Traveller88

I am trying organise a trip to Tanzania and I am debating between two safari outfitters: Africa Travel Resource (based on England) and Green Footprints Adventures. Does anyone have know which outfitter is better, cheaper, provides better service, etc.?

Thanks!

climbhighsleeplow

You are comparing apples to oranges.

ATR is an agent in the UK.
Green Footprints is a ground operator in Tanzania with a great reputation.

The choice is very simple actually!

Traveller88

Would you say that Green Footprint Adventures must be cheaper than ATR? I have heard great things about ATR and out of 5-6 quotes that I have received from various tour operators, they are the only ones who took an active interest in suggesting more intimate lodges in stead of the larger "tourist" type lodges, however, I am not sure if they would charge more because they are located in the UK. Does anyone have experience with this?

Nikao

I don;t know about the prices, but I am rather surprised by the statement:
" they are the only ones who took an active interest in suggesting more intimate lodges in stead of the larger "tourist" type lodges"

Im going next week with Green Footprints for the second time, and I'm staying in the intimate lodges instead of the tourist crowded places...
They do a lot business with Asilia lodges, which are the nice and exclusive ones

Geelong2007

Nikao
what lodges do Asilia own?
I thought Asilia operated only semi- permanent camps
but am ready to be corrected.
Where are you staying?

Traveller88

I meant, other than Green Footprints and ATR, none of the other tour operators suggested more intimate lodges or tented camps. Green Footprints did provide a brief itinerary with a mixed level of lodging, however, I am still waiting for their quote and I am curious to know whether they are generally perceived as cheaper than the UK tour agencies. Thanks.

mkhonzo

Just a comment: As a seasoned African traveller, if you buy cheaper, you get cheaper and in my opinion neither of those two operators are cheap.

Nikao

Geelong; you're right, they're semi-permanent camps.
But that's why they are more intimate, like Traveller is asking for. (do 'intimate' lodges even excist?)

Leely

mkhonzo made me smile.

I did a day trip to Arusha NP with Green Footprint; it was excellent. I did a safari arranged through ATR and very much enjoyed it. Keep in mind ATR "pushes" certain camps and you will need to be quite explicit about what you need/want. However, they are very professional.

Neither outfitter is "cheap" and neither are they the most expensive. Both emphasize more rugged safaris (though I'm not sure rugged is the word I want).

I also used a midsize in-country outfitter called Easy Travel and Tours. We loved our guide and cook and of course had an amazing time, but again you need to be explicit and hold your ground in terms of what you want. So my rule of thumb is that you need to communicate clearly with any outfitter.

Are you working with Mirjam at Green Footprint? Although we only ever e-mailed, she's really very nice. I might lean toward Green Footprint because I do enjoy "rugged" and I think you'd get pretty personalized service.

What kind of safari are you looking for?

Traveller88

Leely

Thanks for your helpful insight.
We are interested in a mid-level to high-level safari in Tanzania. I think we've settled on the locations, however, I want to compare pricing between the two outfitters for the same lodges/tented camps. A friend had advised that local outfitters will generally be cheaper (as compared to UK outfitters for the same lodges/tented camps). I am beginning to believe that most of the popular lodges/tented camps (even if they are more intimate) have fixed pricing and I cannot see why a local outfitter would get a cheaper price (unless of course the UK based outfitter is marking up the prices significantly).

The lodges/camps that we are considering or that have been suggested to us are as follows:

Arusha : Moivaro Lodge
Tarangire : Mawe Ninga Camp (I've heard that Oliver's Camp is better)
Ngorongoro: Ngorongoro Serena
Southcentral Serengeti : Olduvai Tented Camp
Central Serengeti : Ronjo Flycamp (I prefer Olakira Camp since Ronjo seems to be extremely rustic and basic)
Serengeti Mara Triangle : Sayari Mara Camp
Zanzibar: Pongwe Beach

We are waiting for a quote from Mirjam, however, I was curious to know what peoples' thoughts were in terms of which types of outfitters have the most competitive pricing (for the same kinds of camps/lodges). Thanks.

