Safari travel agent suggestions?

Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 01:27 PM
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Safari travel agent suggestions?

DH and I will be flying to Tanzania next August (2018), arriving in Kilimanjaro on August 4 (at 1:15 AM!), and flying home from Zanzibar on August 16. These dates are firm as I booked business class seats on Turkish Airlines, using United Mileage Plus miles. The 24 hour window to cancel or change without penalty passed yesterday. We are obviously interested in the Serengeti and hopefully seeing the wildebeest migration, although I realize it's not guaranteed, but are willing to do what it takes to maximize the chances, including going into Kenya. The Ngorongoro Crater is also on the wish list and perhaps another game park if time permits. We will end with two or three days in Zanzibar. We have 12 days on the ground, leaving 9-10 for the Serengeti, possibly the Maasai Mara or another game park, and the Ngorongoro Crater. We want the accommodations to be somewhat luxurious, I've always dreamed of a 5 star tent! Our budget is between $5,000.00 - $7000.00 each, which does not include international flights as they are already taken care of. Any suggestions of travel agents to contact, or suggestions of any kind? I've emailed two TAs so far with my wish list and am waiting to hear back from them.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2017, 04:06 PM
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I used Warrior Trails for my northern circuit safari and they were excellent! Great vehicles and awesome guides. Clamian the owner is a Maasai so if you're looking for a cultural experience ask him to show you around his village Makuyuni.

In June the herds were in the Western Corridor so you may want to check roughly where they'll be for your time frame and book camps in that area.

To be honest I wasn't all that impressed with the migration in the Serengeti, it was just hundreds of wildebeest walking around and bleating. A river crossing would be interesting but with that comes all the vehicles jockeying for position.

I stayed at Kirawira and loved it! It was my splash out camp.

Lunch at Gibbs Farm a coffee plantation is excellent and their coffee beans are superb.

I'd add another day or two to Zanzibar because it's worth it, you'll want at least 3 nights at the beach. Check out Mchanga if you're looking for 5 star however they don't offer scuba diving but the huts & food are awesome. Not a party place like further up the coast in Nungwe.

Stone Town deserves at least 2 days - loved walking around the tiny streets of old town and watching the sunset at the Sunset Bar in the Africa House Hotel -- one of David Livingstons hang outs.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 03:37 AM
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We loved our safari with EASY TRAVEL.
They were great to deal with from start to finish: extremely accommodating re: our preferences, gave us the benefit of their expertise without seeming to try to sell us something, answered our zillion questions, always acted like our having a wonderful trip was their goal.
If you get Emmilian as your guide you will be lucky indeed.
They also arranged for a guide in Zanzibar. We stayed at Kisiwa House in Stone Town, which was lovely. We're not beach people, so a day outing to snorkel with Safari Blue was enough beach for us.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 03:55 AM
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Hi Laurie - I see you are in New York City and you asked for an agent. I suggest you contact Elizabeth Gordon at Extraordinary Journeys or Rumit Mehtas at Immersion Journeys. They are independent safari specialist agents in New York which means that can act on your behalf for your interests only. Rumit is from Tanzania and all he does is plan safaris and trips to a few other off-the-beaten-path places. Elizabeth has been to Tanzania and Kenya many times and her family is from Kenya. Both are friends of mine and tough competitors of mine as well!

Travel & Leisure just ranked Elizabeth's Company #4 safari outfitter in the World for 2017. I take these media rankings with a grain of salt but something to consider nonetheless.

If you want more options let me know. I know a lot of great agents here in the US that work directly with the lodges/properties and will therefore be the cheapest way to plan an upscale trip to Africa. This way you can cut out the guide companies in Arusha and save money and also have financial security of working with a US based company. If you work with a company in Africa just make sure they take credit card for deposit AND final payment. You can read the Tanzania forum on Trip Advisor for yet another recent example of a person who wired money to Africa for a safari booked with a local company called "It Started in Africa" only to see it disappear.

Craig Beal
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 04:45 AM
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Thanks for the replies. I'll contact everyone mentioned and hopefully find one or more that works for me. And I would only use a company that takes credit cards. Not only do I want to be protected, I want the triple miles I will get using my Chase Sapphire Reserve card!
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 05:35 AM
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I would choose 2 agents max. To be fair, maybe one in the US (Rumit or Elizabeth) and one in Tanzania? See who gives best service (don't focus on best price). Based on your fixed dates and budget, if you have multiple agents, they might be trying to get you the same space which will not work to your advantage. As far as Rumit or Elizabeth go, perhaps choose the first one to respond and who also agrees to work with you personally as opposed to hand you to consultant. Not that there is anything wrong with their team but why not the best?

If you find a company in Africa that claims to have a US office be sure to dig a little deeper. For example, there is an Arusha based company called Good Earth Tours that claims on their website to have a US Office. If you remove the #223 from the address and search for the US office listed on their website using Google Maps, you will find it is a METAL BOX at a UPS story in Germantown, Maryland. Try having a financial dispute with a metal box... http://www.goodearthtours.com/contact/

Of course, this is just one of many such examples of "US Offices".

Craig Beal
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 08:00 AM
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There are always bad apples in any business no matter where the company is located.

One example would be that fellow a few years ago from New York state who continually ripped people off. Sorry but I can't remember his name.

I've used safari companies in Africa for most of my safaris and have never had a problem. As with anything use common sense.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 10:10 AM
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Right now I am just contacting several companies and want to see what they can do at what price. While I will not base the trip on price alone, the price obviously is important. We do not have unlimited funds. Someone told me about Royal African and said they are the best, but I doubt I will be able to afford them. I sent an email to them outlining what I want and will see if they even bother to answer since I told them my budget.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 10:25 AM
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laurieco, I recommend you surf the threads on safaritalk.net.

