Last day of K&T Classic Safari
I am booked for an August 2021 K & T safari trip, I will be booking my flights with airline points soon and have a question about the final day of the tour. The itinerary states that we fly to Nairobi, go to a day room, have dinner and depart for airport, I am curious about what time you arrive at the hotel for your day room. I have an option to catch a 5:30 PM flight to Doha and am not sure if that will not be a good choice if cutting too tight. I am guessing that since we travel to Mara with just a duffle that our luggage will be at the hotel. Could someone who has been on this tour, advise as to what that final day was like for them. I also have an option to depart Nairobi at 12:15 AM but only have an hour fifteen layover in Doha and am not sure it is a wise thing to do. If someone has also transferred in Doha, please advise as to which is a better idea: a long layover or a 90 minute layover. Thanks so much.
Comments
While things can and do change, we arrived in Nairobi a little before noon. We had time to freshen up, repack our bags, sit around the pool, eat a (group) lunch, then head off to the airport at about 2 pm + . We had a flight to Addis Ababa, on Ethiopian Air that departed at 5:35 pm, much earlier than everyone else. Tauck allowed plenty of time to get to the airport because the traffic then (2015) was terrible and likely about the same now. It is interesting to negotiate Nairobi traffic circles, there were a few of them on the way to the airport- four lanes of traffic- cars, buses, motorcycles, trucks and sometimes cows, squeezed into the two lane roads that approached the circles from every quadrant! Because of the problems at traffic circles, the government installed traffic lights- which everyone ignored!
In addition, for our 2015 tour, Tauck recommended that we remain in the hotel until in was time to depart for the airport.
I second Alan's comments about the traffic to the airport.
AlanS - Did you have the front or rear seat of that Ethiopian Air bi-plane flight?
We did this trip last September. We flew in business class Qatar from Nairobi to Doha at 12:35 am. Arrived in Doha at 6:35 am. Our flight to Chicago left at 7:55 am. There was someone in Doha when we arrived and escorted us to the gate for the Chicago flight. If all goes well with the equipment, you can do this. We would have preferred to have some time between flights just to stretch our legs, etc. after a 6-hour flight with a 14-hour flight next. So, a long layover in the Doha airport would have been nice. It is not your average airport. If you are flying business class, the lounge is exceptional. There was only one daily flight to Chicago so we had to take the it. Looking back, if we had a choice, we would have picked a long(?) layover. What’s the hurry.
I had images of the airplane in the cartoon Madagasgar or Michael Douglas' and Kathleen Turner's South American flight in "Romancing the Stone" - a DC-3(?) with a pig on a leash, exotic birds and chickens in crates in the overhead racks, etc.
Actually it was an excellent flight, business class in B 777 and the flight to Arusha in a factory new 787! We even landed at the right airport in Arusha! 
We flew Qatar air in December but the return was from the Rwanda Gorilla tour. But We did fly from Nairobi airport during the tour and is appears much improved to when we first flew back from there in 2007, it was a pit then . Traffic is heavy around the airport. We flew via Doha again this past March, it’s a huge airport, Gates can be very far apart but I love it and would not mind being there for several hours to look around all the stores including Harrods. As Travel guy says, the business lounge is great.
I think you are going to have to discuss the details with Tauck and see what they recommend. Of course there may be fewer flights even next August and changes in itinerary, so make sure you can get refunds on your tickets. We are still waiting for the refunds from the Qatar Air cancelled flights for the tour we were supposed to take In September and it’s almost three months. We will told expect two bill cycles to go before you see it. Qatar air is the best we have ever flown.
We went last year and took the Non Stop from NBO to JFK ... A fabulous connection for us from FL.... Most flights leave around midnight from NBO. Maybe Kenya Air is a partner in your miles program.. NBO traffic during the day is horrendous and if there is an accident you may be stuck! Great tour.... We have booked again for SEP 2021. Best of luck in finding good a good cnx.
