Oh Where oh where to go ???????
 

We are finally ready to plan a trip to Africa, but are totally overwhelmed by how much there is to figure out. We are 56 + 60, and want to do as much as we can before we can't anymore! We are free to travel any time, and right now we are totally stuck because we want to see the gorillas in Rwanda, the great migration Kenya/Tanzania, and I'm determined to go to Botswana too. We can afford a nice trip, but we won't waste our money to have a tent that imitates a 4* hotel as we just don't need that. But a comfortable tent is definitely up our alley. From what I can see already, lodges aren't what we want as we'd like to be 'in there', but maybe there are some lodges that are like that. Tented camps seem more interesting. My confusion right now is should we plan to do one big trip, or expect to break it up into 2 or more? How long is too long when you are not used to being on safari? Although we don't mind some long driving between camps, we are open to flying to avoid too many long days on the road. I especially want to see lots of elephants, lions, babies, leopards, cheetas, giraffes, etc. and beautiful scenery. We want to go with a very reputable and very experienced company that we will want to recommend to others and want to travel with again ourselves. I would be so grateful for just some advice on companies that have great reputations, camps that are gorgeous and well located and anything else you can think of. I already have the Fodor's Safari planning guide, and dozens of links (but I'll whatever you can recommend) but mostly I want your personal recommendations. Also, we have been briefly to Krugar in the past and would like to avoid being in the middle of major tourism. I know people who have traveled happily in Botswana with the Africa Adventure Company, but other than that have no other personal recommendations.

My advice would be to do either East Africa or Southern Africa, but not try to do both---I think that would be too tiring. Besides, if you end up like most of us here, who suffer from mal d'Afrique to one degree or another, you'll be planning your next trip in no time. I would think that if you combined Sabi Sand with Botswana (with a stop in Vic Falls if you haven't already done that) you'll meet many of your goals (lions, leopards, giraffes, elephants, perhaps wild dogs) and enjoy two different ecosystems.

I've stayed at both lodges and luxury tents. Among my favorite lodges are Sandibe (Botswana), which has African-style chalets and Londolozi (Sabi Sand, great for leopards); tent-wise, my favorite was Grumeti (western Serengeti)---you just feel like you're in Africa, what with all-day-long grunts, groans and bellows coming from the inhabitants of the adjoining hippo pool.

As to how long is too long, I suggest that you look back over your past travels and judge from those experiences. If after two weeks or so you were thinking about home, I'd figure the same would happen on safari.

Good luck and enjoy your planning.

East Africa and Southern Africa are considered by most travelers as two separated safari destinations. They are far apart distance-wise but there is a little bit of advantage from a time and airline cost standpoint combining the two destinations. Unless you're retired, for most people it is too much time away from work to properly visit both destinations in one trip.

Rwanda is combinable with East Africa and/or Southern Africa. I have very little faith in the reliability of Air Rwanda Express which is the only way of getting from Rwanda directly to South Africa. Kenya Airways is pretty reliable and, for this reason alone, we often recommend combining Rwanda with East Africa instead of with Southern Africa. As the economy improves, our hopes are that South African Airways will start offering service to Kigali! For now, if you go to Rwanda I recommend you fly Kenya Airways to/from South Africa via Nairobi. This is more inconvenient but much more reliable.

I'll comment on Rwanda first. It is typically a 5 to 6 day destination depending on what you wish to accomplish. And, keep in mind there are many things to do in Rwanda other than gorilla trekking. But, it seems to me your desire is to have a big five safari and that is going to be had best in Botswana, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, or Kenya. A typical Rwanda itinerary has you arriving in Kigalli on day one and over-nighting. The next day you will leave by road to the Virunga Mountains. You will spend one night near the national park and start your first gorilla trek on day three. Most people do a second gorilla trek on day four and some people do more beyond that. ATravelynn, (from Fodors) did six tracks on one trip I believe! Most people drive back to Kigalli on day four and depart on day five.

The peak season for game viewing in Botswana is really June to October. It can stretch into November, but the game viewing changes significantly when the rains start. The migrations in East Africa are on the southern part of the Serengeti December through March, they moved north from April through July, and they are on the Masai Mara from August through October. In October and November, the migrations are on the move back south. These are gross generalizations based on historical movements. Everything depends on the rain and the grasses!

So, if you're trying to combine the peak season for the migrations with the peak season for Botswana you should consider Kenya in August and September combined with Botswana or the Western Corridor of Tanzania in June combined with Botswana. This last option (June) is a value option because the rates will typically be less in East Africa in June and with many operators they are less in Botswana in June. For the coming year, Wilderness Safaris goes to peak season rates on June 15 and most other operators in Botswana go to peak season on July 1.

The most difficult animal to see in Botswana on most people's list is the rhino followed by the cheetah. At last count, there were only 54 white rhino in the entire country of Botswana in the wild. They were poached to extinction in the 90s and only reintroduced in the central Okavango in the northwest portion of the Moremi game reserve about five years ago. There are three black rhino in the wild in Botswana because the two just had a baby. If you don't go to East Africa, I do recommend you visit the Sabi Sands or Phinda prior to Botswana just to be sure you see all the big five. The Sabi Sands has so many lions and leopards that there aren't that many cheetah which is why I sometimes recommend Phinda. In my opinion, Phinda has the best cheetah population in southern Africa. But, Phinda is the least authentic and “wild” safari experience of the ones I've mentioned. The Phinda reserve is small, completely fenced, and it was a sugar farm until about 18 years ago.

