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First Time on Safari to Africa Questions



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 7th, 2004, 12:52 AM
Joel
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Default First Time on Safari to Africa Questions

Hello to all. My wife and I are contemplating a safari to trip to
Africa this coming year. This will be our first time there. I've done
some reading in the newsgroup and the overwhelming response seems to be
to visit either Kenya and/or Tanzania for the first time. I had
originally planned on visiting South Africa, renting a car and going to
Kruger and Hluhluwe-Umfolozi but now I am not so sure. Some of my basic
parameters for putting together this trip a

1. I will spend between 9 - 12 days in country excluding travel days
from the US and back..

2. I personally dislike tours, have never used one although I realize
that independent travel to game parks while possible may be self
defeating. Without knowledge of animal behavior and how to approach, I
may essentially be driving around for a week and spending a lot of
money to do so.

3. I have no desire to be on a bus with 8 -10 people looking through a
small window and constantly driving around. I suspect that in order to
fully experience the parks that one must be patient and wait for things
to develop. I suspect that I will not get that on a typical safari
minivan.

4. I am not looking for this to be a photography trip per se. Being a
photographer myself, I will use a specialized photography photo safari
trip at a later date for that. This trip is designed for both my wife
and I to enjoy and savor.

5. I do not necessarily need 5 star luxury surroundings but we are not
interested in camping out in a small tents. Tented permanent camps are
fine.

My preliminary questions a

1. Is it advisable to use a tour company the first time around? What
do I gain or miss by doing so?

2. Where does one find reputable companies to deal with?

3. Is it possible to combine self touring on several days and hire
guides/driver for other days? Kruger has options like this where you
can pay to go a game drive.

4. Would I better off spending several days on a private reserve?
Although it costs significantly more I might have a better experience.

5. Putting US State Department hyperbole aside, is there any validity
to their concerns about Kenya? Curious to here feedback from other
Americans who have traveled there within the last year.

Any information would be greatly appreciated and I will certainly ask
more pointed questions as I research further.
Thank you in advance for your responses.

--Joel Turner

  #2  
Old December 7th, 2004, 08:15 AM
Marc Lurie
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Default

Hi Joel,

I might offend several regulars to this NG with what I'm about to say,
but I've got a thick skin, and I can handle the repercussions :-)

Besides, I'm entitled to my opinions, just as they are entitled to
theirs.

Personally, I'd recommend South Africa.

1) It's an easy country for Americans or Britons (or other English
speakers) to visit: There are very few language problems, everything
is much more "familiar" than in East Africa.

2) Service provision and service levels are, in general, far higher
than in East Africa.

3) South Africa can offer so much more.It's been called "The world in
one country" for good reason. You have access to literally hundreds
of excellent parks and reserves, you can choose between many different
types of area from desert, semi-desert, savannah, African sub-alpine,
montaigne forests, tropical forest. It offers great beaches, modern
cities, rural villages, all of the "sad" stories of Africa, and all of
the "happy" stories of Africa.

4) I believe that South Africans are, in general, more friendly than
the east Africans that you're likely to meet.

5) On this point I stand to be corrected, but I think that South
Africa will be cheaper to visit than Tanzania or Kenya. My experience
is that accomodation and meals of similar quality are 50% to 100% more
expensive in East Africa than in South Africa.. eg. you can stay at a
5-star hotel in Johannesburg for the same price as a 3-star in
Nairobi.

Please have a look at:
http://www.sanparks.org/
(I'm not involved in torism or the hospitallity industry at all, so I
have no financial interest in this NG. I just happen t travel
extensively in Africa for business and for recreation)

If you do decide to visit SA, please contact me. I'll be more than
happy to give you whatever info and assistance I can.

Regards,
Marc


On 6 Dec 2004 15:52:16 -0800, "Joel" wrote:

Hello to all. My wife and I are contemplating a safari to trip to
Africa this coming year. This will be our first time there. I've done
some reading in the newsgroup and the overwhelming response seems to be
to visit either Kenya and/or Tanzania for the first time. I had
originally planned on visiting South Africa, renting a car and going to
Kruger and Hluhluwe-Umfolozi but now I am not so sure. Some of my basic
parameters for putting together this trip a

1. I will spend between 9 - 12 days in country excluding travel days
from the US and back..

2. I personally dislike tours, have never used one although I realize
that independent travel to game parks while possible may be self
defeating. Without knowledge of animal behavior and how to approach, I
may essentially be driving around for a week and spending a lot of
money to do so.

