Safari Tour Operators?

[Heltor Chasca]

Why Tanzania for the migration? I've always wanted to see the migration on the Mara so that bit isn't negotiable for me

Looking at maybe going to Kenya & Tanzania. If going there, might go all out. That said I did go to Tanzania for a friend's wedding about 15 years ago, Serengeti, Lake Manyara, highlight was the wedding at Ngorogoro

This would cover all the bases if want to do a full 2 weeks, go to some of the same places and spend £5k

https://www.trailfinders.com/tours/africa/kenya/tour-east-africa-explorer

Trailfinders are indeed great, they organised a great trip to Asia for us a couple of years ago

Not bothered about beach and happy to be on the move a lot

Off to Destinations in a couple of weeks so can pick up some info, chat to some tour operators

My experience is that the intimacy of the Tanzanian operators are a notch above the Kenyans. But 10-15 years ago I was getting the impression that the Kenyans were keen to rid themselves of the ‘conveyor belt’ touristic experience and were upping their game. The Mombasa reefs were already barren and stripped of their biodiversity. I was lucky as a young child that I saw them at their best. By 21, I really noticed how many prostitutes were on the beach amongst the young kids selling dagga to the holiday makers.

If it is the migration and the Mara that are key elements, then Kenya it is. Prepare for emotional overdrive though. Try and imagine the comparison between the experience of a solo musician and another of a huge musical ensemble. You won’t have a control of what you feel and you will be guaranteed a lifetime experience. The crossing of the great river adds a drama to the utilitarian trudge across the savanna that is unmatchable. Prepare yourself for brutality in the extreme.

Having camped on the banks of the Mara, I am envious and glad I had the chance when I did.

Don’t forget to post in the ‘My Wildlife of the Day’ thread.

 

[lazybloke]

Been a very long time since I used them, but Abercrombie & Kent?

 

[vickster]

Budget?

I quite like the look of the VJV tour but it’s not cheap...

TBC but not that much for 9 days!!!

Maybe £2-3k plus up to a grand for WTP flight

Your pockets are deeper than mine

 

[Globalti]

Having visited Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Rwanda, Zambia, Zim ansd SA many times my first choice would actually be Botswana; it's a nice, clean, safe country with no traffic jams and no stress. I was actually in a cafe in Gaborone with my agent and the president's brother was strolling around greeting people he knew.

Nairobi is of course the entry point to some fantastic game reserves but the city is blighted by terrible traffic, also Kampala, which is even worse. Dar es Salaaam is a nice place and so is Lusaka. If you go to SA, be sure to take in Cape Town, which is a wonderful city despite the almost total lack of water at the moment..

Note on Nairobi: The pleasant Serena Hotel in the city centre is opening its new wing right now so can no longer be criticised for having pokey old-fashioned rooms. Abercrombie & Kent call there every morning to pick up clients as the Serena is used as the overnight stop off before people go up country. I would use a tour operator with plenty of history in the country.

 

[vickster]

Thanks, but... Do the Wildebeest migrate through Botswana tho? And if so at what time of year.
This is the whole point of the trip to see the migration on the MM!

 

[Globalti]

I don't know. I once ate a wildebeest steak and it, er, stampeded through my guts.

 

[SierraChicago]

Thanks, but... Do the Wildebeest migrate through Botswana tho? And if so at what time of year.
This is the whole point of the trip to see the migration on the MM!

The wildebeest do not migrate in southern Africa. Best time to see them in the Masai Mara is the fall. Choose a small property like Sanctuary Olonana to avoid the crowds. Abercrombie & Kent also arranged for us to bike around Mount Kenya.

 

[vickster]

The wildebeest do not migrate in southern Africa. Best time to see them in the Masai Mara is the fall. Choose a small property like Sanctuary Olonana to avoid the crowds. Abercrombie & Kent also arranged for us to bike around Mount Kenya.

Thanks.

No I didn't think that they do...it was a question to the poster who suggested Botswana. I don't just want to go on safari, I want to see the Migration. It looks like August/September is migration time on the Masai. We will of course organise everything through an operators (this is for 2019 not this year). There'll be no cycling as my travel buddy will spend a half day tops on a bike (and even then he'll whinge )