Kenya & Tanzania travel - help planning itenary
Jul 22nd, 2011, 08:23 AM
#21
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None of the hotels you list in the Serengeti are in the North.
Serena and Wildlife are in Central, with the Sopa being a bit south of the others. If you want to be in the North, and based on your budget, would be Lobo Wildlife. But know, even this lodge is still a drive (2.5-3/hrs) to true North. And, if driving to here, best to stop in Central 1/nt to cut down on what would otherwise be a full day on road. Then, once concluded at Lobo fly back to Manyara or Arusha/JRO.
If flight arrives NBO 9am, the flights out to the Mara departs (from the small domestic Wilson airport... clear across town, taking 1-1.5/hrs considering horrific traffic). Flights to the Mara depart out of Wilson, 10am and 3pm. You won't make the 10am flight, but can the later.
What you could do is arrange for someone to meet you on arrival, do some sightseeing in NBO: Blixen Museum, Giraffe Manor, Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, lunch, then be transferred to Wilson for 3pm flight. Departing flights from the Mara are at 11am* and then 4pm.
*there might be be a 10am flight... believe it's Air Kenya.
If considering the Mara after Tanzania, with your flight landing NBO 4:30pm, you'll have to overnight at hotel and fly out to the Mara next morning.
Serena and Wildlife are in Central, with the Sopa being a bit south of the others. If you want to be in the North, and based on your budget, would be Lobo Wildlife. But know, even this lodge is still a drive (2.5-3/hrs) to true North. And, if driving to here, best to stop in Central 1/nt to cut down on what would otherwise be a full day on road. Then, once concluded at Lobo fly back to Manyara or Arusha/JRO.
If flight arrives NBO 9am, the flights out to the Mara departs (from the small domestic Wilson airport... clear across town, taking 1-1.5/hrs considering horrific traffic). Flights to the Mara depart out of Wilson, 10am and 3pm. You won't make the 10am flight, but can the later.
What you could do is arrange for someone to meet you on arrival, do some sightseeing in NBO: Blixen Museum, Giraffe Manor, Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, lunch, then be transferred to Wilson for 3pm flight. Departing flights from the Mara are at 11am* and then 4pm.
*there might be be a 10am flight... believe it's Air Kenya.
If considering the Mara after Tanzania, with your flight landing NBO 4:30pm, you'll have to overnight at hotel and fly out to the Mara next morning.
Jul 22nd, 2011, 11:37 AM
#22
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A logical misconception--that Northern Circuit means Northern Serengeti. It does not. The Northern Circuit means the northern part of Tanzania, which includes the Serengeti, but not necessarily the north section of the Serengeti. Could be any part of the Serengeti. In your case it is Central Serengeti, which always has resident animals due to the water source.
To get to N. Serengeti in Tanzania along with any other park in Tanzania in a time frame of about 6 days, you'll need to either fly TO the Serengeti or BACK FROM the Serengeti to have a relaxing trip.
Check the link for flight times to the Mara and elsewhere in Kenya.
http://www.airkenya.com/index.asp
To get to N. Serengeti in Tanzania along with any other park in Tanzania in a time frame of about 6 days, you'll need to either fly TO the Serengeti or BACK FROM the Serengeti to have a relaxing trip.
Check the link for flight times to the Mara and elsewhere in Kenya.
http://www.airkenya.com/index.asp
Jul 28th, 2011, 07:02 AM
#23
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BUKU,
It is possible to fly from Seronera (central) or Kogatende (north) to an airstrip in Masai Mara. You must fly from the Serengeti airstrip of choice to Tarime (Coastal Air); cross the border by shuttle at Isebania and on to Migori; then fly to the airstrip in Masai Mara that is closest to your camp (SafariLink). Your travel agent should be able to coordinate this for you. These are seasonal flights, however, and I'm not sure how late in the year they run.
Also, some camps drop their high season price on Oct 15, others on Oct 31. Wise to compare. Best of luck with your plans.
It is possible to fly from Seronera (central) or Kogatende (north) to an airstrip in Masai Mara. You must fly from the Serengeti airstrip of choice to Tarime (Coastal Air); cross the border by shuttle at Isebania and on to Migori; then fly to the airstrip in Masai Mara that is closest to your camp (SafariLink). Your travel agent should be able to coordinate this for you. These are seasonal flights, however, and I'm not sure how late in the year they run.
Also, some camps drop their high season price on Oct 15, others on Oct 31. Wise to compare. Best of luck with your plans.
Aug 1st, 2011, 12:23 AM
#27
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So having decided on only TZ, the suggested itenary looks as follows. Suggestions welcome...
Day 1 - Drive to Tarangire from Arusha, and then afternoon for game drive
Day 2- Drive to Lake Manyara adn game viewing in the forest of Lake Manyara
Day 3 Ngorongoro
Day 4 Drive to Sernegity- enroute visit Masai Bomba and then onto Serengity lodge via Nabi Gate
Day 5 Game viewing all day and the night at Lobo
Day 6 Full day game viewing and night at Lobo
Day 7 Lobo
Day 8 Fly from Lobo to Arusha.
