kch246

We are staying at the NG Crater in November and have scheduled a flight to Kleins. Is it worthwhile to drive from NG Crater to Kleins? How long would it take? What about weather conditions in November?

Thanks

kch

HariS

I would assume that it's a longish game drive en route. So, why not drive?

Hari

PS: I haven't done the route, myself.

Bill_H

Klein's is a really long drive from the Crater, and it's not much of a game drive since big trucks will be on the road much of the way. I would fly (actually I'd schedule the trip so I had an intermediate stop at a lodge between the Crater and Klein's so I could drive, but going that distance in one day I'd fly).

What about weather conditions in November?

Beginning of the rainy season ... another reason to fly.

Bill

QueenofDaNile

Lonely Planet says it's a 10 hour drive by bus from Karatu to Loliondo. Maybe someone who has actually done it can share their experience.

sandi

Long drive. If you choose to drive, most will do an overnight midway in the Central/Seronera area, i.e., Serena Lodge or Mbuze Mawe Camp.

In November, there's always the chance of rain, as it's the "short" rain season which can mess up the roads.

If you choose to fly, it's either a costly private charter from Ngorongoro (NCA isn't scheduled flight stop), or drive back to Lake Manyara for a regularly scheduled flight to Klein's airstrip.

There's never any guarantee as to the weather... can be wet or dry.

tuckeg

We made the drive last year on October 7. The first couple of hours after leaving NGCL was very, very rough. The rest of the trip was not too bad. You must reach the gate near Kleins by a certain time or you have big problems. We ran into a rental vehicle that had stopped on a one lane bridge to game view and then wouldn't start. We waited while the rangers we were with tried to get him started without success. I was then able to get him started (pays to have a winter "beater" you learn lots of tricks) and we all headed for the gate as fast as possible. made it with a few minutes to spare. We flew back to Lake Manyara and did not miss the drive at all! I would suggest you stick with flying, it's money well spent. I think you will enjoy Kleins, we did.

QueenofDaNile

kch - Don't know what you decided but after reading these helpful posts from Sandi, Bill and Tuckeg we've decided to fly from Manyara a few weeks from now. Current conditions are dry, dusty and drive time of 8-10 hours. Not too much $$$ in scheme of things to save wear and tear and enjoy more time in the Loliondo area.

cmlong

It is a long and very bumpy drive, probably 8+ hours. No pavement the whole way. We drove from the crater to Northern Serengeti and did a stopover one night for game drives in Seronera. I liked the Seronera area and we saw lots of game there, so it was worth it, but if driving straight through I would recommend flying, because it is a long drive and you wont see a lotof game between the crater and the Seronera area.

One thing to know if you fly though, there is low likelihood of a "direct" flight. We drove out, flew back from northern Serengeti, and to our surprise the little plane made stops picking up/dropping off people in Seronera, southern Serengeti, and Lake Manyara on the way back to Arusha. THey will plot out whatever route suits them depending on the passengers and routings that day. Not so bad though as the views from the plane were fabulous, but it took longer than expected with all the stops.

November, isn't that the rainy season? That would be a problem driving. Not sure about flying, on how the planes handle mud on the dirt airstrips .