quiltingmamma

I am looking to do a East Africa safari and then go to Egypt for Cairo and Nile cruise. I would like to do a Tanzania trip with OAT Travel, but the difficulty seems to be the travel to get between Arusha and Cairo. They are of limited assistance for figuring this out and my TA has had less than optimal options to offer. Either I fly there (via Frankfurt); pay a fortune, or take the bus from Arusha to Nairobi then the plane - possibly a 2 day ordeal. Has anyone done this route in a reasonable cost and time frame?

Second option would be Kenya which would be easier in and out from Nairobi, but I haven't found a tour outline to match the OAT trip.

Any experiences or suggestions would be appreciated

Elizabeth_S

There are many experts who will likely weigh in on this but it would seem to me that you could easily transfer from Arusha to Kilimanjaro airport (about 45 km) and transfer to Nairobi then pick up Kenya Airways to Cairo (we did the opposite from Cairo to Kilimanjaro)

cheapiano

we're doing the exact same thing, except we're STARTING w/egypt then heading to tanzania. so we have two round-trip flights. one on egypt air jfk-cairo-jfk. then on kenya airways cairo-arusha-cairo (via nairobi each way). i even planned an extra long layover on the way to arusha so we could spend the day in nairobi.

so, our whole route looks like this: jfk-cairo, egypt itinerary. cairo-arusha (long layover in nairobi), tanzania itinerary. arusha to cairo (quick layover in nairobi/long layover in cairo---we're spending the night, actually, just to rest up). cairo-jfk.

hope this helps! i booked all the flights myself. way cheaper and easier than having my tour operators do them. (btw---while we're not going 'til january, i'm using bobby camping for tanzania, and have absolutely loved them so far. also using nile valley tours for egypt. and totally love them as well).

sandi

I replied to your thread on the TA forum with the air carriers that fly between Nairobi/NBO and Tanzania whether Kilimanjaro/JRO or Arusha/ARK. There's also the option for Shuttle Bus, though less expensive, also 5-6/hr drive time either way.

Best to fly into JRO (KLM has a non-stop from AMS) and though expensive (vs if flying into NBO), it's the easiest if doing Tanzania segment first.

Then once safari complete, there are flights from Arusha/ARK to Wilson (the domestic) airport in NBO, or direct into JKIA (the international airport) for your connecting flight to Cairo/CAI.

Whomever is arranging your actual on-the-ground safari (the in-country outfitter... providing guide/vehicle/accommodations, etc), can arrange either the shuttle bus or flight back to NBO for ongoing. If you choose to book this transport, whether bus or air yourself, the safari ground operator can arrange the transfer to point of departure at Arusha town center for bus or JRO airport.

quiltingmamma

Cheapiano, Sandi gave invaluable information that if you do a layover in Nairobi, you will need a Kenya visa and yellow fever cert.
Thanks Sandi for further details. I'll review the smaller airlines and see what I can get.

cheapiano

oh yes, we'll be getting our transit visa for the brief layover in nairobi. and i have my yellow fever cert anyway. but if you're just doing the layover and not actually leaving the airport/entering the country, you wouldn't need the visa (and i'm assuming the yellow fever cert)?

sandi

You need the YF inoc if you are transiting between the two countries, whether from Kenya to Tanzania and vice versa.

Of course, if not departing the NBO airport, no need for the YF & certificate; likewise on the return if from the JRO airport direct into NBO. But if you have to actually layover at a hotel or transit between the countries by road... you need the YF/certificate and also the Kenyan Visa (whether transit or full).

The Tanzania Visa for US passport holders is USD$100/person, good for 1/year; there is no transit visit available. The Kenya Visa as 1st Jan '11, goes back to USD$50/person, believe good for 3-6/months; Transit visa should be $20/person. And while if you purchase two (2) Transit visas you save $10, at least you don't have to waste time at the border each direction if you had simply purchased the regular $50 Visa on arrival at NBO.