One week in Istanbul with family late Nov/early Dec 2011 than onto????
May 30th, 2011, 01:54 PM
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One week in Istanbul with family late Nov/early Dec 2011 than onto????
Looking for suggestions to vacation in a warmer climate after Turkey. Possibly Africa, but concerned we are in rainy season.
Thoughts and help are appreciated. Travel is for 2 adults.
Please, discuss...
Thoughts and help are appreciated. Travel is for 2 adults.
Please, discuss...
May 31st, 2011, 02:16 AM
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sharmelsheikh.com
nice weather beach diving
Marriott priceline.com good prices
Otel.com also great deals out of Istanbul
10% DC on facebook for them right now plus
5% cash back use them a lot world wide for great deals.
weather2travel.com Cimate guides will help you to plan.
Happy Travels!
nice weather beach diving
Marriott priceline.com good prices
Otel.com also great deals out of Istanbul
10% DC on facebook for them right now plus
5% cash back use them a lot world wide for great deals.
weather2travel.com Cimate guides will help you to plan.
Happy Travels!
May 31st, 2011, 06:37 AM
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In Kenya - While Nov/early-Dec is the "short" rainy period, there's no guarantee it will rain. If it does, they're brief thunderstorms or overnight showers and will not inhibit safari. Prices are good in Kenya at mid-season rates. Easy enough to get between IST/NBO on regularly scheduled Turkish Air flight.
In Turkey - If my visit to Turkey at this time some years back is any indication, weather here can also be "iffy" - we had some really cold morning/nights, though mid-day temps were mild. Fascinating country - history, ruins, people, food - and except for my visits to Africa, one of my very favorite holidays.
Good combination.
In Turkey - If my visit to Turkey at this time some years back is any indication, weather here can also be "iffy" - we had some really cold morning/nights, though mid-day temps were mild. Fascinating country - history, ruins, people, food - and except for my visits to Africa, one of my very favorite holidays.
Good combination.
May 31st, 2011, 09:08 AM
#4
Eilat and Petra? There are plenty of flights between IST and TLV; get a car and drive down to the Red Sea. There are numerous day or overnight tours into Petra from Eilat; maybe stop at Jerusalem before or after.
Jun 1st, 2011, 06:56 AM
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I was in Kenya last year in early December, and it was beautiful! There was one overcast afternoon (I recall a bit of drizzle, nothing torrential) and one storm at night, but it didn't interfere with the animal viewing at all.
Weather was warm most days; sunny and probably mid-80s would be my guess. I wore mostly long sleeved shirts -- the lightweight ones marketed for sun protection as opposed to those marketed for warmth -- and was glad of a fleece jacket for the cool mornings and evenings when riding in the open game drive vehicles. But I was never cold, and most days were delightfully warm (a nice change from Washington DC's normal December weather).
One plus for off-season travel, in my opinion, was the relative quiet of the parks; it's a much more private and <i>exclusive</i> -seeming sort of experience. The game viewing was sparser in some places than I'm sure it is at other times of the year, but I had no complaints, as I still got to see an incredible number of animals and birds, predators and prey.
Enjoy your planning and have a wonderful trip!
Weather was warm most days; sunny and probably mid-80s would be my guess. I wore mostly long sleeved shirts -- the lightweight ones marketed for sun protection as opposed to those marketed for warmth -- and was glad of a fleece jacket for the cool mornings and evenings when riding in the open game drive vehicles. But I was never cold, and most days were delightfully warm (a nice change from Washington DC's normal December weather).
One plus for off-season travel, in my opinion, was the relative quiet of the parks; it's a much more private and <i>exclusive</i> -seeming sort of experience. The game viewing was sparser in some places than I'm sure it is at other times of the year, but I had no complaints, as I still got to see an incredible number of animals and birds, predators and prey.
Enjoy your planning and have a wonderful trip!
Jun 5th, 2011, 03:03 PM
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Sandi and WindowlessOffice, my Kenya travellers,
did you use a tour operator? How did you plan your travel?
Is 1 week enough?
Thank you.
Quovadis,
Thanks for the weather travel site!
Gardyloo,
My husband likes the idea of Petra
Chokri,
I will consider Tunisia, I know nothing about it!
did you use a tour operator? How did you plan your travel?
Is 1 week enough?
Thank you.
Quovadis,
Thanks for the weather travel site!
Gardyloo,
My husband likes the idea of Petra
Chokri,
I will consider Tunisia, I know nothing about it!
