TZ; Seregeti to Zanzibar end of tour arrangements, etc.?

AlanS

I've been doing some what-if's, looking at Africa tours and flight arrangements and have questions for/am seeking comments from those who have done this trip (British, etc.) (Yes, I know I could/should call Tauck with a few of the questions* )

1. For 2017 Tauck has changed Tanzania; Serengeti to Zanzibar- shortened it from 12 to 10 days, replaced two nights at Tarangire with a drive-through of Lake Manyara on the way to Ngorongoro. I have been on K&T and thought Lake Manyara was not worth the time- mainly baboons and birds- and that Arusha Nat Park which we did on our own was better! I have read that Tarangire, though farther from Arusha and Ngorongoro, is much better. (Is there a question here somewhere? : ) .)

• What is your take on these changes?

• How would you rate the game drives in Tarangire?

2. Kirawira Camp in the Western Seregeti.

• What were the camp and game drives like here?

• Is it a good place to be during the migration?

3. The itinerary for "Tanzania: A Grand Family Safari" sounds interesting- stays are in different hotels/camps than TZ, S-Z and also flies into and out of Arusha.

• Can travelers w/o kids take Bridges tours? (assuming they would want to : ) *

4. Zanzibar, end of tour. Instead of going to Dar es Salaam airport with the group, we could fly home from Zanzibar on Ethiopian Airlines (flight departs @ 1545) or we could fly ET out of Dar es Salaam airport (flight leaves @ 1740). The online itinerary makes it sound like we would arrive in Dar es Salaam too late to catch our flight home if we took the Tauck flight, however.

• What time does the Tauck flight from Zanzibar arrive in Dar es Salaam?

• Are you dropped at the international airport or is a day room provided somewhere?

• Is there any reason to stay a few extra hours in Zanzibar (until the Tauck flight leaves for Dar es Salaam) or spend an extra night there (I know what British will say )

• If you spend an extra night in Zanzibar, does Tauck still provide a transfer to Dar es Salaam? Is the time negotiable? *

British

Ah, can answer a few but winding down to go to sleep just now. First, our director has not been to Lusaka, referring to your earlier question, but he says it is a modern city and airport but that does not mean there will be more kiosks at the airport to get people's visas done more quickly--- you know the saying, this is Africa, be flexible, be patient.
Tarangire --- a few of us were talking about this tonight and saying how much we enjoyed it ( I think it is one of the prettiest parks we have been to, lots and lots of elephants, lush vegetation and the famous mane less male lions etc etc. so it was funny to read your question just now. The scoop from our tour guide was that the campsite Tauck used had let it standards slip, from what I remember. So sad, ok the camp was not top notch, but rustic, I think that's when there were no curtains in the tent and i feared I could be seen in the buff. Loved the game drives there.
Some people stayed on in Zanzibar, so I guess the day you fly is flexible, but don't know about the puddle jumper to Dar Es Salam at a different time I think this part is a Tauck question and I think it would depend whether the plane schedules are the same.
Day room, the hotel Tauck uses is fairly basic, not sure if there would be a day room. The business class lounge at Dar Es Salem is horrible, I think that is where we saw the cockroaches near the food. Also, multiple yes multiple security lines to pass through when you get there, horrible old crummy dingy airport and intimidating unhelpful staff.
We are considering the Bridges tour for any future trip, we were speaking about that too today, if there are less children or just adults, then they miss out the kiddy stuff. I think he said more and more adults are chosing this. The add on of Zanzibar is fairly new, I guess it was added by request, I wonder what the feedback has been, because if I wanted to do just Tanzania again, I just don't need to go back to Zanzibar, the rest of the tour we did was perfect, I am so sorry Tarangire is not available, very sad to hear.
If I were you, and feeling I know you a little bit, I would suggest you might really enjoy the Elegant South Africa tour, being sure to go to Capetwon a few days early. It really is a lovely mix of culture and safari and I think it gives you a better overall picture of what other parts of Africa are like, because the experience there is very different to East Africa. I'll see what I think about Zambia and Botswana at the end of the tour, I already know I love Cape Town

AlanS

If we go back to Africa it will likely be only one more time, so are leaning towards Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia over the Elegant Adventure or Tanzania (S to Z), so we'll be eagerly awaiting your updates!

