advice for upcoming trip
Hi all! We're an active couple in our 60's and we are planning our first safari. We are looking forward to seeing the wildlife in the wild, and I am an avid photographer.
Looking for travelers' opinion about the 13 day Kenya and Tanzania tour:
We were looking at going in September or early October, curious if this was a good time for spotting wildlife.
I understand the game drive vehicles will hold up to 6 people. Did people find that a full car still allowed time and space for everyone to take their photos? Was there an option to pay more and get your own private vehicle and guide?
Looking for travelers' opinion about the 13 day Kenya and Tanzania tour:
We were looking at going in September or early October, curious if this was a good time for spotting wildlife.
I understand the game drive vehicles will hold up to 6 people. Did people find that a full car still allowed time and space for everyone to take their photos? Was there an option to pay more and get your own private vehicle and guide?
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Comments
I see Joyce rolled in first! There are no bad times for K&T. We went in June 2015. Weather had been "strange" before we got there so some of the animals were confused and we saw a mini-migration in the Serengeti which should have happened earlier. Certain times are better to see the great migration. It also depends on location. While it is almost continuous, there are peak times, again, depending on location. Timing, can change slightly from year to year, depending on the weather. It can be difficult to guess the precise timing of events such as crossing the Mara River, too- the Wildebeest can be hanging around for days, then all of the sudden they decide to cross. It is just one of those things. While the migration is made up of large herds of animals trekking the Serengeti, most of them are Wildebeest with a fair amount of Zebra. Calving occurs during certain times of year also. Just Google it.
The safari vehicles are stretched Toyota land cruisers. Up front is the driver and open seat. Unless the TD or a second guide sits there, someone from in back can sit there. In back are six seats, three on each side of the center isle- so everyone has a "window seat" (actually some jeeps have sliding windows, some just have roll-up shades.) Also, there is a pop up hard top roof so you can stand (after taking off your shoes!) on the seats to get a higher view (see photos)
I can't say for certain that it isn't possible to arrange a private trip, but I suspect so. On our trip, the TD arranged one or two extra game drives during down time for anyone who wanted one more opportunity to see a leopard or other illusive animal. During game drives, the drivers are very attuned to the needs and desires of passengers. They will park the vehicle in the best orientation for photos, wait until everyone is satisfied then, alert everyone and wait for "OK" ("Sawa, Sawa") from everyone, before starting the vehicle- sometimes they would re-orient the vehicle for the people on the other side or to get a better vantage, if the animals moved or there were other vehicles in the way. I NEVER felt I didn't have enough time or opportunity to take all the photos I wanted or best photo possible. Two quick photo suggestions- forget the tripod, no or limited opportunity to use- you almost never leave the vehicle. A beanbag stable support might be useful, especially if you are trying to use a 600 mm lens. If you don't have one, get a 300mm (zoom*) lens (*it gets dusty, you don't want to be changing lenses)
W/side windows:
w/side roll-ups:
About insurance...we NEVER take a Tauck trip without getting insurance (even got insurance for our recently college graduated sons for the Classic Italy trip). We have gotten other brands through a travel agent (utilized one very successfully when we had to cancel due to a medical problem and not so successfully when Tauck cancelled an Egypt trip...there was a civil unrest clause) We now pretty much stick with Tauck's insurance and feel that it is a good deal and gives us peace of mind.
I think the best information/recommendations for this trip are contained in the Travel Forum. I know there are lots of postings, but aside from the usual trip introductions ("Who will be on the (name the date) tour?, etc.), the past traveler info is invaluable and well worth the time to plow through all of the postings. This trip, in particular, seems to elicit past traveler comments and recommendations. These postings are a rich source of valuable information. For me, (I also mentioned this in a previous posting) the 3 best things I took were: my super zoom Nikon camera (42 zoom...there are newer, better ones now), my Monster Outlet To Go (a power strip with 4 outlets, requiring only one plug) and a buff (a tubular scarf that has a multitude of uses).
I think it was Joyce who first mentioned about the Monster power strip, we got one and use it everywhere. We first saw a 'buff' being used by a local guide on our Galapagos tour years ago, we now take them on all out Tauck adventure tours, not only are they useful for dust and smell protection but they are good to cushion the cameras and binoculars around our necks on the safaris. Binoculars are useful for all safari tours, we never regret having them available, we would have missed some close up views without them, better than using a camera lens.
Joyce is totally correct about it being worth trawling through past forum postings. Note, quite often they start about one subject and then change into something completely different. You will get many different view points, a few 'arguments' and many invaluable tips. I generally start by looking at postings that have the most replies especially if I am short of time. Note, some tours change itinerary and hotels, so bare that in mind when you find something negative and so on.
Also, I totally agree about reading archives here, where you will learn about power strips, buffs, treating clothes with Permethrin, or putting Deet on your skin, etc., etc.
Check the forum archives. There may be more, but there is a least one lengthy discussion of this exact topic there. If you don't know how to do a search stop back here and ask.
Oh, heck, just click on 'search' at the right side of the title bar above where it says Logged in as: (your screen name). Select 'Kenya and Tanzania Forum' from 'forums' drop-down list, type 'back problems' in the window to the right of 'Posts,' then click 'Search.' This search should return 4 pages of applicable posts. Nothing has changed- same vehicles, same roads.