Safari Savings in Kenya and Tanzania

The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare, eight nights' accommodations, 25 meals, park entrance fees, nine game drives, and local transportation from $3,145 per person.

When: Depart Apr. 19; May 3, 21, 2007.

Gateways: Boston, Los Angeles, Newark, New York City, Miami, San Francisco, Washington, D.C. Note that there are no add-on fees for West Coast departures.

The Fine Print: Based on double occupancy; single supplement of $95. Airport transfers, park entrance fees, and lodgings taxes are included. Airport taxes and fuel surcharges are an additional $475 per person. U.S. citizens need visas for Kenya and Tanzania; each visa is $50 per person and is purchased on arrival at the airport. (No photos are required at the airport and visa are issued pretty quickly.) In most circumstances, if you cancel within 45 days of departure, you must still pay the full cost of the trip.

Book By: No deadline; 45 day advance booking required.

Contact: 2Afrika, 866/462-2374, 2afrika.com.

What Makes This a Deal: In comparison, the lowest round-trip fares we've found to Nairobi on Apr. 18 are $1,231 per person from New York City (Qatar) and $1,447 per person from Miami (multiple airlines). For West Coast travelers, the deal is particularly alluring because you pay no add-on fees. Consider that the lowest round-trip fares we've found to Nairobi on Apr. 18 are $1,473 from Los Angeles (Swiss) and $1,524 from San Francisco (British Airways) and that these fares are notably higher than the ones from East Coast airports. Regardless of your gateway, note that 2Afrika covers eight nights' lodgings, all meals, nine game drives, transportation, and park entrance fees, and provides the convenience of handling the trip logistics.

The trip cost is somewhat higher than comparable trips in recent years partly because park fees have increased. For example, one stop on the itinerary, the Ngorongoro Crater, charges $50 a person per day, which is $20 higher than the fee was two years ago. All told, park fees have increased in the past year by 45%, or by $106 per person for the parks included in this trip.

For single travelers, this deal is alluring because the single supplement of only $95 guarantees you private rooms throughout the trip.

Trip Details: The package includes round-trip airfare on Virgin Atlantic and Kenya Airways (for about 17 hours of flying time from New York City) and eight nights' accommodations.

The first night is at the Serena Mountain Lodge, a hotel built on the side of Mount Kenya. Then you will spend seven nights on safari, with one night at the Lake Nakuru Lodge in the Lake Nakuru National Park, two nights at the Siana Springs Intrepids safari camp (inside permanent tent-like structures with bathrooms and running water) in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, two nights at the Serengeti Sopa Safari Lodge, and one night each in the Ngorongoro Sopa Safari Lodge and the Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge. A quick look at a map, like the one at 2afrika.com, may help clarify these logistics.

Safari game-viewing drives are in small buses with a maximum of six passengers.

Note that 2Afrika has a selection of trip extensions that allow you to stay for extra nights at selected points in your itinerary. Visit the 2Afrika website for details.

April and May are months with fewer tourists in Kenya and Tanzania because of school schedules for families. Evening rain is also common during these months. Temperatures average 75 Fahrenheit. You can check the current forecast (as well as the exchange rate and local time) at BudgetTravelOnline.com. For more information about Tanzania before you go, visit the official Tanzania tourism board website (this site) and the website of Ngorongoro Park (this site). For more information on Kenya, click here for the official tourism board site.

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