August 16 tour
Hi
Any idea about the weather in August? How hot or cold should we expect?
What about laundry - are there facilities?
I have not been on any trip of this sort and am nervous about the type of clothing to bring. Do people dress for dinner? Do men need sports coats at all? Should women plan on a dressy outfit for any events? Or is everything very casual?
I would like to know if anyone who is booked on the August 16th start date safari in Tanzania and Kenya arriving in Arusha a day ahead of the tour? I am interested in possible connecting at the hotel.
Any idea about the weather in August? How hot or cold should we expect?
What about laundry - are there facilities?
I have not been on any trip of this sort and am nervous about the type of clothing to bring. Do people dress for dinner? Do men need sports coats at all? Should women plan on a dressy outfit for any events? Or is everything very casual?
I would like to know if anyone who is booked on the August 16th start date safari in Tanzania and Kenya arriving in Arusha a day ahead of the tour? I am interested in possible connecting at the hotel.
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Comments
Have a scroll through the threads for all the African trips, not just for your trip. You will find a wealth of generic information on the art of safari travel … from helpful hints on what to pack (leave out the fancy dresses!) to camera gear and accessories.
Cheers,
Jan
I have gone thru a lot of the Africa forum over the last few months and have gain a lot of information from them, from what to bring for clothes, how to pack, things I would never had thought of to bring.
I too am leaving a day early thru Amsterdam and my trip also stays at the same hotel as yours for the first night.
Hello Bruinbear,
In Kenya and Tanzania the weather is truly a year-round destination, the East African climate features warm, bright days temperatures are usually around the 70s, you will want to dress in layers for your safari drives.
This is a casual tour. Comfortable and casual clothing is recommended while on this itinerary. For daytime and evening wear, including the Welcome and Farewell receptions and dinners, casual dress is recommended. Formal attire is not required. Generally, during the day, lightweight cotton shirts, skirts, pants, and shorts are sufficient. A light jacket, fleece, or windbreaker, as well as layers of clothing are suggested, for cooler
temperatures during early morning game drives and evenings.
While on Safari, you may prefer to wear natural, earth-toned clothing, such as khakis, tans, browns, and greens (this is not imperative and other colors are fine), as well as comfortable walking shoes (hiking boots are not necessary). Dark, black or navy blue clothing is not recommended while on safari as these colors have been known to attract tse tse flies. It is also advisable to bring a swimsuit, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and lip protection.
Game drives can be dusty, so wear something that can be washed while on tour. Dry cleaning service is not available; however, the hotels and lodges we stay in throughout the safari portion of our itinerary, have valet laundry and pressing available for an additional charge.
Hope this helps,
Emily
Great suggestions - especially about color choices! I usually pack bright colors so will modify a bit. I have downloaded the recommended list posted on the website and it is helpful also.
I have compact binoculars that I often take on trips but they are not ultra powerful - I will have to check to see if they are similar to the ones on the list - but do the guides have any equipment with them?
And what about safety in Kenya with the recent news? I feel confident that Tauck would not take us into any dangerous areas but what about Nairobi? And Arusha - I read that it was not too safe for tourists to explore on their own.
We had a great group of travelers. Most everyone was low maintenance. I guess Seth is really the judge of that. It was a lucky tour....we had no rain until last night after we arrived in Nairobi (but the tour was finished so it didn't effect us at all). We saw all the Big 5 and a lot of other exciting finds.....hippos, cheetahs, giraffes, serval cats, the list goes on and on and on.
About your clothing issues: 1. the advice from Emily on neutral colors while on safari is on target, 2. if you find you really have to be colorful (I don't know why you would, but in case you do...) take a colorful scarf or two to wear at dinner. Most often we came in from the game drives and really didn't have much time to change, so after a quick, damp towel we just ate dinner. We really didn't have any issues with tsetse flies, except for the five of us who took an extra drive and our driver, Comfort, went into the interior of the park looking for cheetahs. Even then we only saw a couple of flies and they didn't bother us.
Take lots of memory cards for your camera....it is a photographer's paradise. Binoculars are a good thing to have (I had a pair). I used my zoom lens to get in close most of the time.
I am a pretty good packer for travel, but I took too many clothes too. There are ample chances to get laundry taken care of. Some are a bit pricey, but if you spent all the thousands of dollars you spent on the trip, a hundred dollars more for laundry isn't a bit deal. Or, you can wash some stuff in your hotel sink. I had some stuff done in every hotel and I think my laundry bill didn't top $100. If it did, it was just over.
