tanzania vacation in october/november - safety? elections? recs?

hello,

I'll have 5-6 weeks off from work and I'm going to travel starting
October 15 until the end of November. I chose Tanzania because I've
always wanted to visit africa, I want to go on a safari, and I want to
go diving. So, I have several questions.

-the elections in Tanzania are October 30? Will it be safe? I'm an
American, I'm male, I'm in my late 20s, south asian (I should be able
to blend), and importantly, I will be traveling by myself
-I fly into Johannesburg, and I was going to skip South Africa, and fly
immediately into Kilimanjaro, and go on the safari. The serengeti and
Ngorongor Craters are obvious. Is the end of October a good time to
go?
-I was then going to work my way over to Pemba to go diving for a week
or so. I've read that Pemba can have political problems during
elections. Is that true?
-Is Kenya safe to go to?
-I was going to work my way down to Dar es Salaam, and then take a
train from there to Zambia. I haven't looked into Zambia much yet, but
Victoria Falls is obvious. When I'm done, I'll fly from there back to
South Africa, and back to the states.

How does this sound? As you can tell, I have some concerns about
safety (my parents have been harassing me).

thanks!!!!

I should probably add that I was just planning on doing the safari for
5-7 days. That plus diving for a week is going to make this an
expensive trip. Kili would be great, but seems expensive, and I'd
rather use that time to make my way into zambia.

my travel style: a backpacker with some money. In other words, I can
live pretty cheaply, but these days I want something clean, I want my
own room, and preferably my own bathroom :-)

Sounds like you got your warnings from the US State Department web
site, which tends to really overreact, and play up every possible
danger. The British government's travel advice is much more realistic
about the risks, and does not advise against travel to Kenya or
Tanzania:

www.fco.gov.uk/travel

kenya is safe to go to. i just come back from there. just be sensible with
your money, especially if peopple are telling a tale.
wrote in message
ups.com...
hello,

I'll have 5-6 weeks off from work and I'm going to travel starting
October 15 until the end of November. I chose Tanzania because I've
always wanted to visit africa, I want to go on a safari, and I want to
go diving. So, I have several questions.

-the elections in Tanzania are October 30? Will it be safe? I'm an
American, I'm male, I'm in my late 20s, south asian (I should be able
to blend), and importantly, I will be traveling by myself
-I fly into Johannesburg, and I was going to skip South Africa, and fly
immediately into Kilimanjaro, and go on the safari. The serengeti and
Ngorongor Craters are obvious. Is the end of October a good time to
go?
-I was then going to work my way over to Pemba to go diving for a week
or so. I've read that Pemba can have political problems during
elections. Is that true?
-Is Kenya safe to go to?
-I was going to work my way down to Dar es Salaam, and then take a
train from there to Zambia. I haven't looked into Zambia much yet, but
Victoria Falls is obvious. When I'm done, I'll fly from there back to
South Africa, and back to the states.

How does this sound? As you can tell, I have some concerns about
safety (my parents have been harassing me).

thanks!!!!

punda wrote:
kenya is safe to go to. i just come back from there. just be sensible with
your money, especially if peopple are telling a tale.
wrote in message
ups.com...
hello,

I'll have 5-6 weeks off from work and I'm going to travel starting
October 15 until the end of November. I chose Tanzania because I've
always wanted to visit africa, I want to go on a safari, and I want to
go diving. So, I have several questions.

-the elections in Tanzania are October 30? Will it be safe? I'm an
American, I'm male, I'm in my late 20s, south asian (I should be able
to blend), and importantly, I will be traveling by myself
-I fly into Johannesburg, and I was going to skip South Africa, and fly
immediately into Kilimanjaro, and go on the safari. The serengeti and
Ngorongor Craters are obvious. Is the end of October a good time to
go?
-I was then going to work my way over to Pemba to go diving for a week
or so. I've read that Pemba can have political problems during
elections. Is that true?
-Is Kenya safe to go to?
-I was going to work my way down to Dar es Salaam, and then take a
train from there to Zambia. I haven't looked into Zambia much yet, but
Victoria Falls is obvious. When I'm done, I'll fly from there back to
South Africa, and back to the states.

How does this sound? As you can tell, I have some concerns about
safety (my parents have been harassing me).

thanks!!!!



I too, am going to Africa in October. I was unaware of the election,
but to be honest, I've travelled almost exclusively by myself and you
have to listen to your intuition. If you think it looks and feels
unsafe, it probably is. In other words...avoid the area of most
concern; namely the big cities.

I was looking to also do a safari and I also dive (I'm certified PADI).
I was unaware of Pemba, but I understand that Zanzibar has some pretty
spectacular sites to dive. I was thinking about a liveaboard dive. I
understand it might be useful to link up with another one in order to
get a better deal on packages.
I am a backpacking girl who likes quality accommodation. In other
words, it has to be clean! Sparse doesn't bother me. I have heard a
number of things regarding theft within the first 48 hours of arriving.
Perhaps we can link up?
Not to worry. Your parents will always worry, that will never stop.

punda wrote:
kenya is safe to go to. i just come back from there. just be sensible with
your money, especially if peopple are telling a tale.
wrote in message
ups.com...
hello,

I'll have 5-6 weeks off from work and I'm going to travel starting
October 15 until the end of November. I chose Tanzania because I've
always wanted to visit africa, I want to go on a safari, and I want to
go diving. So, I have several questions.

-the elections in Tanzania are October 30? Will it be safe? I'm an
American, I'm male, I'm in my late 20s, south asian (I should be able
to blend), and importantly, I will be traveling by myself
-I fly into Johannesburg, and I was going to skip South Africa, and fly
immediately into Kilimanjaro, and go on the safari. The serengeti and
Ngorongor Craters are obvious. Is the end of October a good time to
go?
-I was then going to work my way over to Pemba to go diving for a week
or so. I've read that Pemba can have political problems during
elections. Is that true?
-Is Kenya safe to go to?
-I was going to work my way down to Dar es Salaam, and then take a
train from there to Zambia. I haven't looked into Zambia much yet, but
Victoria Falls is obvious. When I'm done, I'll fly from there back to
South Africa, and back to the states.

How does this sound? As you can tell, I have some concerns about
safety (my parents have been harassing me).

thanks!!!!