereas we made sure our sun beds were always in the shade and we also saw guests swimming with t-shirts on to try and protect themselves from burning.
The Hotels
Jacaranda Hotel, Nairobi (http://www.jacarandahotels.com/)
We stayed here for one night before embarking on our safari. The reception area is very nicely done with a high ceiling and comfy chairs. Our room was clean and comfortable - my only criticism would be that the vents above the door and in the bathroom let in insects and noise. We were left two bottles of water in the bathroom which was a nice touch. We had a nice lunch at the pool bar; the food at dinner was also good but took over 45 mins to arrive. There are banks opposite the main entrance and a large shopping centre behind the hotel with a supermarket amongst other things. We felt perfectly safe walking around during the day, but the Rough Guide advises that you shouldn't go out walking at night. The staff were helpful and friendly (although we did struggle to get a porter when we left) and overall we would be happy to stay here again. We did an excursion to the AFEW Giraffe Centre with Rhino Safaris while we were there - this was expensive at £20 per person when we only had about an hr with the giraffes. We could also have taken a trip to the elephant sanctuary - this was about £16 each.
Jacaranda Hotel, Nairobi (http://www.jacarandahotels.com/)
We stayed here for one night before embarking on our safari. The reception area is very nicely done with a high ceiling and comfy chairs. Our room was clean and comfortable - my only criticism would be that the vents above the door and in the bathroom let in insects and noise. We were left two bottles of water in the bathroom which was a nice touch. We had a nice lunch at the pool bar; the food at dinner was also good but took over 45 mins to arrive. There are banks opposite the main entrance and a large shopping centre behind the hotel with a supermarket amongst other things. We felt perfectly safe walking around during the day, but the Rough Guide advises that you shouldn't go out walking at night. The staff were helpful and friendly (although we did struggle to get a porter when we left) and overall we would be happy to stay here again. We did an excursion to the AFEW Giraffe Centre with Rhino Safaris while we were there - this was expensive at £20 per person when we only had about an hr with the giraffes. We could also have taken a trip to the elephant sanctuary - this was about £16 each.
Mara Sopa (website http://www.sopalodges.com currently under construction)
This was the first hotel we stayed at on our safari and also the first of the 3 Sopa lodges that we stayed at in Kenya. The rooms are not particularly modern, but were large and well looked after, if a little dark. The electricity and hot water are only on at certain times of the day but these times are given at reception and in the info pack in your room. The 'off' periods are generally while you are on safari so did not cause us any problems. The food was very good and I particularly liked the decor in the restaurant. The hyena feeding is worth seeing if you can manage to stay up until 10 - make sure you get there a few mins early to get a good spot - there are good views from the areas either side of the main viewing platform (elevated a good few feet above the feeding area). The shop near reception had some good postcards. The pool area is not very big but we didn't have any problems getting some sun beds. There is a 'Masai Village' in the hotel grounds, just below the swimming pool. This is blatantly not authentic but worth a look if you have 5 mins to waste and don't mind being dragged round their Masai market afterwards. The hotel itself is no more than 15 mins drive from the nearest gate and you pass by a village on the way so the journey is not boring. We stayed here for 2 nights but could have happily stayed for longer.
This was the first hotel we stayed at on our safari and also the first of the 3 Sopa lodges that we stayed at in Kenya. The rooms are not particularly modern, but were large and well looked after, if a little dark. The electricity and hot water are only on at certain times of the day but these times are given at reception and in the info pack in your room. The 'off' periods are generally while you are on safari so did not cause us any problems. The food was very good and I particularly liked the decor in the restaurant. The hyena feeding is worth seeing if you can manage to stay up until 10 - make sure you get there a few mins early to get a good spot - there are good views from the areas either side of the main viewing platform (elevated a good few feet above the feeding area). The shop near reception had some good postcards. The pool area is not very big but we didn't have any problems getting some sun beds. There is a 'Masai Village' in the hotel grounds, just below the swimming pool. This is blatantly not authentic but worth a look if you have 5 mins to waste and don't mind being dragged round their Masai market afterwards. The hotel itself is no more than 15 mins drive from the nearest gate and you pass by a village on the way so the journey is not boring. We stayed here for 2 nights but could have happily stayed for longer.