So, assuming your travel dates are as flexible as you say, and assuming you combine Rwanda, East Africa, and Botswana then I recommend you travel in August or September. Leave the United States, and fly to Nairobi via Europe. Spend one night in Nairobi and the next morning flight to the Masai Mara for four days amongst the migrations! After this safari, depart for Nairobi and depending on flight schedules you can fly to Kigali or spend one more night in Nairobi. Conduct a five-day gorilla trek and then fly all the way to South Africa via Nairobi on Kenya Airways. If you do want to go to the Sabi Sands or Phinda I recommend a three or four days safari in both these reserves and they are easily accessible from Johannesburg. I do agree that Londolozi has a great leopard population. But, the same river that flows through Londolozi through MalaMala next. Upstream from Londolozi is Singita. The valley of the Sand River is an abundant leopard habitat and lion habitat. I've also seen leopard on every visit to Lion Sands which is on the Sabi River on the southern part of the Sabi Sands.

Unless you use an expensive and possibly unreliable charter flight or miss your morning game drive and use a commercial flight from Nelspruit to Living tone, it is not possible to get from the Sabi Sands to Botswana or Victoria Falls in one day. Of course, this assumes you are not chartering a private airplane. So, after the Sabi Sands safari you can spend one night in Johannesburg and then continue on the next morning the Botswana.

Traveling in August or September I recommend you visit two major ecosystems in Botswana. The Chobe, Linyati, and Kwando are three areas with the same game viewing phenomena in July through October. The rains in Botswana typically end in March and as the seasonal water sources dry up the elephants and antelope all migrate towards the Chobe, Linyati, Selinda, and Kwando River systems. By July, there are massive herds of elephants and many other animals in these reserves. The Linyati Wildlife Reserve has some of the largest elephant concentrations on earth for those three months (same thing for Chobe and Kwando). But, Chobe is a National Park and it can be very crowded especially in the Northeast. So, I recommend you go to a private concession like the Linyati or Kwando. I prefer the Linyati and the four Wilderness Safaris camps on the property. You simply choose one for a three-day visit. I like the classic camps of Duma Tau and Savuti. Many people like Selinda and Kings Pool is an excellent premier camp but, based on your statement, may not be to your liking.

I would also spend four nights to in the Okavango Delta or Moremi game reserve. There are many lodges to choose from. My personal favorites are the Wilderness Safari lodges. For classic camps I recommend two nights at Chitabe Camp and two nights at either Kwetsani or Little Vumbura.

If you have more time, there are many ways to improve this itinerary. You could visit a second destination in Kenya or one of the new national parks in Rwanda. You could add more time in South Africa or add time in Victoria Falls. You could skip Kenya and Rwanda altogether and do a comprehensive visit to Zimbabwe and Botswana. There is a very good trip report on this forum about two weeks ago from this exact same experience.

There are many excellent safari operators based in the United States that book these types of trips. All of them are “brokers” or consultants. Like my company, they will have contracted rates with most of the safari lodges and hotels in the East and Southern Africa and we can also piece lodges together with charter flights and commercial flights and the necessary hotels in the various cities you visit along the way. The biggest difference you'll experience with different operators is service, knowledge, and to a lesser extent price. The major safari outfitters in the US typically purchase safari lodge accommodations and hotels at discounts off the website published price. This price difference creates a margin or commission from which we earn our living. The Africa Adventure Company is based in Fort Lauderdale Florida. I know the owners Mark and Allison Nolting and they are very reputable. As a competitor, I can highly recommend them.

I also recommend you look into Premier Tours. I say this because you mentioned the Fodors travel books. The South Africa book is written by Julian Harrison. He is the owner of Premier Tours in Philadelphia which is another tour operator for Southern Africa. Julian is golfing in South Africa this week so you will have to wait a week if you want to speak with him personally. On the boutique side, I would recommend Discover Africa in Cleveland or possibly Fish Eagle safaris in Texas.

This gives you some choices. I personally love Wilderness Safaris and for my budget minded clients Desert & Delta offers good value. There are people on this forum that have lots of experience with other operators and I'm sure they will chime in shortly.

Like my company, some of the larger operators in the US will also have airline contracts with South African Airways, Delta/KLM/Air France and also Kenya Airways. So, you can get the full service tour operation from these types of companies.

Let me know where you're from and I can possibly recommend a safari expert that you can drive to and actually meet face-to-face. It is a daunting task to try to find and plan a Safari on the Internet. If you go to Google and type “safari: you will have 106 million choices (as of this morning)!

Lastly, it is not weird or odd to simply call some operators and start asking a few questions. I had a lady set up an interview with me on the phone a few months ago. She interviewed me on Africa for about an hour and told me she would get back to me in two weeks after she interviewed two other operators. I did not find this weird or offensive at all! By this method, you can see who really “knows their stuff” and who can come up with a plan to route you around in a sensible manner that skips needless nights in Nairobi and Johannesburg, long layovers, or costly logistical errors.

Good luck planning and let me know if you have any more questions.

Craig Beal

My oh my how very exciting!

“one big trip, or expect to break it up into 2 or more?”
Using the analogy of putting all your eggs in one basket, I’d do 2+ trips IF you can afford the airfare. If for some reason you have a problem on Trip #1, you still have some things to look forward to on the next trips. You may want to repeat some of Trip #1 too, or pursue a slightly different strategy that you could not have anticipated without the experience of a safari under your belt. But IF the fixed cost of the flight is too much, then don’t waste your $ on the airplane.

“How long is too long when you are not used to being on safari?”
I like sdb2’s comment: I suggest that you look back over your past travels and judge from those experiences.
A safari such as you are requesting is not grueling or difficult (except for the gorilla tracking) and probably more relaxing than many group travel itineraries that move around a lot.

“elephants, lions, babies, leopards, cheetas, giraffes, etc. and beautiful scenery.”

