Nothing can be more fulfilling than enjoying your honeymoon in a tropical country away from Europe. Kenya boost enchanting sceneries and impressive populations of some of the most admired wildlife species. The country also prides a beautiful coastline stretch lined with alluring coastal forest and powdery white sand beaches amongst them world’s famous Diani and Watamu beaches. In addition, Kenya offer links to some famous archipelogos in the Indian ocean; Zanzibar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Maldives; which are popular honeymoon spots in the world. It is important to note that a reasonably appealing honeymoon in Kenya can’t fit a budget safari option and you will have to manage your budget on midrange to luxury prices which guarantee private game drives in less crowded destinations, a stay in a comfortable private lodge or camp and personalized bush activities. However, compared to other famous beach destinations like Mauritius and Seychelles, Kenya is still a more affordable destination especially for couples putting up at the Kenyan coast. This post is a detailed guide explaining different factors that may affect your honeymoon budget and how to adjust to meet your budget and quality plan.
Where you want to go
Kenya destinations will cost differently taking to account variations in prices of accommodation, park fees and applicable transfer mode. Most honeymooners in kenya consider visiting one of the local beach destinations combined with tours in the numerous Kenyan bushes as the best plan for honeymoon. If you are ready to spend enough for lifetime memories, a combined visit of the Kenyan coast together with bush safari in a Masai Mara conservancy and other premium parks like Amboseli and lake Nakuru is the best option. These destinations are exemplar game viewing spots throughout the year. In this options air transfers are more convenient as they save you from long game drives since a roadtrip from Mombasa to Masai Mara would take more than 6 hours which is the maximum duration we recommend. In Masai Mara it’s preferable you pick an accommodation in a conservancy as the main reserve gets annoyingly crowdy.
If you are on tight budget and can’t afford a trip to destinations like Masai Mara, there is still more to catch in the coastal bush destinations at an affordable price. Though they might not be quality game viewing spots like destinations in the southern circuit, these destinations boost an impressive wildlife population though not necessarily featuring the big five. Tsavo East and west, 3 to 4 hrs drive from Mombasa city, are widely famed for their quintessential populations of the red elephants. Tsavo also boost several prides of uniquely mane less lions. In Tsavo West lava flows, unbeaten flowery natural forest and the profound serenity in this park create one of the secret places where nature speaks for itself. Besides, Tsavo you can visit Shimba hills game park which is the only remaining natural coastal forest in the south coast. if your budget fits to spend an extra day or two in bush destinations in the coastal circuit, Amboseli is the best additions to your list. Amboseli is the second most famous attraction in Kenya and neighbours Tsavo west. Here you will be able to have a more quality game drive especially when you are travelling during the dry season when most of the wildlife in the park migrate to the bases of Mt Kilimamjaro where there are permanent lush green floodplains.
Hotel choice
Kenya has a variety of hotels that have honeymoon offers especially hotel along the Kenyan coast. When budgeting for a hotel you should take to measure the cost of accommodation in each of the available hotel option. Beach hotels in the Kenyan south coast like The sand at Chale Island are costlier options compared to similar hotels in the North coast. Similarly, if you are in for a bush honeymoon prices varies with each destination for instance: having your honeymoon at Olare Kempinski in Olare Motorogi in the Mara conservancy is more expensive than a similar stay at serena hotel in lake Nakuru.
If you want to cut your honeymoon hotel cost for the time you will spend at the Kenyan coast, simply go for hotel in the northern coast. Choosing a hotel in the North coast will not affect your holiday as most of the prestige drawn to the south come from the fame carried by Diani which is viewed as one of the best beach destinations in the world. The only slight difference is the marine parks in the south coast especially kisite marine park which has more to offer to snorkelers compared to what you may sight in the North. However, the north coast still features great marine parks like the Malindi Marine Park and watamu marine park.
Method of movement from a destination to another
You will either choose air transfers or a road trip safari. Air transfer is more expensive but more efficient than road trips. You may also be required to stay longer to cover all the destinations you are planning to visit while on road trip in comparison to air transfer. For instance, to exhaustively cover Masai mara, lake nakuru and Samburu national parks you will require a minimum 5 days while on air transfer while it takes 7 days with road transfers. However, with the maximum time you can take for road transfer being 6 hours, road transfer is still a valid option.
Here we recommend that you go for the air transfer when you can afford it. Arguably, it is better you go for a road trip and have a quality game drive.
Activities of interest
Kenya has different activity that evokes a romantic experience to keep as a lifetime memory. Different activities will go at varying price. If you are in for a bush honeymoon activities like balloon ride( 420 USD) may make your honeymoon costilier compared to when you choose to go for a bush walk at 40 USD. At the Kenyan coast activities like Snorkeling, kite surfing and scuba diving will cost you more than when you go for a dhow safari.
When planning for your honeymoon trip set aside budget for the activities you are planning to engage in.
Final comment
Kenya honeymoon safari budget can be as cheap or expensive as you wish. However, we recommend that you budget between 300 USD to 900 USD a day if you are going for a beach honeymoon and between 500 USD to 1100 USD for a bush honeymoon all depending on different factors which include: hotel choice, destination choice, mode of transfer and activities you are going to involve in.
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Kenya honeymoon safari budget
