teri714

Hello everyone.
I just have a few general questions...
My husband and I will be traveling to Tanzania in January of 2008. We will be volunteering at an orphanage in Mwanza. We also want to see the wildlife and have decided that we just want to spend a few days (3-4)unwinding and "processing" our experience, rather than jumping into a full vehicle and spending all that time cooped up. We've decided that Ndutu Lodge is perfect for this. Are there other places that fit this criteria around this price range (or even cheaper?)
What about the possibility of a one day safari drive or even a Walking Safari?

Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks so much!
teri

Bill_H

We were at Ndutu January 2006 and it was wonderful, with a large pride of 27 or 28 lions and numerous cheetahs, plus the beginning of the wildebeest migration. This is a rustic laid-back lodge located at the boundary of the woodlands and the open plains, so that time of year it's a great location.

"Are there other places that fit this criteria around this price range (or even cheaper?)"

The "Wildlife" lodges are about $90/day cheaper for a couple (rack rate) but the ones closest to here are on the crater rim and at Seronera and neither location is as good as Ndutu's this time of year. Also Ndutu gets uniformly positive reviews on places like tripadvisor.com while the Wildlife Lodge chain is often panned for run down buildings and poor service. Ndutu is probably the best bet that time of year in this area.

Bill

teri714

Thanks for your prompt response, Bill. This site has been so informative. It was my research on this site that helped us decide on Ndutu Lodge. (It was here that I also learned here how quickly it gets booked up and will start communications with them ASAP.)

I love the photos/videos, trip reports and valuable travel tips.

Bill, did you go with an oraganized group or safari?

Thanks again for your input.
teri

Bill_H

<b>Bill, did you go with an oraganized group or safari?</b>

In January we were with a group of 15 photographers in 5 jeeps, 3 per jeep. The leader was born in Tanzania of missionary parents and knows the area well and we had photographed before in the US with the other pro photographer. Mainly we wanted to learn which lodges to go to, what times of year, and how to string together the trip so we could photograph each AM and PM even on days we traveled. This worked out well for a first trip, I feel.

We went back in April on our own, just my wife and I with a private jeep from the same Arusha ground outfitter. Once you know the ropes this is easy to set up (you can do it based on this forum). We are going back for two weeks January 2007 with two jeeps (taking two friends), again booking on our own.

You can see some of our Ndutu area photos from Jan 2006 starting here and continuing to the rhino page, which is for Ngorongoro Crater ... http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/ta...lion_T2707.htm ... since you're in the area I'd recommend a day or two at Ngorongoro as well ... it's very crowded later in the day in the crater but if you are at the gate at 6 AM you pretty much have the floor to yourself the first two hours (the best hours) before the people from the lodges who had breakfast at the lodge drive down (ask for a boxed breakfast and eat it at one of the picnic areas on the crater floor).

Bill

teri714

Bill,
The photographs are amazing!!!!! Thank you for that link! Photography is a hobby of mine, so I appreciated your exposure/fstop/etc. info. My favorite photo is the one of Lip-scar and eye-scar meeting...great shot! What an amazing behavior to capture! I'm in awe of your experience! And that you had the honor of riding with the accomplished photographer...what a treat!

A day at Ngorongoro sounds like a fantastic idea, thanks for the suggestion. Can I do this through Ndutu Lodge? Maybe stay at a lodge on the rim one night and go from there?

In addition to the NGO we're with, I'm looking to develop a long term relationship a woman's center for development and offer my &quot;skills&quot; as a &quot;microentrepeneur&quot; (I'm still in the research stage). Hopefully this won't be our one and only trip to Africa. This also makes me feel better about not being able to &quot;see it all&quot; this time around...
I'm trying to do it all myself and If we can pull it off, it will be, in part, because all of your help. Thank you.

Bill_H

Glad you enjoyed the photos Teri, we sure had a good time taking them ...

<b>A day at Ngorongoro sounds like a fantastic idea ... Can I do this through Ndutu Lodge? Maybe stay at a lodge on the rim one night and go from there?</b>

Usually people staying at Ndutu have their own jeep, either as a private trip or in a group. When you come from Arusha it's about a 4 hour drive on a good paved road to the entrance of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), then you climb to the crater rim and traverse on the rim for a while, then drop down the far side to drive to Ndutu, which is about 2 hours and 90 km from the Ngorongoro rim.

So it's not real convenient to stay at Ndutu and go to/from the crater floor as you spend too much time driving. It also takes a while to drive down the steep descent road to the crater floor.