Elephants
Chobe in Botswana is known for them, especially coming down to the river where you can watch from a boat. But Chobe is the most crowded of the Botswana parks. Botwana’s Savuti and Linyanti are good too and there are hides at some of the camps to watch them. Kings Pool has a nice hide and Savuti used to have a wood pile hide and maybe they still do. Kenya’s famous Maasai Mara is always good for eles and everything, but has more people than some of the other places. Tarangire in Tanzania is known for elephants and Amboseli & Tsavo in Kenya is known for them, with Tsavo having fewer people.

Lions
The Maasai Mara has lots. They are not that hard to find other places, such as the delta or Linyanti areas in Botswana. They're in the Serengeti. A special location for lions is Duba Plains where the lions and buffalo herds interact. The documentary "Relentless Enemies" was made there. The camp at Duba Plains is one of my favorite.

Babies
Tell your guide you are interested in babies.

Leopards
The best spots are the Sabi Sands, which you did not mention as a desired destination, and Moremi in Botswana. I saw 8 leopards in 8 days with just a couple photo ops at Chitabe in Moremi. The famous and expensive Mombo is well known for leopards, but I think not quite as much anymore. Although they can be found draped in the Acacia trees in Central Serengeti, I would not count on East Africa to produce a leopard and consider any sightings there good luck.

Cheetah
The Serengeti in Tanzania or Maasai Mara in Kenya have good sightings. While they can be seen in both the delta and more northern Linyanti regions of Botswana, you never know. You can see Safari Craig’s comments on South Africa's Phinda, which would be a good option for cheetah, even though you did not mention South Africa. I loved the 55,000 acre Phinda with its 7 distinct habitats and its philosophy of returning the land and wildlife to its former state. Phinda means return. And if you want gorgeous camps, Phinda Forest Lodge is glass cottages in the unique sand forest, which won awards for the ecological design and beauty, plus there are 3 other places to stay at Phinda, with 2 of them even more exclusive and having fewer people than Forest Lodge.

Etc.
It’s everywhere and may turn out to be the highlight of your trip. The people, culture, birds, animals you never knew existed until you got there will captivate you.

Beautiful scenery—can’t be avoided.

" flying to avoid too many long days on the road." Flying is by far the most common way to get around in Botswana, but you can arrange it throughout East Africa too on scheduled flights.

“great reputations,”
You mentioned The Africa Adventure Company and Botswana. They are very sound for all of Africa and I’ve used them for every country you mentioned and others you did not. If you did decide on a cross continent trip, they would be a good choice since they operate in all the countries typically visited. There has never been a problem on any trip and when problems did arise that were outside their control (just because it is Africa) they fixed everything up. They'll do your internatinal air too, if you want.

“ camps that are gorgeous” Anything that AAC or a similar company sells will be. And they'll be in scenic locations with good wildlife.

“like to avoid being in the middle of major tourism.” More Botswana, less East Africa. But you can always avoid the biggest crowds if you have a private vehicle, which is common in East Africa, and you ask your guide to steer clear of groups and if you pick smaller, more remote locations.

I’d agree with Safari Craig's Rwanda itinerary suggestions and the timing of the trip, especially if you combine East and Southern Africa.

For more specifics, I'd do the gorillas first (or close to first) because you may do some walking/training for those hikes and you don't want to sit around in a vehicle for a couple of weeks and lose your fitness. Also if you take old boots that you will discard, you can get rid of them early. The Aug-Sept timeframe is great for gorillas. Nicest places are Sabinyo Silverback Lodge and Virunga Lodge. But there are others that will save you hundreds and offer adequate comfort. Kinigi Guesthouse had excellent birdwatching, hot running water in your own private bath, and a nice restaurant for very little money, though it was quite basic. Up from that is Gorilla's Nest and I've heard good things about Gorilla Mountain View Lodge.

In East Africa, I'd definitely go to Kenya's Maasai Mara, even with the possibility of more people. There are many nice places to stay. Maybe Little Governor's, which also owns Sabinyo Silverback Lodge--deal there? Serian, Rekero, both exclusive tented camps.

If you include Tanzania, I'd go to Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is tops in the scenic beauty catergory, plus the animals you mentioned. I like Sopa Lodge there for its own access road. The fanciest place at the crater and one of the fanciest places in the whole world is Crater Lodge. It is run by AndBeyond, the same people that have Phinda, so combining the 2 may get you a deal. You could also include the N. Serengeti in one of the luxury mobile tents. AndBeyond has one called SUC (can you believe it?), Serengeti Under Canvas, and so do several other operators. Top notch. Maybe Tarangire too, which is at its best in Aug Sept. Lots of places to stay in Tarangire. The order would probably be Tarangire, Crater, Serengeti. If you did TZ, it would likely be placed before Kenya for the best migration viewing.

If you went to Botswana, I'd do a delta camp (check Wilderness Safaris website, or there are many others, Sandibe mentioned above is AndBeyond) and a Linyanti camp at least and stay for a minimum of 3 nights at each. Maybe tack on Chobe for the elephants and wildlife on the afternoon-sunset cruise.

You didn't mention Vic Falls, but you could end with it or hit the falls prior to Botswana.

And if you went to S. Africa (maybe Phinda or back to Sabi Sands) too, I'd do that prior to Botswana. I think that order was suggested earlier as well.

6 weeks later you're back home! ;)

I have read the two replies from my fellow friends above and they are very informative.Today I don't have a lot of time to respond your query but think I can help a bit.According to your age,I think you should do Tanzania or Kenya Safari or even both.Tanzania National Parks are not fur from each other and therefore you don't do long drives.On the other part,Kenya is the best country to me to see the big game more so the Big Five-Leopards,Lions,Buffalos,Rhinos and Elephants.If you want to see the migration,you should planning to visit Kenya starting the month of July next year (2010).The wildebeest together with zebras migrate from Serengeti in Tanzania to Masai Mara in Kenya.You can read about how they travel on this site,home page africa veterans,which is the only company I have used for the number of times I have visited Africa,whether in Kenya,Tanzania and even South Africa.They have many referrals on this site,so may be you can check them out.happy planning and remember to let us know your experiences when out of the safari.