As far as Kenyan news....I am still in the Nairobi airport but until now I had no problems. I think most of the issues are on the east coast. There was some talk about Nairobi, but (knock wood) none so far. If they can hold off for another hour I'll be in good shape. I also promised to review Ethiopian Airlines. So far, the business class lounge in Nairobi isn't all that great. Short review, huh? More to come on that.
So, unless dressing up is just an absolute necessity for you, just plan on pretty plan duds and plan on getting very dusty. Many of us had "Buffs" when it got dusty. Oh yea, as Seth reminded us in the beginning, this isn't a culinary tour. However, the food was pretty darn good. Each place does seem to have the same items on the menu, but there is enough diversity that it is fine.
I am not sure about the question about the guides having equipment with them. If you mean binoculars, they don't have those. Usually there were plenty of them in each truck. They got handed around a bit. Most people just got up close and personal with their cameras.
Enjoy the trip, it is a great one.
I'm holding my breath for your next report. As you know I am extremely interested to hear about ET aircraft, Business Class service and seating, Bole airport in Addis Abbaba (which regularly gets bad reviews on Skytraxx), the brief fuel stop in Rome, and the long, mostly uninterrupted flight to Dulles.
I also recently ran a few other ticket searches and found some fares approaching ET's (only about $1K more, RT), so it looks like it comes down to the reports about Bole, ET Business Class seating, and flight duration/layover. It appears none of the airlines/flights (KLM, Kenyan, BA etc. ) Amsterdam to Arusha or Nairobi to Amsterdam have the really good lie-flat seats on that segment. I've also been looking at Emirates which flys via Dubai and also Nairobi on the way to Arusha which doesn't thrill me. The reports of their service are excellent and they use newer B777-300ER for the long haul flight which has 2-3-2 seating in Business. I think I've been spoiled by the Delta 767-400 which has lie-flat 1-2-1 seating in Business and may convince me to go Delta/KLM, at least I'd get good seats for one leg each way.
Cheers,
Jan
I got out of the Tauck car that drove me to the airport and before you can get into the airport you have to show your passport and answer a couple of easy questions ("Where are you going," "Do you have any contraband in your luggage," etc.). All it really does is just slow you up a bit.
Checking in, using Business Class, was a breeze. The Economy Class line was long, but there was no one in the Business Class line. The people at the counter aren't the most gregarious folks I have ever been around, but they were quick and efficient. Pleasant? Well, I would answer no.
There is a separate line for Business Class to go through security and it wasn't busy either. Again, they won't win an award for acting like they like their job.
On the other side of security, the airport is ok. It reminds me of Chicago Midway a few years ago before they did some renovations. The folks at the gate desk were much the same as anywhere else....long in the face, short on answers. In fact, I asked three times if they were boarding my flight and if I had to wait somewhere else and was told no. Then when people were lining up, I finally asked again and they said, "Oh yes, you should already be in there." (There were between 5-7 workers at the counter at any given time with all of playing on their cell phones.) Before you can get in line to board the plane you have to go through security again right at the gate. Again, the line for Business Class was short and easy to board. They do have a lounge for Business Class, but it wasn't very good. (But, it was better than sitting out by the gate.)
On the plane the seating arrangement was 2-3-2 with lie flat seats. Business class was less than half full, so the guy that got put next to me in a 2 seat arrangement just moved over to the aisle seat in the 3 configuration. Service ON the plane was much better than service GETTING on the plane. Food was very good (and plentiful), seats were comfortable, movies and such were very good.
Switching in Addis Ababa was a repeat of much of the same attitudes as Nairobi, but with a much nicer airport. The lounge in Addis Ababa wasn't bad, but no one I have flown with can outdo the lounge for Turkish Air in Istanbul. The plane flew to Rome for a refuel but you don't get off of the plane. It was quick and painless to get fuel and a few more passengers.
Again, the plane was 2-3-2 and very comfortable. Very good food....movies....etc. The only SNAFU I had was one of my bags looked to be lost in Washington and the ET agent spoke very little English and kept telling the five of us who had an issue to keep looking around the luggage kiosk. Really? What is my bag doing? Playing hide and seek? As I was getting ready to tell him to just give me the paper work for lost luggage he announced that were four bags still coming...someone has to get the last bag off of the plane...might as well be me. But, I was happy to have the luggage and not see it again on one of those TV shows where they auction off left over bags.