Jun 7th, 2011, 07:29 AM
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randipellmar,
I used Go2Africa to help me with travel planning and was totally happy with the end result; they worked with Gamewatchers safaris (the tour operators) to cover all my drivers, transfers, game drives and lodgings at the Porini camps, which I absolutely adored. The safari portion of my trip was only about a week so I certainly thought the trip worthwhile in that timeframe, but was it <i>enough</i>? That depends on whether you fall in love with it the way I did -- I certainly didn't want to leave at the end of the trip! It's a relatively short period, though, so I'd recommend picking only one or two areas to visit so that you don't spend too much time in transit.
A disclaimer: I've only been on the one safari so far, so I'm sure others will be able to offer more comprehensive info. Sandi, for instance, does actually work in the travel industry and will likely be happy to provide more info if requested (she gives a lot of great, unbiased advice to posters on this board and is very scrupulous about not pushing her industry connections). One of the few complaints I've heard about Go2Africa -- although it's not one that I had -- is that they're comparatively expensive. I did my homework and checked "rack rates" for properties that were recommended (and others that I'd also heard about) and thought that Go2Africa treated me very fairly, but shopping around and comparing quotes isn't a terrible idea. I know I've seen praise for Eastern and Southern safaris on this board, for example, and I'm sure Sandi might have some ideas as well.
How many people are going, and how old are they? What's your budget? Are there particular birds, animals, habitats you want to see? Are you interested in cultural visits (i.e. to Maasai villages)? Do you prefer tented accommodations or lodges? National parks or private concessions? You should consider these things, as they may steer you toward certain areas over others. I personally loved the Porini camps, which were very luxurious (with en suite flushing toilets and running water in the bathroom) while being eco-friendly and were located on private conservancies adjacent to the national parks. This allowed for easy access to the parks, but being in the conservancies also allowed for the freedom of night drives, walking safaris, and exclusivity of drives when we were outside of the park borders. Game viewing in the conservancies was outstanding; I think I saw more lions and cheetahs outside the parks than in, and seeing them in the conservancies meant that ours was usually the only vehicle around to watch them. But these camps were very pricey, and people who stay at lodges also tend to return and post rave reviews.
I'm sure you'll enjoy the planning and the trip ... and here's my vote for your visiting the Masai Mara area, which is, in my opinion, rightly considered the jewel of Kenya.
I used Go2Africa to help me with travel planning and was totally happy with the end result; they worked with Gamewatchers safaris (the tour operators) to cover all my drivers, transfers, game drives and lodgings at the Porini camps, which I absolutely adored. The safari portion of my trip was only about a week so I certainly thought the trip worthwhile in that timeframe, but was it <i>enough</i>? That depends on whether you fall in love with it the way I did -- I certainly didn't want to leave at the end of the trip! It's a relatively short period, though, so I'd recommend picking only one or two areas to visit so that you don't spend too much time in transit.
A disclaimer: I've only been on the one safari so far, so I'm sure others will be able to offer more comprehensive info. Sandi, for instance, does actually work in the travel industry and will likely be happy to provide more info if requested (she gives a lot of great, unbiased advice to posters on this board and is very scrupulous about not pushing her industry connections). One of the few complaints I've heard about Go2Africa -- although it's not one that I had -- is that they're comparatively expensive. I did my homework and checked "rack rates" for properties that were recommended (and others that I'd also heard about) and thought that Go2Africa treated me very fairly, but shopping around and comparing quotes isn't a terrible idea. I know I've seen praise for Eastern and Southern safaris on this board, for example, and I'm sure Sandi might have some ideas as well.
How many people are going, and how old are they? What's your budget? Are there particular birds, animals, habitats you want to see? Are you interested in cultural visits (i.e. to Maasai villages)? Do you prefer tented accommodations or lodges? National parks or private concessions? You should consider these things, as they may steer you toward certain areas over others. I personally loved the Porini camps, which were very luxurious (with en suite flushing toilets and running water in the bathroom) while being eco-friendly and were located on private conservancies adjacent to the national parks. This allowed for easy access to the parks, but being in the conservancies also allowed for the freedom of night drives, walking safaris, and exclusivity of drives when we were outside of the park borders. Game viewing in the conservancies was outstanding; I think I saw more lions and cheetahs outside the parks than in, and seeing them in the conservancies meant that ours was usually the only vehicle around to watch them. But these camps were very pricey, and people who stay at lodges also tend to return and post rave reviews.
I'm sure you'll enjoy the planning and the trip ... and here's my vote for your visiting the Masai Mara area, which is, in my opinion, rightly considered the jewel of Kenya.