You guys are all fantastic! Keep it coming because I will check into all of it! We are actually located in Sydney, so will fly from here. I find that if I go to travel agents locally, they have limited brochures/options so I am looking all over for the best products for us. We have done some, how shall I say, very active traveling in recent times. We recently did 7+ weeks Egypt-Israel-Turkey, with very, very early starts, and long, hot days. It was so much fun and so exciting that feeling tired wasn't even an issue. I was ready to keep going when it all ended! I so appreciate all the suggestions on itineraries and camps, and the details on Rwanda and the gorillas and keeping fitness was wonderful! So much to think about, so much to learn! Talk later! Thanks again!

If you did 7 weeks in Egypt, Israel, and Turkey with early starts, long hot days, and no tiredness, a cross continent trip in Africa will not be too hard for you.

My winking smiley with the 6 weeks comment may not be so winking after all, it may be just about right!

I'm not pushing AAC, but they do have some kind of sister company in Australia, Down Under is the name I believe, that offers Australia trips primarily for people not from Australia. I mention it in case you wanted some kind of more local connection, at least initially, if you chose The Afica Adventure Company.

You're right about local travel agents not being equipped for an Africa trip of this magnitude. There are several Australia posters who may be able to offer advice on their agents.

All great comments. We traveled recently (end of July) to Botswana and Zimbabwe, our first trip. It was spectacular in every way. It seemed to be a truly authentic safari as we were in Mana Pools and Moremi. I cannot speak to comments about East Africa, But I plan to go there some day as well!!!! I can only tell you that from a crowd standpoint, wildlife viewing etc. Botswana and Zimbabawe would be tough to beat. It was as if we were all alone. We used African Adventure Company as well and they were awesome. Call Mark Nolting and he will really help you sort through things. No, I am not on their payroll, but seriously they did an outstanding job of working with us and matching our desires etc.

sorry, I can't be of help, I too am planning a trip to Africa. The information on this thread is wonderful, I'm sure I'll reread these posts a few times when planning my upcoming trip.

We've been to Tanzania, South Africa (twice), Botswana (twice), Zimbabwe and Zambia (just briefly). We just recently used African Adventure Company and echo the great feedback you've heard above. Our first four trips we planned ourselves, but working with AAC was a treat and made things much easier. Our trip went off without a hitch. Combining any combination of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia would work without too much time loss travel, but I'd save East Africa for a separate trip. If possible stay in the private reserves since you have more flexibility than in the national parks (night drives, off-roading, etc.). For example, in the Serengeti (which we loved) if you see a cheetah on a termite mound, you are left looking at it through your binoculars and can't go off-road to get a closer look. On the other hand, the huge herds and Maasai people in the Serengeti make it a very special place that I wouldn't want to miss. I'd concentrate on places where you'll encounter fewer vehicles (i.e. if you go to Kenya, be selective).

For a first trip I'd recommend some time in the Sabi Sands area of South Africa. The wildlife here is so amazing (and somewhat consistent) that your chances of seeing what's on your list is probably higher than at any other place (with the exception of cheetah which is somewhat spotty there). You can easily combine this with Botswana and Victoria Falls, if you're interested in that. One thing we've learned over time is (at least for us) spending at least 3 nights, but preferably 4 at a property gives you a chance to really get to know your guide and staff and settle into a property and not spend so much time in transit.

After you've narrowed down your choices, get good recommendations on guides at the different properties. We've found that requesting the best guides provides the best experiences. In fact the only two times we've had less that exceptional (but still great) experiences has been because we didn't feel good about our guide (in one case the guide just seemed to be going through the motions and on another the guide was very inexperienced and didn't get along with his tracker very well). A great guide gives you the best opportunity to see what you want and will provide you with a good time, even when the animals aren't cooperative!

Lastly, don't rule out lodges altogether. We have enjoyed both lodges and tented camps. For example, Sandibe, in Botswana, is a "lodge" but feels just as remote and "out there" as any tented camp we've stayed in. If you're open minded about this, you'll have more choices.

We've enjoyed Wilderness camps and have stayed in 10 different &Beyond properties plus a few private properties. We've been very pleased with all the places we've stayed and have had amazing experiences everywhere.

Good luck with your planning!

Debbie

I hope that I haven't seemed too rude, since you all have posted such amazing ideas and I never got back to you. But I sort of have to wait until I can look at all this now with my husband so we can formulate our ideas beyond this early stage together. But I've been paying close attention to all the postings on these countries and will jump back in once we are further along in our planning. This month should see more action. But you are all so generous to share your ideas and experiences with us newbies. I hope I will be able to contribute to this forum after our trip!

I am looking at a few companies, but I just can't tell if you are booking the lodges/camps on your own, transport on your own, or are using a company to plan it all for you?

I'm excited for you just reading everyone's suggestions!

Use a reputable travel agent who specializes in Africa...tell them what you want and then sit back and let them make all the arrangements for you. They will take care of all the lodging, transportation etc. You just sit back and savor the anticipation!
Of course there are some people who like to make all the arrangements and handle every detail on their own, but I'm not one of them.

tinydancer,

it is very nice of you to follow up. many people post a question and receive detailed answers and they are never heard from again!

if you do want to work with an agent or local tour operator, i would be happy to refer you to one of my "competitors" that has an office close to your home. that way, you could even sit face to face and make your plans. let me know where you live if you are interested. i know one or two good safari consultants in most major US cities.

happy new year and i hope this month sees you firming up your safari plans!

craig beal

Happy New Year Tinydancer and have fun planning your trip.

I'm in Sydney, and the local (Australian) companies I have found are

www.emcompassafrica.com.au
http://www.africasafarico.com.au
www.africantravel.com.au
http://www.nfs.travel

I don't have a direct contact here in Sydney.