3. I have no desire to be on a bus with 8 -10 people looking through a
small window and constantly driving around. I suspect that in order to
fully experience the parks that one must be patient and wait for things
to develop. I suspect that I will not get that on a typical safari
minivan.

4. I am not looking for this to be a photography trip per se. Being a
photographer myself, I will use a specialized photography photo safari
trip at a later date for that. This trip is designed for both my wife
and I to enjoy and savor.

5. I do not necessarily need 5 star luxury surroundings but we are not
interested in camping out in a small tents. Tented permanent camps are
fine.

My preliminary questions a

1. Is it advisable to use a tour company the first time around? What
do I gain or miss by doing so?

2. Where does one find reputable companies to deal with?

3. Is it possible to combine self touring on several days and hire
guides/driver for other days? Kruger has options like this where you
can pay to go a game drive.

4. Would I better off spending several days on a private reserve?
Although it costs significantly more I might have a better experience.

5. Putting US State Department hyperbole aside, is there any validity
to their concerns about Kenya? Curious to here feedback from other
Americans who have traveled there within the last year.

Any information would be greatly appreciated and I will certainly ask
more pointed questions as I research further.
Thank you in advance for your responses.

--Joel Turner


  #3  
Old December 7th, 2004, 11:18 AM
Rita Daggett
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Default


I havent been to South Africa but from what I've read I think that if you
want to drive yourself then that will be your best bet.

My preliminary questions a

1. Is it advisable to use a tour company the first time around? What
do I gain or miss by doing so?

A good tour company will not cram lots of people into a mini-bus - you will
each have a window seat. You will have a qualified driver/guide who will
know where to go to find the animals/birds and know how to get you into the
best positions to see them. You can spend your time looking at the animals
and not the road/map. Extra eyes in the van may well mean you see more. You
will have the back-up of the organisation to sort things out if anything
goes wrong/get replacement vehicle for example.
You can also have the option of your own vehicle and your own driver/guide.
My own experience of this in Tanzania was not that good but it obvioulsy
gives you much more flexibility. I think I prefer to fly from lodge/camp to
camp and use the services of the local experts at each camp.
Lodges and camps vary tremendously - some tented camps are more luxurious
than the lodges, and (usually) a lot smaller.

2. Where does one find reputable companies to deal with?

Dont know about USA; Kuoni is a very well-known and good company for
first-time trips to East Africa (they will also do 'tailor-made';
Abercrombie and Kent is expensive but reputable. Sunvil will do
tailor-made - dont think they do Kenya but they do Tanzania.


--
Rita Daggett




  #4  
Old December 7th, 2004, 04:59 PM
Dave Patterson
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Posts: n/a
Default

Marc Lurie wrote:

Hi Joel,

I might offend several regulars to this NG with what I'm about to say,
but I've got a thick skin, and I can handle the repercussions :-)


Marc, as you may have noticed, we are US safari operators with a
home in South Africa.. and since most of our business has been in
east Africa, I can speak from our experiences in both parts of
the continent.

4) I believe that South Africans are, in general, more friendly than
the east Africans that you're likely to meet.


Not more friendly.. really warm and friendly, yes.
But the Kenyan people, particularly, are the best we see in
the tourism industry in making our clients feel welcome.

5) On this point I stand to be corrected, but I think that South
Africa will be cheaper to visit than Tanzania or Kenya.


In the days when we got 10 rand for a dollar, certainly. But not now.
Prices have remained stable in east Africa, while prices (to anyone
spending US dollars) have risen dramatically in South Africa.
The actual exchange rate today for tourists at an exchange window
in South Africa is (12/7) is 5.5 rand to the US dollar, and a commission
is then deducted from that.

