philipli

I will be in Kenya for work in early May and am hoping to tag on some time to go on safari. I know that it is low season because of the rains and non-migration at that time of year. Wondering if anyone has spent time in the parks and Ngorongoro Crater during the rainy season and could share the experience.

I'm trying to decide whether to take advantage of this opportunity in May, defer the safari to a different trip, or go somewhere else on the continent.

Many thanks.

Phil

Bill_H

Phil, we did a 10 night safari in Tanzania last April (Serengeti and Manyara) and had a lot of rain (mainly nights), but still enjoyed the trip. Since you are already there I'd take advantage of it and do the safari.

We didn't visit Ngorongoro that trip because access on the floor can be problematic (we were in the crater a few weeks ago and jeeps were getting stuck, some overnight).

What I would do is wait to book a trip to see how heavy the rains are and then to set it up so you can change your plans on the fly if need be (in case of access problems), which may mean going with a single chain of lodges.

It's not the best time for safari but it's much better than not going on safari at all, in my opinion.

Bill

PacoAhedo

Hello Phil,
We also went to Tanzanya last April,2 days seronera area,4 days Ndutu,2 days Ngorongoro and 1 day Manyara.

We had a few days that rained,but it was one hour maximum and didnīt interfere our game drives at all.
Wildlife viewing was very nice and the landscape was gorgeous.

Plus some times after the storms ,you will get the most fantastic lights you can imagine.
Here is an example ; a picture taken at Ngorongoro crater 2 minutes after a short rain:

http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/b...emberID=197302

I agree with Bill,once you are there,this is better than nothing.

Paco.

richardfh

I was in Kenya last year in May and had a great trip... yes, we had a little rain, but it didnt at all spoil our experiences or our game viewing. It is also nice that there are less vehicles at that time of year...

Richard

Bill_H

Paco,

Wow, that's a terrific rhino photo in the crater, the light is great!

Last April did you have any access problems at Ndutu or the crater? Our operator steered us away from Ndutu in April because of this and we skipped Ngorongoro too (our decision), but I think we made a mistake staying 7 nights in central Serengeti since we were a bit far from the game, and I got darned tired of the 30 minute drive thru the tsetse fly area each day

Anyway, were you able to move around Ndutu and crater easily last April?

Thanks ... and do you have any more shots like the rhino posted?

Bill

divewop

Paco-
Not to hijack the thread but
your rhino photo is wonderful.
I also scrolled through the rest of your gallery and your entire collection is just as wonderful!

Patty

WOW! Beautiful photos, Paco!

cary999

Great photos.
tom

PacoAhedo

Sorry Phil,didnīt mean to steal the threat,just wanted to show that rain and storms can also be good.In some african places they say"rain means game".

Richard is bringing something very interesting,you will find much less vehicles at this time.Actually the crater is very busy normally ,but during our visit we had some wonderful moments just for ourselves,just don't get lazy and be the first at the gate at six,you may have the first hour in the crater with no other vehicles at view.

Bill,in spite of the rains we had no travel problems at all at Ndutu or Ngorongoro.The roads where good in of and we didnīt see other cars stuck either.I guess will depend on the year.
We enjoy our two days at seronera but i agree,at this time southern serengeti,ngorongoro area is the place to be.

Paco.

PacoAhedo

Sorry,

Bill,the first 9 photos of my gallery are from that April trip to Tanzania.

philipli

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'll definitely move forward and see what happens. Maybe I'll be able to take a photo as great as the rhino!