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Tanzania Sugested Routes of Travel ....got 4 weeks to play with



 
 
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  #21  
Old January 27th, 2004, 10:24 AM
BAC
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Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

Agreed, Ngorongoro Crater is a must. I also plan to hit Manyara, Tarangire
and Serengeti over 6-7 days. I would like to do somthing on the road less
traveled. I hear some folks talk about getting safaried out. I would like to
feel the culture. Got any ideas on somthing with an edge? Have you done much
bush treking? Hiking? Depth is good, I just got to figure out what that
means for me and Tanzania.

"Hans-Georg Michna" wrote in message
...
"BAC" wrote:

Thanks, Hans....I agree. Too much to see in too little time. Looks like

I'm
going to focus on Tanzania. A week or more on Zanzibar and Pemba Is to do
some sun, fun and diving. A week in the bush...I'll go to Arusha and look
for a safari that will give me some time in the parks (not driving to and
from), would prefer a tent safari. I'd also have never hot air
ballooned....why not do it above the Serengeti? Possibly a 3 day hike to

the
top of MT Meru (don't think my knees will take Mt. Killi. I'll lose some
time in traveling to/from Tanzania, hanging out, decompressing, checking

out
Dar es Salaam and travel in country....7 days?? And I'd like to get up to
Eastern Tsavo in Kenya but that might be a dream.......all in all, that

will
eat up 4 weeks. How's that sound for a trip? Looks like I'll have to dig
deep for the bucks but what the hell, why not.

Anyone have any input?


Actually I'd think of further reducing the width to increase the
depth, if you know what I mean. Skip Tsavo East, that's not a
good place for a first trip.

The pearls of Kenya are Samburu, Maasai Mara and perhaps
Amboseli. But the Serengeti is adjacent to Maasai Mara, so you
really don't have to visit both. The pearl of Tanzania is the
Ngorongoro Crater, but Tanzania is big and has quite a few more
very beautiful places.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.



  #22  
Old January 27th, 2004, 03:26 PM
Hans-Georg Michna
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Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

"BAC" wrote:

Agreed, Ngorongoro Crater is a must. I also plan to hit Manyara, Tarangire
and Serengeti over 6-7 days. I would like to do somthing on the road less
traveled. I hear some folks talk about getting safaried out. I would like to
feel the culture. Got any ideas on somthing with an edge? Have you done much
bush treking? Hiking? Depth is good, I just got to figure out what that
means for me and Tanzania.


I think with the information you have now you almost can't go
wrong. Just go and see. The fine details don't matter all that
much. Just don't travel around too much. Four different places
in 6-7 days are definitely too many. I recommend to stay in one
place at least for two days with the third day being a
travelling day. But that's the minimum. I personally visit two
places in 6-7 days. (Actually I often stay in one place for more
than a week, but then I'm no longer the typical tourist.)

Visits to the local people are easy and more or less included.
They are sort of designed for tourists, so don't expect too
much. You will see people and villages along the road while
travelling. To delve deeper into the local culture is difficult
and requires much more time and effort. It may be a reasonable
idea to concentrate on wildlife and nature on a first visit to
east Africa.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.
  #23  
Old January 27th, 2004, 07:07 PM
BAC
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

Ya, one hour ballooning for that price is high.Maybe its bragging rights but
the thought of drifting over the Serengeti conjures up great images...if
only for an hour. Hell, I could hop on a balloon here and get a bigger bang
for the buck dollar wise but she aint the Serengeti. Liz, did you try it? I
do like the idea of floating over the dunes in Namibia....another trip. How
did you like Namibia? As for Tsavo East, maneless lions and the springs.
Less travelers. Just a thought. It looks like I'll follow a rough plan and
see were I end up time wise and adjust accordingly. Liz, et al, got any
suggestions?




"Liz" wrote in message
...
In message
Hans-Georg Michna wrote:

"BAC" wrote:

Thanks, Hans....I agree. Too much to see in too little time. Looks like

I'm
going to focus on Tanzania. A week or more on Zanzibar and Pemba Is to

do
some sun, fun and diving. A week in the bush...I'll go to Arusha and

look
for a safari that will give me some time in the parks (not driving to

and
from), would prefer a tent safari. I'd also have never hot air
ballooned....why not do it above the Serengeti?

Hmmmm
Jury's out on the ballooning.
It's *very* expensive, and you only get about an hour in the air.
Sometime you see stuff, sometimes not, like any game viewing - but the
animals are usually running away from you.
Your choice, of course, but if budget's a big deal, or even a deal, maybe
save your once-in-a-lifetime balloon trip for sailing over the dunes in
Namibia?


Possibly a 3 day hike to the
top of MT Meru (don't think my knees will take Mt. Killi. I'll lose

some
time in traveling to/from Tanzania, hanging out, decompressing,

checking out
Dar es Salaam and travel in country....7 days?? And I'd like to get up

to
Eastern Tsavo in Kenya but that might be a dream.......all in all, that

will
eat up 4 weeks. How's that sound for a trip? Looks like I'll have to

dig
deep for the bucks but what the hell, why not.
Anyone have any input?