I've also made initial contacts with &Beyond and The African Adventure Co. both of which are not located here.

I'm beginning to see that many companies use many of the same lodges/camps, so I need to narrow that down to maybe only 2-3 companies to make further enquires with. I don't like asking too many people to invest too much time if I can narrow it down. My feeling is that having one company make all the arrangements may be best rather than me booking everyone directly, which I gather is much more complicated once you get into transferring between camps and between countries.

We're not looking for a budget company, nor are we looking for an ultra luxury trip. I want to mix tented camps and lodges (which make the most sense in the specific location), and be guaranteed of good vehicles and good guides. We're not looking at group tours.

And Happy New Year to all of you too!

"I'm beginning to see that many companies use many of the same lodges/camps, so I need to narrow that down to maybe only 2-3 companies to make further enquires with."

You are exactly right!

Hello tinydancer,

I've been watching this thread with great interest, and you are right. Many companies use many of the same lodges/camps.

That's because those companies (mega operators) spend huge amounts on advertising and commissions and entertainment for the travel agents you'll be dealing with.

There are hundreds of good lodges in South Africa and surrounds who never get a mention from travel agents or the travel forums, because they are realistically priced and spend more money producing good quality than paying their food chain. The same names keep cropping up everywhere, on every forum (and all of them mentioned in the above posts - how strange!)

Look around and keep an open mind. Good luck!

BK0 - I'm sure you are right, there are many more good lodges in SA than get mentioned hear. If I were local SA resident, I could easily try many different lodges and the ones that were just so-so would be no big deal. Very little lost. However, when I have to fly for 22 hours to get somewhere I want to be as sure as I can about my destination. How am I to know??

Happy New Year - Tom

Hi Tom,

I agree that's it's extremely difficult to tell from afar. And I don't discount the wonderful services provided by Travel Agents around the world. They are a crucial link in the supply chain.

I also agree that as a South Africa resident, I can visit many lodges across the spectrum, and if I'm a bit disappointed with one or two, there's little lost. When you are traveling for 22 hours at huge expense, it's very important that you are assured of good quality at your destination (and on your way there and back).

That's one of the huge values of forums like these. You can ask for detailed information and get responses from local and overseas travelers and experts in the field and inside the industry.

But you also need to filter the information. At the end of the day, it's up to personal choices. And the more balanced information you have, the more appropriate those choices can be for you.

Here's my two cents. Since you can travel for a long period of time (7 weeks being a very long period of time in my book) I would try to do it all. One week Rwanda/travel, two weeks East Africa and three - four weeks Southern Africa. We have gotten drivers for some of our transportation, but flying is the only way to get from place to place for the most part. Africa is big but you can do a lot in 5 - 7 weeks. I would start in Rwanda, as atravellyn suggested, go to ngorogoro, Serengeti-Mara, Tsavo (fewer people), then Cape Town for a few days to get back into civilization. Then Sabi Sands near Kruger, Phinda, Botswana - Duba Plains and Mombo are special - Victoria Falls, and maybe a few days in Mana Pools or Hwange in Zimbabwe. I prefer tents, but the tents are ridiculously luxurious for the most part. It's not camping by any means. Wilderness Safaris (I personally like them, but other Fodorites have a different opinion) does some interesting small group excursions in Bots, Namibia and Zambia where it is more rustic than their permanent camps.
I have no idea of the best times for the great migration, but Southern Africa is at its best from June - Sept, except being from Australia the cold might get to you at that time (my niece married an Aussie and he HATES the winters here in NY and never minds the heat even on our most miserable summer days). It does get surprisingly cold in the bush in the winter. You could go in your spring and see tons of babies, but the weather is hotter and wetter and the grass is higher, making the animals harder to find as they don't have as much trouble finding water.
Although I've never traveled with &Beyond, they get great feedback here. They have camps in all the areas you are interested in except Rwanda, and you could go entirely with them. I think they could help you with Rwanda.
My mom did three weeks Bots/S Africa when she was 77. It was not too much for her. You'll be fine - just stay in places for at least three days at a time. Less than that is stressful. Happy planning. It's fun!!

Thank you christabir, Bushkid0, and everyone else. All the comments have been just wonderful. I especially was kind of stuck in wondering if we can do much of what we want to on one trip, so getting your feedback on that is really supporting our feelings about doing it together in one go. Winter is Southern Africa is also winter here, and believe it or not, it does get pretty cold, even in Sydney. So we'd be swapping one winter for another. I'd almost rather be cold at night and early morning to avoid excessively hot and humid days, as in the build up to the wet. I've been camping in the outback in the winter (freezing at night) , and in Kakadu in the build up so it's an easy choice. And thank you for the comments on the bush tents! I was concerned that we'd be paying $ for luxuries we can do without, most of the time, during our trip. Although I'm sure we'll do some tents, and some lodges. When we get farther along, I'll bring up specific locations. Thanks again. See you soon!

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of a company called Enchanting Africa? I can't find anything about them anywhere.

Here I go...I've only been to Botswana from the list you posted. But I would definitely recommend Namibia!!!!! Don't miss that. Etosha National Park is nice.

Botswana is also beautifull, The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park. Near Chobe you can take a river Safari and spot the animals from your boat, that was a new experience for me, it was great!

I agree with you on flying. I mean, I love driving, but the truth is Africa is a big continent and you save lots of time by flying.

I must agree with Bushkid0. Travel agents not always give you the best. If you have got one you can trust on, then go ahead. Anyway, try to search on the web to re-check. And I am no SA resident.

I used Nomad Tours South Africa and really enjoyed it.

http://www.enchanting-africa.com/

They seem to be a branch of Enchanting Asia, and other Enchantings.

