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Honeymoon - Best Destination - July ???
We are thinking of traveling to Africa for our honeymoon in July '07. I
have done a little research but have not been able to narrow down the list of destinations, there is simply too much to choose from... Here's a little info which should give you an idea as to what we are looking for: 1. Luxury - We can rough it but given that it is our honeymoon I think a luxury vacation is more appropriate. It should offer a good balance between relaxation and adventure. 2. Wildlife - I am an amateur photographer so I would like to go somewhere that will offer a great selection of wildlife of all kinds. I have read that Kenya in July can be spectacular with the annual migration. I have also looked into Botswana, Tanzania and South Africa. Botswana appears to be a great destination as well, just wondering whether I might regret not seeing the migration. 3. Must see destinations - As mentioned, the migration appears to be on the "must-see" list. What about Victoria Falls? 4. Crowds - I would prefer a location which is less crowded, more intimate. 5. Cost - We are flexible here, I would like to keep the total cost of the Safari under $6000 per person. Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Alan |
#2
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Honeymoon - Best Destination - July ???
Also, I should mention that we would like to spend a few days at a
beach location. It looks like The Seychelles and Zanzibar are the top beach destinations. Any preferences? |
#4
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Honeymoon - Best Destination - July ???
We are thinking of traveling to Africa for our honeymoon in July '07. I
have done a little research but have not been able to narrow down the list of destinations, there is simply too much to choose from... Here's a little info which should give you an idea as to what we are looking for: 1. Luxury - We can rough it but given that it is our honeymoon I think a luxury vacation is more appropriate. It should offer a good balance between relaxation and adventure. As Liz said - what do you mean by adventure? Bear in mind distances and give yourself plenty of time at each place (many 'off the shelf' safaris stay only 2 nights in each lodge/camp; I think 3 is a minimum to achieve any relaxation! )Also think about whether you want road or air trips to lodges/camps. The roads can be long and dusty but you do get to see life enroute. But the sights from the small planes can be amazing too! 2. Wildlife - I am an amateur photographer so I would like to go somewhere that will offer a great selection of wildlife of all kinds. I have read that Kenya in July can be spectacular with the annual migration. I have also looked into Botswana, Tanzania and South Africa. Botswana appears to be a great destination as well, just wondering whether I might regret not seeing the migration. I've not managed to see the migration proper - tried in Tanzania but we were about a week too late. Did still see some large herds tho. My vote would probably go to Botswana; small camps but can be as luxurious as you want. (I wont stay anywhere without an en-suite WC but some places can be over-the-top in luxury in my opinion; I still want to feel as tho I'm in Africa!) 3. Must see destinations - As mentioned, the migration appears to be on the "must-see" list. What about Victoria Falls? It would be on my list; its pretty spectacular even without a lot of water. I think the first time we went was July and there was quite a lot of water, but the second was in September when part of it was 'dry'. Try to see it from both the Zambian and Zimbabwean sides; there are some fantastic places to stay near the Falls (eg Tongabezi) 4. Crowds - I would prefer a location which is less crowded, more intimate. Go for small camps/lodges 5. Cost - We are flexible here, I would like to keep the total cost of the Safari under $6000 per person. Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated. Remember that it will be cold at night (esp in Botswana) and on early morning game drives. You'll need warm clothes! In Botswana (and Zambia) the drives are in open vehicles; Kenya and Tanzania usually not so you dont get so cold. In the game parks in K and T you cant do night drives, which you can in Botswana. -- Rita Daggett |
#5
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Honeymoon - Best Destination - July ???
Thanks for all of the information.
As far as adventure goes, we would probably like something which gave us a good taste of Africa, both wildlife and culture. Admittedly a safari probably is not the best cultural experience but I would think there are ways to increase your exposure. We spent some time in Peru a couple of years ago and had a great experience meeting the local people. This may be less important as we will be on our honeymoon and won't want an itinerary which is too extreme. The ten days in Peru were exhausting. I will have a 100-400mm IS lens (slow 5.6 at 400mm) with me but I would like to get some close up shots as well. It sounds like the open air vehicles in Botswana might be better for photography. I suppose we can find a private safari in Kenya which would offer the same flexibility. Do you have any recommendations on which tour group to use? Thanks, Alan |
#6
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Honeymoon - Best Destination - July ???