Hi Denise
the option to catch a 5:30 PM flight is risky, to start you do arrived at the aiport around noon.. and then the drive to hotel... traffic in Nairobi is horrible, so you never know how long it will take, that's why mostly everyone flights out late night + you will miss the farewell dinner. Staying during the afternoon at the hotel gives you a chance to re-pack, relax and do the Spa if you like. In Nairobi there isn't much to do, due to safety and traffic.. I went to the giraffe santuary as it was really close from airport you arrive into from Masai Mara.. The TD set up transportation round trip back to hotel.
Also, just as a FYI once you get to int'l departure airport you go through 3 checking points inside the building which can take about an hour... depending on if it is at peak hour. and finally the imigration booth.
Sorry to send this correction. I have done this tour and the farewell dinner is on the night of day 12. The last day is just the flight back to NBO ,a day room, lunch and dinner is included if you are still around.
As I said a few years ago when a traveler was considering a short turnaround and as mil also mentioned above, you arrive from the Mara at a small airport in Nairobi, not the large international airport, so a quick transfer isn’t like going from gate to gate.
Thank you SO much everyone who gave me such a wealth of information. I am very thankful and am hopeful that the COVID situation will allow me to experience this wonderful adventure. You all have heightened my enthusiasm for K & T.
Denise , this is an amazing trip! You will enjoy it ! But “BE AWARE!! “ Africa is very addicting .. in the good sense, so be ready to do several more.. 😂
I agree, mil. I went on the Elegant Adventure to South Africa a few years ago and having been planning my return ever since.
Alan S.: One of the options I have to get to Arusha is to fly Ethiopian Air through Addis Ababa. After doing a bit of research, most people say the airport is horrible and something to avoid. Could you let me know your opinion. I would have a 3 hour layover which seems like a reasonable amount of time, but some of the stories relayed reflect extreme indifference to schedules. Please give me any advice possible. I am traveling alone, so my concerns to really know what I am doing are paramount. Thanks.
Addis Ababa airport was certainly an eye opener for us the first time through (we were old hands on the return trip.)
It is not a big airport, just one hall for international flights, and I don't believe there were any jetways. They only had one security line open- a security person had turned the Cloud Nine sign around. I was able to see what it said but when we asked about the Cloud Nine line, he waved us away and said get in the regular passenger (long) line. There was another security gate with a shorter line but slower processing that ended up at the same place. As we were trying to decide which might be faster a pleasant ET ground agent asked if we needed help. We explained our quandary and she said follow me. She took us to the head of the long line and right up to the metal detector! After screening we proceeded downstairs to a small ground-level waiting area where passengers boarded buses to be taken to the planes which were only about 100 yards away but across the ramp. We started to board the first bus for our flight when a seemingly agitated ET agent stopped us, "No, no, this bus is not for you. You are Cloud Nine!" She quickly radioed for another bus which arrived in two minutes. We were the only passengers on the Cloud Nine bus which dropped us off at the foot of a new, wide, but high boarding stairs to the business class section. There were only 6 - 8 people in business class on the flight to Kilimanjaro. The plane was a new 787 Dreamliner! So, be prepared for a slight culture shock, but remember almost everyone speaks English. It wasn't Dubai or Istanbul, but certainly wasn't horrible either.
Seating and waiting areas in the main hall aren't the best but Ethiopian has two lounges off a smaller hall parallel to the International Hall (everything is all very close)- Cloud Nine (for business class flyers) and a Star Alliance Gold Lounge for ET ShebaMiles Gold and Star Alliance Gold members. Both were undergoing renovation (they needed it!) when we were there in 2015 but it was better than being out on the main floor. I wouldn't let Addis airport deter you from flying ET. Photos on the web.
If you look at the reviews, ET takes hits for its ground personnel, but inflight we had great service. I won't go into the 737 Max tragedy. I don't know how their business class prices compare now, but they were the least expensive option in 2015. I probably wouldn't fly ET in coach. We started a few years ago, but fly business now and will do so until the money runs out!
We flew Ethiopian Air business class in July 2018 from NYC area to Addis Ababa to Arusha. We used Star Alliance points. It was a great experience. The business class lounge in Addis Ababa was very safe and clean with plenty of food and drink. We had a few hours there - and we wandered around, checking out the shops etc. and stretching our legs.