Lake Naivasha Sopa (website http://www.sopalodges.com currently under construction)
This was the second Sopa hotel on our safari and by far the best. The main building is stunning with its cathedral height ceilings, huge windows and open fires with lovely views of the gardens. Our room was equally impressive - large and beautifully decorated. When you arrive, they tell you that you should not walk in the grounds after dark without being escorted by a security guard as the hippos from the lake come out to graze. We were initially a bit concerned that this might be just a clever way to get more tips for the staff, but when our guard arrived, he shone his torch at an area about 10 feet away from us and there stood a massive hippo. There were at least 10 of them in the grounds that night as one of the other guards took us for a walk later to show us. The food at the hotel was great and so was the bar so we were really sorry that we had to leave after only 1 night!
This was the second Sopa hotel on our safari and by far the best. The main building is stunning with its cathedral height ceilings, huge windows and open fires with lovely views of the gardens. Our room was equally impressive - large and beautifully decorated. When you arrive, they tell you that you should not walk in the grounds after dark without being escorted by a security guard as the hippos from the lake come out to graze. We were initially a bit concerned that this might be just a clever way to get more tips for the staff, but when our guard arrived, he shone his torch at an area about 10 feet away from us and there stood a massive hippo. There were at least 10 of them in the grounds that night as one of the other guards took us for a walk later to show us. The food at the hotel was great and so was the bar so we were really sorry that we had to leave after only 1 night!
Amboseli Sopa (website http://www.sopalodges.com currently under construction)
This was the third and final Sopa hotel on our safari and our least favourite for a number of reasons. The paths to the rooms are badly lit and signposted, even if you have your own torch, and the guards were quite pushy about walking you back. The decor was quite nice but the floor was made of concrete and was not nice to walk on. The walls are also quite thin. We were visited by a number of creepy crawlies - this is obviously only to be expected on this sort of holiday but it did give us the impression that the rooms hadn't been maintained as well as in the other Sopa lodges. The main (& only) restaurant is not big enough to accommodate all the guests and we had to wait 30 mins for a table on our first night, only to find that some of the food from the barbeque was still raw. It was also about 30 mins drive from the park gates. The hotel did provide a good picnic breakfast for our first morning there and the views of Kilimanjaro from the pool were amazing but overall we were disappointed with it, especially in comparison with the other Sopa Lodges that we stayed at. As with other hotels, the electricity and hot water are only on at certain times of the day but these times are given at reception and in the info pack in your room. The 'off' periods are generally while you are on safari so did not cause us any problems.
This was the third and final Sopa hotel on our safari and our least favourite for a number of reasons. The paths to the rooms are badly lit and signposted, even if you have your own torch, and the guards were quite pushy about walking you back. The decor was quite nice but the floor was made of concrete and was not nice to walk on. The walls are also quite thin. We were visited by a number of creepy crawlies - this is obviously only to be expected on this sort of holiday but it did give us the impression that the rooms hadn't been maintained as well as in the other Sopa lodges. The main (& only) restaurant is not big enough to accommodate all the guests and we had to wait 30 mins for a table on our first night, only to find that some of the food from the barbeque was still raw. It was also about 30 mins drive from the park gates. The hotel did provide a good picnic breakfast for our first morning there and the views of Kilimanjaro from the pool were amazing but overall we were disappointed with it, especially in comparison with the other Sopa Lodges that we stayed at. As with other hotels, the electricity and hot water are only on at certain times of the day but these times are given at reception and in the info pack in your room. The 'off' periods are generally while you are on safari so did not cause us any problems.
Ngutuni Lodge, nr Tsavo East (http://www.rexresorts.com/_africa/_ngutuni_safari_lodge/index.html)
This was this final hotel that we stayed at on our safari and the only one which felt like a real safari lodge, rather than a hotel. We thought that the wooden architecture, open dining area and rooms were all lovely but the waterhole was the highlight as we were lucky enough to see a group of 10 elephants gathering there at dusk, along with a family of warthogs and a giraffe earlier that day. It was very hot while we were there but the fans in the room were adequate. The food was good but it does get quite dark in the dining room so you might find a torch helpful to see what's on offer. Also beware of low flying insects while you are eating - at least 2 of our party had crickets land on them while we were there. Overall we thought this was a nice little place and we would have been happy to spend some more time there.
