24Lisa

We have already been to South Africa and are looking at planning our second trip to Africa for next year. I was originally planning on Botswana for September but after researching prices, I am looking at other options. Is the amount of game as good in Tanzania as in Botswana? Do they offer open game vehicles in Tanzania? We really don't want an experience where there are a large amount of vehicles at each game sighting. Is this the case in Tanzania?

Has anyone been to both countries and can compare. Thanks for all your help so far. I have posted questions a few times in the past and everyone has been so helpful.

sandi

Lisa -

No one can guarantee the amount of or what time of game anywhere. When we visited Chobe, known for its 30,000+ elephants we saw only 3. So who knows.

But September is ideal for Tarangire National Park with it's own mini-migration, the Ngorongoro Crater where everyone wants to stop (though this will be crowded). Except for the very northern park of the Serengeti... that's about it in Tanzania.

Most of the activity will be going on the in the Mara in Kenya where the migrating herds will be.

You can do a few days in Tanzania and then in the Mara.

Vehicles. If traveling by road for safari between parks, you require closed vehicles. And if on a private itinerary this will be your vehicle with guide/driver throughout. If you do a fly-in safari, you'll be using camp/lodge vehicles... most of which are open. There are many interesting camps outside the Mara boundaries on private conservation lands that use open vehicles.

I have no preference for one over the other; photo taking is the same with either. The negative with the open, especially in September with in East Africa's winter... the mornings and evening game drives - rather cold and windy; not so in closed vehicles. Vehicles certainly aren't a deciding factor for me.

24Lisa

Sandi,

Thank you for the information.

I was wondering,have you ever done gorilla treking? If we decide to go to Tanzania/Kenya I think this is something that we might be interested in. How many days would we need? Would 3 nights be enough? Thanks again

sandi

24Lisa -

Gorilla trekking isn't even on my radar... have no interest. But you will find a number of threads on this board about experiences in both Uganda and Rwanda. Do a search for these you you should obtain useful information.

Liz_Frazier

24 Lisa-
I looooove Botswana and have been there three times. The amount of game really depends on the location (camps) and season. Green season, not so much game. August and September lots and lots.
Chiefs Island has the more plentiful game for Moremi all year round. In much of Botswana the terrain is brushy and you hunt more for the viewing while in Tanzania it is wide open and game is easier to spot.
In Tanzania the migration is the center of the heaviest game and the route it follows is quite easy to find and follow. If you read the trip report I wrote after our March 2005 trip you will see that after that trip I changed my thinking to the most beautiful country we ever visited and that is Tanzania. The Ngorongoro Crater which I had visited 3 times before really captured my heart. I could have spent a week there. We stayed at some smaller camps and didn't find too many tourists other than in the Central Serengeti area. There are the larger hotel type places in the central area and many, many tourists and vehicles. Liz