To be fair, the transfer to United wasn't much better. I had a seat in First Class and two emails to prove it, but had been switched to the back. I told the person at the counter that my seat was changed and it shouldn't have been. He just shrugged his shoulders so I pulled out my computer and showed him the emails....didn't matter. He said he didn't have the authority to change the seat. I said he needed to get a supervisor down here NOW. He called and talked to one and I could tell the supervisor told him to give me my correct seat, but he said the supervisor was on his way down. I told him I would wait right at the counter for him to arrive. He didn't like that and within a few minutes he printed out a new boarding pass.
So, the moral of the story is: ET was better than UAL.
Hope this helps. I would fly ET again if you asked me, but you haven't so I won't tell you that.
Please confirm:
- So, you had lie-flat seats on the connector flight from Nairobi to Addis, too? Wow, that is a pretty short flight, 2 hrs., isn't it?
- How was the timing- did you takeoff from Nairobi on time?
- Were you on the earlier (1735) or the later (1935) flight to Addis? If you took the earlier flight, do you think there would have been enough time make the connection, had you taken the later one, especially in view of the "friendly and efficient" ET ground staff?
- On the Addis to Dulles leg do you know if you flew in one of their older Boeing 777-200LR (or one of the newer 777 -300ER?). Was it one of the new (leased) ones or a slightly, tired, hand-me-down from another airline?
- It had 2 - 3 - 2 Business Class (Cloud 9) seating, and not the 1 - 2 - 1 herringbone style like Delta 777's have?
- Were the seats angle-flat (170°) or true lie-flat (180°)?
- Decent, clean cover or blanket, and pillow?
- I suspect you slept most of the way, but if not, did the entertainment system work?
The reason I asked all these questions is that there is so little info on ET aircraft interiors on the web, and all of their aircraft are not shown or links don't work on ET's own site. SeatGuru doesn't even have ET seat layouts or photos. Plus, I have a co-traveler that is not a big fan of flying.
So, would you fly ET again?
We were a tad late leaving, but not too bad.
I was scheduled on the 1735 flight, but got an email that the flight was changed to 1800. I stayed an extra night, but seeing how getting folks to the airport was handled I could have taken off on the last day of the tour without any problems. I would not stay an extra night again if I took this tour.
I am not sure of the age of the plane. It looked new. The seats were in great shape and the walls and carpet looked very new and clean. I suppose they could have renovated it, but I don't think so.
Yes, it had 2-3-2 seating.
They were lie flat seats.
Pillows and blankets were clean and wrapped. I didn't use the blanket...it stayed in the wrapping.
I didn't sleep a lot and watched several movies. The entertainment system worked fine and was easy to use. The headsets were new and cancelled out a lot of the noise, even if you didn't have a movie or music on. For someone flying with you who is not a big fan of flying this was a comfortable flight. I don't know that any other airlines could have made it more comfortable, but maybe you do. No one else from the tour was on this flight. Everyone went through Amsterdam on KLM (?) and I think Amsterdam can present problems of its own, depending on how far you have to go for your connection and how long your layover is. It is a big airport.
Like I said, baggage was the issue in Washington. But, that was carried out fine once the got all the bags off of the plane. The baggage representative was difficult to deal with. He'd start a conversation with you and when you started to ask questions he just talked into his radio and pretended he had something else to do to find the luggage and walk away. I honestly don't think that is unusual for those guys when the crap hits the fan.
Yes, I would fly with them again. I was critical of the gate personnel, but the flight crew was very courteous and worked hard to make it a nice flight. You would have to fly out of Nairobi, no matter which airlines you used, and the service there wouldn't be much better. I thought I perused the seating chart on SeatGuru some time ago, but maybe they have taken it down.
I hope this helps. If there is anything else you want to know, just ask. Good luck on the trip. It is a fabulous one. I think we were luckier than most with the animals we saw and the circumstances they were in. We had a leopard in a tree, with a fresh kill (blood dripping out of its nose) and we couldn't have position or posed either of them in a better spot that they were in. FANTASTIC SHOT. We also had a pride of lions with a fresh zebra kill. Plus many others.
We also had a great group of people who got along well. It seems that on every tour there is always one a-hole or high maintenance person, but not this one. It truly was a great group of people. As you know, I went solo but I was included in some group every day, every meal, every game drive.
I am thinking of taking my family on the Bridges Tanzania tour on Christmas 2015. It would be up to 11 people and with four kids. I think they would all love it.