This was this final hotel that we stayed at on our safari and the only one which felt like a real safari lodge, rather than a hotel. We thought that the wooden architecture, open dining area and rooms were all lovely but the waterhole was the highlight as we were lucky enough to see a group of 10 elephants gathering there at dusk, along with a family of warthogs and a giraffe earlier that day. It was very hot while we were there but the fans in the room were adequate. The food was good but it does get quite dark in the dining room so you might find a torch helpful to see what's on offer. Also beware of low flying insects while you are eating - at least 2 of our party had crickets land on them while we were there. Overall we thought this was a nice little place and we would have been happy to spend some more time there.
Voyager Beach Hotel, Mombasa (http://www.heritage-eastafrica.com/voyager_beach-resort.html)
We spent 5 days here, recovering after our safari. We had paid for a garden view room but ended up in a sea view room overlooking the 'adults-only' relax pool. The room was a little bit on the small side but nicely decorated with good air conditioning. The site is quite large so the 'crew' organise 'tours of the ship' every day, which are useful as they don't give you a map when you arrive. We thought that the food in the main restaurant was very good, especially the puddings and the chefs cooking items to order at each meal. The drinks service was understandably slower when it was busy so we often go around this by getting our drinks from the lobby bar beforehand. The draught Tusker available on all-inclusive was often warm and flat and the wine was rather 'tart', so if you are fussy about your drinks then go half board and pay for the better brands. The lookout bar is nice in the evening due to the sea breezes and is also good if you want to escape the evening entertainment. The animation staff should be given full marks for enthusiasm, but watching them mime to Disney musicals wasn't our idea of fun. They also run excursions to local attractions every afternoon. We went to Ngomongo Villages with them (http://www.ngomongo.com/) which cost about £10 each for transport and entrance fees and which proved to be an interesting few hours. The excursions offered by your tour operator start from about £50 for a full day so this was definitely a cheaper way to get out and about. The hotel shop is very reasonably priced and the bookshop has a massive range of titles. Apart from a few niggles, we really liked this hotel and would recommend it to anyone.
We spent 5 days here, recovering after our safari. We had paid for a garden view room but ended up in a sea view room overlooking the 'adults-only' relax pool. The room was a little bit on the small side but nicely decorated with good air conditioning. The site is quite large so the 'crew' organise 'tours of the ship' every day, which are useful as they don't give you a map when you arrive. We thought that the food in the main restaurant was very good, especially the puddings and the chefs cooking items to order at each meal. The drinks service was understandably slower when it was busy so we often go around this by getting our drinks from the lobby bar beforehand. The draught Tusker available on all-inclusive was often warm and flat and the wine was rather 'tart', so if you are fussy about your drinks then go half board and pay for the better brands. The lookout bar is nice in the evening due to the sea breezes and is also good if you want to escape the evening entertainment. The animation staff should be given full marks for enthusiasm, but watching them mime to Disney musicals wasn't our idea of fun. They also run excursions to local attractions every afternoon. We went to Ngomongo Villages with them (http://www.ngomongo.com/) which cost about £10 each for transport and entrance fees and which proved to be an interesting few hours. The excursions offered by your tour operator start from about £50 for a full day so this was definitely a cheaper way to get out and about. The hotel shop is very reasonably priced and the bookshop has a massive range of titles. Apart from a few niggles, we really liked this hotel and would recommend it to anyone.
