lmavolio

Hi There - A very talented Fodorite helped me to put this itinerary together for a 3 week East African safari. My main question is, does this itinerary seem too rushed? Particularly my Sept 12th & Sept 13th dates?

01 Sep - Arv. NBO - o/n

02 Sep - Fly to Samburu - o/n

03 Sep - Samburu - o/n

04 Sep - Fly to Masai Mara - o/n Little Governors, Intrepids, Naibor, Olonana or Serian

05, 06, 07 Sep - MM - o/n

08 Sep - Fly to Wilson; fly to Kilimanjaro - o/n Arusha

09 Sep - Drive to Tarangire - o/n

10 Sep - Tarangire - o/n

11 Sep - Drive to Ngorongoro; afternoon crater tour - o/n

12 Sep - Morning crater tour; drive to Lk. Eyasi w/ Hadzabe - o/n

13 Sep - Hunting w/ Hadzabe; drive to Lake Manyara; lunch at Gibbs Farm; afternoon
game drive Manyara - o/n

14 Sep - Morning game drive; afternoon Mto-wa-Mbu - o/n

15 Sep - Fly to N.Serengeti - o/n Sayari

16 & 17 Sep - N.Serengeti - o/n Sayari

18 Sep - Fly via Arusha connecting to flight to ZNZ; transfer to beach resort - o/n

19, 20, 21 Sep - ZNZ, leisure - o/n

22 Sep - After breakfast to Stone Town; Town Tour; late afternoon/early eve transfer to ZNZ airport for flight to NBO for connection to homebound flight

A couple of specific questions - I am trying to decide:

1) Should we stay an extra night at Kisima Ngeda on Sept 13th or is it better to head straight to Manyara after our hunt with the Hadzabe? We spoke about this a bit today, but we are concerned it may be a bit too rushed for our Sept 12th & 13th days, but not sure....

2) If we do go to Lake Manyara on the 13th and fit in an afternoon game drive after our AM with the Hadzabe, should I cut out my Sept 14th day at Lake Manyara and Mto wa Mbu? If Lake Manyara is a small park, this would give me back an extra day and ensure that I have enough time on Sept 21st or 22nd to see Stone Town in Zanzibar (I am not sure what time my flight will be on the 22nd and I don't know how long it takes to see Stone Town and do it justice - so may be rushed in Stone Town depending on back end flight)

Sorry for the detailed questions - my head is spinning from itinerary scenarios

THANKS!!

atravelynn

So you'd get into the crater twice? That's good.

If you have the time and don't mind spending the extra dollars, I'd always opt for what appears to be the least rushed alternative. I've never ended up sitting in Africa being bored somewhere because I had too much time. An extra day has always opened up new options and possibilities that would not have happened with one less day.

To best answer the Sept 12-13 question, you need to know how a 2-night stay in Lake Eyasi differs from 1-night. You could pose that to your agent or ask the agent for references of people who have done both the one and two night stays.

Now here's a suggestion that could drive your agent wild with a re-work, if it were of any interest to you in the first place.

The earlier in the trip you do the Serengeti, the better. Currently you have it near the end. I understand why, to end in Zanzibar.

What if you STARTED in Zanzibar, did the Tanzania safari part, maybe even moving the Serengeti to the front? You could fly TO the Serengeti and drive to the other places. The existing itinerary has you drive through Tanzania and you end up flying BACK AFTER the Serengeti at the end.

Most itineraries are constructed like yours with the more relaxing time at the end. Obviously that's a desirable flow that appeals to many people.

These would be some reasons you could consider to put Zanzibar up front.

1. It will place you in the Serengeti earlier, which will likely be slightly better for migration and wildlife viewing. (My bias always tends toward maximizing the wildlife viewing.)

2. Some people have stated they use the less structured beach time to help recover from jet lag. Then they are fully acclimated to the new time zone for the more demanding (or at least early rising) safari activities.

3. As NapaMatt stated on another thread, everything else pales in comparison to the safari. So saving it for last makes sense.

4. Your most spectacular viewing will likely be in the Mara, and if you did Zanzibar, Serengeti, Mara in that order, you'd end with the biggest bang.

I'm not sure how flight schedules would support or hinder this suggestion.

I have no answers on the specifics of Stone Town.

For Sept. you won't want to spend too much more time at the drawing board.

lmavolio

Hi atravelynn - I can always count on you to respond And I value your opinion highly so thank you!!

I didn't really think about starting in Zanzibar, but you do bring up some good points about using it to recuperate from our LONG flight and saving the safari and the Mara for last. I'll speak to my hubby and see if he is open to it...Right now, I think we are still leaning toward ending on the beach, BUT, you definitely raise some very good points...

As for the timing, we are really pushing it with a 21 day trip, so this will be all we have...I'd love to not feel so rushed, but it is what it is I guess...

I do have to find out how the 1 night vs 2 nights at Kisima Ngeda differs and what the extra time there would provide. I am hoping someone can comment on that...Thanks atravelynn!

Any other feedback is welcome...

lmavolio

atravelynn - your idea of Zanzibar on the front end is growing on me tremendously! I like the thought of being more well rested for our safari and doing this through Zanzibar vs extra time in Nairobi. It would also be nice to end in the Mara on a high note...I am going to look at both itinerary options and see which one works better. THANKS for a great idea...

Has anyone else done Zanzibar on the front end of their trip?

QueenofDaNile

Laura,
As one who usually rushes, it sounds like the 2nd night at Kisima Ngeda would be a night to soak in the atmosphere of a wonderful little camp and get a good night's sleep before facing that 2 hour bumpy road again. Especially after having gotten up early to hunt with (and run after) the Hadzabe! After reading what Wildebeestus, Cybor and Silverparrot had to say I wouldn't want to be pressured to leave too early and miss visiting with other tribes like the Datoga.
I agree with Lynn with wildlife viewing being a priority but this is not exactly a place we will be visiting again. Looking forward to hearing what you finally decide.