Kenya & Tanzania July 5th, 2014

onyxroo · March 2014

HI,

Is anyone else going on Safari on the July 5th tour?

Lee & Robert

British · March 2014

Hi Lee and Robert, do you mean the Kenya and Tanzania tour or the Tanzania and Zanzibar tour?

onyxroo · March 2014

Were going on the Kenya & Tanzania starting on July 5th for 13 days.

RW TRAVELER · March 2014

My wife and I are on the July 5th trip. We are traveling from Florida and are looking forward to the trip.

BOB & LYNNE WOLF

onyxroo · March 2014

Hi Bob and Lynne,

We are very excited about this trip. It was on our bucket list to do. We live in Orange County Calif. and love to travel the world. This trip will probably be one of our best. Look forward to meeting you in July. Lee and Robert.

Carlsbadsue · March 2014

Just got back from this tour and can't stop reading about it!! It was fabulous and the group leader was fabulous too. I am planning another safari for next year, as it was that good. What an eye opener to learn about the people. I took too many clothes, as you usually find your favorites and then have them laundered, usually at the Serena Hotels, as they are less expensive. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask. I went on the Classic Safari to Kenya and Tanzania. Lots of laughs and a great bunch of people.

Susan

TauckTim · March 2014

Hi Susan,

I'm glad you had such a great time on your trip! That's fantastic to hear -- and thanks for the laundry advice.

-Tim

RW TRAVELER · April 2014

Just following up on seeing who will be traveling on the July 5th journey. Have only seen one post. I know we are half full. Would like to hear from those on the trip. My wife and I are traveling from Florida. Look forward to hearing from our fellow travelers.
Bob

ndvb · April 2014

You'll be a hop, skip, and a jump behind me. I am on the June 28 tour. We'll leave some bread crumbs for you to follow. I am looking forward to a great trip.

Sealord · April 2014

Hi. We are Mike Murphy and Eloise Morgan/Murphy from San Anselmo, CA. July 5th Kenya Tanzania is our next adventure. We have our Kenya visas and the tanzania visas should be in the mail. Yellow fever shots next week. We will be arriving in Arusha one day early on the fourth of July. We had to get flights that go through Nairobi so we will not be there early in the evening.

Sealord · April 2014

Robert Wolf wrote:

Just following up on seeing who will be traveling on the July 5th journey. Have only seen one post. I know we are half full. Would like to hear from those on the trip. My wife and I are traveling from Florida. Look forward to hearing from our fellow travelers.
Bob

I'm wondering about the "half full". The Tauck website does not reveal any availability until October, and we have not yet reached final payment date ... so I'm curious about why they would not show availability if we are only half full.

Also, does anyone know what the average or normal gratuity amount given to the Tauck group leader?

British · April 2014

Sure it is totally full. Tauck guideline for director is $8 a day each

Wilberta · April 2014

Yes, I am going on the July 5th from Ontario Canada. Looking forward to the trip.

onyxroo · May 2014

Hi Fellow travelers for the July 5th Kenya and Tanzania safari. Approximately two more months. Getting very excited. We decided to arrive one day early on July 4th so we can rest and recuperate from the long 23 hour trip from California. Will be nice to meet everyone and know we will have a grand time. I called Tauck yesterday and so far, only 17 people are booked for July 5th.

Sealord · May 2014

onyxroo wrote:

Hi Fellow travelers for the July 5th Kenya and Tanzania safari. Approximately two more months. Getting very excited. We decided to arrive one day early on July 4th so we can rest and recuperate from the long 23 hour trip from California. Will be nice to meet everyone and know we will have a grand time. I called Tauck yesterday and so far, only 17 people are booked for July 5th.

Still curious. New to Tauck. If there are only 17 people on this trip, why does not this trip show availability on the Tauck website? All I see is dates starting in September and no availability until October. Perhaps I'm missing something? I clicked on the icon that said "show all available dates", and that is all I got. ??

British · May 2014

I am by no means new to Tauck, and I can't understand that either. I've taken this tour and it was so fantastic that I am taking the Tanzania Zanzibar tour that also begins July 5th. That one still shows up even though it is full, along with one in May and a couple in June that are limited availability. In theory, anyone signing up now should still have time to get their 2 visas in enough time. Tauck, however, always says rhT if you are interested in a tour date and don't see it, to call them. If you are wanting to book a tour for that time, I would certainly call.

ndvb · May 2014

I am on the June 28 tour and it isn't listed either. I do think it is full, but as I look at the list of options available only tours in September to the end of the year are listed (with many of them being sold out). I have no idea why the earlier tours are not listed--especially if there are only 17 people going.

jdurkin · May 2014

I just spent some time looking at this trip. It definitely covers the iconic spots I remember so fondly. But gee, those "international" airports are hard ones to get into. I do understand why they aren't going through Nairobi, but searching for acceptable (which covers a lot of points!) flights out of JNB or CPT to JRO is really hard. At the end, flights out of DAR for JNB are easy peasy. Keep in mind I'd be flying into Africa across the Indian Ocean.

Looks like a wonderful trip.

ndvb · May 2014

Is Ataturk Airport (Istanbul) hard for you to get into? They have a flight from IST to JRO. I would think that would make a final leg you could get to rather easily. I am not sure it that takes you too far out of your way or not.

