dmiclat

Hello -

We are a family of 4:
Parents both age 52yo
20yo daughter
18yo son

We are having a very difficult time choosing between the following destinations for our 10 night holiday the last week of June thru first week of July 2017:

10 nights in Capri/Amalfi Coast/Naples
vs
10 nights in Tanzanian Safari/Bwindi Gorilla Trekking.

We have already had the great experience of enjoying Easter holiday in Rome and Florence.

Key success and happiness factors for our 2017 holiday are (in order of descending priority):
1. Safety/Health
2. Weather - Sunny. No rain. Low-mid humidity levels.
3. Flora and Environment - great colors and unique sights for photo opps.
4. Want to avoid constant HUGE crowds and LONG LINES

The specifics for each of the destinations are below:

Capri/Amalfi Coast/Naples - Self/Private Tour
La Scalinatella Hotel on Capri (4 nights)
Santa Caterina Hotel on Amalfi Coast (4 nights)
Naples (2 nights)

Tanzanian Safari & Bwindi Gorilla Trekking - Bespoke Micato Safaris Tour
Arusha Coffee Lodge (2 nights)
Ngorogoro Crater (2 nights)
Northern Serengeti/Mara River (3-4 nights)
Gorilla Mtn Trekking Rwanda Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (2-3 nights)

Your decision and supporting reasons are greatly appreciated!

Best Regards,
Darryl & Catherine
USA

Leely2

I voted on your other thread. I am off to Naples and the Amalfi Coast in a few weeks, but if I were you I'd take the safari. If you enjoy nature and wildlife, go to Tanzania and then see the gorillas in Uganda (or Rwanda). Breathtaking experiences.

Your proposed itinerary from Micato seems a little rushed to me, but the experts here can advise.

CaliNurse

For starters, read some discussions on other FF Africa threads about Micato. Not recommended.

Wow!! no wonder you're having avery difficult time deciding!! These two parts of the world could not be more different.

In Africa, you won't find huge crowds of humans. With luck you'll see huge crowds of wildebeests and zebra crossing the Mara River (why TZ instead of Kenya, btw?) with crocodiles hungrily eyeing them. Breathtaking, as Leely said. You may find long lines at airport immigration upon entering the country, but in general, it will be nowhere near as crowded as the Amalfi Coast at that time of year. i loved it, but there were plenty of crowded narrow streets--siometimes locals, more often tourists.

My answer: I favor Africa, not as a destination "better" than Amalfi coast, which is incredible and spectacular in so many ways, but because East Africa is SUCH a unique experience for you all. Who knows when you and the kids will next have the chance to do this amazing trip where you will see things that are totally, totally different from any other trip you've had or even will have.

CaliNurse

Oh--sorry. You do have Mara on itinerary.

The big question is...do you ALL love seeing wildlife? You'e going to spend hours on the plains, and/or trekking through jungle. Are your kids --and you--going to be ok with this? I've met people (including a family with teenagers) who were NOT...they were bored after a couple days on a jeep looking at assorted animals. Different interests, that's all. No shops/no restaurants/no omnipresent instant cell phone connection. Obvious, sure...but I don't want to recommend something which your kids may not enjoy, if they are not going to be happy and interested and absorbed by this very different pace and experience. What do they favor at this point?
On the other hand...I went to Kenya two yrs ago with my then 17 year old grandson who's as much into "modern" life as the next teenager... and he loved it!!!!! The local people, the other travelers , the animals... he said every every hour was amazing for him!

AMURIAT

Hullo, i would recommend you to Uganda for the best of African True wilderness. All your needs of safety, health weather and flora and faun are abundant

We receive sunshine thought the year with agreat diversity of vegetation from the Northern semi desert to the southern Rain Forest.

Itinerary:
Bwindi(Gorilla trekking) ---3 nights
Quen elizabeth( Game drive, launch cruise)--2 nights
Kibale( Chimpaze trekking)--2 nights
Lake Mburo( Zebra magnet)-- 2 nights
Back to Kampla or Entebbe
www.ababasafaris.com

bookings: [email protected]

LeslieC

Africa - without a doubt. It doesn't appear you are budget sensitive if you are considering a Micato tour. But you really should read about them as their pricing is largely regarded as rip-off level. Do try to choose a tour that includes some cultural elements also as this will make it more of a growth experience for your children.

10 days is not much time for Tanzania, let alone Rwanda or Uganda, but if you can do both all the better as the Gorilla trek is amazing. I have been to Rwanda, not Uganda. Among the reasons we chose Rwanda was that the drive to the Volcanos National Park is only 2 hours from Kigali, whereas I believe it takes about 8 hours to get to Bwindi. Rwanda was beautiful and we felt very safe.