How did you come across them?

atravelynn, I think I saw a posting on another discussion board where someone else asked the same question (with no responses and very outdated) . So I looked them up and sent them a message about what we are looking at. Their website looks and reads very well. Then someone called me by phone from Africa to talk more to me about what we were looking for, and seemed to ask all the right questions and sounded very knowledgeable. She later sent me an email telling me she'd get me a proposal by Friday, and gave me a link to this other website with referrals (need I mention the name of the site??)(can I?). However, the comments on this site are 'strange' to say the least and following the comments raises big questions. Yet the company seems legit. It's confusing..

I think you can mention another site. If something appeared strange or confusing to me, I'd probably opt for another company, since there are many, many to choose from.

Yes, I agree. I've been trying to research them, and the most I can denote from what I've found is that this may be a new company created by a group of entrepreneurs in several countries, somehow connected through INSEAD. But I don't think we want to be their guinea pigs! Thanks for your input.

The other site was www.tripadvisor.com

I think we are getting closer to understanding how to proceed. But thought I'd ask specifically about Botswana. We are thinking of making that the longest part of our trip, and I'd appreciate suggestions on tented camps that you can recommend, and what are the don't miss areas for October. We want to stay in four star tented camps if possible, but are open to other suggestions if the areas are good. If there are specific companies you can recommend because they are the best people to go with in Botswana, please do tell who they are. Thanks again!

Our trip to Botswana in '06 was fantastic and I can't praise
Orient Express Safaris enough for their great people, camps, and food. We flew between 3 camps-Khwai River, Savute, and Eagle Island. check their website for more info on location, etc. I would suggest you do a search for travel agents in your area who do significant business in safaris and work with someone face to face. Good luck and enjoy.

I'm back again! We are going away tomorrow for one week, and we will look through all the materials I've collected then, and hopefully we will be booking our 'African trip of a lifetime' VERY shortly thereafter. I'm the one who likes to gather details early on, sort through it and then decide ahead of time and book early, he's the one who leaves everything to the last minute, looks it over, decides, and books, thus this has been a very slow process. Obviously two very different styles to plan this trip (or any trip). We are still planning on going to Rwanda, Kenya/Tan, Botswana. Unless we decide that it's just way too expensive, then we will probably have to drop either Kenya or Tanzania.

So, we are still planning to fly into directly into Nairobi via Johannesburg, on to Rwanda for 5 days, then back to Nairobi, where we are looking at :

6 days: Kicheche Camps Amboseli & Mara Which includes driving or flying to Porini Camp in the Eselenkei Cons Area N of Amboseli, and Amboselli for the next day, then fly via Nairobi to the Kicheche Mara Camp located on the Aitong Plains in the Northern Masai Mara. (OR, we could stay in two Kicheche camps in the Mara at another camp located in the Olare Orok Conservancy bordering the Reserve and not fly to Amboseli; where I'm reading mixed reviews of the recent Elephant situation).

My husband has also brought up Governor's Camp, so I don't know if we can or should add this one on for a night or two? It seems to me that staying within one company per country is the best way to economize. Oh, also, we have personally known 2 groups of people who have used Kicheche and have been very happy, and I notice someone else here is now going with them.

I have also looked at a combined trip with Africa Adventure Co, but haven't found anything with them that I like enough either because I haven't found one which doesn't have very long drives Kenya/Tanz; so if anyone has a suggestion on a company which could organise a combined flying Kenya/Tanz or Keny/Tanz/Rwanda trip without the very, very long drives, please let me know. We are interested in staying in smaller, tented camps where possible.

I'm looking at Lemala Camp at Ngorongoro Crater because we want to be in tents (with toilets) as much as possible on the trip.

Since I've been reading all the recent postings, I've noticed that atravalyn has suggested that Sept is better for Tarangire than Manyara, I'm wondering if we should include it in the itinerary? Also, if we're going to be in the Mara, is it essential to visit the Serengeti? If we don't include it, will we be sorry? This will probably be in Sept, but possibly late August as it's all dependent on availability.

I think what I am getting at, is if we don't do the entire itinerary, should we drop Kenya OR should we drop Tanzania? The places we are looking at in Kenya claim to be in areas which don't get too many people.

My husband, who is German and has read some reviews on German websites and says he has even seen travel advisories not to travel to Tanzania due to the increase of crimes with firearms. I've seen some of the discussions here and realise that these are usually isolated incidents.

After that we transit via Johannesburg to Botswana and I'm am leaning towards Wilderness Safaris, largely because they seem to give a tremendous amount of detailed information not only in their printed materials but on the web too (Safari_Craig). They also seem to have flexibility in where and how much, and they are appealing to me a lot. They seem like they'd be able to recommend which areas we should visit and for how long putting our needs ahead of theirs.

Another question today would be, if we could lower the costs a little bit by doing a mobile safari in Botswana, (or a few nights mobile safari) is that recommended if I'd want to sleep in a bed/cot vs on the ground, and have ensuite, and go the great viewing areas? Our priority is being in the best viewing areas.

I've been considering &Beyond too, but Wilderness still seems somehow better for us.

Thanks for all your help and advice, and ideas. Even though I haven't made much progress (it seems) on actually booking, I've been reading nearly all the postings every day and have gleaned much information from all of you wonderful people.

Responding to your questions/comments:

I think 2 locations in the Mara makes sense. You may do better price-wise by sticking with a single provider. I would definitely not tack one night onto another camp and probably not even two.

If you want to see Amboseli and possible views of Kili, then I’d include it. Amboseli has gotten adequate rain lately. You can see how it fits into the whole itinerary and then decide.