Take care.
If it were me alone, there would be no question- it would be ET. It's much more than the nearly $2000 per ticket difference in cost, though that is no small factor; it is the scheduling- only one stop near the end of the trip going over and one stop at the beginning of the trip (plus short fuel stop) coming back for ET; and flight duration- 19+ hrs. for ET vs 24 hrs. for Delta/KLM going over and 22 hrs. for ET vs 24 hrs for Delta/KLM coming back. Seating is similar, but I can get 1 - 2 - 1 seating for the US to Amsterdam legs for the Delta flights. We'll see what my other half has to say when I get ready to make reservations. It won't be until sometime around the first of the year. It will also depend on whether my daughter and son-in-law are still living in Alexandria, VA. We live in E. NC so getting to somewhere just to begin a journey can be a real trek- psychologically there is something wrong about flying from the east coast to Detroit to fly east to Amsterdam (just one example). I've made the trek from one end of Schiphol Airport to the other with not a lot of time to spare- its not fun!
Finally, and no small issue, I hope there are no more terrorist attacks in either Kenya or Tanzania. While it was small, not really in a tourist area, contrary to what was originally reported, and it could have easily been a local disagreement/personal vendetta, I am a bit concerned about the small explosive device thrown into an Indian restaurant in Arusha recently. Of course, unless we specifically schedule a trip into town, we will not be going there to shop or eat. Looking at the map, the Lake Duluti Serena Hotel is 13 km east of Arusha and the Kilimanjaro airport is 39 km / 33 min. east of the hotel, so we don't even pass through Arusha on the way to the hotel. I'm sure we pass through town on the way to Manyara and again enroute Amboseli. I suspect security will be very tight for awhile- according to what I have read, Arusha, "Tanzania's Safari Gateway," is the jumping off point for a very large number of safaris and TZ, like Kenya, is highly dependent on tourist dollars.
I'm one of the people waiting for Egypt to quiet down and return to some level of safety and normalcy- not holding my breath on that one!
Thanks Bill!
Kathy,
You may need to wait until ndvb weighs in for specifics, but everyone is transported to the Nairobi Serena where Tauck provides day rooms so you can clean up and rest since most flights leave for home in the evening. If you are staying the night, it is like any Tauck tour were you arrive a day early or extend your stay at the Tauck hotel (Serena Nairobi), Tauck arranges transport to the airport. If you didn't book the extra night through Tauck or are not staying at the Serena, I would give Tauck a call.
The Day 13 itinerary states:
"Your Tanzania / Kenya safari ends at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Fly to Nairobi this morning for your journey home. We have reserved a day room for you at the Nairobi Serena Hotel; depart the hotel for the airport after dinner. Allow 3 hours for flight check-in."
If you look in at "Hotel Rooms Before and After Tours" under "Not Included" in the "Before you go" section of the tour page, you'll see this:
"To avoid jet lag and possible flight delays, you may wish to make hotel arrangements for the nights preceding or following your tour. As a service, we will book additional nights for you on a space-available basis using special rates only available through us. Hotel room charges will be added to the tour cost. Airport transfers are included for these bookings as described above in Inclusive Prices. If you wish to spend additional nights, please consult Extend Your Trip in the Accommodations section above on this webpage and discuss with your reservations sales consultant or travel agent when you book your tour."
Usually breakfast the next morning is included in your extra night booking as well.
I don't think Tauck takes responsibility for transportation if you book the rooms yourself, but I did mine through them, so you should probably have your travel agent call them and find out.
AlanS, if my wife was still alive and traveling with me I would not have had any concerns about flying on ET. The seats were comfortable on both legs, the food was good, entertainment section was good (I would guess the tvs were 17"+ and there was a large selection of movies), crew was hospitable, etc.
Enjoy your trip.
Thanks!
For anyone who cares-
Along with new 787-8 Boeing Dreamliners which are being used on shorter runs, ET has older 777-200LRs and has been getting new production (leased) 777-300ERs. Deliveries of the 777-300's started this winter and they have already taken delivery of 2 or 3 so far. They are also talking with Boeing about eventually getting some of the newer 777-XXX (which may not even be off the drawing boards yet?). They are one of the main ET planes flying to Guangzhou, China, which these days appears to be a lucrative route for them.
This is a generic (CGI?) image from the ET website showing the interior of the Business Class angle-flat seats on ET's 777-200LR (in a 2-3-2 configuration). It looks like the same angle-flat seats are on their 787's which are in a 2-2-2 configuration.
