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Kenya and Tanzania in February
Happy Thanksgiving! My husband and I have never been to Africa and we were planning to go to Kenya and Tanzania in July 2022 during the Great Migration. Because we have other trips booked for May and October, I am thinking we might want to go in February instead. My primary interest is seeing the animals. Has anyone experienced K&T during that time and can provide pros and cons? Thank you.
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I’ve been to Africa six times, but never in February. The exact time of the migration can vary, so I would never pay the extra to mess around finding the migration on the specific tour that is the migration and it’s so much more expensive. You see plenty of animals at. other times. When we last went, just less than a year ago to K and T, the short rains which are usually over were still occurring. Although for us it was different and interesting and different to go at that time, I would not recommend going for the first time to either of the two rainy seasons. I have just briefly read the new itineraries and I’m sad to see how short the tour is now, 9 days. I think when we went the first time, the tour was 13 days. It’s gotten so expensive.
You had me banging rapidly on my iPad keys. K&T is thirteen days in 2021, I did not look any furhter down the road. Our June 26, 2021 trip is 13 days and currently shows ‘sold out’.
Actually, I just checked 2022 ... 13 days.
WPH was talking about the migration tour which is 9 days. And in 2022. Sorry for the confusion, but nine days instead of 13, I’d never do it when you see hundreds of animals without doing the specific Migration tour. After all, the migration is mainly zebras and Wildebeest .....how often have you been on safari when after a few days of seeing zebras and wildebeest do the people in your vehicle say...oh, it’s just zebra or it’s just wildebeest and don’t want to stop and look at them. I always feel for the drivers at those times who try so hard to please people. One might argue there is a better chance of seeing more lions during migration amd yet we saw many many lions in December plus a mother cheetah with six babies plus another cheetah. I notice it doesn’t mention the number of days for the regular K and T in 2022 but there are far less departures than 2021....which is so odd, since most of the 2021 tours may not go and people will want to rebook for 2022.
I’ve noticed in the past that after a trip is ‘finalized’ they often add more departures ... sometimes many more.
I was just looking at our ‘summary of purchase’ for our late June K&T, and noticed that they require a covid test within five days of departure. I expect that some of the 2021 trips might require both a covid test and proof of vaccination. Choosing not to get the vaccine might also become a choice to not travel. The anti-vaccine people may have to make some choices.
If you have proof of vaccination, the test is pointless.
If a yellow fever vaccination certif is required, do they also require you to be tested for yellow fever?
I haven’t researched this, but can’t you get Yellow fever more than once, the same as Malaria. Plus, it’s not contagious like Covid 19, so that’s a poor example.
In theory, once you get a Covid test, then you should remain in quarantine before the vacation start, or you could be exposed before then. I was tested recently prior to surgery and had to remain home for the five days before my surgery.
I doubt anyone except the top tier of people expected to be offered the first available vaccines, will have had the the two shots before June. If only a few people in K and T have had the vaccine by then, I don’t know how that will work either. At least wearing masks will be easy there with all the dust. If your tour goes Sealord, I’ll eat my safari hat, it’s in the closet feeling very lonely at the moment.
I don't know about Yellow Fever, but malaria can recur. When I was in med school, I saw an ER patient walk in stating he had recurrent malaria. He turned out to be right (same symptoms as before). Interestingly, this happened during a snowstorm in Syracuse. He had recently returned from a trip to India.
Quick Google search shows Yellow Fever generally doesn't recur.
Well, safari hat or no safari hat, I bought my KLM tickets to Africa today. I had to cancel my ‘air’ booking with Tauck cuz even though they had my money, they would not ‘ticket’ the trip. If the trip is not ticketed, you cannot select seats. Tauck (not often wrong) said there was no ‘coach comfort’ on the flights to Kilimanjaro and back from Nairobi. KLM does not sell it as a ‘ticket’ class, it is a ‘seat’ class. So you must have a ticket to get a coach comfort seat at extra cost. So that’s what I did. I actually got a better ‘basic’ price.
KLM, I would never use KLM to fly to Africa again. The last we flew KLM it was on business class from Dar es Salam and it was very poor
I will take Schiphol over Terminal 5 any day. We have always had a good experience with KLM. And if you can’t find something in an overhead bin, most of the flight attendants can help find it ... while sitting down. (;-)
I wish there were more and better options to get to/from the K&T tour. When we did it it 2015, there were no business class options from the western US for under $6000 per person. We ended up choosing the option it seems Sealord is choosing - economy comfort on KLM. We flew LAX to Amsterdam to/from Africa.
In terms of airports, I’m with Sealord - Schipol over Heathrow in a heartbeat. For that matter, to date, for me, it would be any airport over Heathrow.
We are lucky that from Philly we can fly to Doha then Arusha on Qatar, or we could do it from one of the NY airports, can’t remember which one off hand
I'm surprised Sealord didn't go with Ethiopian?
Okay, no negative KLM comments now that I have booked Delta/KLM business class to Geneva via Amsterdam for next year's Switzerland tour. Kind of looking forward to the tiny Delft houses full of gin that they supposedly give out in BC. Just have to talk the crew out of a can of tonic to go.
And yes, Schipol over Heathrow any time.
The only BA option available right now from SFO to Kilimanjaro takes 36 hours and goes via Terminal 5, and Doha.
Oh ... forgot the best part ... you fly into Heathrow but fly out of Gatwick ten hours later, and the cost is much higher than a two leg twenty hour trip on KLM.
Doha airport is awesome
Yes, was there in the middle of the night for a lot of hours layover, my first business class flight -- spent a lot of hours sampling food
And even got in a shower.
Just received an email informing us that our healthcare provider, UCSF, has been chosen as one of the seven hospitals in California that will be distributing the covid vaccine when approved. Those most at risk will go first followed a “short time” later by the ‘elderly’.
Sealord, do let us know when you get your shots. I’m betting it will be no earlier than June.
Sorry ... you won’t know until you get my postcard from Arusha. (;-)
😂🤪😀
There was a small article in this mornings Tucson paper about a white giraffe seen in Tanzania and Kenya. I was wondering if anyone has seen it?