Africa Adv should be able to arrange any flights you wish if you request it. They did when I went with 3 friends to TZ and Kenya. But other companies can too. Of course you can work with separate Kenyan, Tanzanian, and Rwandan companies and piece your trip together. But some other companies that could do Kenya/Tanz/Rwanda (in some cases teaming with other ground operators) would be Go2Africa in S. Africa, Good Earth in Tampa and Tanzania, and Kiliwarriors in Virginia and Tanzania, to name a few.

The reason Tarangire is better in July-Oct than Manyara is they have their own little migration within Tarangire during that time so you see more animals and especially the eles that the place is known for. Manyara is at its best for wildlife viewing in Dec-Mar. But year round in Manyara there are hippos in and out of the hippo pool and lots of baboons, and the rather unusual blue monkey, plus maybe tree climbing lions, and some eles. Manyara also works well logistically for a one night stop to break up long drives and there is an airstrip nearby that is used for Ngorongoro along with Manyara.

Lemala would be a tented option at the crater and it uses that separate access road--attractive option.

There is no need to include Mara and Serengeti in the same trip in Aug/Sept unless you specifically wanted to go both places or wanted to maximize your odds of seeing the migration and maybe a river crossing. To the animals there is no distinction in the two connected parks. Aug or Sept is very good in the Mara. It is what I've chosen for Sept.

You asked about dropping Kenya or Tanzania if you don't do the whole itinerary. To decide, I'd see what your goals for the trip are. To see the migration? To see the Ngorongoro Crater, a World Heritage Site? To see as many different species as possible? To see certain types of animals? To minimize costs? To minimize seeing other vehicles? To incorporate walking or canoeing? You have mentioned you want to stay in tents and that can be accommodated in either country.

I'd ask your agent for a couple of Kenya/Tanzania options and see what they cost and how they fit with Rwanda and Botswana. Then you can decide if you want both Kenya & TZ or just one.

Not sure about the TZ warnings you mentioned, but the Tanzanian presidential election is in Oct and increased caution may be advised due to that. There are also some US State Dept warnings for Kenya that have been in effect for a decade or so. The wording has been scaled back over time.

Wilderness camps would be a fine choice in Botswana. AndBeyond would be too. Personal preference, what’s available, and deals on what you want can dictate which, and there are other options, in additon to these two.

You are right that a mobile would lower prices. You would want to check, but ensuite facilities is common and I recall comfortable sleeping arrangements in every tent I was in, but specifics evade me. The agent would have those specifics though.

To be sure the mobiles take you to good viewing areas, you should make that request known. Also post any mobiles you are considering here for more input.

If you are combining East and Southern Africa, and want one company overseeing it all and you want to book Wilderness Safaris, then something like Africa Adventure or Go2Africa may be best. You mentioned SafariCraig and I think his company does both East & Southern Africa, including Wilderness. It’s always wise and educational to contact more than one company.

You mention you have not made much booking progress, but until you know just what you want, don't put any money down for the booking part.

The more you know, the better questions you can ask of your agent and on this site, so you end up with a trip that is just right.

Agree with all atravelynn especially about tacking on one or two nights at Governors camps. Also I would not spend less then 3 nights per safari camp.

regards - tom

Thank you again! I'll get back to work on this and tell you how it's going in about a week and a half or so.

Hello again! Although still discussing, researching, etc a trip next Sept, my husband has just seen 3 specials offered by &Beyond in Botswana and also Tanzania for this March.

The camps are as follows:

Tanzania: 2 nts Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp, 2 nts Serengeti under canvas, 2 nts Ngorongoro Cragter Lodge.

2 nts Matetsi Water Lodge (Zambezi River) 2 nts chobe Under Canvas
&
2 nts Sandibe (or Nxabega,) 2 nts Xaranna (or Xudum.)

I'd really appreciate your opinions on these specials, particularly on the locations in March.
The prices are very good, totaling $7,494 pp land arrangements and transport to
camps, meals, etc.

If you have any experience at these locations, please do tell! Because the prices are lower, we might just do this now, and then do Rwanda and Kenya another trip.

Thanks again!

For Tanzania - the offer you have from &Beyond is called their "Signature 2010" specials. Keep in mind Grumetti is in the Western Corridor so the migrations will not start arriving into that area until late May (historically). March is their low season for rates for a reason. If you want good general animal viewing it will still be good year round.

The special you are getting from &Beyond is stay5pay4 which applies to Under Canvas and Grumetti. If you do this trip I recommend spending all four nights under canvas instead of 2 & 2 (Grumetti and Under Canvas).

The Botswana price actually seems quite high and I am not 100% sure about Chobe Under Canvas when it may still be the rainy season. The special you are getting there is stay5pay4 Signature 2010. It applies to all their camps in Botswana plus Matetsi in Zimbabwe. The prices for an ecosystem-similar Botswana trip with Wilderness Safaris would come out significantly less IF you finished traveling by March 15, 2010 on their stay3pay2 (i.e. stay9pay6 or stay12pay9). The deal expires on March 15. Here is how I would substitute and use three nights at each place:

Toka Leya or River Club for Matetsi (TL and RC are 10-15 km upstream on the Zambia side. Matetsi is upstream by 35 km on the Zimbabwe side).
Savuti Camp for Chobe Under Canvas (this is the biggest difference as Savuti is a permanent luxury lodge – classified “classic” by Wilderness).
Chitabe Main Camp for Sandibe (they are so close they share an air strip).
Kwetsani or Little Vumbura for Xudum for the water activity camp.

Comments per your request:
Matetsi would be the place you stay at to see Victoria Falls. It is a good value and the tour of the Falls is included along with the airport transfers.

Chobe Under Canvas. This would be excellent in June-October. I am not sure about the tail end of the rainy season – maybe someone else can comment. The large herds will certainly not have arrived at the river yet. There will be good general game viewing and there is some savings by not having to use a charter flight to start this program. The public camps sites &Beyond rents for this program are only about one hour by road from the Kasane gate.

