LEAVING 7/22 with OAT...anyone been there?
 

I have been reading everything I can for the past year & thank all of you for your comments... We are celebrating our 45th anniversary by going with OAT on their Ultimate African Safari...We will go to Botswana, Namibia & Zimbabwe...then, we are taking the post trip to Cape Town... we are sooo excited...it is something we have always dreamed of !! anyone been with OAT on that trip? we have several friends that have traveled with them many times...

thanks again for all the wonderful tips... I'm sure I will have lots of questions before we leave...

Nancy & Bob

I took the OAT Ultimate Africa tour in June, 2005. I've been hooked on Africa since.

Hi, we went in November 2007, it was for my 70th birthday. It was the great can not say enough. OAT does a great job. The only bad was luggage got lost, it is still out on safari. We did our trip on our carryons only, I always over pack now I know you can do it with less. So pack 2 changes in carryon like we did, so glad we did. Have a great trip will be glad to tell you about our trip if you want. Nancy & Pat

Nancy & Bob - You will not be sorry for booking with OAT, I have talked to several people that took this trip and just loved it. We are booked for OAT Safari Serengeti for Sept 9. We wanted to go on the Kenya/Tanzania trip but they wouldn't allow us to do our own air. So we booked our air to arrive in NBO three days earlier so to do our own little mini flying safari to the Mara staying at the Mara Serena.

We are very interested in taking their Ultimate African Safari, maybe in a couple of years.... Please let us know how your trip was and have a great time!!

SD

Thank you so much for the info.... we will let you know everything we did when we return in August .....

I wanted to send you an email off the forum but wasn't sure what your email address was.... I'm really new at this!

thanks again,
nancy & bob

Happy 45th. I'm sure OAT will arrange something special for you if they know it's your anniversary.

I have done both parts of the trip. Last summer (6/07) on OATs Ultimate Africa and 6/04 an independent trip to South Africa including Cape Town. Both were terrific. One of our group of 6 was without luggage for the entire time on safari. I suggest bringing several changes of clothes in your carryon. AND, if you find your checked luggage has not arrived when you get to Joburg, take time to shop for some things at the airport. They have absolutely everything you could need right there. Do not set off on safari assuming your luggage will arrive. My brother in law's never did. Try to get to Robbin Island when in Capetown -- very moving.

Hello,
We actually did our honeymoon last year with a company called globalsafaritours.com
These guys are very kind and full of knowledge in the travel industry. I'd recomend you to contact them directly - they'll be more helpfull than what I can offer you. Goodluck!

We recently returned from this trip, it was really enjoyable.

One tip is to watch your luggage weight and follow the guidelines in the booklet you receive from OAT. Our guide met us in Victoria Falls and immediately brought all our luggage over to a scale. Your duffel bag and back pack must be 26 lbs (I believe, refer to the book) combined weight. Our group was wildly pulling out items and trying to consolidate bags in the airport hallway in order to make weight. I thought I had done an accurate weighing job at home, but alas, we had to leave a bag in Victoria Falls. Some people left warm clothes, their camera chargers and other necessary items in the flurry to transfer items, so it would be much better to be prepared for this and not partipate in the frenzy of re-packing on the airport floor.

In reference to lost baggage - I had read about Londons poor performance with baggage lately, and also worried about transferring through Joburg so we carried our OAT green duffel bags on the plane. We arrived with our luggage but it really was a chore transferring through London and carrying the bags around. Also, now that airlines are starting to charge for checked bags, they may not allow such a big bag as carryon, but we got away with it. One person in our pre-trip group of six did not have her checked bag on arrival, but it did arrive at Pafuri Camp in Kruger a day after she did.

Another tip is to bring all the cold weather clothes that they suggest. It might be a bit warmer when you go, but it was quite cold on those early morning game drives in June. I brought a warm hat and gloves, but wished I also had a scarf to wrap around my face. I layered everything from the long underwear on up to the microfleece hat most days. By the time you get back from the morning game drive you will be removing layer after layer but I'm from Chicago, used to cold weather and still I was cold.
Have a great time!

I went on the Kenya & Tanzania trip with OAT, and enjoyed it. My roommate had gone on the Ultimate Afican Safari, and said it was even better -- she really gave it a terrific review.

Dear Travel the World - you mentioned taking the OAT gift carry on bag. We are doing the TZ trip in Sept and just received our bags. It looked way too big for the carry on so I measured 27"!! So how did you get by the "luggage natzis" at the airport?? We really liked the bags, glad we already had our own carry on bags. I did email OAT and they apologized saying they realized the bags were too large because the rules have changed recently and are working with their supplier to purchase smaller ones to be in compliance with the TSA regs.

