Early arrival activities questions for Tanzania: Serengeti to Zanzibar
in Africa
Hello all! I have scoured the boards and still have a question. We are flying DFW>DOH>JRO in a couple of months and will arrive into JRO at 7:30 AM. How long does it generally take from the airport to the hotel? I am using the Timeshifter app so will be somewhat acclimated to the time change. We are supposed to stay awake all that day and to go bed around 9:00 pm. I cannot find the information on what time the hike around the lake starts. Are there several per day? How long is it, time wise? I'm thinking we might do the hike on the first day and then the full day city tour on "Day 1" of the official tour. I see that the welcome reception isn't until Day 2. Thoughts?
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JRO is about 25 mi. east of the Arusha Serena (which is on the east side of Arusha). Depending on immigration staffing and traffic (yes there can be traffic- cars, trucks, ox carts, bicycles, etc.) it can easily take over and hour to go the 25 miles to the hotel in your open-sided safari vehicle. At least the narrow, two-lane road is paved now. When we did K&T many years ago, there were some sort of boy scouts(?) helping with immigration.
You can contact the hotel concierge for information about the Lake Duluti walk, excursions to Arusha National Park, etc. through their website https://www.serenahotels.com/arusha and use their contact form: https://www.serenahotels.com/arusha/location-contact) or directly via email: arusha@serenahotels.com They should send you all the info you need. I suspect you can select your own time for the walk.
I could not find the operating hours, but since it is a bit of a drive, you'll want to start early if you decide to go to Arusha NP (11 mi. / 30 min. from the Serena to the entrance). You'll also want to arrange for a box lunch through the hotel as well. Entrance fee to the park ($50) is extra and there is a vehicle fee as well (don't remember who pays that.) Here is a link to the (outdated) official fees. https://www.tanzaniaparks.go.tz/uploads/publications/en-1615966435-NEWTARIFF.pdf They take USD, VISA and MC, but in the (distant?) past there were occasional problems with their card reader. It is probably much better now! Evidently you can book on line but I suggest working through the Serena. FYI, there are a couple of websites that look like the official Arusha NP website, but they are not. Here is the link to the official one: https://www.tanzaniaparks.go.tz/ You can get all the latest info from the Serena
Don't overdo it. You've got some busy, tiring days ahead. The ride from Ngorongoro Crater to the Serengeti (via Oldupai Gorge) is long, bumpy, and dusty.
Thanks, AlanS! I had gone to the hotel website but to find out more you had to hit the Book Now button. Great info on travel time, etc. I definitely don’t want to start the trip exhausted, but do want to stay awake the first day. I knew we needed to do something to keep moving. I’ll take your advice to heart.
We arranged a tour to Arusha National Park through the hotel in advance. We loved it.
Thanks, itskr! How far in advance did you book?
We booked it a few weeks in advance. They could probably book it with just a few days notice. We didn’t do the hike.