Actually I'd think of further reducing the width to increase the
depth, if you know what I mean. Skip Tsavo East, that's not a
good place for a first trip.


Yeah, I wondered about that too.
Did you ('BAC') have any reason for fancying Tsavo East?


The pearls of Kenya are Samburu, Maasai Mara and perhaps
Amboseli. But the Serengeti is adjacent to Maasai Mara, so you
really don't have to visit both. The pearl of Tanzania is the
Ngorongoro Crater, but Tanzania is big and has quite a few more
very beautiful places.

Agreed.
Amboseli is relatively easy to get to from Arusha via Namanga, but really

as
long as your safari trip in Serengeti is at the right time (otherwise skip
it and spend the time in Ngorongoro) you might be better to stay in
Tanzania, or if you really want to include Kenya, and pay the extra visa,
unless that has changed again, try for Samburu, but that's adding extra

time
if by road, or expense if flying.

Liz

--
Virtual Liz at http://www.v-liz.co.uk
Kenya; Tanzania; India; Seychelles; Namibia
"I speak of Africa and golden joys"



  #24  
Old January 27th, 2004, 07:31 PM
BAC
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

Great post, Hans. I do like the idea of staying in one area more than a day
or two. I don't want to spend all my time bouncing place to place. With 4
weeks I can spare some hang time in a given area. I just want to soak it
in. What do you do there....photographer? Have any recommendations on safari
companies? A lot will depend upon my timing and how much I am willing to
spend. I really don't want to get caught up in a large group bounding from
place to place, crammed into a minibus, running on a tight schedule. The
reality of it all is KISS (keep it simple stupid)....I will adjust once I
get into the area. Its like sitting down at a great feast....my eyes are
truly bigger than my stomach.

"Hans-Georg Michna" wrote in message
...
"BAC" wrote:

Agreed, Ngorongoro Crater is a must. I also plan to hit Manyara,

Tarangire
and Serengeti over 6-7 days. I would like to do somthing on the road

less
traveled. I hear some folks talk about getting safaried out. I would like

to
feel the culture. Got any ideas on somthing with an edge? Have you done

much
bush treking? Hiking? Depth is good, I just got to figure out what that
means for me and Tanzania.


I think with the information you have now you almost can't go
wrong. Just go and see. The fine details don't matter all that
much. Just don't travel around too much. Four different places
in 6-7 days are definitely too many. I recommend to stay in one
place at least for two days with the third day being a
travelling day. But that's the minimum. I personally visit two
places in 6-7 days. (Actually I often stay in one place for more
than a week, but then I'm no longer the typical tourist.)

Visits to the local people are easy and more or less included.
They are sort of designed for tourists, so don't expect too
much. You will see people and villages along the road while
travelling. To delve deeper into the local culture is difficult
and requires much more time and effort. It may be a reasonable
idea to concentrate on wildlife and nature on a first visit to
east Africa.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.



  #25  
Old January 27th, 2004, 11:34 PM
Hans-Georg Michna
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

"BAC" wrote:

As for Tsavo East, maneless lions and the springs.


Mzima Springs are in Tsavo West. Nice place, but perhaps by
themselves not enticing enough for a long journey by car, I
would think. I sometimes go there when I'm in the area.

Don't know anything about maneless lions, if you mean male
lions. :-) They would be more like a curiosity. Not sure if I
would even want to see them. I prefer lions with manes. :-)

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.
  #26  
Old January 27th, 2004, 11:34 PM
Hans-Georg Michna
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

"BAC" wrote:

Great post, Hans. I do like the idea of staying in one area more than a day
or two. I don't want to spend all my time bouncing place to place. With 4
weeks I can spare some hang time in a given area. I just want to soak it
in. What do you do there....photographer? Have any recommendations on safari
companies? A lot will depend upon my timing and how much I am willing to
spend. I really don't want to get caught up in a large group bounding from
place to place, crammed into a minibus, running on a tight schedule. The
reality of it all is KISS (keep it simple stupid)....I will adjust once I
get into the area. Its like sitting down at a great feast....my eyes are
truly bigger than my stomach.


I find that when I move from lodge to lodge, perhaps with some
friends, the most likely times to stay in one place are three
nights and four nights, depending on how nice the place is. Two
nights leaves you only one day, which is usually not enough
except for smaller places like Lake Nakuru.

When I'm by myself, taking photos, I often stay longer, but
that's something different. I don't have to see that next place
because I know it anyway.

I'm only an amateur photographer (see
http://www.michna.com/kenya2003/ for a travel report with sample
photographs), but I do a little bit of work for a zoological
research project (elephants in Amboseli, see
www.elephanttrust.org for details). Please check also
http://www.michna.com/kenya.htm for a useful checklist of what
to bring and some other safari information.