Hi Alan
One or two things to add - mostly covered. The migration *is* worth seeing, if you are in the right place. We were lucky enough to have an extra trip over to the Mara river with our tour and saw a lot of the carnage etc (if that kind of thing appeals!). 400mm IS at f5.6 should be fine - particularly if you are on digital with the option to increase the ISO if you need it. Either way, take a bean bag - its the best form of support by far when poking your head through a safari vehicle roof. For Kenya safaris I can recommend Eyes on Africa (www.eyesonafrica.org) who will set up whatever tour you want (and will make suggestions too). If you wish, they will provide a personal guide/transport etc -which they have done for me - and do understand about photography requirements (for example switching the engine off when stationary, and getting the light behind you etc) We also went to Zanzibar on one occasion and it is an excellent escape for romantics! Have a couple of days in Stonetown first if you can - to walk about the winding alleys, see the harbour and the sites, before having a few days on the east coast for sea and sand. Last point, if you go to Tanzanire, you might consider the Tarangire conservation area - just outside the Tarangire National Park. Its run by the locals, rather than a big multinational, and offers a bit more wilderness without the risks! The rooms are treehouses, and the elephant drink from the swimming pool! More info here - http://www.tomalin.org/bedford/index.htm Treehouse and elephant here - http://www.tomalin.org/charles/tanza...e/103_0331.jpg http://www.tomalin.org/charles/tanza...007_034Nik.JPG Whatever you do, have fun and I suspect you'll be back! Charles wrote in message oups.com... Thanks for all of the information. As far as adventure goes, we would probably like something which gave us a good taste of Africa, both wildlife and culture. Admittedly a safari probably is not the best cultural experience but I would think there are ways to increase your exposure. We spent some time in Peru a couple of years ago and had a great experience meeting the local people. This may be less important as we will be on our honeymoon and won't want an itinerary which is too extreme. The ten days in Peru were exhausting. I will have a 100-400mm IS lens (slow 5.6 at 400mm) with me but I would like to get some close up shots as well. It sounds like the open air vehicles in Botswana might be better for photography. I suppose we can find a private safari in Kenya which would offer the same flexibility. Do you have any recommendations on which tour group to use? Thanks, Alan |
#7
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Honeymoon - Best Destination - July ???
In message .com
wrote: Thanks for all of the information. As far as adventure goes, we would probably like something which gave us a good taste of Africa, both wildlife and culture. Admittedly a safari probably is not the best cultural experience but I would think there are ways to increase your exposure. We spent some time in Peru a couple of years ago and had a great experience meeting the local people. This may be less important as we will be on our honeymoon and won't want an itinerary which is too extreme. The ten days in Peru were exhausting. In Kenya, you can generally visit tribal villages pretty easily. You pay usually between 10 and 20 USD per person, but you get pressured into buying stuff you don't want at the end of your visit. You shouldn't feel guilty if you don't want anything, as your entry fee is substantial in local terms, but if you're the only ones there, as we were, it's difficult. You can often arrange these visits via lodges, but if you wanted to be sure, you could have it written into your itinerary. In Tanzania, you can often visit tribal or local villages too, but we didn't see them offered so often out of lodges. Again, if getting a tailor-made trip you could get visits built in to your itinerary. I will have a 100-400mm IS lens (slow 5.6 at 400mm) with me but I would like to get some close up shots as well. It sounds like the open air vehicles in Botswana might be better for photography. I suppose we can find a private safari in Kenya which would offer the same flexibility. I didn't find the open air vehicles in Selous or in Namibia any better than the open hatch-top minibuses which are generally used in Kenya or the open hatch-top 4x4 in Tanzania. What will make the most difference is having a private, tailor-made tour, then *you* do what you want to do and don't have to compromise with non-photographers, i.e. you can choose when to stay longer at a particular place, waiting for a cloud to shift, or an animal to turn, or to move on. Also you can set your own itinerary. Do you have any recommendations