Advice
 

I just decided to take a trip to Tanzania for a safari in early March 2007 for the first time. Any advice regarding tour companies and is it worth going to Zanzibar at that time? Or would it be better to go to Kenya (Masai Mara) instead. Would like to stay in lodges and more of a private tour. Quite excited!

LastminuteH
Tanzania would be fine for early march But at this late stage a lot of the lodges are already fully booked
The best advice I can give you is to go and buy a Travel Guide to Tanzania or Kenya depending on which country you choose to visit.
The Lonely planet or the Rough Guide are both good
Email about 7 to 10 local operators recommended in these guide books and then ask them to suggest itineraries and lodgings incl. costs ect depending on your interests and the availability of rooms.
Then you will see easily which operators suit your needs
At this time the Migration is mainly in Tanzania so I suggest you spend your time there.

I did not get to Zanzibar but have friends that enjoyed it.

As for tour companies I can recommend

J. M. Tours or
tanzaniabateleursafaris.com

The guides we had were with J.M. Tours but one has just started his own company which is the tanzaniabateleursafaris.com site

Chris Christensen
Amateur Traveler podcast (and radio show)

We went with ATR. They will do their absolute best for you. We had a private driver/guide and stayed at small tented camps (with real beds!). ATR can also do lodges if you prefer, but the tented camps add to the experience and give you a chance to interact with the Maasai. March should be the rainy season but like everywhere else the seasons are screwed up there. The wildebeest will still be in Serengeti then.
We chose not to go to Zanzibar as our budget was limited so we went for quality over quantity on the safari and aren't beach people so we gave it a miss..

Here was a last, last minute Tanzania safari that was pulled together.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34929124