birdog3344

Starting to research a Tanzania Safari for the summer 2011. A few quick(?) questions before I post my full itinerary and ask for feedback.

1) Has anybody traveled with or heard much about Planet Africa Safaris? What's the consensus on their tours?

2) Are there any spectacular waterfalls in the Northern areas that would be worth a side trip from the typical circuit?

3) If I want to add a few days in Zanzibar, am I better off making plans myself or having my agency tack it on to the safari? Certainly for convenience sake it would be easier to have them do it, but what about in terms of cost?

4) Has anybody done a biking tour (specifically in the Manyara National Park area)? Thoughts?

5) Is it possible to haggle for a better price. Without changing the itinerary, is there a chance they will go lower? Any tips on negotiating without sacrificing quality (accommodations, etc)?

6) Are all the rooms essentially the same in the lodges and tented camps? If the tour includes a particular lodge or camp, how do I know exactly what kind of room I'm staying in?

Thanks for any feedback!

Nikao

Good questions Cant answer all of them but here is some if my input;

1) no experience myself, but have a good search on this forum and around the internet for experiences and you probably will find some experiences
2) I don't think there are any
3) I would just check it yourself; try to look up the costs and see if they match that. To my experience it can be both more expensive and cheaper. An agencies sometimes gets better rates, but adds their own fee. (ive seen safari's that were cheaper to book via an agent than via the ground operator directly because of the rates). So try to see for yourself
4) I did 1 day of biking in the Manyara area, it was a more 'cultural' experience though, as we didn't bike through any park and saw no wildlife. But it was really nice, with a nice 'local lunch' attached to it
5) Always try to get more than 1 quote for the same itinerary of different companies. Compare the two and if one is cheaper just tell the agency so, big chance they will go lower to match the price.
6) Different per lodge or camp. I think most just have 1 type of room/tent, but some (bigger) camps/lodges have things like a honeymoon suite and stuff.

ShayTay

There is a waterfall that you can walk to in Arusha NP. You have to be accompanied by an armed ranger, but your outfitter can set it up. Arusha NP is a great place to start a safari and has black and white colobus monkeys, which you won't see elsewhere.

Maramboi Camp on the eastern shore of Lake Manyara has mountain bikes available for guests to use along the lake with a guide. One of our group members did that a couple of years ago.

You might be better off using your agent for a Zanzibar extension. There is some coordination that needs to be done... flights to and from ZNZ, transfers on the island, accommodations, tours and guides. I've had an experience where, if the outfitter hadn't been involved, we would have missed our flight to ZNZ. The air carrier changed the flight from the local Arusha airport to Kilimanjaro Airport. We didn't know this because we were out on safari, but the outfitter (Kibo Guides) booked us a quick flight between the two airports so that we made our flight. There wouldn't have been enough time to drive to JRO.

There is a tremendous difference is lodging, so you can go from budget to luxury. If you want to know about the camps or lodges, most of them (and some agencies) have photos on their websites. You can also post your itinerary here on Fodors and get comments.

JazzDrew

There is a nice waterfall at Olmati Crater near Olmati crater that Roy's Safari's guide Salvatory showed us. Great views. A Masai guide and armed ranger accompany you. We had a nice picnic lunch at the top of the falls. Here is a link to a photo of us before our picnic back in 2005:

http://www.pbase.com/jazzdrew/image/82818098

Jambo!

Jazz Drew

JazzDrew

oops...that should read Olmati Crater near Ngorongoro crater....

Some day I'll learn to proofread before I submit!

Local2542

Lots of good advice from folks above. Looks like Planet Africa used to be Green Footprint Adventures. I remember reading good feedback about GF, but as mentioned above, search for other info. If they changed names, you might ask if the owners are the same, if they use the same guides, etc. Just my experience, but when a business changes names, usually lots of other things change, too. Not saying they aren't great, but definitely get a couple quotes from other operators so you can compare.

Nikao

Ah yes thx Local for pointing out that PA used to be GFA indeed. I know that Mary is still running that, so you probably are good to go with them! Don't know about the guides and other people though (been with them on safari twice)

raelond

Mary and Jean disolved Green Footprint when Mary moved to South Africa. She now runs Planet Africa from there and Jean has his own company out of Arusha (can't remember the name.) They may both use the same guides. I used GF in 2008 and met Jean at the time. Great experience.

Nikao

Jeans company is http://www.wayoafrica.com and you might have seen him on TV as he has made a series called Ultimate Africa that has been aired on National Geographic and Discovery a.o.

mcwomble

Didn't you get all the questions answered on another forum a couple of days ago?

birdog3344

Thanks everyone for your input and advice! I'll post a potential itinerary soon. Look forward to feedback.


McWomble - I did post the same questions in another forum but got just one response and was hoping for some other perspectives.

Kitcha

I'm only going to answer a few of your questions as you seem to have full ansers to the others.

2)If you are staying in Arusha (the usual starting point of Northern circuit safaris) there is a very nice waterfall north of the city. Just at the foot of Mount Meru in a raven is a stream which you can climb down to, then walk along the stream until you come to an opening which reveals a beautiful waterfall. You can even climb up to the mid point of the waterfall. I can remember the name but it seems to be well known but a few of the lodges in town such as Ilboru Safari Lodge. It costs around $20-$30 as you need a guide and that price also includes a cultural trip to the Aru-meru people enroute.
3) It would be easier to have your agent book this. Firstly because they usually know what are good accommodation. They also have tour operater rates which they add their commission which would be slightly cheaper to what the lodge/hotel would charge you. Plus consider payment method - Paying one international company which can make payment to national companies is a big advantage if you consider bank fees. Make sure they are choosing a lodge/hotel which would suite you and your costs and research their suggestions. Researh other alternatives and ask the agent the price they offer to that accommodation and then you can find out the cost if you were to pay it yourself.
5)Don't haggle with on company as they may only reduce the price at the cost of your comfort. And comfort is worth every dollar. I would be wary if they did reduce the price with no obvious change. You should seek out alternative itineraries from the same company and others.
6) Accommodation varies depending on the style of accommodation. The best thing to do isask more information on the room. When you get the itinerary they usually mention the lodge which you can easily look up. Most agents book accommodation which are linked by one company so when you look up on lodge you may notice that the other lodges are on the same site.