on which tour group to use? The last time someone asked here which company I used, I told him and got well slagged off *by him* for promoting a company! (If you really want to know, it's in my site, or google back, or email!) So I'll just say that there are lots of good companies. If they link with reputable operators in your country they will be fine. If you decide to go with a tour group, make sure that a window seat is clearly shown as guaranteed. The smaller the group, the better. Whether with a group or private, make sure that you get everything in writing before you book. If it's not on the itinerary, you won't get it, or you'll need to pay extra. Read the itinerary very carefully. If you can't work out why one trip is much cheaper than the other, it might be 'hinted at': for example I read an itinerary which had entries like: Day 3 Optional pre-breakfast game drive. Breakfast at lodge Post breakfast nature walk with lodge naturalist Afternoon: what will you choose: catching up with your reading and relaxing around the pool or a game drive? .... what might not be immediately obvious from that is that the only thing that is 'included' in the tour price is the nature walk. The game drives cost extra: probably about 40USD each, maybe more by now! You'll have a great time. And don't assume you'll only go once! Safari njema Liz -- http://www.v-liz.com Kenya; Tanzania; Namibia; India; Galapagos Photo galleries: http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/free/gallery.asp?memberID=165111" http://www.photoshopuser.com/napmem/...g.php?id=39466 |
#8
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Honeymoon - Best Destination - July ???
On 22 Apr 2006 17:05:13 -0700, wrote:
I will have a 100-400mm IS lens (slow 5.6 at 400mm) with me but I would like to get some close up shots as well. It sounds like the open air vehicles in Botswana might be better for photography. I suppose we can find a private safari in Kenya which would offer the same flexibility. Alan, that's about the ideal lens for the purpose. You still need to lean it against the window frame or rest it on a bean bag. Take one with you! I don't think you need open vehicles. In Kenya you typically have the choice of taking photos directly out of the window if you have a window seat (some safari companies can guarantee one) or to stand up and take photos out of the roof hatch, where you can lean the camera on the edge. Works pretty well. The biggest problem in my personal view is not the vehicle, but the driver. To be fair, the driver only tries to get everybody the best experience, but he has to be as impatient as his passengers, so one might as well say, the biggest enemy of the tourist is the tourist. (:-) If you spend more money, you will often get a better experience, fewer people in the car, better drivers, less impatient fellow tourists, even a biologist, who can explain the things you see, but that comes only above $600 per double per night. See http://www.michna.com/kenya.htm for check lists and safari background information. Hans-Georg -- No mail, please. |
#9
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Honeymoon - Best Destination - July ???
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#10
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Honeymoon - Best Destination - July ???
In message . com
wrote: Thanks again for all the information. Based on all of your feedback our current plan is to price out a trip which will include: 1. An eight day safari which includes 1 night in Nairobi followed by 6 nights on safari. One package which interests us includes three nights at Elsa's Kopje and three nights at Cottar's 1920 camp. The two three night stays are based on recommendations received above. Any thoughts on those two locations? Elsa's Kopje looks to be *very* romantic, in fact they were offering weddings there a while back (becoming more common in various lodges, even the 'mainstream' Ol Tukai). I really fancied going there for our 25th last year, but again couldn't persuade D. to go anywhere (so we spent our SW several thousand miles apart!) I wonder how much game there is in that area, though, or how habituated it is? The last I heard was that it's fantastic for scenery, not so good for close-up animals. Does anyone have recent experience? 2. 3 nights in Zanzibar. Here we are thinking about staying at the Palms or an equivalent hotel. The Palms is expensive but should be a nice treat to cap off our honeymoon. :-) Safari njema! Liz -- http://www.v-liz.com Kenya; Tanzania; Namibia; India; Galapagos Photo galleries: http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/free/gallery.asp?memberID=165111" http://www.photoshopuser.com/napmem/...g.php?id=39466 |
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