SD

DH & I just returned on 6/23 from the OAT's Safari Serengeti with the Massai Mara post trip and we used and carried on the bags with no problems what so ever. So unless the rules have changed from 6/6 - 6/23 you should be fine using them.

llorear, traveltheworld and all....
We will be on OAT's Safari Serengeti leaving Aug.6th. I'm currently stressing over packing. Want VERY much not to lose luggage, so am trying to do carry on only. I did check the KLM website, but still am not clear on this. CAN we bring, on board, one piece to stow, and one (like a small backback containing purse and etc.) to put under the seat? If so, no problem. I really hope one of you can clear this up for me. Thanks!

Next, I am still trying to come up with the right wardrobe. I usually have no trouble, but eliminating black does in many of my standards...like my fleece pants and jacket. None of my jackets seems to be a good candidate for this trip. I am a cold person, keep in mind. I am considering a very warm wool pullover sweater with a 3/4 sleeve cotton knit shirt which would have a tank top under it. On top of all this, would be an unlined windbreaker. Does this concept seem viable? I will bring fleece gloves and scarf or hat as well.

The cool tops are no problem at all, but the long sleevers are. I don't own many for some reason. My Columbia nylon camp shirt is fine, but others are either cotton knit (like "T" shirt material), and not fast drying, or smooth cotton that would look real bad without ironing. What do others take? I REALLY want some suggestions so I can get this done. Have to leave in 2 days, for a week, then will have little time to shop or order stuff when I return.

Lynn, I believe you are the one who once suggested skirts. I always prefer them and have selected two to go along with my two nylon zip-offs as my total below-the-waist wardrobe. One is a barely gathered, full length linen (I travel in linen a lot. Drips dry fast and smooth, usually). Is this nuts? Will it be totally out of place? I like that it covers legs from sun and dust and is very comfy.

I know I have more questions, but will wait for these answers first, as they are my most immediate needs.

Oh! We got 4 bags from OAT....two large and two smaller. I assumed they were one to check or stow and one to put under the seat. Must be 27 and 24 inch bags. Guess I was very optimistic! So do you suppose we are to use only the small one? That may be challenging, unless we can also bring a small backpack. I DO need clarification on this.

We justed talked to OAT in the last two hours. The last two Ultimate Africa trips did not go to Zimbabawe due to the political turmoil there. Rather, the two trip were diverted to Zambia. Agent couldn't tell us about what was the replacement for the 3 day stay in Hwange National Park in Zim. Agent said that the OAT trip departing this week planned on staying with the original plan of traveling through Vic Falls, going to Hwange NP and spending the last 2 nights in Vic Falls rather than Livingston on Zam side.

We are planning on the Ultimate Africa trip in Sept. OAT Agent said hopefully things will be better by September.

Any suggestions?

Llorear - what measurements are your bags? Did you do your own air or go with OAT with KLM?? If you went with the group with KLM maybe they have a special arrangement to accecpt the bags?? We are doing our own air going thru LHR and do no want to even chance having to check at the last min. Making Hay mentions getting two bags - maybe we were supposed to as well ??

SD

SDtravelers,
We went with OAT. I can not measure our bags as I am not at home & will not be there until after Sept., but I am almost certain that our bags were the 27" ones. We each also had a backpack. We had no one even look at or question our bags. There were 25 to 30 OAT travelers on the flight from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro, most of whom were carring on their OAT bags plus backpack or similar item.

Our OAT bags were only about 3/4 full & weighted a little over 7 kilos so I am sure that you could use the smaller ones with no problem.

makinghay,
I too am rather cold natured and what I wore was a 3/4 lenght sleeved cotton tunic (pastel colors - LL Bean), cotton long sleeved safari style shirt (tan), fleece zip-up jacket (light blue), buff scarf (which covered my ears to keep the wind out & covered my mouth and nose to keep the dust out), my wide brim hat & tan docker slacks. I would start off with this every morning and then peel as the day warmed up.

We each took 3 changes of our safari clothes and had our laundry done at the camps for a very reasonable fee. I took short sleeved shirts also, but never wore them. The temp. ranged from high 50's at night to mid 70's day. Really quite plesant. My alarm clock also gives the temp. and the coolest in the tents was 63 degrees, but there were lots of cozy warm blankets to snuggle under. :-)

Some tips:
1 - take your shower in the afternoon while the tent is still warm from the days sunshine. ;-)
2 - when you finish your shower, remember to tell the kind fellow who brought your hot water that you are through so that they don't waste time waiting for you to be done.
3 - at all of the OAT Tanganyika Wilderness camps/lodges where we stayed, they did provide soap, shampoo, conditioner & very reasonable laundry service.
4 - it is very dusty so take precautions to keep the dust off of & out of your camera equipment.
5 - take a camera beanbag. "It is worth it's weight in gold." I made mine in less than 30 minutes and used buckwheat hulls (lighter weight than beans or rice) for the filling.
6 - Most important tip. Don't stress out over the attire. The animals don't care what you look like & everone else will be dressed very similar to you including wrinkles. ;-)

Just enjoy every opportunity that comes your way.