I don't know much about travel bureaus any more. I no longer
book the lodges in advance and I always rent a small jeep and
drive on my own.

If you don't know the place and its customs and if you are
inexperienced with travelling in third world countries, that may
not be a good idea. But if you travel a lot and inform yourself
properly about your country of destination, you can do it,
provided you bring a GPS so you won't get lost.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.
  #27  
Old January 27th, 2004, 11:49 PM
BAC
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

Ya, the NG I read made them look a little mangy. Ya, the males, seem to be
an adaptation to the heat.. Just found a great price to Dar from Seattle,
$1012 US (SEA-AMS AMS-DAR). It gets in at o-dark 30, looks like I'll need a
reservation for the first night. I tossed and turned over arriving/departing
in DAR, KIA or NBO. It does put me close to Zanzibar. I'm thinking that's a
good place to start and ease into my first time in Africa....got to check
out Dar also but I'm not sure why.


"Hans-Georg Michna" wrote in message
...
"BAC" wrote:

As for Tsavo East, maneless lions and the springs.


Mzima Springs are in Tsavo West. Nice place, but perhaps by
themselves not enticing enough for a long journey by car, I
would think. I sometimes go there when I'm in the area.

Don't know anything about maneless lions, if you mean male
lions. :-) They would be more like a curiosity. Not sure if I
would even want to see them. I prefer lions with manes. :-)

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.



  #28  
Old January 28th, 2004, 12:02 AM
Liz
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

In message
"BAC" wrote:

got to check out Dar also but I'm not sure why.

Me neither.

The name sounds romantic, but the town doesn't live up to it, AFAICS.

Liz

--
Virtual Liz at http://www.v-liz.co.uk
Kenya; Tanzania; India; Seychelles; Namibia
"I speak of Africa and golden joys"
  #29  
Old January 28th, 2004, 12:08 AM
BAC
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

Kool pics...I'm going to have to go back and take a closer look...got to
head to work to pay for this trip. I too switched to a Digi cam, Oly D-40,
and have been very happy....no more hauling lens, worrying about getting
ripped off and its a tiny cam so it doesn't look like much of camera but
takes great pics(hard on batteries--2-AA rechargeable). I do wonder how
close the zoom will bring me into the shots but its the memories that I'm
going for. I'm debating on which Binos to bring...my light, compact Nikon
10x21.5 or the heavy, bulky 7x35...any thought?
Ya I ran into you checklist a while ago....great source of info.
I'm not a newbie to travel, I leave the country at least once a year for up
to 3-5 weeks at a shot, been in a number of 3rd worlds but never Africa.
Sounds like you travel a lot.
Off to work, Ciao

"Hans-Georg Michna" wrote in message
...
"BAC" wrote:

Great post, Hans. I do like the idea of staying in one area more than a

day
or two. I don't want to spend all my time bouncing place to place. With 4
weeks I can spare some hang time in a given area. I just want to soak it
in. What do you do there....photographer? Have any recommendations on

safari
companies? A lot will depend upon my timing and how much I am willing to
spend. I really don't want to get caught up in a large group bounding

from
place to place, crammed into a minibus, running on a tight schedule. The
reality of it all is KISS (keep it simple stupid)....I will adjust once I
get into the area. Its like sitting down at a great feast....my eyes are
truly bigger than my stomach.


I find that when I move from lodge to lodge, perhaps with some
friends, the most likely times to stay in one place are three
nights and four nights, depending on how nice the place is. Two
nights leaves you only one day, which is usually not enough
except for smaller places like Lake Nakuru.

When I'm by myself, taking photos, I often stay longer, but
that's something different. I don't have to see that next place
because I know it anyway.

I'm only an amateur photographer (see
http://www.michna.com/kenya2003/ for a travel report with sample
photographs), but I do a little bit of work for a zoological
research project (elephants in Amboseli, see
www.elephanttrust.org for details). Please check also
http://www.michna.com/kenya.htm for a useful checklist of what
to bring and some other safari information.

I don't know much about travel bureaus any more. I no longer
book the lodges in advance and I always rent a small jeep and
drive on my own.

If you don't know the place and its customs and if you are
inexperienced with travelling in third world countries, that may
not be a good idea. But if you travel a lot and inform yourself
properly about your country of destination, you can do it,
provided you bring a GPS so you won't get lost.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.



  #30  
Old January 28th, 2004, 08:26 AM
Hans-Georg Michna
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks

Liz wrote:

In message
"BAC" wrote:


got to check out Dar also but I'm not sure why.


Me neither.

The name sounds romantic, but the town doesn't live up to it, AFAICS.


Liz,

I was almost going to write something similar. Actually I'm not
even sure whether it's a good idea to go to Zanzibar on a first
time trip, but then people have different inclinations.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.
 




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