I am trying to plan a family trip and have pretty much narrowed it down to visitng Tanzania and Kenya. We really want to spend most of our time seeing wildlife and most of the tours only spend one or 2 days so wondering if i can do it on my own and hiring guides on my own - has anyone does this? Is it better to have a driver than to drive yourself? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Many, many safari companies offer trips where wildlife is the main focus. And, if you have a private safari (where you and your party have sole use of the vehicle and driver)you control the trip, so to speak, particularly in regard to how time is spend once the desired parks are reached. If you have never gone on a safari before and given the roughness of roads in most of the parks, etc, it is really more appropriate to have someone else do the driving/guiding. The companies doing safaris (and many have been reviewed on this forum)employ guides/drivers not only well versed in wildlife identification, the parks themselves but also in handling the various situations one may encounter while traveling between and within parks. Should you narrow down the selection to say a couple of companies, post the respective itineraries on the forum for feedback. Also, helps to include time of year, etc.

karibu Dean

you've come to the right place! (answers are "ÿes" to all your questions)
read around this site
start by going through
<red><i>NEW</red></i>East Africa Trip Index by <b>LyndaS</b>
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...port-index.cfm
you can choose destination (e.g. Nat' Parks), date, operator etc

give us info: When? for how long? & you'll get some suggestions to a basic primary itinerary; than add your remarks and get fodorites'feedback ....

aby

p.s. no need for "Help!"

Thank you - Our trip will be a minimum of 2 weeks - i would prefer 3 but we will have to go either the end of December or
in June. What I am trying to do is book the trip on myown but still use guides and drivers for the viewings. I will read some of the trip reports. Thank you

it is better to have a driver for safari so that you can explore everything good things rather than concentrating on driving. There are many companies which provides safari trips , you can Google it, you will find many good safari organizing agencies.

Have a nice trip.
Cheers

The vast majority of visitors hire a driver/guide.

Does the 2 weeks include your international flights? If so, then you have about 9-10 days on safari. In June, I'd spend them in Tanzania as follows to maximize the chances of seeing the migration.

Arusha 1
Manyara 1
Tarangire 2
Crater 1-2
Serengeti Central 2
Serengeti West 2

I think Kenya would be a little less expensive in June. Maybe something like:

Nairobi 1? (some spend a day here for Giraffe Ctr and/or Sheldrick Ele Orphanage)
Aberdare 1
Samburu 2
Mt Kenya 1-2
Lake Nakuru 1
Maasai Mara 3-4

Check out the many agents and itineraries on Lynda's index.

In Dec, you may pay a premium if it is around Christmas time, so consider that. It also will be rainier. But you could have a great time in Kenya or Tanzania in Dec as well.

Lynn hit the spot with info. For June, prices in Kenya will be lower, but the migration is in the Western Serengeti of Tanzania which is peak-season/high prices. For December, if early in the month, then both countries are at mid-season rates. Come the 15th of the month both go into peak-season and then surcharges for Christmas/New Years.

There are more carrier flying into Nairobi/NBO Kenya = British, Virgin, Kenya Air, KLM, Swiss, Emirates, others; than Kilimanjaro/JRO Tanzania - KLM & Ethipian.

Both countries are doable with 12/days in-country, as:
Day 0 - Lv USA
Day 1 - Arv. NBO
Day 2 - NBO - sightseeing
Day 3 - Drive or fly to Masai Mara
Days 4 & 5 - Masai Mara
Day 6 - Fly to JRO, drive to Tarangire
Day 7 - Tarangire in am; drive to Manyara for pm
Day 8 - Drive to Ngorongoro
Day 9 - Drive to Central Serengeti
Days 10 & 11 - Drive to Western Serengeti
Day 12 - Fly to Arusha ffor homebound out of JRO or flight to NBO for homebound
Day 00 - Arv. USA

Absolutely use a tour operator or outfitter to coordinate meet/greet, hotels, vehicle/guide, sightseeing, etc. They do it all the time and easier than if trying to do on your own. Besides you don't want to be driving the lousy roads and trying to game sight at the same time. Besides there are no road signs.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

<i>Is it better to have a driver than to drive yourself?</i>

I have done self-drives in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania and, if this is your first trip to southern Africa, Kenya and Tanzania are not the countries that I would recommend you undertake your first self-drive - particularly if you are travelling with a family, who will need/want your attention. Kenya and Tanzania are somewhat more challenging to tackle on your own than the other countries I mention. However, in terms of wildlife, Kenya and Tanzania are amazing - I would highly recommend them for a first safari, but I would go with a guide. On your next visit to southern Africa (and believe me, there will be one!), you could consider a self-drive.

<i>...wondering if i can do it on my own</i>
One thing I've learned in arranging our various trips to Southern Africa is that it is important to remember that you are dealing with third world countries. While it is very easy to make all of the arrangements for a trip to South Africa and Namibia online, we found it far more difficult for Kenya and Tanzania, where (for example) online bookings and advance payments for the national parks are a major challenge/headache. We understood why when we arrived at the park gates and the rangers were completing our paperwork in triplicate using carbon paper. For the countries you are considering, I would use one of the safari companies recommended on this forum. You need someone on the ground there to make the bookings for you. There are several safari companies that always get good reviews on this forum - you will find them by scanning Lynda's list. Robin

Thank you so much for all your info - this is what i hve been trying to figure out is how many days to spend where? It is truly overwhelming to try and plan.

It is overwhelming but that is because there are so many great possibilities, all of which will yield a fantastic trip.

How many days where--The one rule I'd follow is I'd do at least 3 nts in the Mara if you include Kenya and at least 3 in the Serengeti if you include TZ.

Send any of the above itineraries out to some companies and you can post the results for additional info.

Definitely check out the link aby gave for names of agents and even more itineraries.