We still have 6 months until Peru & Galápagos, so until then I am trying to avoid house projects, etc. in favor of researching and planning potential future trips.

To fly on ET we would need to arrange with Tauck or our TD to get transport or just get a taxi to the Zanzibar airport early in the afternoon to take PrecisionAir to Dar es Salaam, and catch an ET flight to Addis (and home) or take an ET flight from Zanzibar to Addis (and home.) It is a little more expensive to fly ET from Zanzibar, however.

Your info here on Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere airport, your other posts on Zanzibar, and the fact that ET operates a 787-8 Dreamliner from Zanzibar to Addis, make planning easier. If there are no major changes to the available flights, if/when we decide to take this tour we'll plan on leaving the tour a few hours early and departing for home from Zanzibar.

Dottie D

We are on the last leg of our K&T trip. Our TD, who of course isn't privy to the decision making process, says she understands that there have been a lot of requests for a shorter safari. Personally, if I'm traveling all this way, I'd rather have longer, but i do understand time limitations.

Our TD also said that she gets quite a few adults on the Bridges trips if they like kids and a little more active tour.

Dottie

PS..This trip is FABULOUS with great animal sightings.

British

I cannot believe for one minute that there have been requests for a shorter safari tour. I now understand that there had been some negative comments about the Taranguire camp, because so many Tauck guests focus on accommodation more than the actual experience, even though so little time is spent in the hotel/camp. All unjustified and now future travellers on the Tauck Tanzania tour miss out on a most beautiful park. Thank goodness, as we end our current safari that there have been no moaners--- our first Africa safari, the K and T, a group of four did nothing but complain about anything and everything, I think they were just too priveledged to think how fortunate their own world was compared to most people.

Sealord

British wrote:

I cannot believe for one minute that there have been requests for a shorter safari tour. I now understand that there had been some negative comments about the Taranguire camp, because so many Tauck guests focus on accommodation more than the actual experience, even though so little time is spent in the hotel/camp. All unjustified and now future travellers on the Tauck Tanzania tour miss out on a most beautiful park. Thank goodness, as we end our current safari that there have been no moaners--- our first Africa safari, the K and T, a group of four did nothing but complain about anything and everything, I think they were just too priveledged to think how fortunate their own world was compared to most people.

I know of what you speak. I was on one Tauck trip where a couple was complaining about everything. I finally told them that I was having a great time, and I would prefer that they keep their comments to themselves or save it for their revue. I don't like 'overpriveledged' people raining on my parade. (;-). We have been on four Tauck tours and we never expect everything to be 'perfect'. It is not a perfect world. We do our fifth to St. Petersburg next year, and we our planning our sixth. Each has been a fantastic adventure, and superbly designed and managed. Is there always electricity and hot water at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club? No. But I love the place.

Sealord

British wrote:

I cannot believe for one minute that there have been requests for a shorter safari tour. I now understand that there had been some negative comments about the Taranguire camp, because so many Tauck guests focus on accommodation more than the actual experience, even though so little time is spent in the hotel/camp. All unjustified and now future travellers on the Tauck Tanzania tour miss out on a most beautiful park. Thank goodness, as we end our current safari that there have been no moaners--- our first Africa safari, the K and T, a group of four did nothing but complain about anything and everything, I think they were just too priveledged to think how fortunate their own world was compared to most people.

I know of what you speak. I was on one Tauck trip where a couple was complaining about everything. I finally told them that I was having a great time, and I would prefer that they keep their comments to themselves or save it for their revue. I don't like 'overpriveledged' people raining on my parade. (;-). We have been on four Tauck tours and we never expect everything to be 'perfect'. It is not a perfect world. We do our fifth to St. Petersburg next year, and we our planning our sixth. Each has been a fantastic adventure, and superbly designed and managed. Is there always electricity and hot water at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club? No. But I love the place.

rmc3980

The Tanzania/Zanzibar trip was shortened from 12 to 10 days to make it more attractive from a price standpoint. The trips have not been at capacity with less people going than in years past. It has nothing to do with dissatisfaction with Taranguire. This information is directly from the Tauck tour director.

British

That's differenti to what our last Tauck tour guide told us. He often leads the tour. I think the tour would be better without Zanzibar and increase the safari part. Either way, Tanzania remains a good deal compared to other Africa tours md my favorite Africa cumtry I've been fo .