There are several lodges on the rim ranging from very plush and expensive to a couple about $100 more than Ndutu (Serena and Sopa) to the bargain Wildlife lodge. Maybe even cheaper in Karatu but that's a decent drive back up to the rim. For one night maybe ask your safari company about the Wildlife lodge and do an early AM drive the next day to the crater floor, then drive to Ndutu in the afternoon. We do this in reverse, our last day at Ndutu we do an AM game drive then drive to the rim and have lunch at the Serena, then do an afternoon game drive across the crater floor to the Sopa, so there's plenty of time to do both Ndutu and the crater in one day.

Between the crater rim and Ndutu there's a Maasai village you can visit (for a fee) and also the Olduvai Gorge museum. &quot;Nevermind&quot; has a very nice write-up on these two places on her thread that's active right now, I think she stopped at these on day 8.

Note that the entry fee into the NCA (including Ndutu) is $30/day per person and I was told this may rise to $50/day. For the trip down to the crater floor it's an extra $100 for each vehicle and you're supposedly limited to six hours on the floor to curb crowding (this was not in effect last January because it wasn't as crowded as in the summer but it may be enforced next year).

Bill

teri714

thanks for the info, Bill...very valuable.
You mention that people at Ndutu usually have their own jeep or are with a group. (don't laugh...in my ignorance, i hadn't quite figured out exactly how we would be able to get to Ndutu. I have no idea what I was thinking...) Posted this q on trip advisor and someone suggested a flight from Mwanza to Seronera or Arusha?
Now for the silliest question: What kind of group would be willing to just drop us off at Ndutu and pick us up (ideally drop us off at Ndutu and then pick us up for 1-2 day/night trip to Ngorongoro Crater? Does such a thing exsist? Have I just entered the expensive world of private safari?)
We really just wanted some quiet and contemplative time after our volunteer placement, something close to nature.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for all your help.
teri714

climbhighsleeplow

Hi Teri

Assuming you are on a budget, it still makes sense to fly from Manza to Lake Manyara. Then hook up with one of several local camps/lodges near Karatu (examples:

Kudu - http://www.go-safari.com/Manyara/Kuducamp.htm,
Jambo - http://www.go-safari.com/Manyara/Jambocamp.htm

These places are affordable and actually very friendly and pleasant. They can arrange a vehicle for you to Ngorongoro and Ndutu (if needed) and their prices should be very competitive.

Ndutu may or may not be the best place to be in January. I was also in Ndutu in January 2006 and could not wait to get out of there due to the drought and dust! Many companies with clients at Ndutu were actually doing their game drives towards Seronera (a very long drive).

It is best to be somewhat flexible; a better bet may be to try and arrange a camping safari. You can also do walking safaris near Ndutu but January could be a bit early for that due to the heat, dust and lack of animals if the rains stay away.

Good luck!

teri714

Thanks climbhigh,
Your suggestion was a wonderful one.
Yes we are on a budget (the only way we could really justify doing an expensive trip like this was to do volunteer work and then sneak in a little bit of sightseeing...) , and yes we are also very flexible.
I took a look at the sites you suggested...those are public camps? very impressive...I'll definitely look into this further...

after reading all the great trip reports, I'm really starting to regret the &quot;no safari&quot; decision. Perhaps a few day camping safari is just the right thing. So many decisions...

Again, thanks for all the help!
teri714

Leely

Teri, I grew up camping--but not backpacking. For our first trip to Tanzania, we did a 1/2 camping, 1/2 lodge trip and really had a spectacular time. If you can swing it $-wise, a brief safari at any budget level is well worth it. (Provided, of course, you're dealing with a reputable company.) You won't see this kind of scenery and wildlife most other places, so even though it's not the focus of your trip, I think you two would enjoy it very much.

Eben (climbhighsleeplow) knows what he's talking about. I'd go for it if I were you.

teri714

woo hoo!

Eben and Leely - twist my arm ;-)

Jack and I have realized what a thoroughly foolish idea it would be to pass up this great opportunity.

We've added a budget of $1,500 pp($3,000) for what we know will be an amazing adventure! (Really hoping i can pull of a safari for two and that it won't eat up too much of our budget...)

Back to square 1...i'm so excited...WE'RE GOING ON SAFARI!

Leely, I like the idea of camping out as well. Who did you use for this and how much did it cost? Is a 1/2 lodge 1/2 camping safari fairly common?

A million new decisions to make...i'm a little overwhelmed...gotta spend a few days just trying to figure out what we really want.