My experience is that accomodation and meals of similar quality
are 50% to 100% more expensive in East Africa than in South Africa..
eg. you can stay at a 5-star hotel in Johannesburg for the same price
as a 3-star in Nairobi.


I wish this was still the case, but (see above) exchange rates
have changed the landscape. The rates to me (as a tour
operator) are $ 160 per night more for the Grace in
Rosebank, and $90 per night more for the Sandton Sun,
than the rates I pay for the Serena in Nairobi.
You have to step down to the Crowne Plaza in Sandton
to find an equivalent rate to the Nairobi Serena.

On the other hand, restaurants in South Africa are still great
values and amazing experiences for those of us from the US.
No 'cookie-cutter' meals at most of them. Wonderful food
both in the preparation and the presentation.

  #5  
Old December 7th, 2004, 05:13 PM
Dave Patterson
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Posts: n/a
Default

Joel wrote:

I realize that independent travel to game parks while possible may be
self
defeating. Without knowledge of animal behavior and how to approach, I
may essentially be driving around for a week and spending a lot of
money to do so.


Especially true of self-drive safaris in east Africa. Parks are big, roads

are generally not marked, and you could waste time just trying to
find your way around.

I have no desire to be on a bus with 8 -10 people looking through a
small window and constantly driving around. I suspect that in order to
fully experience the parks that one must be patient and wait for things
to develop. I suspect that I will not get that on a typical safari
minivan.


It really does depend on the guide/driver for your vehicle. We offer
private safaris where the clients have the vehicle and guide to
themselves and he is then free of the need to please everyone.
In any case, you shouldn't expect more than 6 travelers in any
vehicle, and all will have window seats. And the roof pops up
for even better viewing.

My preliminary questions a

1. Is it advisable to use a tour company the first time around? What
do I gain or miss by doing so?


I say yes. You gain efficiency, for one thing. You give up the personal
responsibility for having things turn out right and give that job to
people who do it every day of their lives and do it well.
You can expect to make better use of your money as well. They provide
all your lodging and transportation at costs no more (and quite likely
less) than you can get buying all services, etc., yourself.
What do you miss? Some of the freedom we all enjoy of having your
own vehicle (especially true in South Africa).

2. Where does one find reputable companies to deal with?


A travel agent who has actual experience in safaris.

3. Is it possible to combine self touring on several days and hire
guides/driver for other days? Kruger has options like this where you
can pay to go a game drive.


Yes, and this would be the absolute best approach if you do
pick South Africa.

4. Would I better off spending several days on a private reserve?
Although it costs significantly more I might have a better experience.


Hard to say. Tour operators in South Africa usually use private reserves
because accommodations inside Kruger that (they consider to be) are of
an international standard (posh) are limited. But they are expensive.
In east Africa, you will be doing your safari in government owned
or operated reserves, so this is not relevant.

5. Putting US State Department hyperbole aside, is there any validity
to their concerns about Kenya? Curious to here feedback from other
Americans who have traveled there within the last year.


Our September group in Kenya had one of the best experiences any
of our clients have ever had. Same true for those who went earlier
in 2004. Not a whisper of anxiety, uneasiness.
Year after year, travelers to Kenya (not just ours) come back wishing
they hadn't had to leave.

  #6  
Old December 7th, 2004, 06:19 PM
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Default

I was born in South Africa and grew up there. My whole family still
lives there and I visit often. I think it is the best country in the
world, but when it comes to game-viewing the answer is not so cut and
dry.

What do you want your experience to be? Do you have a vision of open
plains with thousands of animals milling around - under the
opportunistic eyes of hyena, lion, fox, cheetah and leopard on the
surrounding kopjes? In this experience it is almost a guarantee that
you will see all of the above and more, including hippo, crocodile,
elephant and even rhino in some areas.

Are you thinking of packing a picnic lunch, then finding a hill top and
settle in for a few hours to watch the action in all 360 degrees?

Or are you thinking of searching for wildlife in a bush environment,
not sure what you will see? You may spend 3 days and not see lion or
cheetah or leopard - or maybe you will but they may be far away, or you
spot them only briefly.