Sandibe – I was at Chitabe in March 2008. This area is excellent year round and really excellent June-October!
Xudum – this area is very wet right now. You may want to verify if they are EFFECTIVELY operating land based game drives right now or if you will only be able to do water activities.

Big Five – note that on the Botswana itinerary you will not see the big five. The 50 or so Rhino that have be re-introduced in the wild in Botswana are not near any of the places you mentioned or I mentioned except Toka Leya. I say this because Xudum talks about Big Five game drives. You will see plenty of Lion, Elephant, and Buffalo and perhaps Leopard at Xudum but not Rhino.

The price of the above with Wilderness would around $6,000 all inclusive starting in Maun and ending in Livingstone at the airport (or vice versa). I just booked someone on a very similar trip last week for March 6-15 and he leaves camp the day the special expires.

You are going through quite a process! There are so many choices and so many ways to book these things it can be tough to make sure you are finding the best value. Keep at it and I am convinced someone will comment on my plan above!

Craig Beal

To recap the exciting trip planning details:

<i>“We are free to travel any time, and right now we are totally stuck because we want to see the gorillas in Rwanda, the great migration Kenya/Tanzania, and I'm determined to go to Botswana too.”</i>

Looked like you were planning on at least a month of travel, up to 7 weeks.

<i>“Although still discussing, researching, etc a trip next Sept, my husband has just seen 3 specials offered by &Beyond in Botswana and also Tanzania for this March.”</i>


<green>Tanzania: 2 nts Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp, 2 nts Serengeti under canvas, 2 nts Ngorongoro Cragter Lodge.

2 nts Matetsi Water Lodge (Zambezi River) 2 nts chobe Under Canvas
&
2 nts Sandibe (or Nxabega,) 2 nts Xaranna (or Xudum.)</green>

<i>“If you have any experience at these locations, please do tell! Because the prices are lower, we might just do this now, and then do Rwanda and Kenya another trip.”</i>

------------------------------------------

Splitting your trip into 2 outings would make sense to me for these reasons:

1. You can take advantage of seasonal conditions and/or price breaks in different regions.

2. You can savor the memories of one trip and still have another to look forward to. It spreads the joy.

3. If (heaven forbid) something occurred on one of the trips that cut it short you don’t have all your eggs in one basket and would not lose as much. You’re diversifying.

4. Based on Trip #1 you can tweak Trip #2. No matter how much planning you do, there is nothing like first-hand experience to help you design an itinerary to match your specific desires.

5. For many people 7 weeks can be a very long time away, no matter how enchanting the holiday surroundings.

6. You won't need to carry your gorilla tracking boots or other gear with you on the trip that does not include them.

7. You could concentrate on one region in each of your trips, saving the downtime and expense of cross-continent travel. But it looks like you are planning on East and Southern Africa in both of your trips.

The big downside of 2 trips is the double airfare. Also if you don’t like long plane rides, you have to do that twice.

My comments will encompass other properties beyond AndBeyond, which means the AndBeyond discount is not a factor. But you may be able to piece together other accommodations for similar pricing, especially if you swap out of Crater Lodge and into something less expensive at Ngorongoro Crater.

If you made a quick March getaway, the Serengeti would be good, but not Grumeti. As Craig states, that’s better May into July for the migration. But staying put in the Ndutu area of the Serengeti (which is where the Under Canvas should be & I’d check to make sure that is where it is) would be great. Four nights would not be too much as that’s where the wilde migration action should be in March, or at least you should be able to drive to it from Ndutu. There are other Ndutu mobile options besides AndBeyond.

A couple nts at the crater would be lovely too. Crater Lodge is the top end accommodation in Ngorongoro, but in the rainy season especially, I’d prefer Sopa (also a lodge) or Lemala (tent where I have not been) because of their own access road. Less traffic on these in the mud. To me that trumps luxury lodging.

I think the falls are at their fullest about March if that is important to you, but they are never underwhelming even in the driest times, the only times I’ve been.

I’ve heard great things about delta camps such as Kwara/Little Kwara in March. Chitabe is always good. But that is the rainy season in Botswana. One thing I’ve considered about Botswana, pricing, weather, and viewing conditions, based on comments from others with lots of experience in this region is this:

Okavango Delta camps (as opposed to Linyanti/Selinda) do not seem to vary as much in quality of wildlife viewing in the rainy season, but you get the rainy season price discounts if that’s when you travel. With the high Botswana prices, March may be a decent time to visit. Here’s one other thing regarding my fav Botswana camp, Duba Plains where lions and buffalo interact. While you may be getting more rain in March, the floods coming down from the mountains in Angola have not reached the area yet. That means you may be able to get to more areas of the concession so the lions are less likely to leave you behind for a day or two.

If you did your Botswana/Vic Falls component in March, then you would not need to make that journey in Sept. And you’d be in Tanzania with the migration at one of its most exciting times.

That means in Sept you could concentrate on Kenya (maybe we'll cross paths there) and Rwanda. It would allow for longer stays in the parks, like I'm going to do, with up to a week in the Mara--maybe splitting between 2 locations. You also could do more than just gorillas in Rwanda. There is the lovely Akagera National Park with many lakes and colobus monkeys and chimps in Nyungwe.

You'll want to act quickly on March if you want to be in Africa next month. Good luck!

One more thing. The floods in the delta are very big this year which can offer opportunties and make some areas less desirable. You'll want to take that into account in your plans for March through the end of 2010.

Thank you so much for your quick and thorough replies! We'll look further into it and let you know.

One more question though, are there any vaccinations that we'd need in Botswana in March that it is too late to get now?

Thanks again!

PS: the total price I noted above would include the Botswana and Tanzania trips. Ex intra Africa airfares of course. These are 'Last Minute Deals':
http://www.andbeyondafrica.com/speci...t_minute_deals