How physically demanding is this trip?
I have done the Elegant South Africa Tauck trip and by far it has been the best trip of my life. I am thinking of returning to do the Kenya and Tanzania trip, but am wondering how physically demanding it is. I have heard that the roads are VERY bumpy and can cause varying degree of back pain. I will be almost 70 when I plan to do this. I had no difficulty whatsoever on the previous safari, but have heard that this trip is far more "rugged". Africa touched my heart in an astounding way and would love to hear from others who have done this trip and their experiences. Thank you
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If you do not have a back problem, you will be fine. In fact, the vehicles are much easier to get into as well. Generally we felt very lacking in exercise on the tour, after all, you are sitting down for hours in those safari vehicles. There are more flights between the lodges now than when we originally took the tour in 2007. At that time, there was a paved road we travelled for several hours but it was strewn with rocks. That was the worst in terms of conditions but we laughed all the way as I tried to keep my bosom under control 😀😀🤪🤪. And, the once bumpy road to the Arusha hotel was mostly newly paved by the Chinese the second time we went. We are going again in December, I’ll be 66.
We did the Bridges tour in Tanzania over Christmas and loved it, BUT.... When we returned, I got horrible back pain. Even went to the ER, where I had not been in 25 years. Yes, the roads were pretty bad. I was sent for physical therapy and that cured it. Something in your spine called a facet that can get stuck and that’s what happened. I was in pretty bad pain for a month, then this facet thing got unstuck and I was fine. Made me a bit leary, now however, about doing things that mess up my back. I did not have back pain prior to the trip.
But, as I said, I am so glad we did this with our grandchildren and would do it again.
We did both South Africa - Elegant Adventure and the K&T Safari. K&T is definitely rougher, but unless you have an existing back problem you should be fine. Starting next year you will fly to the Four Seasons in the Serengeti. This will eliminate one long day of driving One family brought their 90 year old grandfather. He didn’t have any problems. I don’t remember anyone on our trip complaining of problems because of the roads. It’s an amazing trip!
As British mentioned, starting in 2020 you fly from Lake Manyara to the Serengeti National Park and stay an additional night at the Four Seasons. My understanding is this will help with the long bumpy ride from the Crater to the Serengeti. We will be going on this trip and will report on it next year, but will not be able to compare it to the current version.
We just returned from the Great Migration in Tanzania and Kenya. The roads are very bumpy and very dusty but the guides tend to take the bumps slowly and the seats in the land cruiser are cushioned and sometimes have extra blankets on them. We are 73 and 82 and did fine. I remember smilng from the time we reached our destination until the time we left. The travel between lodges was most often in small planes and they were wonderful
What an improvement to add a flight (to Seronera airport?) and extra night at the superb Four Seasons Serengeti with its fantastic staff. The roads on that one extremely long day followed by an extensive 6AM game drive the next did exacerbate my husband's back to the extent that he couldn't move. I'll add that he was/is in good condition (swimmer!). We had to curtail our trip. Happily Four Seasons has an on-site doctor. We were 'confined' there four days until he could travel. I can't say enough about the care and attention of all of the Lodge marafiki, my new friends. The Tauck assistance was great, and Tauck responsiveness is one of the reasons we continue to love travel with this terrific company. One person on our trip had spinal fusions who wore a doctor-recommended light brace and brought along extra seat padding. Another guy was having back issues but came on the trip anyhow; he brought a lot of pain meds. As British noted, there is not a lot of walking, and getting in and out of the land cruisers was no problem. Yet, if you have any issues, discuss with your doc and come prepared. Oh, yes, even with all of that, we did see eight of the "Big Nine" and were amazed with the country, wildlife and total experience.