I got my first feed back from an agant on our short trip to the Crater and the Serengeti today. The comment was that we should go to Kliens Camp as the Serengeti would not be good at this time/too wet!

Ok, I know several of the Board have been to Tanzania the areas we want to in April.

We want to go to Lake Manyara either Senera Lodge or CC's Tree lodge-1 night. The Tree Lodge will be open till April 15 in 2008-9, but is it going to be to iffy to get to?

Then two nights in the Serengeti at TUC or Nomad Serengeti Mobile Camp. They are supposed to be located in the rught area for the time of year. Is this crazy, should we go for one of the central lodges or maybe even Mbuze Mawe though according to the GoSafari maps it is too far north.

Finally 2 nights at South Camp NCrater Lodge. We will do some game drives to the Crater floor if the roads are passable. Otherwise we will content ourselves with other activities including just enjoying the lodge.

Sorry, I hit the wrong button, ment to edit first! Sorry for the typos!.

We will arrive in Nairobi on April 6 and depart on April 13. So there are 2 transit nights too.

From the trip pictures I have seen on the board, there should be more than enough to see and enjoy while we will be there. Plus some rain, but that is OK too.

Any suggestions on which lodges/camps would be the best bet?

Thanks.

<b>We want to go to Lake Manyara either Senera Lodge or CC's Tree lodge-1 night</b>

Likely very difficult to get into Tree Lodge since the road is long and crosses several washes that flood during heavy rains. Definitely Serena for this leg ... I've also heard there's much less game at the far end of the park where Tree Tops is located.

<b>Then two nights in the Serengeti at TUC or Nomad Serengeti Mobile Camp. They are supposed to be located in the rught area for the time of year. Is this crazy, should we go for one of the central lodges</b>

I would do TUC or Nomad ... if it rains hard at night (we had one night with high winds and extremely heavy rains in April 2006, even the lodge room was shaking) you'll have an exciting night of it in a tent, but the location is perfect for that time of year. Think of it as an adventure ...

<b>Finally 2 nights at South Camp NCrater Lodge. We will do some game drives to the Crater floor if the roads are passable.</b>

Fine plan!

I would avoid Klein's Camp that time of year, too far north.

Bill

Well so far I have proposals back from 2 of the 3 Safari quest. They are totally different from each other! Also from what I sent to them to bid on once we leave Lake Manyara! This is the plan that I shared with the board which I thought was good for us. Seemed to give us what we wanted, good mix of scenery whch we know we enjoy, chance for animal sights-the big herds and cats which we want to see and a mix of tent and lodge experiences. So we will know what we like best if we ever get to do a second trip. By the way, we are in our 60's, but &quot;travel OK&quot;.

The second agent has come back with the Masek Nomad Camp in the Southwest Serengeti-enter through the Serengeti Gate for 2 nights April 10&amp;11, last 2 nights in Tanzania.

I can't find this camp on Eben's map. Does anyone know where it is? Based on what several board members have said, this doesn't seem very well located for 2nd week in April based on agent's description on how to get to it. It sounds like it is down near the Ndutu Lodge, right on the park boundary as we enter from the Serengeti Gate not the Naabi Hill Gate.

Also we would have to back track and re-enter through the Naabi Gate to get to the Moru Kopjes if the migration had moved out of Ndutu. Did say any additional park fees would be paid by the camp, but..sounds like a lot of driving.

Did say there was a lot of resident game in the area year round. This seems to contradict what has been said on this board about the area. Did I misunderstand?

I think I would at least like the option of 2 drives a day instead of just one. This sounds more like spending the day on the road period.

Then they have us flying out of Seronera on the 12th at 11am-1:15pm to JBO for our 3:40 pm flight to Nairobi. We will have to go back though to the Nabbi Gate to get to the airport.

Both agents do have us staying at Asurha Coffee Lodge and LM Tree Lodge, even though some comment that there is no game at the back of the park and we probably won't be able to get in there by car.

Is this camp really the best place?

Help please!

<b>Masek Nomad Camp in the Southwest Serengeti</b>

Probably near Ndutu Lodge (&quot;Masek Nomad&quot; isn't a specific place, it's a group of tents that is put up in different camping areas) ... so I'd rather stay at the lodge than in a tent in April. This map shows Lake Masek and Ndutu ... http://www.ndutu.com/pages/where.html#maps

<b>Did say there was a lot of resident game in the area year round. This seems to contradict what has been said on this board about the area. Did I misunderstand?</b>

&quot;resident game&quot; means game that doesn't migrate and because of the diversity of habitat at Ndutu (lake, riverine, open plains, woodlands) there are pockets of resident game year-round, including buffalo, two lion prides, cheetah, leopard, a few elephants and various antelope (eland, topi, hartebeest). But it can be hard to find interesting critters on demand as this is a harsh place during the dry months.

However you said you wanted to see the migration and in April the bulk of the herds may or may not (but likely will) be a bit north of here, though in April 2006 they were closer to Ndutu than to Seronera (maybe because it was so dry earlier).

Ndutu Lodge writes quarterly reports that give you some idea of what's around, so you can read the April reports for past years and get some idea of what to expect, though each year is different.
http://www.ndutu.com/archives/index.html

<b>we would have to back track and re-enter through the Naabi Gate to get to the Moru Kopjes</b>

The Serengeti map I have shows a good road direct from Ndutu to Moru to the west of the main 'highway'. Dunno how passable it is after heavy rains though. Looks like about a 90 minute drive.

<b>Is this camp really the best place?</b>

If you can handle camping in the rain and are aware of the risks the camp may be inaccessible I'd still go for Moru area. If you are staying in the Ndutu area I'd much rather be in the lodge during the rainy season. Because of the slippery volcanic ash and because the road crosses the head of one of the lakes you could have very limited road access here though (whether in a tent or lodge).

Bill

Thanks Bill,

This is what I was thinking. This brings back the pain I went through trying to get that we wanted before.

If this plan is this agents best shot, then guess I either need to stay at the Senera Seronera Lodge or try another operator. Good news is there is still one I haven't received an itinerary from plus several groups I haven't even tried.

This agent's comment was that we couldn't cross into the Serengeti where the camp was located but would have to back track to the Naabi Hill area. So all that is confussing to me. When I look at the map it does look like there are other roads given that we entered through the Serengeti west gate to get to the camp. I wrote back for some more information.

CCAfrica was the one that suggested Kliens Camp, didn't think their TUC was good for this time of year. I wrote them back to try again on those two days, we will see.

Rain and tents may not mix in this area at this time of year. Maybe one of the central Lodges is best. But I will try a while longer and see what is suggested-it is not like every thing in the area is full, but i know that NLodge is closed. If we are going to camp (and in the rain) I want a nice camp with the best access.