Good luck with planning.

dmiclat

Good afternoon CaliNurse & LeslieC -

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement. We would like your thoughts on the following:

We are now under a bit of a time restriction and can spend only 7 nights in actual safari camps. Since, this will be our first African safari experience, we are wondering if we should try to use this as a "Discover Safari" experience - to get a first, hand feel for safari services, upsides, and downsides. The theory being this initial safari experience help us identify what we like/dislike about safaris and enable us to better plan a future safari experience (or one at all).

With this in mind, which of the below itineraries would you recommend and why? Also, do you think the second itinerary would require a flight to get to Serian Serengeti North camp? Lastly, would you be able to recommend an alternative itinerary (e.g. a blend of the below itineraries or something entirely different)?

Ngorogoro Crater + 2 Serengeti Camps:
- Arrive into KJO and spend 1 night in Arusha
- Ngorogoro Crater camp (1 night)
- Old Duvai camp (1 night)
- Dunia camp - Central Serengeti (2 nights)
- Serian Serengeti North camp - North Serengeti (3 nights)

Ngorogoro Crater + 1 Serengeti Camp
- Arrive into KJO and spend 1 night in Arusha
- Ngorogoro Crater camp (2 nights)
- Serian Serengeti North camp - North Serengeti (4 nights)

Any and all guidance is greatly appreciated!

Thank you!
Best Regards,
Darryl & Catherine
USA

Lolazahra

I love Tanzania. I have been to both the Serengeti and the Crater. Dunia Camp is an Asila camp and they do a great job. I stayed at Olakira for the main reason of seeing the migration during the time I was in the Serengeti. Though even without seeing river crossings with thousands of animals, sightings in the Serengeti are impressive. I would also your operator why they chose that specific camp for you as Asila has many lodges. Just curious if game viewing will be more prolific for you in that camp at the time you will be there. For the Crater, are you specifying Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, an And Beyond Camp? If so, it is an amazing experience perched right on the side of the Crater. They can create very, very special experiences for you and your family on the floor of the Crater. And Beyond Camps are a superb experience all around. The Crater can sometimes get a little crowded with vehicles in a very dense space but the game viewing is fantastic and it is really a magical place. Descending down to the Crater floor is exciting. If you choose the Serengeti and the Crater, ask your operator if your Asila guide can drive you to the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge from the Serengeti. Ours did and it was a wonderful experience driving with a guide we had come to know and the viewing on the way was spectacular. We also stopped at a favorite rest stops with baboons everywhere -- the kids and I still laugh about it. Also stopping at Olduvai Gorge is a great cultural and historical experience for the whole family. I am not familiar with the other camps but they look very nice. But ask yourself why those camps -- gameviewing, cultural experience, spectacular views, etc? If you are indeed at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, I would stay two nights even if you switch the other lodges around. You will be sorry to leave after only one night. I can also recommend Dunia only because I know Asila does a very good job and went out of their way to take care of us. Check out the other camps on Trip Advisor if other folks don't chime in. IMO you cannot go wrong with Tanzania. But check the migration calendar too. Good luck.

amyb

I think anyone reading the Africa forum here on Fodors is going to say Africa! However, I love Italy just as much and adore the Amalfi Coast, however I went in late March, when it was not that crowded and the weather was comfortable.

I do not have personal experience in June/July but my best friend took her husband and two teen children to the Amalfi Coast last June and she said it was incredibly crowded, very very hot (hotter than Boston that is) and she was thankful they had a private villa with a pool, which is where they spent most of their time. She said she would never go back there at that time of year again, it just wasn't what she thought it would be since they couldn't really enjoy it the way they wanted to.

Lolazahra

I concur about Italy even though I am off to Rome on Friday -- but its work/play and I have no choice with the dates. We spent 3 weeks in July a few years back and it was so hot it was distracting. We did a week in Rome, a week in a villa in Tuscany (the only place that was manageable) and a week in Ravello on the Amalfi coast as our base but roamed all over. The crowds were huge in Capri, Amalfi, Positano, etc. It was not pleasurable to shop or walk around. Some of the smaller little enclaves were better but we spent a lot of time in our hotel and the Ravello square avoiding the heat and crowds. And I am an Italy lover. It is my favorite country other than South Africa in the world. I would go to East Africa for something new and spectacular and plan the Amalfi Coast during another Spring Break. Also a year ago we took a summer European cruise and got off in Naples. It was scorching and difficult to enjoy the sights.