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#41
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Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks
Ya, understood, it a little scary driving in 3rd world countries. We'll see
what happens. Having a (good) guide can make your trip so much more alive. Its still nice to feel the freedom of a rented car. It helps to have a traveling companion as a navigator and to tell you when your on the wrong side of the road. Left handed roundabouts always screw me up. I like what Hans has to say about taking a GPS in Africa, makes sense. If you get lost just follow the arrow back the way you came. "Liz" wrote in message ... In message "BAC" wrote: Scarily expensive. I know I'll have to drop a buck or two I just got to get over the pricing and go for it. World Wide has got my knees shaking....hang on, take a deep breath and slowly open the wallet ;-) Remember, these prices are based on expensive accommodation. Also probably the flights from UK are included, whereas I've noticed that sometimes with US safari pricings, flights are extra (depends on the company). In the UK, it often seems to make sense to book flights with the same company, as they have usually negociated discounts. Thanks for the info...I keep thinking that when you break down the cost...park fees, transportation cost, guides, driver, food and lodging plus profit it all adds up. I usually will rent a car for a couple of days when I'm on the road to break away form the pack...have any advice on a short road trip? Someone else will have to advise. For the safari (game viewing) part of the trip, the guide is more than worth his pay, which is very little by our standards anyway. Then, of course, you're paying for his accommodation (usually in drivers' quarters) and food too. For the other things you're interested in, it might be worth doing it yourself, I wouldn't do it, and not only because I have no vehicle maintenance/repair skills! Others do it, though. I'd consider it in Namibia if I weren't on my own, but not in East Africa. Liz -- Virtual Liz at http://www.v-liz.co.uk Kenya; Tanzania; India; Seychelles; Namibia "I speak of Africa and golden joys" |
#42
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Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks
And always ask more that one person for directions. Ask enough people and
your bound to average out. I like the GPS idea. The Sat phone is a cool one too "Hans-Georg Michna" wrote in message ... "BAC" wrote: have any advice on a short road trip? Well, entire trips are completely planned, including loadable GPS routes, on http://www.michna.com/kenya.htm. You have probably already seen them. However, they are not short, and they are in Kenya, not Tanzania. For Kenya I have a few proposals: One short trip, actually a full day trip, is to spend the day in a rented car in Nairobi National Park. When it is entirely dry and you're a bit careful, you don't even have to use a four-wheel-drive and can use a normal limousine. I've done this occasionally to spend a free day out in the bush. Another trip that I think can be done quite nicely is up north in the Rift Valley, particularly to Lake Nakuru, but even up to Lake Bogoria and Lake Baringo. These are tarmac roads (paved roads in Kenyan parlance). You'd be better off with a jeep nonetheless for driving inside the nature reserves, although it could probably be done in dry weather with a normal car. I'm not really sure here, because I always use a jeep when I leave Nairobi. If you decide to do a longer trip without having any experience, I think you can do that if you can make the best use of two technologies---GPS, so you don't get lost, and a satellite phone, so you can call help if you get stuck. GSM phones will not do, because of poor coverage. A third very important must is to get lots of information, particularly about places, people, and risks. I don't really recommend it for a newcomer, but of course it can be done. Hans-Georg -- No mail, please. |
#43
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Tanzania ....got 4 weeks to play with .....Thanks
"BAC" wrote:
And always ask more that one person for directions. Ask enough people and your bound to average out. I like the GPS idea. The Sat phone is a cool one too In Africa, at least in east Africa, you also have to learn to read between the lines (or between the eyes) when you ask somebody for directions. Out of politeness and friendliness everybody will always give you directions anywhere, but when they know where it is, the kind person sounds and looks different. Everybody from Africa understands this, only the foreign traveller is fooled. OK, maybe I exaggerated slightly. :-) Hans-Georg -- No mail, please. |
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