I always used local operators without problems. One time I used ATR (London-based and they take CCs), no problems there either but nothing exceptional.

abram, I used Easy Travel on my first-ever safari way back in 2004! Had a great time. Glad to know they're still around. After a couple trips to TZ, I went to Kenya and just fell in love with Kenya. So haven't been back to Tanzania, though if work settles down in a few years I'd like to do another bigger, longer trip that includes both countries.
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Old Sep 24th, 2017, 12:21 PM
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Thanks Leely2, I will definitely go to safaritalk.net.

I wish to thank everyone who has answered, and I also want to say how much I appreciate not only your input, but also that no one has come here to tell me that I am all wrong in what I want to do, I'm crazy, the time frame is bad, money etc.. Such a nice respite from what goes on on the Europe forum! While I am no newbie to travel, I am to Africa (other than Egypt) and safaris. I hope to hear some more suggestions, and I'm reading trip reports as well.
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Old Sep 25th, 2017, 05:04 AM
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Hi laurieco, no brilliant advice here, just wanted to offer best wishes.

We spent time in Kenya last April and absolutely loved it. While many "experts" wouldn't recommend April (long rain season), we loved the low crowds (we were the only ones in camp on two different occasions), the abundance of babies (of every kind), and our experience was great. Go read my trip report and feel free to come back with questions.
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Old Sep 25th, 2017, 02:27 PM
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Thanks surfmom! It sounds like you had a great experience in Kenya. It must have been wonderful to see all the babies!

I've received my first proposed itinerary, from Warrior Trails, for a fairly comprehensive program, and, the price is good, at the lower end of our budget. There are no provisions for mobile tents however, thus I don't know if they will be following the animals, specifically, the wildebeest and zebra migration. I don't have a lot of time to delve into it this week as I'm very busy at work and working long hours, so I will need to go over this carefully on Friday (lucky me, I only work Monday - Thursday but can put in 45 hours in those four days).

I've gone to safaritalk.net but I have to say, I find the format intimidating. I'll try and get used to it though, especially since Fodor's is most likely migrating to a similar format.
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Old Sep 25th, 2017, 04:36 PM
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I would think that you could specify that you want certain camps with Warrior Trails. They may not get a "break" from them but they can surely book them for you; so you could accept some of their itinerary and then ask them to customize parts for you (will bring the price up). If you are doing the Northern Circuit, I assume, given your tight timeframe, that you will drive out and fly back?

Warrior Trails has always received good marks here.

You probably know this, but August can be dicey for the Migration, especially in the Serengeti. Of course these are animals and they do what they want when they want, year by year, rain dependent, etc., etc.

What is the proposed itinerary?
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Old Sep 25th, 2017, 07:17 PM
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Hi Laurieco. Sounds like a wonderful safari!

To add to what Leely wrote above, the great migration of the wildebeest across the plains in August is more likely seen in the Masai Mara. I'm saying this not just because i had the good fortune to see it there in August, but also because I'm pretty sure statistics back it up. it will be interesting to see what the TAs suggest --i.e. about having you cross into Kenya for part of your trip.

Enjoy the planning/dreaming!
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Old Sep 26th, 2017, 03:32 AM
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I don't have time right now to post the entire itinerary, but suffice it to say that it was not made to my specifications. They sent it to me within 24 hours of my contacting them. The thing that jumped out at me first is they have me going to the airport in Zanzibar hours after my flight would have left. I specially told them that the flight was at 5:40 AM, yet they have us being taken to the airport in the late afternoon. That tells me that very little thought went into planning this itinerary and it certainly wasn't tailored to my wishes. There are no mobile tents, thus they are not following the animals. I get the feeling that they just sent me a canned trip, sold to mass markets. I'm willing to pay more for a better experience. I'll contact them over the weekend. I'm still waiting to hear from several others.
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Old Sep 26th, 2017, 04:36 AM
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Hi Laurie,

I still suggest you give Elizabeth OR Rumit (not both) a try. I am sure they will listen to everything you say and carefully craft a great trip for you.

Craig Beal
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Old Sep 26th, 2017, 04:42 AM
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I will Craig. It may have to wait until Friday as it's a busy time at work and I may be working long hours. I'll try to contact them ASAP.
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Old Sep 26th, 2017, 09:02 AM
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Laurie did you contact Warrior Trails North American rep at [email protected] ?
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Old Sep 26th, 2017, 11:41 AM
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laurieco, this sounds like an exciting trip, and you've had some good feedback here. I have been on safari with Warrior Trails several times, and they have been delightful to work with; they have always been respectful of my budget, timelines, and interests etc. Because they are a ground operator in Tz and have been in business for 10+ years, they have good relationships with the camps and lodges, so don't be afraid to ask for what you want. As others have indicated, August can be a dicey month to predict where the migration will be, but I certainly recommend you be at the Mara River in Northern Tanzania for good sightings. I stayed at Lemala Mara Camp which is very close to the river. There are a number of great camps in that area now, but you can expect them to be somewhat pricey.

Have fun with the planning!
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Old Sep 26th, 2017, 12:01 PM
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Hey all! I lived in Tanzania for 2 years volunteering and I have been exposed to several safari companies. Your best bet is a locally owned company (least expensive and most genuine experience and supporting local economy). I highly recommend Tanzania Expeditions https://www.tanzania-expeditions.com/- I climbed Kilimanjaro and went on a 4-day lodging safari with their company for the first time and after that I have been back with my family at least 4 different times ( 3 times to climb kilimanjaro and safari and 1 time just safari ) I loved every experience with them- their guides are professional and really good at what they do. Hope this helps and have a great trip!! Here are their reviews on TripAdvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...ha_Region.html
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