Hayes & Jarvis Masai Mara to Coast Safari
We chose this safari because it started in Nairobi and ended in Mombasa so we didn't need to retrace our steps too much and could take direct flights to and from the UK. We spent 1 night in Nairobi, 2 nights in the Masai Mara, 1 night at Lake Naivasha, 2 nights at Amboseli and 1 night at Ngutuni (Tsavo East). The first thing to note about this, and pretty much any other road based safari in Kenya is that the drives between parks are very long. Rough timings with one or two short breaks were as follows - Nairobi to Masai Mara 6 1/2 hrs, Masai Mara to Lake Naivasha 6 hrs, Lake Naivasha to Amboseli (via Nairobi) 7 1/2 hrs, Amboseli to Ngutuni 6 1/2 hrs, Ngutuni to Mombasa 2 1/2 hrs. Also bear in mind that at least half of each drive will probably be on dirt and grit roads so you will be bumping around all over the place. Sometimes the roads were so bad that we ended up driving on the edge of them at a 45 degree angle, which was a bit unnerving. We only got stuck once, in the Mara, and were able to dig ourselves out quite quickly in the dry conditions.
You will get a chance to stop at 'souvenir shops' on the way where the toilets will be conveniently located at the back of the showroom. You will get pestered to buy things but if you say no politely then they will leave you alone. The safari vehicle we had was more comfortable than I had expected, seating only 6 people in the back, but we all suffered from numb bums, cramped legs and overheating at some point. It's probably best to keep your oldest and most comfortable clothes for travelling days if you can. Also bear in mind that there are few, if any public toilets inside the game parks so you will have to ask your driver to find a convenient bush if you can't wait until you get back to the hotel (be careful if you do this as some of the bushes are very prickly - I caught my foot on one of them).
The game drives themselves lasted between 1 and 4 hrs, depending on the park and time of day. We were very lucky to see lots of animals on all our game drives, apart from the final one in Ngutuni. Highlights included a cheetah with 3 cubs, a large pride of lions, another pride devouring a buffalo and lots of baby elephants. We also went on a very nice boat trip on Lake Naivasha where we saw hippos, waterbucks and pelicans. The Mara was our favourite park as we saw the best range of animals there, but we also really enjoyed the picnic we had on Observation Hill at Amboseli and wished we could have had a bit more time in Tsavo. We normally left the hotel at 7am, but did leave as early as 6am on game drive days and as late as 10am when we left Lake Naivasha. You normally have time for an afternoon snooze at the hotels or whilst you are driving between parks (if you can sleep on those roads!).
In terms of luggage - Hayes and Jarvis appeared to have given different advice to each of us about the maximum weight that we could take. As this safari starts in Nairobi and ends in Mombasa, you have to take all your luggage with you. Soft sided bags really are best as the luggage is stored in the boot of the van and suitcases are much harder to fit in. If your luggage is too big then it will have to go in the main seating area so you will be even more cramped. We found it quite difficult to strike a balance between having enough clothes (as they get dirty quickly) or taking too much - but if you can stay nearer to 15kg than 20 then you should be ok. It's definitely worth taking a torch each, mosquito repellent and coils, an MP3 player or similar for travelling days, antibacterial hand gel or wipes for those toilets that don't have a sink, loo roll and, if you have room, little gifts to give to staff as tips - such as pens, clothes etc. Some of the hotels ask you to fill in a form, stating items that you have left as tips so they can be certain the staff haven't stolen things. I made a few of my own on our PC before we went, which was useful.
In terms of money, we found that things were more expensive than we had expected (1 litre of water was up to £2 in the hotels). We were on full board on the safari, apart from the first day in Nairobi, and then all inclusive in Mombasa, but still managed to spend £200 while we were there, excluding the drivers tip (we gave him £35 between the two of us). The safari lodges had very poor exchange rates so it is better to try and change your money before you go or while you are in Nairobi if you can.
Our safari was handled by Rhino Safaris who have offices in both Nairobi and Mombasa. We found that they were a very professional company and were particularly impressed by George, or main driver who really went out of his way to make our holiday enjoyable. We wouldn't hesitate to use them again and would definitely recommend this safari to anyone!
