Critique my Tanzania safari itinerary (long)

[aurora]

I didn't visit Longido, Tarangire, or Mto Wa Mbu so I can't speak to those, but I did think that Ngorogoro was much more interesting than the Serengeti (though I loved both). We spent 1.5 days in Ngorogoro and 2 days in the Serengeti and I would flip that if I go back, so to me your itinerary with 3 days in the Serengeti sounds a little long. It does depend on your interests, though. Ngorogoro has a higher concentration of animals and fewer places to drive, but we really just wanted to sit and watch individuals for long time periods, not drive all over the place. It probably also depends on the time of year; we were there in September.

Have you been on safari ever? It was absolutely fascinating and I hope you love it!

[sunshinedaydreams]

May 24, 2012 8:59:47 GMT -5 aurora said:

I didn't visit Longido, Tarangire, or Mto Wa Mbu so I can't speak to those, but I did think that Ngorogoro was much more interesting than the Serengeti (though I loved both). We spent 1.5 days in Ngorogoro and 2 days in the Serengeti and I would flip that if I go back, so to me your itinerary with 3 days in the Serengeti sounds a little long. It does depend on your interests, though. Ngorogoro has a higher concentration of animals and fewer places to drive, but we really just wanted to sit and watch individuals for long time periods, not drive all over the place. It probably also depends on the time of year; we were there in September.

Have you been on safari ever? It was absolutely fascinating and I hope you love it!

I feel the opposite of this. I was very bothered by the Ngorongoro Crater because of the massive amounts of jeep traffic in the crater. It was literally like a zoo in some spots with 40 (no exaggeration) jeeps surrounding animals once they were spotted. It was very obvious to me that the tourism is having an effect on the wildlife there and it really bothered me. To me, the Serengeti was much better because it was not nearly as crowded (especially in the north).

I think your times look pretty good. Although I can't comment on Longido or Tarangire. However, we did a Masai village tour in the Ngorongoro Crater and it wasn't all that great. It was incredibly touristy and basically a ploy to extort money from you, IMO. Definitely, DEFINITELY do the cultural tour in Mto Wa Mbu. That was one of my most favorite parts of our entire trip.

Stone Town walking tour is good. I would also do a sunset dhow tour. We ended up being the only ones on our boat; food and drinks were included and it was really beautiful and relaxing.

My only other piece of advice is to leave at least a day of time in between getting off Zanzibar and flying home. We had a horrendous experience trying to get off Zanzibar. Flights apparently are frequently canceled and/or delayed. We ended up having to shell out an ungodly amount of money at the last minute to buy a new flight b/c ours was canceled and we HAD to get to Nairobi to get to Johannesburg to fly home that night. SUPER stressful end to an otherwise amazing, relaxing vacation.

[Waytob]

Hi There

I agree about Ngorongoro, its much nicer than Serengeti, but it also depends on the time of year you are going.

I would also suggest a night game drive, especially if you want to see leopards as they are incredibly shy.

I also agree about the masaai village. Its not all that great and definitely doesn't need a full day.

See if you can schedule a bush dinner or bush sundowners. The sunsets in TZ are fantastic.

Be prepared to haggle in Stone town and pick up some spices

Have you picked the hotels/ lodges you are staying at? You can get some pretty nasty ones that can ruin a trip. Especially on the beach in Zanzibar. Try go for the less commercial ones, the service and quality are so much better

[aurora]

May 24, 2012 18:28:28 GMT -5 sunshinedaydreams said:

May 24, 2012 8:59:47 GMT -5 aurora said:

I didn't visit Longido, Tarangire, or Mto Wa Mbu so I can't speak to those, but I did think that Ngorogoro was much more interesting than the Serengeti (though I loved both). We spent 1.5 days in Ngorogoro and 2 days in the Serengeti and I would flip that if I go back, so to me your itinerary with 3 days in the Serengeti sounds a little long. It does depend on your interests, though. Ngorogoro has a higher concentration of animals and fewer places to drive, but we really just wanted to sit and watch individuals for long time periods, not drive all over the place. It probably also depends on the time of year; we were there in September.

Have you been on safari ever? It was absolutely fascinating and I hope you love it!

I feel the opposite of this. I was very bothered by the Ngorongoro Crater because of the massive amounts of jeep traffic in the crater. It was literally like a zoo in some spots with 40 (no exaggeration) jeeps surrounding animals once they were spotted. It was very obvious to me that the tourism is having an effect on the wildlife there and it really bothered me. To me, the Serengeti was much better because it was not nearly as crowded (especially in the north).

This is actually pretty interesting, as I saw more of the million-jeeps-tracking-and-harrassing-animal phenomenon in the Serengeti (esp. for leopard sightings). I definitely agree that it is frustrating to see the animals being disturbed.

Rock-n-Vol - I think in summary you're going to have a fabulous time overall and will be annoyed occasionally.

[SJ]

I just wanted to say I am SO excited for you!!!!

Get a nice hotel in Zanzibar- I think I told you we were disappointed with ours although the beaches were exquisite.

[SJ]

That place looks FABULOUS. It reminds me a lot of the place we stay on the north coast of Bali, Taman Sari, with the villas and the style.

When do you leave?

[SJ]

Bump for girlinchicago!

[chicago]

:Y:

Bookmarked for future reference!

[chicago]

Jul 20, 2012 14:19:04 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

LOL, what did I say about sarajoy being uber helpful?

Love when things work out like that!

She is!

Also, I love when things like that happen! An extra (free!) day of vacation is always a winner with me.

[chicago]

I just checked out the website for the place you're staying in Zanzibar - it definitely looks right up our alley and not as pricey as some of the other options I've seen! Seems like a great choice!

[definitelyO]

I loved my time at Tarangire. Be sure to have cocktails on the stone patio overlooking the river/stream. the animals all come up to drink at sunset. We stayed in the tents and LOVED them. and when we were there they brought you patries and hot coffee/cocoa to your tent in the morning.

I think with a guided tour of Stone Town you'll like it. Africa was our first international trip and Stone Town was overwhelming to us with the windy alleys and tight spaces and volume of people.