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 p.90 #12 · African safari talk...recommendations? | |
VKM2F wrote:
There's an incredible irony in this thread. You started it, planning your first safari, looking for insights from those who had been. And now you've been and have all the definitive answers.
I give my *opinion*, based on nearly a dozen trips across East and Southern Africa, for the benefit of other readers in this thread and hopefully they find it helpful.
Transfer game drives are not the same quality as normal game drives. Choosing to head out in any direction, find tracks and then head off in yet another direction, find what you're looking for and spend the morning with it is not how your transfer game drive is going to go. If it's important to get to a certain camp next, then you can give up your afternoon and drive at the worst time of day and get there, of course. If it isn't important and you're open to any conservancy (which was the question) then cutting down the transfer time is a good idea. I stressed "quality" game drives, not simply whether you can get between two points. Again, for the benefit of all the readers here, setting out on a loop or straight line and hoping to see something along the way is not the best way to safari.
Amboseli is for elephants and Kilimanjaro. That's the best reason to go there. I stayed in the conservancy so I could go off road and better see....elephants. But to find the herds and position them with Kilimanjaro you are going to be in the national park as well and have to deal with it. I wouldn't suggest someone alter their itinerary to go to Amboseli and then spend most the time in the conservancy looking for things other than elephants. Things that are better experienced elsewhere. Go to Amboseli and hang out with elephants on the lake bed, or in the park, or in the conservancy. But don't sacrifice species or landscapes you really want to see if photographing elephants isn't super important to you.
Readers, at the end of the day safari is about finding the experience that is important to you. No one else, certainly not someone you've met on a message board, can tell you what that is. It's a deeply personal experience and if it's a once in a lifetime trip, make sure it's fulfilling something meaningful to you. Don't be swayed by people telling you you must do something because they did and it was so amazing. Take the information you find here and balance it against your own priorities and be confident you're heading on a trip that excites you. You'll have an amazing time, I'm sure of it  ...Show more →
Yes, I started the thread years ago and researched the hell out of it before going on my first safari, and then have since been to a shitload of camps all over Kenya. I've stayed at all the kicheche camps mentioned and many more in the same area that aren't worth mentioning other than offbeat Mara which is great, and I've done the transfer drives in between these camps, as that's how I planned my trips to specifically maximize time in the bush without affecting prime time game drives. I'm not claiming I've been there more times than you or everyone else but I've been there enough to know what is accurate and what is false or misleading.
While we are talking about the 3 Kicheche Mara camps you said: " I would suggest staying in neighbouring conservancies just to cut down on the transfer time. They say you'll game drive on the way, but I never find that's entirely true as your guide is under pressure to get you to the next camp in time. And with three nights in each you want to maximize quality game drives."
I don't need 12 trips there to tell you this is a crock of BS. #1 you are saying you won't get a game drive on the way which is false, #2 the Kicheche guide is not under pressure to get you to the next camp that's at the farthest 2hrs away, and #3 you said you want to maximize quality game drives, so you are contradicting yourself because you get a bonus drive in after your quality morning drive and before your quality evening drive. So yes, you are maximizing your game drive time. You act as though you have to "track" prints in the Mara for a quality game drive? Give me a break the cats are everywhere and pretty much jump in the vehicle, the guides talk to each other to notify of worthy sightings. My best Mara leopard sightings yet have been simply from "driving along" when we stumbled upon them with zero "tracking." Two of them were spotted by my lady, and not by the guide, however the guides are really good with spotting things a mile away.
And here is more misleading information from you about Tortillis/Amboseli: "But to find the herds and position them with Kilimanjaro you are going to be in the national park as well and have to deal with it." Wrong, there are plenty of lakebed pans inside the conservancies that you can line up with Kili at different angles without anyone around, and then you also have the other views that I and a lot of other photographers prefer, which are the vast lakebeds and distant rolling hills as the backdrop. This is why people pay the hefty price to stay at Tortillis. I've shot large herds several times and never ventured into the NP to shoot elephants, other than transit to/from the airport, or crossing the park. If you actually went to Tortillis and ventured into the NP every day thinking it's the only place to shoot elephants or line the up with Kili, you really missed out. I know FM'ers who stay at Tortillis to shoot elephants in the conservancies, and there's probably a long list of "professional photographers" who go there to capture their images of herds of elephants, outside of the park. Not that I care about that, but the point is there's a reason people go to the conservancies to shoot elephants away from the crowded park. Down below is a screenshot which illustrates one of the main reasons people pay to stay in the conservancies, which was seen inside while crossing the park to visit Craig on the other side.
I agree with you about message boards though. No reader has to trust what either of us strangers are saying on this forum, so they can just use ChatGPT now which is fairly reliable, and actually mirrors my experience with both Mara Kicheche transfers and Amboseli conservancies.
Kicheche Mara transfers - does it give you a bonus game drive or is it a bad idea because it affects your morning/evening game drives?
A transfer between Kicheche camps can feel like a bonus game drive — but only under certain conditions. The difference comes down to timing, distance, and how the transfer is structured. Here’s how it actually works on the ground in the Mara with Kicheche-style operations:
✅ When a transfer does feel like extra game drive time
Kicheche is one of the better operators for making transfers enjoyable because they use the same guides and open safari vehicles, not rushed transport vehicles.
You’ll likely gain meaningful wildlife viewing if:
1. The camps are relatively close (≈1–2 hrs apart)
Examples:
• Kicheche Bush ↔ Kicheche Valley
• Kicheche Mara ↔ Kicheche Bush
These routes pass through prime conservancy habitat, not public roads. Guides often:
• track sightings along the way
• stop for predators
• take detours if something interesting appears
In these cases, the transfer often feels like a private exploratory drive in a new ecosystem.
