JBezat

After much much much research, my husband and I have decided on a "dream" Tanzania safari in October. I have received an itinerary and would welcome your comments. Based on my research on this website, I have learned alot on lodging but am still struggling on determining a good itinerary. My husband and I are limited on time - only 12 days - so we want to ensure we use our time efficiently, with the main goal being wildlife viewing. So here is the itinerary:

Day 1 - Kilimanjaro/Arusha (Arumeru River Lodge)
Day 2 - Arusha/North Serengeti (Migration Tented Lodge)
Day 3 - North Serengeti (Migration Tented Lodge)
Day 4 - West Serengeti (Kirawira Tented Lodge)
Day 5 - West Serengeti (Kirawira Tented Lodge)
Day 6 - Central Serengeti (Serengeti Serena Lodge)
Day 7 - Central Serengeti (Serengeti Serena Lodge)
Day 8 - South Serengeti/Ngoro Crater (Ngorongoro Serena Lodge)
Day 9 - Ngorongoro Crater (Plantation Lodge)
Day 10 - Lake Manyara/Tarangire (Kikoti Tented Lodge)
Day 11 - Tarangire (Kikoti Tented Lodge)
Day 12 - Tarangire/Arusha/Kilimanjaro (Arumeru River Lodge)

Your thoughts on lodging would also be appreciated - my husband and I are not the "roughing it" type.

One more question - are there river safaris in Tanzania, where you go on a boats to see crocodiles and hippos?

Thanks for your help.

QueenofDaNile

Are you looking at this year for this trip? That is when we are going and some reservations might be difficult to get with such short notice. Exactly when in October (early vs late) would factor into where you should stay. Luxury (not roughing it) mobile camps could maximize your wildlife viewing.

waynehazle

Did Serengeti in mid-October 2 years back. It was on the dry side & the migration wasn't there yet, but I still loved it.

for your morning in the Crater, get up as early as humanly possible. You should be at the gate to the Crater when it opens. Animals are most active when it is cold & it will be COLD first thing in the morning.

Patty

There are boat safaris on the Rufiji river in Selous in southern Tanzania, but you'd need another 3-4 days unless you eliminated something else. You could possibly go canoeing on Small Momella lake in Arusha national park though if you're spending time in the Arusha area.

sandi

For October I certainly wouldn't be going to the Western Serengeti/Kirawira. This camp is lovely, but the right time for a stop in the west would be June/July.

October is also a "bridge" month where much of the migration may still be in the Masai Mara, not arriving into the area near Migration Camp till late October, maybe even November.

There are some other camps in this area closer to the Tanz/Kenya border, but are expensive, i.e., Klein's, Sayari, Nomads Nduaro (sp)... if available and your budget can handle.

Also, if your Day 2 is to fly to the northern Serengeti/Migration Camp, departing from the Arusha airport, I'd pick a different hotel for first night... one closer in Arusha. The Arumeru is a good half-hour from downtown Arusha, then another half-hour to the airport. Consider the Arusha Hotel or Kibo Palace. The Arusha Coffee Lodge is the closest to the airport but is costly for simply sleeping after arriving late the night prior.

I'd consider:
Day 1 - Arv JRO - o/n Arusha or Kibo Palace
Day 2 - Fly to N.Serengeti - o/n Migration
Day 3 - Migration Camp
Day 4 - Drive to Central Serengeti - o/n Serena or Mbuzi Mawe Camp
Day 5 - C.Serengeti - o/n Serena or Mbuzi Mawe Camp
Day 6 - Drive to Ngorongoro; afternoon crater tour - o/n Serena Lodge
Day 7 - Morning crater tour - o/n Serena Lodge
Day 8 - Drive to Lake Eyasi - cultural visit with the Hadzabe tribe - o/n Kisima N'geda
Day 9 - morning hunting with the tribes; drive to Lk. Manyara; afternoon game drive - o/n Serena Lodge, E-Unoto Retreat or Kirurumu Camp
Day 10 - Lk Manyara - morning game drive; drive to Tarangire - o/n Tarangire River or Kikoti Camps
Day 11 - Tarangire - o/n Tarangire River of Kikoti Camps
Day 12 - Drive to Arusha; day-room in Arusha for last minute shopping or a cultural visit (N'gresi village); transfer to JKIA for homeward flight.

JBezat

We are planning on taking this trip in 2009. I wanted to take my time in determining the itinerary and lodging.

I appreciate the feedback. I am having difficulty in determining the right itinerary and I really appreciate the assistance.

jill_h

We just recently stayed at Arumeru River Lodge and it was VERY NICE!! The food was excellent!!! Although one poster recommended staying somehwere closer to the airport, I would not. When we were there, the Arusha airport was closed and all flights were going into Kilimanjaro, and Arumeru is not that far from the Kili airport. The setting at Arumeru is very pleasant and, like I said, the food is excellent!

lenlu

I think Sandi has a lot of points to consider. I can add this, I stayed at Arusha Coffee Lodge and it IS gorgeous but expensive for half a day or so. It's very close to the airport but we had to use JRO since Arusha was closed. I can speak to Ngorongoro Serena which is really quite lovely--a breath of fresh air after the Serengeti Serena which was to me, appalling. To be clear, the room was terrible, loud and we awoke to no water in the morning...a real disappointment since we had our longest drive that morning. The food and common areas are nice enough. I went on safari for 10 days and by the 7th day in Tarangire with no migration, I was really sorry I hadn't added Zanzibar instead or stayed longer in the Serengeti (for that time of year). It was beautiful but hot and tiring not seeing any wildlife but elephant in that park. The drives are long and so it's important to go where the animals are. We sat by the pool at Treetops for two days and I'm happy we did.