We chose this safari because it started in Nairobi and ended in Mombasa so we didn't need to retrace our steps too much and could take direct flights to and from the UK. We spent 1 night in Nairobi, 2 nights in the Masai Mara, 1 night at Lake Naivasha, 2 nights at Amboseli and 1 night at Ngutuni (Tsavo East). The first thing to note about this, and pretty much any other road based safari in Kenya is that the drives between parks are very long. Rough timings with one or two short breaks were as follows - Nairobi to Masai Mara 6 1/2 hrs, Masai Mara to Lake Naivasha 6 hrs, Lake Naivasha to Amboseli (via Nairobi) 7 1/2 hrs, Amboseli to Ngutuni 6 1/2 hrs, Ngutuni to Mombasa 2 1/2 hrs. Also bear in mind that at least half of each drive will probably be on dirt and grit roads so you will be bumping around all over the place. Sometimes the roads were so bad that we ended up driving on the edge of them at a 45 degree angle, which was a bit unnerving. We only got stuck once, in the Mara, and were able to dig ourselves out quite quickly in the dry conditions.
You will get a chance to stop at 'souvenir shops' on the way where the toilets will be conveniently located at the back of the showroom. You will get pestered to buy things but if you say no politely then they will leave you alone. The safari vehicle we had was more comfortable than I had expected, seating only 6 people in the back, but we all suffered from numb bums, cramped legs and overheating at some point. It's probably best to keep your oldest and most comfortable clothes for travelling days if you can. Also bear in mind that there are few, if any public toilets inside the game parks so you will have to ask your driver to find a convenient bush if you can't wait until you get back to the hotel (be careful if you do this as some of the bushes are very prickly - I caught my foot on one of them).
The game drives themselves lasted between 1 and 4 hrs, depending on the park and time of day. We were very lucky to see lots of animals on all our game drives, apart from the final one in Ngutuni. Highlights included a cheetah with 3 cubs, a large pride of lions, another pride devouring a buffalo and lots of baby elephants. We also went on a very nice boat trip on Lake Naivasha where we saw hippos, waterbucks and pelicans. The Mara was our favourite park as we saw the best range of animals there, but we also really enjoyed the picnic we had on Observation Hill at Amboseli and wished we could have had a bit more time in Tsavo. We normally left the hotel at 7am, but did leave as early as 6am on game drive days and as late as 10am when we left Lake Naivasha. You normally have time for an afternoon snooze at the hotels or whilst you are driving between parks (if you can sleep on those roads!).
In terms of luggage - Hayes and Jarvis appeared to have given different advice to each of us about the maximum weight that we could take. As this safari starts in Nairobi and ends in Mombasa, you have to take all your luggage with you. Soft sided bags really are best as the luggage is stored in the boot of the van and suitcases are much harder to fit in. If your luggage is too big then it will have to go in the main seating area so you will be even more cramped. We found it quite difficult to strike a balance between having enough clothes (as they get dirty quickly) or taking too much - but if you can stay nearer to 15kg than 20 then you should be ok. It's definitely worth taking a torch each, mosquito repellent and coils, an MP3 player or similar for travelling days, antibacterial hand gel or wipes for those toilets that don't have a sink, loo roll and, if you have room, little gifts to give to staff as tips - such as pens, clothes etc. Some of the hotels ask you to fill in a form, stating items that you have left as tips so they can be certain the staff haven't stolen things. I made a few of my own on our PC before we went, which was useful.
In terms of money, we found that things were more expensive than we had expected (1 litre of water was up to £2 in the hotels). We were on full board on the safari, apart from the first day in Nairobi, and then all inclusive in Mombasa, but still managed to spend £200 while we were there, excluding the drivers tip (we gave him £35 between the two of us). The safari lodges had very poor exchange rates so it is better to try and change your money before you go or while you are in Nairobi if you can.
Our safari was handled by Rhino Safaris who have offices in both Nairobi and Mombasa. We found that they were a very professional company and were particularly impressed by George, or main driver who really went out of his way to make our holiday enjoyable. We wouldn't hesitate to use them again and would definitely recommend this safari to anyone!
Many thanks for your detailed report Corinne. I'm sure our members will find it interesting and useful.
luci
luci
Corinne
what a brilliant report. this will really help others considering a safari. Hubby would love to go on a safari and I have looked at some but we've never got round to it yet. It must be amazing seeing animals in their natural habitat. Not sure about the hippos in the grounds
what a brilliant report. this will really help others considering a safari. Hubby would love to go on a safari and I have looked at some but we've never got round to it yet. It must be amazing seeing animals in their natural habitat. Not sure about the hippos in the grounds
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