A Dream About to be Realized....
 

The long wait is nearly complete...For our 20th anniversary we are leaving the kids behind and going to Africa! We leave for Tanzania on July 6th! I have been one of those that have lurked at this site for months now, gaining valuable information and hints along the way. We are going with an Arusha based tour operator called Wonders of Creation Tours, I had a really hard time finding any information about them but they have been extremely responsive and accommodating with our schedule. It will be a private tour. Our itinerary is as follows: July 7th - arrive @ KLM 1 night at the Impala, 8th & 9th - Tarangire River Camp(Tented Camp), 10th - Wild Africa Manyara Lodge(Tented Camp), 11th & 12th - Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge, 13th & 14th - Kirawira Tented Camp, 15th & 16th - Serengeti Serena Lodge, 17th - Fly out of Seronera Airstrip back to Arusha.

Couple of questions for you guys. How chilly does it get, we are trying to figure out if we should bring jackets or not. I know we need to bring a lot of cash in small bills, but how in the world do you carry that much bulk. For gifts to take, we were thinking of taking soccer balls for the kids. Good Idea? Bad? What else do I need to know???? I'm starting to panic!!!!!

We just returned from Tanzania, and I'm already jealous of people who are just leaving... you'll have the time of your life!

Regarding weather, the only place where it got kinda cold was at Ngorongoro, where it got to maybe 40-45 degrees at night. This is at the rim, the crater itself was nowhere that cold. The rest of the places were comfortable in the mornings and evenings, and pleasantly warm during the day. I'd say you should be ok with a warm sweater and a light windbreaker in case it rains.

Regarding gifts, the biggest problem with soccer balls is that they take a lot of space. We took a lot of candy, a few bottles of hand sanitizer (we visited a hospital and that seemed to go along really well), and a lot of pencils and note pads. None of these take a lot of space, and they were all very well received.

As for the cash, we took a bunch of envelopes with cash for each stop in the itinerary. We distributed the envelopes in a few places in our luggage, and that worked pretty well. Think maybe 5-10 USD per hotel per night, plus 15-20 USD per day for your driver / guide. Most of the larger hotels take credit cards for settling your drinks / extras, but tipping is in cash.

Have a great time!

I forgot to add something... the best hotel gift shop is, by far, the one at Kirawira. If you're planning on bringing some stuff, don't wait until the Serena Serengeti.

A jacket doesn't have to be a bulky ski parker. You can do just as well with a windbreaker (even a jean jacket) over a crewneck sweater. Or wear a thermal t-shirt under a top shirt or sweater for the morning and late afternoons/evening game drives.

The temps in July will be mild during the day, but the closer you get to the East African winter (Aug/Sep) the cooler the mornings and nights.

The bills can be cumbersome. For the samll bills, put some in a money belt and some in a fanny pack or bum bag.

At least there will be two of you to haul the bills around.

Layers are a good response to the cold.

Whatever you do do not put your money in a suitcase!

Happy 20th Anniversary! Lucky Family.

Have a wonderful trip and happy 20th! Please post a trip when you get back.