In a nutshell, that is the main difference between South African
wildlife viewing and the open plains of East Africa.

For a first time safari, I would head to the open plains of East
Africa. On my next trip, I would start to specialize. But then I have
to compare South Africa with Zambia, Botswana, and even Uganda and
Namibia.

Once you make this decision, the rest is easy. Depending on time of
year, you can narrow down your park options. Then look for a private
safari offered by just about all companies - thanks to stiff
competition the two of you can enjoy the thrills of your own
driver/guide starting at about $150 per day for the two of you (and you
will see safari vehicles with 6 or more guests each paying upwards of
$500 per person per day on their "luxury" safari with one of those big
safari companies!) But don't feel sorry for them.!

The lodge/camp decision is next. You can pay from $100 per night in
decent lodges, or go for permanent tented camps from $180 per tent per
night and scale up from there. (And guess what, you may end up at the
same camp as those "upscale" tourists you saw earlier!). They paid
double but that is not your problem!

And so it goes! It always is a tough decision. Personally, I think the
planning part is just as much fun as the trip itself!

  #7  
Old December 7th, 2004, 06:44 PM
external usenet poster
 
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Default

I just want to add that I would avoid those big USA and UK tourist
concerns with their packaged tours.

It is sad to see people in these packaged safari-taxis, driving from
lodge to lodge on the same tour that departs every Monday for 7-14 days
- visiting the same parks and lodges regardless of season and animal
patterns.

Every country in Africa has many reputable local companies and many
have been in business forever. Most are now completely capable of
handling your safaris without the added expense of middlemen. Many take
credit cards and all of them accept wires. All will be happy to
customize your trip.

If you are worried about your money, please consider the fact that many
ask for only a small deposit and you can pay the balance upon arrival
with traveler checks! Go with a registered company in the country of
interest and you will be fine. At the very least, most of your money
will end up in the country where it is needed most. The UK and the USA
don't need your safari money.

  #8  
Old December 7th, 2004, 06:44 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I just want to add that I would avoid those big USA and UK tourist
concerns with their packaged tours.

It is sad to see people in these packaged safari-taxis, driving from
lodge to lodge on the same tour that departs every Monday for 7-14 days
- visiting the same parks and lodges regardless of season and animal
patterns.

Every country in Africa has many reputable local companies and many
have been in business forever. Most are now completely capable of
handling your safaris without the added expense of middlemen. Many take
credit cards and all of them accept wires. All will be happy to
customize your trip.

If you are worried about your money, please consider the fact that many
ask for only a small deposit and you can pay the balance upon arrival
with traveler checks! Go with a registered company in the country of
interest and you will be fine. At the very least, most of your money
will end up in the country where it is needed most. The UK and the USA
don't need your safari money.

  #9  
Old December 7th, 2004, 07:21 PM
Chomkuti
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Posts: n/a
Default


HI Joel

Without a doupt your first trip to Africa will not be your last.
South Africa and both Tanzania and Kenya are great countries filled
with many friendly people and different options.
If you are looking for a wilderness African Safari experiance look into
Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. All with very friendly English speaking
people, great National Parks and lots of wildlife.
I would suggest that you travel with some sort of guided safari as this
can make or break your experiance in my opinion. Guides know the
movements of their wildlife were and when to find them, most safari
companies have open game viewing 4x4s improving the experiance. Safaris
tend to be run in two ways,
you can book on a group tour
or you can travel as a couple visiting various different camps on your
own safari.
Should you wish to contact me please feel free to do so for more
detailed ideas.
Regards
Mark Homann



--
Chomkuti
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  #10  
Old December 7th, 2004, 07:48 PM
Liz
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Default

In message . com
"Joel" wrote:

Hello to all. My wife and I are contemplating a safari to trip to
Africa this coming year. This will be our first time there. I've done
some reading in the newsgroup and the overwhelming response seems to be
to visit either Kenya and/or Tanzania for the first time. I had
originally planned on visiting South Africa, renting a car and going to
Kruger and Hluhluwe-Umfolozi but now I am not so sure. Some of my basic
parameters for putting together this trip a

1. I will spend between 9 - 12 days in country excluding travel days
from the US and back..

Try for as many days as you possibly can.
If necessary, postpone it until you can afford it or accumulate more days'
leave if these are issues.