Their site (and others I have checked) do not show the arrangement or images of ET's 777-300ER Business Class seating yet.
ET also operates the 767-300ER which in the new Delta livery has fully lie-flat seating in Business Class in a 1-2-1 configuration. We just flew that to and from Munich (Alps Tour) and it is really great if you are a traveling single or traveling with someone else- every seat has isle access! I can't get the ET seating layout, a pdf file, to display on my computer, but SeatGuru and other sites I checked indicate ET's 767's have quite dated (90's era) basic partial recliner seats in Business Class in a 2-2-2 configuration (depending on whether it is 2 or 3 class.)
More than anyone cared to know?
Heck, no! I find all this stuff fascinating. If I know all this stuff before I go somewhere, I'm a very happy and calm little vegemite.
The picture you have is exactly the layout for the short flight from Nairobi to Abbis Ababi. The longer flight to DC is on the 300ER and is also 2-3-2, but the seats are lie-flat and comfortable. I would use that flight again.
I got a little of the "loose in the caboose" stuff on my return and since I didn't eat raw veggies and fruits on the trip but did on the airplane (talk about stupid.....I failed to ask the question "Where was the food made?" and just chowed on the salad and fruit bowl that was obviously made in Africa and rinsed with regular water). Some antibiotics and everything is back to normal. Being "loose" was somewhat common for the folks who ate the raw, uncooked, veggies and fruit. Some folks ate them and did not get sick, which I am sure they will report very quickly. You will be told that the hotel informs Tauck that they rinse that stuff in "filtered" water, which may or may not be true. If I make this trip again, I will again not believe that and avoid the salads and fruits, unless they are still in a sealed peel. I know that is not the normal thought for people who were on my trip, but several of them suffered some stomach or intestinal issues. Eating the cooked veggies is fine. It isn't like I'll never eat another raw veggie or fruit salad again...just for a couple of weeks.
Just FYI, do what you want. It is not my place to do anything but "give you the facts," as Jack Webb would say.
It was a great trip, as is regularly reported here. I would do it again in a NY minute.
Thanks for the additional clarification.
FYI, the ET website schedule has not been updated and is still showing the 77L (777-200LR) flying to and from Dulles. I have yet to find a photo on the web of ET's seating on their new 777-300ERs.
Are the seats similar to the ones in these photos of an Emirates 777-300ER? If so, what is the little monitor on the side of the armrest- IFE controller?
Or were they more like these (with ottomans) on Turkish Airlines?
When did you make your reservations? Any problems with payment, etc.? How about seat selection?
It sure would be nice if all business class seats were 1-2-1. That layout was great on our flight to Munich- every seat had isle access.
Montezuma's revenge? Or Haile Selassie's . . . . (hmmm, what rhymes with Selassie?)
Thanks again! When and where are you off to next?
I can answer the question about the Emirates seating. The little screen controls the seat/bed functions and the entertainment system. It drives me insane. It takes almost the whole of the flight time to/from Melbourne/Auckland to work out how to use the wretched things … then to be able to repeat the desired manoeuvre as required. The only bad thing about an Emirates flight.
Re the tummy issues, given we are talking about sub-Saharan Africa, and the ancient Egyptians did trade regularly with the region, I submit the Pharaoh's Revenge as a possible label.
Cheers,
Jan
I am not sure what the "loose in the caboose" can be called, but just know the effect.
Off to next.....Yellowstone in Winter (Tauck) in January of next year, followed by a week in Denver visiting old friends, then a week in Phoenix visiting my best friend who moved there, and then a Tauck Antarctica trip in February. I am going to rent a flat in London for June and July of 2015 also. I am looking into taking my two daughters and their families plus my sister and her family on the Bridges trip to Tanzania so they can experience it during Christmas of 2015. I have to look at the checkbook to make sure that can happen for the 11 of us. I'm hoping it can. Like I tell my kids, don't expect any inheritance, my last check is going to bounce.
Thanks. I tell my kids the same thing- I'm spending their inheritance! : ) Wow, you have quite a bit of traveling planned. My kids are grown and the grandchildren will be too little (the oldest just turned 4) to take any on big trips for quite some time. However, the oldest has really logged a lot of international travel in those four years- her dad is a Foreign Service Officer in the State Dept.
Did you recognize any of the new seating pics I posted as matching what you had on your ET flight from Addis to Dulles?
The seats for the long segment were fine. I use ET again.