Should we spend an extra day at Tarangire and cut make it two nights at Lobo (instead of 3?)
Day 1 - Drive to Tarangire from Arusha, and then afternoon for game drive
Day 2- Drive to Lake Manyara adn game viewing in the forest of Lake Manyara
Day 3 Ngorongoro
Day 4 Drive to Sernegity- enroute visit Masai Bomba and then onto Serengity lodge via Nabi Gate
Day 5 Game viewing all day and the night at Lobo
Day 6 Full day game viewing and night at Lobo
Day 7 Lobo
Day 8 Fly from Lobo to Arusha.
Should we spend an extra day at Tarangire and cut make it two nights at Lobo (instead of 3?)
Aug 1st, 2011, 07:21 AM
#28
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When is your crater visit? Is is it the afternoon of Day 3?
Day 4 are you in central or northern Serengeti?
--------------
Day 2 could be another day in Tarangire instead of Manyara.
Day 3 drive about 4 hours from Tarangire to crater. Go into the crater for the afternoon.
Day 4 Drive from crater to Central Serengeti.
Day 4 are you in central or northern Serengeti?
--------------
Day 2 could be another day in Tarangire instead of Manyara.
Day 3 drive about 4 hours from Tarangire to crater. Go into the crater for the afternoon.
Day 4 Drive from crater to Central Serengeti.
Aug 1st, 2011, 07:29 AM
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In Serengeti, Day 4 - it's gotta be a "lodge" here (Sopa, Serena, Wildlife), as there are no lodges* until you get to Lobo in the North.
As lynn mentions, you can do 2/nts Tarangire and skip Manyara. Drive (about 3.5/hrs) from Tarangire morning Day 3, to Ngorongoro for afternoon crater tour and overnight.
*well, there is Bilila, but unlikely as way over budget.
As lynn mentions, you can do 2/nts Tarangire and skip Manyara. Drive (about 3.5/hrs) from Tarangire morning Day 3, to Ngorongoro for afternoon crater tour and overnight.
*well, there is Bilila, but unlikely as way over budget.
Aug 2nd, 2011, 05:30 AM
#31
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If you are keen on the boma visit as scheduled and want to minimize box lunches:
Day 1 - Drive to Tarangire from Arusha, and then afternoon
for game drive
Day 2- Tarangire--day in the park
At the time of year you are going, if you make the effort to get to Tarangire, you need 2 nts there, not 1 for the ele herds.
Day 3 Drive to crater in morning, have lunch, then do an afternoon Ngorongoro crater visit, maybe noon or 1:00 pm to 6 pm. Officially, visits are limited to 6 hours and you have to be out at 6 pm. Stay at lodging near crater overnight.
Day 4 Drive from crater lodging to Central Sernegity, which is maybe 4.5 hours of driving with wildlife viewing along the way, so it might take longer- enroute visit Masai Bomba and then onto Serengity lodge via Nabi Gate - Sopa overnight.
If you visit the crater on the afternoon of Day 3, you have all of Day 4 to leisurely get to Central Serengeti with time to stop and look at sightings along the way and with time for your boma visit.
The one downside of an afternoon crater visit is that it gets more crowded at that time (and hot which is not just potentially uncomfortable for you, but makes the animals less active). If you do a pm visit, you don't have the option of skipping a hot breakfast at the lodge and packing a breakfast box instead to beat the crowd for a few hours of relative peace and solitude in the early morn.
Doing a morning crater visit on Day 4 could be a very full day if you want meals at the lodges and the boma visit. You could visit the crater from about 7:00, having a cooked breakfast, to 10:30 am, when it starts to get very hot. Athough technically you can stay for a full 6 hours according to the rules. If you had a restaurant lunch after the crater visit, you'd be Serengeti-bound about noon. Assuming that takes at least 4 hours of driving and a boma vist takes an hour, that puts you at a 5 pm arrival or later, without stops for wildlife Not much time to spare in order to exit the park by 6 pm, as required by rules.
You might consider a boma/village/manyatta visit somewhere else in the itinerary if you'd like to do the morning crater visit to take advantage of fewer people and less heat.
Check out this recent remark on am vs pm in the crater, found in this TZ report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...-tanzania-.cfm
<i>"Ngorongoro Crater drives. Morning is the best. Our second morning there we did not see any other vehicles for about two hours. Now, of course we were at the Crater floor by 6:30am and even the sun was not fully in it until about 7am. We also stayed at the Sopa Lodge which has the shortest and quickest route down (so I'm told). Sopa Lodge was nice, large facility and worked fine for me. As for afternoon trips in the Crater, I don't know enough about it to say which area, e.g. the Forest, is less crowded. There is no off-roading so that limits your choices. All I can say is if you have to go in the afternoon, go. But with each half-day entry for vehicle with two guests costing $200(?), I'd try to schedule for mornings. Like, drive from Arusha to Sopa Lodge, spend night, and go into Crater next morning for sure.</i>
If you would be willing to move the boma/village/manyatta visit to somewhere else in the itinerary and have a couple of boxed meals, I'd do this:
Day 1 - Drive to Tarangire from Arusha, and then afternoon
for game drive
Day 2- Tarangire--day in the park
At the time of year you are going, if you make the effort to get to Tarangire, you need 2 nts there, not 1 for the ele herds.