Patty

Can Green Footprints book Mawe Ninga and Olduvai for you? I was under the impression that those properties (along with Rongo) were exclusive to ATR's ground operator MKSC/Tanganyika. Or would you go with different properties if booking through Green Footprints? If that's the case, you wouldn't be able to get a direct pricing comparison anyway.

Traveller88

Patty

Good point. I hadn't thought of that.
Green Footprint offered the following lodges/tented camps:

Day 1: Arusha National Park – Hatari Lodge
Day 2+3: Tarangire National Park – Oliver’s Camp
Day 4: Manyara National Park – Lake Manyara Tree Lodge
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater – Crater Lodge
Day 6 and 7: central Serengeti – Olakira Camp
Day 8 and 9: northern Serengeti / Mara river area – Sayari Camp
Day 10: fly to Zanzibar – one night in Stonetown
Day 11 and 12: Zanzibar beach

I am still waiting for a quote, but very curious to know if it will be competitive with ATRs quote since it appears that Green Footprints has included some more of the high-level lodges/camps.

Patty

The Green Footprint itinerary has for the most part much higher end properties, so I don't see how it could even be close to the quote from ATR.

Leely

What time of year are you going, or did I miss that? That's critical.

If you want higher level accommodations go with the Green Footprint itinerary, though I'm not sure about the lodge at Manyara.

I've stayed at Mawe Ninga and Olduvai, and there was no reason for us to stay at Olduvai in terms of game viewing for the time of year (June); I just tired of going back and forth with ATR. My party enjoyed our experiences both at Mawe Ninga and Olduvai but they are rustic camps with just-okay food. Stunning surroundings, though! Ronjo, while basic and a little disorganized, was very much a highlight for me. These are just my opinions based on personal experience.

And, as I mentioned above, I do prefer more rustic camps.

Here's a link to what I hope is a slideshow of pics I snapped of camps from nmy last safari.

http://tinyurl.com/pk88s

Eben has many terrific photos at go-safari.com.

I can't wait to see the pricing you get for the Green Footprint itinerary.

Leely

Oh, I didn't see Patty's most recent post. The Crater Lodge in particular is quite pricey. If you need to scale back, that's where I'd start.

Traveller88

Thanks again Leely!
I will take a look at your photos.

I too am very curious to see where Green Footprints' quote comes out at. Considering that they included a number of higher end lodges/camps, I would be very surprised if their quote was similar to ATRs (but crossing my fingers because I would really like to stay at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge if at all possible).

Traveller88

Leely

Where is the Nomad camp?

MyDogKyle

Although I haven't been on my safari yet (September-October 2007), I can recommend Green Footprint very highly in terms of their customer service during the planning stages. As someone else mentioned, Mirjam is terrific -- we've really enjoyed working with her. It sounds like you are planning on higher-end lodging than we are, but just to give you an idea Green Footprint is giving us a 10-night itinerary for $3800 per person. This is for a 2-person private safari, including all our activities (walking safaris, canoeing, hiking, night game drives, orphanage and village visits), as well as flights to Tarangire, Zanzibar, and back to Nairobi. We'll be staying at Karama Lodge, Oliver's Camp, Kirurumu Camp, Ngorongoro Serena, Plantation Lodge, Emerson & Green and Pongwe.

Leely

Oh, that was Nomad Serengeti.

Nomad runs semi-permanent camps in the Serengeti that follow the migration, as well as fully mobile private camps (last option very dear, from what I understand). Our camp, for late June, was located at a private campsite in the western corridor, Simiti. We spent our first night SURROUNDED by wildebeest, between the tents, etc. It was incredible. Four tents, and you dine with the other guests. A great experience if you can swing it! This was my (rustic) splurge. I hear they've renovated the tents since then, made thim bigger, more luxurious, etc.

Traveller88

MyDogKyle

Your pricing sounds really good.

You mentioned that you will be visiting an orphanage. Can I ask where the orphanage is located and what the visit will emcompass? This sounds very interesting and I did not realise that such a trip could be organised. Is it a half day trip? Are there activities that a tourist can assist with at the orphanage?