I'm working on my trip report.

Linda

Makinghay, hopefully someone else knows more about the habits of the tse-tse fly, but I was told that they are more active when it is hot. If that is the case, wearing black when it's cold out should not be a problem.

And don't worry about wrinkles. You are on vacation!

As far as the bags go, part of the confusion is that OAT uses various sized bags (I received a different bag for Turkey than the one for Tanzania). The 'safari' bag I got for Tanzania was 26", and easily held everything I needed. I checked that bag, and carried a medium backpack for my carry-on, which I then used as a daypack on the trip. However, I believe that the weight limit for your trip is more restrictive than it was for mine. The weight is definitely important.

Thank you Linda for the additional info. We are all ready to go, I tried to talk my husband into buying a bean bag for his Cannon but he stubbornly refuses because he has this small 3 legged contraption that has suction cups on the end. I might just make a bean bag of my own and surprise him... As far as the laundry I heard from some forums they use a hot iron on clothes and suggested not to take synthethics because they might get ruined. Most of our clothes, zip off pants are that light weight easy dry synthetic blend material. Should I be concerned>

Perhaps because you were with the group on KLM that has a regular contract with OAT for the AMS-JRO trip they don't enforce the regs on carry on size? How did you check in your bags without locking?

SD

SDtravelers,
As to the use of a hot iron, our friends from Pittsburg had the zip-off pants and "safari shirts" that are all or part synthetic & they had no problems. Our clothes were 90% + cotton. If worried then I would just write on the laundry list "No hot iron, please. Thank you." At the Serengeti tented camp they did not iron the clothes, but they were nicely folded when returned.

Beanbag: I was skeptical about how much good a beanbag was going to be. I made 2, one for me and one for our Pittsburg friends, Bill & Peggy. I used mine all of the time; however, Bill never used his and a high percentage of his pictures were blurry, where as mine were not. That does not mean that my pictures were great. ;-) I have a Canon IS5 & Bill has a Sony DSC-H9. I will be using this beanbag again & again as it was so easy to just flop out on the roof railing or window edge & was great to cover my camera in my lap to help keep the dust off.

Carry on bags: There were many people that boarded the 2 international flights, AMS-JRO, that had not one, but two larger than normal carry-on bags & no one seemed concerned. This does not mean that this could not change at the drop of a hat. We carried on our luggaged from AMS-JRO, but checked our luggage on the return flight from Nairobi to Detroit without locks, because my outlook was that if you want my dirty clothes then have at it. Guess they didn't want them as they arrived just fine. Really, we carried anything valuable & the few souvenirs we bought in our backpacks, so it was not a problem.

I sincerely hope that you and your DH have as wonderful a time on your safari as we did. Kibo was stellar, the camps were better than our expectations and the lodge/camp staffs went out of their way to make sure that we lacked for nothing. They really were "dears". Our 2 favorite drivers were Athumani (5 languages) & Astarick (4 languages), both spoke fluent English & were extremely knowledgable about the flora, fauna & culture of the area. In MHO either one could have done the guide position excellently. Another aside, each driver had a good set of books on the flora & fauna.

One other tip: when "checking the tires" keep the exposed part toward the vehicle and remember that the animals are probably more embarressed that you are. ;-)

Linda

Thanks so much everyone for all the comments...we are flying out of Miami a week from Tuesday... can't believe it is finally here!! sooo excited! we have had our bags packed for two weeks...duh!! do you think we are excited??...we will be doing the Cape Town post trip...Selwyn, thank you so much for all of your advice...
We don't post much on the forum but read it ALL the time...
thanks!!
I've done the best I can in the "packing" category but I'm sure I have made lots of mistakes..however, we are pretty easy...as long as we have our passports, cameras & $$, we can "wing it." It's our 45th anniversary so "what the heck"....Our cup will be running over... Have fun, right??

Nancy & Bob

Nancy & Bob,
Have a wonderful time.

Nancy & Bob, yes time is flying buy fast, we are down to 54 days. We too have our bags packed, adding and removing stuff every few days :)) We are thinking about doing the SA trip with OAT in a few years, please be sure to post a trip report for us when you have time!

SD

Hi Nancy & Bob - We just returned from the Ultimate trip last Saturday and you're in for a treat.

It's very cold in the mornings, about mid 40's. I followed a friends suggestion and bought thermal underwear - you can wear it at night to keep you warm and put your layers on over it in the mornings. Most game drives you return to the camp for lunch and you can lose them as the day warms up.

Bring lightweight gloves. I got along without them but would have liked to have had a pair. They do provide ponchos on the jeeps at all of the camps and we used them to keep off the chill until the day got comfortable. You can always tuck your hands under the poncho to keep them warm.