Jan, I have to tell you that I hope I come across you on one of my future trips. Britain, too. You both have a great sense of humor and have to be great to travel with.

British · May 2014

For nvdb. Let me tell you something I did on my last tour. Their was an optional tour that only 3 of us took, everyone else on the tour wanted to chill. So we set off with a local Tauck guide who had been with the other half of the whole group in the morning. When we got to the wonderful location the guide kept asking for our cameras and taking great shots of myself and my husband together and then the single gentleman on his own. Actually these photos turned out to be fantastic! So just before the end I said to the guide, this has been great but let me ask you one thing, why have you been taking my picture with this guy when that other guy is my husband? Well the guide went white! Until we started laughing, boy did we all laugh but I really had him fooled. Apparently it was the big story of dinner that evening with everyone. I just could not resist the opportunity. This amazing guide has a reputation for grabbing cameras from the groups and getting people in the best places for great backgrounds to monuments.

jdurkin · May 2014

British wrote:

So just before the end I said to the guide, this has been great but let me ask you one thing, why have you been taking my picture with this guy when that other guy is my husband? Well the guide went white!

Oh that is so funny! I love it.
On my first Tauck trip to Yellowstone we had a TD who sounds just like your guide. Nothing beats Yellowstone Falls spewing over your shoulder!

ndvb · May 2014

You shouldn't stand so close to the falls.

ndvb · May 2014

Is this tour "half full" or half empty?"

jdurkin · May 2014

Boom, boom! …….. running away in case this didn't require a rim shot ………………………………………………………………..

Sealord · May 2014

British wrote:

For nvdb. Let me tell you something I did on my last tour. Their was an optional tour that only 3 of us took, everyone else on the tour wanted to chill. So we set off with a local Tauck guide who had been with the other half of the whole group in the morning. When we got to the wonderful location the guide kept asking for our cameras and taking great shots of myself and my husband together and then the single gentleman on his own. Actually these photos turned out to be fantastic! So just before the end I said to the guide, this has been great but let me ask you one thing, why have you been taking my picture with this guy when that other guy is my husband? Well the guide went white! Until we started laughing, boy did we all laugh but I really had him fooled. Apparently it was the big story of dinner that evening with everyone. I just could not resist the opportunity. This amazing guide has a reputation for grabbing cameras from the groups and getting people in the best places for great backgrounds to monuments.
My husband is in Mexico at a conference right now, I'm back in the Tauck forum looking for tips for our next tour, thank goodness I don't do Facebook.

Some coincidence, but I recognize two of the people in the picture at the top of this page. Is anyone actively on this blog in that picture?

Sealord · May 2014

British wrote:

I am by no means new to Tauck, and I can't understand that either. I've taken this tour and it was so fantastic that I am taking the Tanzania Zanzibar tour that also begins July 5th. That one still shows up even though it is full, along with one in May and a couple in June that are limited availability. In theory, anyone signing up now should still have time to get their 2 visas in enough time. Tauck, however, always says rhT if you are interested in a tour date and don't see it, to call them. If you are wanting to book a tour for that time, I would certainly call.

Figured it out. The are two "Classic Safari" trips now listed ... the 'Earth Journeys' variety starts in September, on the bottom of the page is our trip, and it shows available.

Sealord · May 2014

ndvb wrote:

Is this tour "half full" or half empty?"

I would say half full since we got our docs last week. Funny, but I think we already own two Eagle Creek duffels that will probably be a match for what Tauck is going to send us.

Sealord · May 2014

Our blog seems to have become quiet, but can anyone tell me if women on this trip or others staying at our lodgings wear anything but slacks in the evening?

ndvb · May 2014

No way I am touching this one!!!! On second thought.....wearing ANYTHING but slacks? Hmmm, are they going commando and topless? I think that would put Tauck in a whole new light for a touring company. Sure would draw an interesting audience.

jdurkin · May 2014

Dear me. Where did our decorum go? Oh, decorum? Here, decorum ……….

British · May 2014

Sealord wrote:

Our blog seems to have become quiet, but can anyone tell me if women on this trip or others staying at our lodgings wear anything but slacks in the evening?

Sea lord, there is plenty of discussion on this subject on the message boards.
As I have said on the forum in the past, I have done this tour before it began staying at the William Holden place so I cannot comment for sure but on our tour many people did not even change out of day clothes for dinner. I will be on the Tanzania Zanzibar tour and will be taking only plenty of daytime safari type clothing and a couple of things more suitable for warmer Zanzibar at the end of the trip. If I have time after an afternoon safari I might shower and put on a clean outfit, but that will consist of the next day's outfit, not anything else. I want to maximize safari clothing rather than anything else since I hate using hotel laundry service, it is a good price in Africa but last time they ruined one of my hubby's travel shirts.
We have already received the final booklet for our tour and it clearly stated that it was a casual tour and I think it said something like no resort wear needed, but I'm not going to look right now. Maybe if you wait until you get your booklet, about 6 weeks before you leave, it will have more detailed info for you. Tauck seems to be getting away from the very very generic clothing lists they have provided in the past that have confused people--- there is a forum comment somewhere around where someone is asking do they really need water shoes? They were definitely not going to be near anywhere near sea or river on the trip.
Let's hope someone who has just been on your upcoming tour can give you the current range of evening outfits

Kenya & Tanzania July 5th, 2014

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