OSC

I'm planning a first trip to Tanzania and would like to spend several days doing a luxury mobile safari. However, most websites I've found only offer this type of trip on an exclusive basis. Since the cost would be too high for just two of us to do a mobile safari on our own, we were hoping to find a reputable operator that puts people together so that the total group size is 6 to 8. Any ideas?

PredatorBiologist

OSC: there are many operators who have seasonal tented camps that they move according to time of year. To utilize these you can have your own vehicle/guide that takes you from camp to camp and on your drives (this is most common), thus you share camp with other guests but drive on your own or you can fly into camps and use a camp guide in vehicles shared by other guests.

Nomad, CC Africa, Asilia Lodges, and EMC are a few of the best operators that run excellent seasonal tented camps.

sandi

How much luxury do you want? And, what is your budget.

You can certainly find semi-lux for competive prices in line with a lodge or tented camp safari. These can public camp sites and prices are lower than if on private sites. You'll have your own guide/vehicle and a cook along who set-up/break-down tents and provide meals.

Often when you see group camping safaris these are more budget than lux.

Those outfitters mentioned by Predator above are all lux providers, expensive, but are "seasonal" camps set in a specific area for a few months, then moving on as the herds moves.

What have you seen offered and by whom, might give us an idea of your thinking on this.

OSC

Thank you for the informative responses. I did look at Nomad, but thought that these camps were booked exclusively for groups consisting of 6 to 8 people. I will make some further enquiries with them and the other operators listed. Our budget for 3 weeks is approx. $25,000 (excluding international airfare), which I'm hoping can include some time on mobile safari as well as several days in Uganda to see the mountain gorillas. Having been to southern Africa before, I guess I'm hoping for "luxury" that might be considered on par with a Wilderness 5 Paw Camp (although I do recognize that the mobile experience will be different). Again thanks for your replies.

PredatorBiologist

OSC: Nomad does have private mobiles that would not be cost effective for just 2 people but they also have seasonal camps as I described above that for practical purposes is pretty much a mobile set up that only moves a couple times a year. You are correct its quite a different experience but to be on par with WS 5 paw Nomad or CC Africa's product would be good choices. You have a healthy budget and with good planning I think you should be able to include the desires that you have. Should be fabulous.

climbhighsleeplow

I am not following this discussion. Sorry!

OSC wants a luxury mobile safari. In Tanzania this normally means moving around for a week or more with a guide and a camp crew, perhaps staying 2 or 3 nights at one camp site before moving on.

The level of luxury depends on the quality of camp sites, style of camping equipment, camp crew size, comforts provided, the itinerary and the experience levels of the guide, crew & vehicles.

Several outfitters offer this at varying costs.

Nomad Wilderness Mobile is one (but only during certain months in N. Tanzania). Asilia Exclusive Mobile is another. These two are by no means the only ones but understandably the best known to overseas agents and also on the upper end of the cost bracket.

Several local outfits offer similar mobiles. Several are very good and even offer walking safaris INSIDE the northern Serengeti as a value-add to the mobile experience! At least one has small groups on certain departures (answering your question).

Advertising rules prevent me from saying more but you need to somehow find an agent/operator that specializes in Tanzania and this style of safari in order to learn about all your available options.

Do not give up yet!

If you want to stay at CCAfrica Tented Camps, EMC, and so on the experience is quite different. These are NOT mobile camps. They are seasonal.

So the question is: Do you want a mobile experience or a more standard safari in seasonal/semi-permanent tented camps?

PredatorBiologist

OSC: climbhighsleeplow knows this product line extremely well as he is a principal at one of the top operators in Tanzania, Kiliwarriors. He also has an informational site at www.go-safari.com that shows locations of all of the camps in Tanzania that is an excellent reference.

With your budget you definitely have a lot of choices and I agree with climbhigh that finding someone with thorough knowledge of all the Tanzania offerings should help you get squared away.

OSC

I apologize in advance if this is a dumb question, but if we mix a few permanent camps with a mobile safari, does the mobile safari guide also go with us to the permanent camps? Or are the permanent camps like in southern Africa, where each camp typically has their own guides? Thanks.

sandi

OSC - it can vary.
As Predator suggests, contact climbhighsleeplow (Eben) thru Kiliwarriors. He should be able to answer your questions and assist with your plans for seasonal and/or mobile tented safaris.