brencara

I have been reading a lot of posts recommending various tour operators. I have narrowed it down to Micato, Tauck, Wilderness Travel, A & K and Wilderness Safari. My husband wants luxery tented camps, I only care about getting a great guide and being in the "best" locations to see the wild life. I'd like to opt for a private safari if I can afford it. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

dssxxxx

OK....I will be the first, maybe.

We have taken 5 Tauck Tours and really thought it was the only way to go. It is.....except on a Kenya/Tanzania safari.

I took the budget of Tauck, the same days, the same everything...and priced it out with about 10 outfitters. I couldn't believe the savings. Roughly, $3000.00 per person, on a $6,000.00 per person tour.

So, I really researched.......and found out that I could upgrade (N Crater Lodge, Kirawira, etc.) for about $2000.00 more and still have better accomodations then Tauck supplied and save around $1000.00 per person.

On Micato....from trip reports posted, I was really surprised that they use Sopa for most of their lodging. Especially at the prices they cahrge.

Good luck with your planning.....oh, and after all the planning, researching and emailing....we decided on Roy's.

sandi

You can get any of the luxury camps shown on Micato and A&K itineraries from other outfitters. Tauck does't always provide lux camps... mostly Serena Lodges and then the Serena Kirawira Camp (the latter being the only lux property); Tauck prices are also very high.

Do a search on this board for "tour operators Kenya" or "tour operators Tanzania" (without the quotes) and you'll find any number of in-country outfitters or tour operators, planners or consultants in your home country who can provide the same. Whichever route you take, you'll save a sizeable chunk of cash vs Micato or A&K.

andybiggs

I recommend Thomson Safaris for their luxury camps, which is what I use for my own safaris. Excellent quality in excellent locations. Highly recommended.

sandi

Thompson does Tanzania only. And uses the same camps and lodges as do other outfitters.

bat

brencara:

For a private 2 person safari IMO you will want to broaden your list of companies--I don't think that Tauck or Wilderness Travel do those (a small group perhaps, but not a 2 person). I am not sure who Wilderness Safari is. I believe that Micato and A& K will do a private 2 person that would be extraordinarliy expenive.

Several recent posters have enjoyed the Micato group tours recently--but if your husband wants luxury camps throughout and you want a private safari, you can accomplish both of those goals for the price (or certainly close to it) of a Micato or A & K group tour.

Have you seen the East Africa Trip Index which describes trips, accommodations, operator, etc.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34725679

climbhighsleeplow

I agree with the previous posts, however, I am not sure what your husband expects from a "luxury tented camp"?

Tauck outsources everything and use mostly Sopa and Serena safari lodges although Mbuze Mawe and Kirawira are permanent tented.

Micato have their own vehicles but also use mainly Serena and Sopa.

Neither company specialize in tented safaris and they certainly don't place their clients in the best locations to see wildlife, so you can remove them from your list!

Wilderness Travel outsources their safaris so you are paying a middleman. Don't!

Now what?

There are plenty of seasonal tented camps that move around and some that stay put!

In Kenya, if you go late July don't bother with mobile camps. You will be fine in the Masai Mara with the Governors Camps, Intrepids or Explorer, Rekero, Naibor, Olonana, Bateleur and so on.

In Tanzania in June/July it is best to go with an outfitter who specializes in the migration and who books a series of special camps in advance while anticipating the wildlife movements.

Nomad, CCA Under Canvas and Wildlife Explorer come to mind first. They specialize in small camps with only a few tents.
Thomsons, and A&K also operate their own luxury mobile camps on a regular basis and should be considered as well. However, these companies are group tour outfitters and their camps are generally larger.

And then one can consider luxury camps such as Olakira and EMC who move on a more fixed route and schedule.

The issue is this:

There are only a limited number of special or premium camp sites in the "best" locations at certain times of the year! And there are at least 20 smaller outfitters not mentioned who are also vying for the best sites! Something's got to give.

When choosing a luxury tented outfitter one has to consider who is where, or at the very least have confidence that your outfitter has the experience and resources and committment to plan ahead for the better camps!

Tanzania is a becoming a specialist safari destination with the most sophisticated safari options in East Africa - yes, you can certainly do the tourist circuit with an array of companies ranging in price from Micato to real cheaps ones in Moshi, but to "get a great guide and to be in the best locations to see wildlife" requires a new breed of Tanzania destination specialists.

The answer to your question?

Forget about tour operators such as Tauck and group tour outfitters such as Micato.

If you are thinking of an exclusive mobile safari that meets your criteria, start with agents who work with Nomad or CCA, and also contact Thomson and A&K to craft your best itinerary using their tented camps (I expect the latter two will be more expensive unless you opt to join a fixed departure.)

It often makes sense to combine camps from different outfitters - if your agent knows who has what and where!

Then scale it down to meet your budget. If your budget gets busted then who cares Actually you can then opt to use more seasonal camps such as Olakira or even a lodge here and there where it makes sense! For example, I think it is a bit silly to pay a premium price for a tented camp on the crater rim. It is too cold there unless you are in the one camp with the prime views!

This was a longg post!

andybiggs

Sandi, Thomson and myself go to areas that nobody else has access to. Trust me on this one. Yes, they use the same lodges everybody else uses, and also use camp locations that anybody else has access to, but there are some special locations that we have access to. But even if a company has the same location that everybody else can use, the real difference is going to come from the tent equipment and staff. This is a huge difference between companies, and there is no single company that is better than another. They are just different. For example, I have custom made camera tents made up for my guests that allow everybody to recharge their laptops and cameras. Again, just different.