Thanks all for your encouragement and excellent advice!
teri714

Leely

Teri, I'm sorry, I didn't see your question until now. We used Easy Travel and Tours in Arusha (they're listed on the TATO website). I would describe them as semi-budget to moderate in pricing--in 2004 we paid something like an average of 170pppn for 2 nights camping and 5 nights lodge. If you do go with them, you must try to get Adrian Mkay as your guide. He is a wonderful person and a crack spotter, too. We had no problems whatsoever, and this was largely (or entirely?) due to Adrian and Antony, our cook.

Another company recommended on this board frequently for camping is Sunny. But do check the East Africa trip report index for a more comprehensive list. And you could also just do as Eben has suggested, which, given you time constraints, could work out well too.

Your trip will be very interesting, I'm sure. Get crackin'!

teri714

Leely,

a bit of clarification... Our trip isn't for 16 months...jan 2008. I'd like to consider myself somewhat of a free spirit, but planning Africa in just 3 months is just plain nuts ;-).

I'm so glad you responded! I have spent hours reading and re-reading (and re-reading) trip reports. I found both of yours. Sounds like you had a great time both times, but we fell in love with your second tented experience (I want to be petrified by the sounds of lions, too!!!), and it sounds exactly like what we're looking for! Looks like we're in the same budget realm as well...very encouraging!! We are also living in the Pacific Northwest (Eugene, Oregon) and we also do a lot of camping...but want Africa to be...special.
Thanks for all your help so far! Will definitely look into your outfitter... and have already made note of your guide. (i liked his sense of humor!)
teri

teri714

Leely,
Went back to reading....Seems I'm the one who's thorougly confused..

We are really interested in the details of your second trip. We can afford 250 - 300ppn perday for about a 5 day safari. You seem to have done some research on the whole tent experience.

This tent thing is getting very confusing...We are interested in the Special Camps/ semi-luxury. Definitely not budget dome tents. Is this possible with our budget? If not, maybe a shorter safari?
Any help/advice would be really appreciated!
teri

teri714

If there's an award on this site for the most clueless poster...ta-da!!!

Leely,
It just clicked! semiluxury camping IS dome camping. Budget is ....less.

What we want is, I guess considered luxury. Was the Ronjo site you stayed at comparable (in terms of &quot;level of Luxury&quot to the Nomad site? This would help clear up a lot of my confusion.

If this is the case, what is the expected budget...$350 - 400ppn per day?

A little less confused than before, hopefully,
Teri

Leely

Yes, sorry, Teri. I did 2 trips, the most recent much more expensive, but still inexpensive for Fodor's. We came in at about 450pppn, but Nomad Tanzania, the most expensive part of our trip, was 1600pn for our group of 3. Also, we had the single supplement bumping up our costs.

I understand that prices are going up up up, and I'm not sure the best locations for January--maybe central Serengeti to hedge one's bets? I guess I would set a tentative budget for the two of you and then plan on an additional 15% or so--just in case. Also, it sounds as if you may want to factor in a flight from Mwanza. Eben's site go-safari.com has routes and schedules.

Sandi and Eben and others will have better ideas about costs.

You're lucky you have so much lead time to plan. You'll be able to make well-informed choices.

teri714

seems we're posting at the exact same time. Yes, we're still at the budget planning stage.
Glad to know Nomad was more expensive than Ronjo. (Sites like Ronjo are exactly what we are looking for...)

will try and do more research on tenting/special camps so I can post more intelligent questions, thanks for help clearing things up.

teri

Patty

Teri,
Semi-luxury camping generally refers to a <i>real</i> camping safari using private (special) campsites where the outfitter packs in and sets up everything (sleeping tents, toilet/shower facilities, etc.). It's set up just for your party. Different outfitters define &quot;semi-luxury&quot; in different ways so there's going to be variances in comfort level. You have to take a look at what each outfitter offers specifically. Here's one example http://www.roysafaris.com/budgetSemi.html

What I think you want is a seasonal tented camp. Nomad, Rongo, EMC, CCA's Tanzania Under Canvas, Sayari, Olakira, etc. fall into this category. These camps move seasonally but are set up for a longer period than just your stay. The camp is shared with other guests who may have booked through different outfitters (although I believe you must use MKSC as your ground operator to stay at Ronjo). Usually the camp is limited to less than half a dozen guest tents. At some, you'll be using camp vehicles and guides for your game drives. At others, you can bring your own vehicle and guide with you. Eben's go-safari.com site has all of the 2006 rates. Go to Serengeti and seasonal camps. The cost for staying at seasonal camps will generally be in the range of $500pppn and up (you'll be heading straight to the top of the food chain on your very first safari ).

So if the latter is what you want, just say seasonal camps and everyone will know what you're referring to.