My wife found duffs at REI which are very versatile - you can wear them as a neck kerchief or cover your face and ears to cut some of the cold and also keep the dust out of your nose. A kerchief or scarf would work as well.

We were the last group to go to Linkwasha at Hwange NP. They were going to divert us to Kahue NP in Zambia, but then changed their minds at the last minute. I think you'll enjoy either place they take you to. We never fealt threatened in either the camp or in Victoria Falls.

Alex

I've been surprised by a couple of comments about OAT not allowing people to do their own air. I'm just starting to work on a number of destinations as part of a OneWorld pass, so I have no interest in their tours if I can't meet them and leave them on my own. Ultimate Africa is one of the tours I'd like to do, and a couple in Southeast Asia also. But their website seems to indicate all are available as land only. Is that new since some of these posts? Or do they really not honor that? I've also been seeing that advance bookings remove the single supplement, which would be great since I'll be traveling on my own. I know in the past some had complained that they even canceled singles when they could replace them with couples. I've read they've changed in that regard -- perhaps also with the air situation?

Patrick, the thing about OAT is that they give a really good value, but I believe that is mainly due to the fact that they must be getting great discounts on the airfare. So if you do a land-only trip, they don't take that much off the cost, and by the time you purchase your own air, you spend more than if you took the package. I'm not sure how your OneWorld pass works.

I'm not sure how the single supplement works now -- I've traveled with OAT as a single 3 times, and they keep changing. I always volunteer to have a roommate, and once I ended up with a single anyway, and twice they paired me with a terrific roommate, so I've never actually paid a supplement.

Currently, OAT is offering free single supplements on a lot of their trips. You can now price their trips online with or without international air, too. For instance, the "Ultimate Africa" safari during August & September costs $5045 without air or $5995 with air from New York. I don't know that they get airfare THAT cheap, so I guess they are "encouraging" you to use them for air as well as the safari.

The person I spoke with on the phone indicated that they have every plan to continue the "no charge for single supplement" next year as well. That's a great thing in my book!

Of course for me -- doing several OAT trips within one OneWorld pass trip means that I wouldn't want the air from OAT at any price -- it would all automatically be covered within my "free" FF ticket.

I just put deposits on an OAT Ultimate Africa trip in October. I'm still looking at airfares as I have friends in Capetown whom we would like to visit after the safari ends in J-burg. But thus far, I've not been able to come up with anything that comes close to their cost. I have determined that their travel insurance is way over-priced...for that I'm using Insuremytrip.com as there are a number of good policies through them that cost half as much, and give pretty much the same coverage.

The guy I've spoken to on the phone has been really helpful -- going over all kinds of options for us to consider before we make our final payment.

shay,

wow, they're doing air for $950? what a steal, even i can afford that!! oh, wait, i still have to come up with $5045 for the trip... :-(

You can bet OAT still makes some profit on the airfare they charge and don't give up that profit when they quote the "land only" cost. Uhoh_busted, you can always do a "breakaway" with OAT, which means that you delay your departure from Jo'burg for however long you wish to remain in SA. They charge a small fee for doing that, but you can then book your trip to Capetown within that breakaway to visit your friends while still taking advantage of the OAT air deal. Having traveled with OAT before, I'd suggest you check all your paperwork carefully, as the Boston office always messed something up for us. For example, on a Tanzania breakaway that friends and I did, they tried to book my Houston friend's return flight back to Seattle. When that got straightened out, they misspelled her name on her air ticket and didn't want to fix it.

I just got our printed materials in today's mail and noticed the 'breakaway" mention -- I'll call them on Monday to make sure we can do it. We really loved Capetown and my friend is excited that we may get to visit in person, so this could certainly be a good option for us!

uhoh_busted, this may be much more than you're looking to do, but I'm fascinated by this adventure tour that would be nice in relation to the OAT Ultimate Africa -- and it would start in Johannesburg and end up in Cape Town. I'm a little confused by the pricing -- which is wonderful in pounds (it's a British company) but nearly double in dollars!

http://www.yomps.co.uk/trip-search/trips/12598

Actually, I'd looked at similar trips - but yeah after 12 nights in safari camps and 2 at Vic Falls with 8 to 14 other people, I think we'll be ready for some "just us" travel time. It is a long way from Johannesburg to Capetown, and I really would like to do a Garden Route tour someday, but that territory is easily covered in a rental car, and there are terrific places to stay in South Africa. I forgot the name of the book of small hotels and B&Bs I used when planning our 2004 trip, but it was really excellent. I think we'll be terrifically happy to grap a cheapie RT between JNB and CPT, pick up a rental car and maybe stay a couple nights at Davids Guest House in Capetown or someplace in Franchoek, then head to our friends' place on Hout Bay before flying back to JNB to head home.