Could all you experienced travelers please advise us on our Tanzania trip.
Our tentative plan is for the end of May..

May 28th- Tarangire Sopa Lodge
May 29th - Crater- Game drive . Sopa Lodge
May 30th - Game drive in Crater, drive to Central Serengeti.
What would be your choice ? Serena or Olakira Camp. Which is the better area?
May 31st- Central Serengeti
June 1st - Mbalgeti Camp
June 2nd- Mbalgeti Camp
June 3rd- Mbuzi Mawe
June 4th - Drive to Seronera air strip. Fly to Kilimanjaro, connect to NBO

We were also considering a few days in Mahale. Is this the best time to visit?

Any suggestions to the above would be greatly appreciated.

Olakira is probably a small camp compared to the Huge Serena. Is Olakira located in Seronera for June? or in the northern Serengeti?

I hope Eben or Sandi see this, they may be able to help you out.....

Hari

Why Mbuze Mawe on the last day? It's a long drive from Mbalageti to Mbuze Mawe, and the northern serengeti is probably not best for beginning of June. Granted, the drive would be mostly a game drive, but I'd probably consider something closer to the central serengeti. Even then, it doesn't seem worthwhile for a one night stay. You don't have to backtrack since you can catch a flight out of the airstrip in the Western Corridor.

According to the Go-safari.com website, Olakira is in the Seronera area during that time period. So, location-wise the Serena and Olakira are about the same. I would prefer the seasonal camp over the large and busy lodge, but that's a personal decision.

I'd do 3 nights central/2 nights western or vice versa rather than do 2 nights central/2 nights western/1 night northern, unless you have a specific reason to backtrack.

For end May, as we experiences in 2005, the Central Serengeti is best. I'd do 3/days here and 2/days in the West. You can fly from either the Seronera airstrip (if in Central) or Grumeti airstrip (if staying at Mbagaleti).

Why Mbuzi Mawe? An option to the Serena? But if you can get Olakira, no need for MM.

Hello,

Olakira will be in the central Serengeti (Turner Springs) in June, which will put it quite close to Serena. Personally, I'd choose Olakira for the small size of the camp and intimate bush atmosphere -- staying in the central Serengeti will mean that you can't really avoid the crowds, but at least you can retire to a nice small camp at the end of the day.

Olakira will be a bit more rustic than Serena though, as it's a bush camp not a hotel -- if you want flush loos and running water you may prefer Serena.

Cheers,
Julian

Thanks to all of you for your valuable suggestions. As we had read such great reports about Mbuzi Mawe we thought it would be good to spend a night there.
It does make sense to spend that time in the Central area.
As we are going in the end of May, does it make a difference if we first go to Tarangire and work our way up or if we fly into the Grumeti airstrip and work our way down.
We may be too early for the migration but we are hoping that we will be able to view some.
Our plan now is to spend three nights at Olakira and two nights in Mbalgeti.
This is in addition to the Crater and Tarangire. Should we spend a night in Lake Manyara?

Is it a good idea to spend a few days in Mahale in the beginning of June? Or should we put it off for another visit?

I don't think it matters much whether you drive-in/fly back or fly-in/drive back. I would prefer to drive-in/fly back simply because I think the parks and lodgings in your itinerary build up better. Tarangire is a smaller park, and while it can be very nice, I'd rather begin there and work up to the bigger Crater and then finish in the Serengeti. Also, you get to finish at your most luxurious lodging. It's true that wildlife viewing in Tarangire is better later in the month, I don't know that a difference of a few days is going to be significant.

I wouldn't bother with a stay in Lake Manyara if it meant taking time from any other park.

Honestly, Tarangire is probably going to have lots of high grass (as will many of the areas you visit, being right after or still raining); game viewing but for large animals - elephants, giraffe - will be a challenge. Likewise, grasses will be high in the Serengeti and it's possible much of the wildie herds will be in Central (some maybe even down south).

When we visited, the wildies were in the woodlands in Central; we didn't see massive herds, but could sure hear them. The zebras that usually lead the wildies were actually still down in the southern plains. With the high and wet grasslands, it was actually difficult for the herds to navigate. They were waiting for the rain to stop. Didn't make it to the Western area for another 2/weeks.

But, from year-to-year this can change by a few days or weeks. This past year with lots of good grazing in the Serengeti, segments of the herds were actually late arriving in the Mara.

So it doesn't much matter whether you fly out to the Grumeti and work your way back or vice versa. These in-between periods are real tricky, but beautifully green and usually not much dust; ideal daytime temps and comfy nights and mornings.

Thanks for your responses. I understand that the rates for the lodges go down during the rainy season. When do the rates increase? Is it June 1st or June 15th?
Would it be advisable to move our date to June 2nd if the rates are the same?

Thanks

According to the Serena Hotels website, their high-season pricing starts on June 1st. According to the Go-Safari.com website, Olakira's high-season pricing starts on June 15th. And, also according to Go-Safari.com, Mbalageti starts high-season pricing on June 1st - the prices double!

I'd just ask your operator to give you quotes for flip-flopped itineraries. If it's cheaper to fly-in/drive back because of the way the dates work out, that may be a good idea. For example, moving the two nights at Mbalageti in June to May would save you $100-400 a night.

Up until this year (beginning 2006 season) June had been low season, no more. Some props may not raise till mid-June, but the good ole low-season for June is probably gone forever.