1st African Safari
 

We are in waiting on airfare to finalize our African Safari, I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the weather, clothing, insect repellents, camera (have Kodak DX7440 point & shoot) & opticals, ect… Any additional info on the Lodges we are staying at? We are flying out of Minneapolis on November 10th 2007 for 2 weeks, our itinerary is looking something like this;

Fly into Nairobi, Kenya late - Overnight @ Nairobi Serena Hotel
Mount Kenya area – 2 nights @ Sweetwaters Tented Camp
Samburu National Reserve – 2 nights @ Samburu Serena Lodge
Flight to Kilimanjaro, Tazania
Overnight @ Serena Mountain Village Lodge
Northern Tanzania Safari & Lake Manyara National Park - Overnight @ Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
Ngorongoro Crater & decending to crater floor - Overnight @ Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Serengeti National Park & Oldupai Gorge – 2 nights @Serengeti Serena Lodge
Serengeti Area drives
Fly to Arusha transfer to Kilimanjaro airport. We will probably get a day room at Kia Lodge at the airport for the day, evening departure.

Thank you to all!

I should say that we have not finalized it yet and I was hoping to find out if we have an ok plan or if we should try to tweak it a bit. Any help with gear would be helpful. Thanks, David

Because you are not visiting Maasai Mara while in Kenya, I would add at least a day to the Serengeti.

As I haven't been on safari in Kenya, nor have I traveled in November, I don't feel qualified to say anything about the itinerary other than it's a bit rushed for my taste. I'd probably try to cut some parks and stay longer at other places.

Photos of your lodges can be viewed at http://www.serenahotels.com/safari.htm.

Do take a look at the New East Africa Trip Report Index and find some trips people have taken in November. http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34860283

There are quite a few threads on packing and cameras; if you do a search you will have more information than you will ever need or want. ;)

Good luck. Some people enjoy the planning; I much prefer the being there.

MiniApple

I really like the Kenya part. I think I'd stay one more night in Samburu and take a night from Mt. Kenya if I had to. But 2 nights everywhere is fine and common.

I see three issues in Tanzania. The most important is that Serena is a little south of where I’d want to be in November in the Serengeti. How about Lobo Lodge? Here is a link to where the migration has been in the past. Animal behavior can never be predicted, but it is a guide. If you make no other changes, make this one.
http://www.atta.co.uk/nomad/index.html

Second, a great itinerary will spend at least 3 nights in the area where the migration can be found. That’s the Northern Serengeti. You have only 2 nights in the Serengeti. That’s good--if you change to a more northern location--but not great. If adding one more day in the Serengeti must be paid for, I’d take the Manyara day and put it here. Or dip into the Kenya itinerary and take the Mt. Kenya day and put it in the Serengeti.

Finally, Tanzania seems a little rushed, but I think I’m getting picky now. One night in Manyara followed by one night in the crater is lots of road driving, not game driving. If you gave up Manyara for the Serengeti that would reduce the back-to-back one nighters. There are no species that are present only in Manyara that you’d miss. Blue monkeys are the hardest to see other places, but I’ve seen them at lodging in the Ngorongoro Crater. Manyara has great hippo viewing and nice elephant herds, but those are present elsewhere. If you could add one more night to Ngorongoro, that would solve the rushing.

Please post again as your itinerary develops.

I agree that the Kenya pacing is fine and I'd actually recommend leaving it as a 2/2 split. I felt Sweetwaters was worthy of 2 nights and was comfortable with a 2 night stay at Samburu which is a fairly small reserve.

Tanzania looks a little rushed to me too, but I'm not sure how to best revise it. You could do a Ngorongoro/Lobo combination but that would mean longish drives in between. Is there any way you can squeeze in another night?

Ngorongoro to Lobo would need a stop somewhere... it's just too long a drive.

With Sandi's advice, then one night at Serena Serengeti and two at Lobo.

I have not found a map this far that is showing all the locations and has any accurate milage/kilometers from area to area. Am I missing a mapping tool? Thank you so far for the great input, it is nice to have help...David

See www.go-safari.com Select Tanzania, Select the various areas and check out the maps. Regardless what you see, whether using the Google Earth tool available through this site or not... distances are not what they seem.

The roads are terrible. What takes 1/hr to cover on super highways, takes twice or three-times longer in Africa. Bumpy, rutted roadway. If you guide avgs 40, mph without game viewing... they're long hauls.