👉 Many guests actually see new species or different prides during transfers.
2. The transfer replaces a mid-day dead period
Typical Mara day:
• Morning drive ends ~10:30–11:00
• Afternoon drive starts ~3:30–4:00
Transfers are often scheduled during this lull.
So instead of sitting in camp:
• you’re driving through wildlife areas anyway.
Net effect: feels like bonus safari time.
⚠️ When transfers reduce prime viewing
This happens mainly if logistics force timing into peak hours.
1. Morning transfer departures
If you leave right after breakfast:
• you may miss the best predator movement window (sunrise–9am).
Guides still look for animals, but:
• there can be a destination deadline
• they can’t commit to long viewing sessions.
2. Longer cross-conservancy transfers
Some routes require:
• gate timing
• coordination with another conservancy
• arrival deadlines for lunch or check-in.
In these cases, guides may:
• keep moving more steadily
• stop briefly rather than fully work sightings.
It’s still wildlife viewing — just less immersive.
Since Kicheche's Mara camps are in close vicinity, this does not apply.
🧭 The key difference vs normal game drives
A normal drive:
• no schedule
• can spend 45–90 minutes at one sighting
• tracking allowed
A transfer drive:
• can have a travel window with a soft time target
So think of it as “game drive with direction”, especially with longer drives.
🎯 My honest recommendation (based on Mara travel patterns)
For most serious safari travelers:
✅ 1 inter-camp transfer during a stay = very worthwhile
• adds habitat diversity
• increases species odds
• keeps experience fresh
❌ Multiple moves every 1–2 nights = not worth it
• unpacking + timing friction
• cumulative loss of peak drives.
⭐ Insider tip (many people don’t realize this)
If you tell Kicheche in advance:
“Wildlife viewing is more important than arrival time.”
they will often:
• schedule earlier departures
• allow longer sighting stops
• coordinate lunch timing flexibly.
Their guiding philosophy is very guest-centric compared to larger operators.
And now for some Amboseli ChatGPT. I just plugged in some GPS coordinates from some of my lakebed shots and asked:
Are these coordinates located inside Amboseli National Park and can you line up herds of elephants with Kili here if desired?
👉 are OUTSIDE the national park — they fall in the conservancy (Maasai group ranch land), not inside Amboseli National Park.
📍 What terrain is there
At those coordinates you’re in:
Satellite alkaline pans
Dusty open flats
Elephant movement corridors between park and conservancy
Low vehicle density private-access game area
Lakebed-looking terrain but without park traffic.
🏔️ Can Kilimanjaro align from conservancy pans?
✅ Yes — often very well.
But it depends on angle and positioning, not just location.
• The conservancy lies west / northwest of Amboseli National Park.
• Kilimanjaro sits southeast of Amboseli.
• From Tortilis side, you are shooting diagonally across the basin, not straight north-to-south like on the main lakebed.
Result:
👉 You still get elephants + mountain, just with a different composition.
📸 How the view differs
Inside the NP lakebed
• Popular “postcard” alignment
• Elephant centered directly under Kili
• Huge empty white foreground
• Symmetrical look
Conservancy pans (Tortilis side)
• Mountain appears slightly offset
• More textured foreground (grass, dust patches, acacias)
• Often cleaner air and sharper mountain detail
• Feels more natural / less crowded
Many photographers actually prefer this because it looks less staged.
🎯 What good guides do
Your guide will:
1. Position you on a pan facing SE toward Kilimanjaro.
2. Wait for elephants moving between conservancy and park.
3. Use longer lenses (200–400mm equivalent) to compress distance.
That compression makes Kili look huge even from outside the park.
⭐ Little-known advantage
Because fewer vehicles operate there:
• Elephants behave more calmly.
• You can hold a position longer.
• Dust hangs in the light without being churned by 20 cars.
That’s why some of the most cinematic Amboseli images are quietly shot outside the park boundary.
So there it is. I agree with VKM2F in that you should do your own research instead of listen to people on the web. Because I would be really bummed to miss out on shooting elephants at a place like Tortillis after reading his false description of the conservancy. As for picking two of the three Mara Kicheche camps, I would also be bummed on taking his recommendation to avoid transfers between them, as I would have missed out on those exact bonus game drives I have personally experienced. And for Tim in case you are reading, if you want the most variety in selecting two of the three camps, I suggest picking the Valley camp and either Mara North or Bush, because Bush and Mara feel more alike compared to the different terrain of the Valley camp. And again, I would highly suggest doing the transfer drive during lunch hours in between any of them. They are beautiful, they are not a waste of time and it will not affect your morning/evening game drives in any way (with a private vehicle), assuming you are planning correctly with the guides. Pack your bags the night before, go out on your morning drive and return to camp to pickup bags and sack lunches, and head out. Or, you can take your bags with you and go more direct if you don't want to shoot much during hot noon hours. You have 4-6 hours between morning and afternoon drives and the parks are 1-2hrs apart. Do the math, there's no pressure, you can take your time, and as AI mentioned - Kicheche is all about accommodating the photographer. You won't affect quality game drives, you'll only log more game drive hours. This coming from someone who hasn't been there 12 times yet, but from someone who has done these exact camps/transfers and has some attention to detail. The transfer experience can obviously vary with other camps/parks or with large groups, and this is why you do the homework to figure out if you should drive or fly.
Here's the shit show at Amboseli NP, a crossing with 12 vehicles on each side. No thanks, and it gets a lot worse than this:
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