Day 3 Leisurely game drive out of Tarangire early. Drive to crater, perhaps doing the boma visit on this day. There are Maasai villages near the crater that enjoy receiving guests. Arrive at crater lodge in time to view sunset.
Day 4 With packed breakfast and lunch boxes (my own personal strategy for an optimal crater visit) get to the crater entrance shortly after the park opens at 6 am. Stay until 11:00 am-ish. No need for a lengthy stop for lunch. You'd be Serengeti-bound by about 11:30. Assuming it takes a good 4 hours of driving and you allow an hour for wildlife viewing, that's a 4:30 pm arrival at Serengeti Sopa. That leaves 90 minutes to spare before the park closes.
On day 5 you could spend the morning in Central Serengeti, then head for Lobo in the afternoon.
Day 1 - Drive to Tarangire from Arusha, and then afternoon
for game drive
Day 2- Tarangire--day in the park
At the time of year you are going, if you make the effort to get to Tarangire, you need 2 nts there, not 1 for the ele herds.
Day 3 Drive to crater in morning, have lunch, then do an afternoon Ngorongoro crater visit, maybe noon or 1:00 pm to 6 pm. Officially, visits are limited to 6 hours and you have to be out at 6 pm. Stay at lodging near crater overnight.
Day 4 Drive from crater lodging to Central Sernegity, which is maybe 4.5 hours of driving with wildlife viewing along the way, so it might take longer- enroute visit Masai Bomba and then onto Serengity lodge via Nabi Gate - Sopa overnight.
If you visit the crater on the afternoon of Day 3, you have all of Day 4 to leisurely get to Central Serengeti with time to stop and look at sightings along the way and with time for your boma visit.
The one downside of an afternoon crater visit is that it gets more crowded at that time (and hot which is not just potentially uncomfortable for you, but makes the animals less active). If you do a pm visit, you don't have the option of skipping a hot breakfast at the lodge and packing a breakfast box instead to beat the crowd for a few hours of relative peace and solitude in the early morn.
Doing a morning crater visit on Day 4 could be a very full day if you want meals at the lodges and the boma visit. You could visit the crater from about 7:00, having a cooked breakfast, to 10:30 am, when it starts to get very hot. Athough technically you can stay for a full 6 hours according to the rules. If you had a restaurant lunch after the crater visit, you'd be Serengeti-bound about noon. Assuming that takes at least 4 hours of driving and a boma vist takes an hour, that puts you at a 5 pm arrival or later, without stops for wildlife Not much time to spare in order to exit the park by 6 pm, as required by rules.
You might consider a boma/village/manyatta visit somewhere else in the itinerary if you'd like to do the morning crater visit to take advantage of fewer people and less heat.
Check out this recent remark on am vs pm in the crater, found in this TZ report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...-tanzania-.cfm
<i>"Ngorongoro Crater drives. Morning is the best. Our second morning there we did not see any other vehicles for about two hours. Now, of course we were at the Crater floor by 6:30am and even the sun was not fully in it until about 7am. We also stayed at the Sopa Lodge which has the shortest and quickest route down (so I'm told). Sopa Lodge was nice, large facility and worked fine for me. As for afternoon trips in the Crater, I don't know enough about it to say which area, e.g. the Forest, is less crowded. There is no off-roading so that limits your choices. All I can say is if you have to go in the afternoon, go. But with each half-day entry for vehicle with two guests costing $200(?), I'd try to schedule for mornings. Like, drive from Arusha to Sopa Lodge, spend night, and go into Crater next morning for sure.</i>
If you would be willing to move the boma/village/manyatta visit to somewhere else in the itinerary and have a couple of boxed meals, I'd do this:
Day 1 - Drive to Tarangire from Arusha, and then afternoon
for game drive
Day 2- Tarangire--day in the park
At the time of year you are going, if you make the effort to get to Tarangire, you need 2 nts there, not 1 for the ele herds.
Day 3 Leisurely game drive out of Tarangire early. Drive to crater, perhaps doing the boma visit on this day. There are Maasai villages near the crater that enjoy receiving guests. Arrive at crater lodge in time to view sunset.
Day 4 With packed breakfast and lunch boxes (my own personal strategy for an optimal crater visit) get to the crater entrance shortly after the park opens at 6 am. Stay until 11:00 am-ish. No need for a lengthy stop for lunch. You'd be Serengeti-bound by about 11:30. Assuming it takes a good 4 hours of driving and you allow an hour for wildlife viewing, that's a 4:30 pm arrival at Serengeti Sopa. That leaves 90 minutes to spare before the park closes.
On day 5 you could spend the morning in Central Serengeti, then head for Lobo in the afternoon.
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