2. I personally dislike tours, have never used one although I realize
that independent travel to game parks while possible may be self
defeating. Without knowledge of animal behavior and how to approach, I
may essentially be driving around for a week and spending a lot of
money to do so.

Agreed.
A good driver/guide is worth his (in EA it mostly is 'his') weight in gold,
and doesn't actually add much to the cost as their salaries are relatively
very low (they rely on tips).
They know where things are liable to be, and tell each other, either in the
drivers' quarters or out in the field where different things are 'on the
day'. They are understandably very reluctant to share this info with someone
who isn't employing a driver.
Even if they did, the info is likely to be along the lines of "near where
the elephant that used to come into X camp died", or using directions you
may not be able to use, like needing to identify a certain clump of trees or
plants.


3. I have no desire to be on a bus with 8 -10 people looking through a
small window and constantly driving around. I suspect that in order to
fully experience the parks that one must be patient and wait for things
to develop. I suspect that I will not get that on a typical safari
minivan.

You can, if you get a private sarfari.

4. I am not looking for this to be a photography trip per se. Being a
photographer myself, I will use a specialized photography photo safari
trip at a later date for that. This trip is designed for both my wife
and I to enjoy and savor.

No reason why you shouldn't get both.
A good driver/guide is used to dealing with photographers, and should be
able to position himself to the best possible angle for the animal and the
light. Of course, if you can avoid the usual 'minibus circle' around big
cars, it's much easier. Or sometimes, you just need to wait: most people
just want to take a quick snap, and their vehicles quickly move on.


5. I do not necessarily need 5 star luxury surroundings but we are not
interested in camping out in a small tents. Tented permanent camps are
fine.

Tented permanent camps are often 5-star luxury, and are usually more
expensive than Lodges.
Nice, though. :-)


My preliminary questions a

1. Is it advisable to use a tour company the first time around? What
do I gain or miss by doing so?

Yes.
Gain: experience, local knowledge, the best possible help should things go
wrong.
How good are your vehicle maintenance skills?
What will you do if you break down out in the middle of nowhere - maybe out
of cellphone range?
What if you're so held up you can't make your next destination by sundown?

2. Where does one find reputable companies to deal with?

I recommend Express Travel www.etc-safaris.com, and have travelled with them
in Kenya five times.
(The last time I looked on their site, they really just featured their
'off-the-peg' trips, but they really specialise in tailor-mades. If you can
afford it and it's logistically feasible, they can organise it.

There are plenty of other reliable companies, not all of whom do tailor-mades.
Try to get personal recommendations or contact them for yourself, to discuss
what you'd like to do. What will be difficult on your first trip is deciding
if they advise you against a particular element of a trip is whether they
just 'can't be bothered' or if it's good advice for a good reason (just
because a route exists on a map doesn't mean it's easily travellable, and
something which looks as if it should take only an hour or two might really
take five or six. This can also vary by season: some roads are destroyed in
the rains and rebuilt each year.
However, on such a short trip, you probably won't be going to any of the
more unusual places.

3. Is it possible to combine self touring on several days and hire
guides/driver for other days? Kruger has options like this where you
can pay to go a game drive.

It's probably possible in Kenya, but I can't see any real value in this.
Especially on a first trip.
In Namibia the general practice is to self-drive between lodges/homestays
etc then join in with the lodge's activities when you get there.

4. Would I better off spending several days on a private reserve?
Although it costs significantly more I might have a better experience.

You might.
You might not.
Sometimes on private reserves you're basically looking at ranched animals.
Depends how you feel about that!
But then even in the game reserves, animals are relocated for various reasons.

Any information would be greatly appreciated and I will certainly ask
more pointed questions as I research further.
Thank you in advance for your responses.

You can snuffle around my website for lots of info about Kenya, and some
info about Tanzania. Nothing to sell and there's a hints and tips section
which answer some of your questions in more detail.

Safari njema

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




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