I have spent the better part of a beautiful July day at this forum and other sites trying to decide on a safari for Jan/Feb 2007. ShayTay and others have been helpful in our decision to go to tented camps for the real African experience, and I have been talking to OAT, Thomson and 2AFRIKA. We have used OAT in the past and have been basically happy but they do have to cut costs and it is in the accomodations. Any comments from anyone who has stayed at Mama Wilsons? The Mt. Village Lodge sounds so much nicer, but does it really matter? We are particularly excited about the Ngorongoro Crater and it was mentioned here that the Farmhouse-where OAT stays- was 2 hours away. Is that true? We keep leaning toward OAT because of the cost being less for very similar trips, but this is still a major expense and we don't want to make a mistake. In other words we will spend the extra $ if we can really believe it will make a difference in our enjoyment of the safari. I love this board because many of you agonize as I am doing, then bite the bullet and go and have a wonderful time. I know I can't ask anyone else to make the decision for me, but just a little more input, please.

Hi Sue,

What are the three itineraries exactly? I take it these are all group tours. What are the sizes of the groups?

I'd stay at one of the lodges on the Crater rim if at all possible and get up VERY early for your Crater tour. It is a far better experience without the hordes.

Are you specifically looking for a group tour? If not, you know you can design your own trip, right?

The Farmhouse is just a couple of miles from the entrance of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It doesn't take two hours to get to the Crater Rim. Now that Crater visits are limited to a half day, I don't see that it matters if you're dashing down from a Rim lodge, or not. We had a full day's visit on both my Tanzania trips while staying at the Farmhouse, which is a lovely place.

Mama Wilson's has nice, comfortable duplex bungalows and is in a walled compound in Arusha. If you'd like to see photos of it, go to sharontaylor.smugmug.com. These are my photos from 2004. The Tented River Camp has been significantly upgraded since 2004 and you can see those photos as well as the Farmhouse at www.africawilderness.com.

There have been lots of discussions about OAT on the board, but my opinion is that you'll have a great trip to Tanzania if you go with them. Their ground operator is Kibo Safaris, who do a great job. Just watch all your paperwork carefully that you get from the Boston office (names on tickets correct? etc.) What some people don't seem to understand is that not everyone can afford high-end safaris to Africa. You'll see the same wildlife in the Crater, whether you're staying at the Farmhouse or Crater Lodge. For Americans especially, the airfare alone is a killer (not to mention the 2 days it takes to get there.) If traveling with groups such as OAT means more people get to experience Africa, then I'm all for it!

I'm still at the computer, it is 7:15 pm in NY-I have to stop to eat sometime-what an addiction!

The OAT trip we are considering is called Safari Serengeti with a pre trip to "the foothills of Kilimanjaro" staying at Sinya camp there. The full trip has 2 nights Tarangire Tented river camp, 3 nights Ngorongoro Farmhouse (2 in middle, one at end of trip) and 4 nights at OAT's private mobile tented camp in the Segengeti. Patty, yes, I have researched doing our own trip when I thought there would be 5 of us going, but now it just my husband and myself and I felt a group would be better, although now that I am pretty clear where I want to go...I don't know. Who would be your favorite outfitter for a private tour? Are we missing anything special by not going to some of the bigger lodges, Treetops, Serena, etc. Thanks, Sue

Sue,
Take a look at the East Africa trip report index and read about others experiences with Tanzania ground operators (most of the reports are private safaris) - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34725679

Price a private safari for just the two of you with a few Tanzania based operators. I think you'll find that it may not cost that much more, if any, than a group tour with one of the companies you mentioned. At the very least, do a comparison before deciding.

No, I don't think you're missing anything special by not staying at the bigger lodges (Treetops isn't that big though, I don't think) except for perhaps the crater view.

Good luck with your plans!

snorklesue

<"The Farmhouse is just a couple of miles from the entrance of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area">
but is is one good hour from the descending gate!! (when the road was really wet - even more)
& they won't let u through the Park Gate at 5:00 am even if u wanna get up that early ...
In the morning, it is important to be at the descending gate a few minutes before opening time.Get a Feeling of Ngorongoro before the rush-hour.
& of course you need to maxmimize time on your half day caldera's floor...
For the morning u r going down GET A LODGE ON THE RIM ! Sopa is Best as it has its own road, & in the early hours NgoroX2 is all yours.
& the VIEW (on the crater rim) - this ia another must

Farmhouse would be nice when u come out of the crater. I wouldn't hesitate to change a night even if i have to pack again & again on single-night accommodations

aby

Hi Sue,
I went on Thomson's Classic Camping Safari in March. I booked with Thomson's before becoming a Fodorite, and learned I probably could have saved a few $$$. Thomson's was fantastic and I highly recommend them. As far as Mountain Village Lodge, I stayed there upon arrival, and yes it was very nice, but honestly by the time we checked in and got to our hut I was so exhausted I didn't really appreciate the surroundings or room. We were up early and on the road the next morning. I am not familiar with the other lodge, but it wouldn't have mattered much to me where I was that first night. Hope this helps. I know how stressful it is to make that final decision of which company to go with.
Teri

snorkelsue - as mentioned the wildlife doesn't discriminate as a traveler being part of private vs. group safari, and since it's the 2 of you, it's worth thinking of how best to spend the money and still have the experience you want. One reason a group was less attractive to me was simply sharing a vehicle and having the potential differences in interests for the days drive. Just a bit more flexibility on a private tour. Also, hoped it would be an opportunity to build a relationship over the days on safari and have an expert guide. Doesn't seem to be the case (good guide experiences) for many who have returned from recent safaris. So, in all, it does add cost IMO. Ensuring you are in the locations you want to be would be my suggested priority. Taking the best deal based on that - group/private, would come next.

One other, thought, if you do like to socialize a bit with others on the trip, you might enjoy sharing and being part of a group tour.

I stayed at the Farmhouse and yes, it's 3 mintues from the crater gate but it will take about an hour to get around the rim of the crater and then another hour to get down the descending road (total about 2 hours). The crater drive is pretty punishing and if I had to do it again, I would probably stay somewhere in a lodge inside the gate to minimize the drive.

Hope this helps.

P.S. I also stayed at the Tarangire River Camp under old ownership and I liked the facilities there. However, it is also a bit of a drive (20 mins on very bumpy path, I wouldn't call this a road) from the main road.

Thank you all so much for your helpful input. After MUCH deliberation my husband and I decided to go with OAT Jan 26-Feb ll,2007. Big decision, but I had to do it so I could sleep at night and stop driving myself crazy. A part of me definitely feels we are wimps, but Africa is somewhat scary for the first timer and this OAT trip covers so much of what we want with a company we know at a price we can live with. Maybe we'll be braver with a private company on our next trip to Africa-I already feel certain we are going to want to return. Thanks again.

Congrats on making a decision and hope you have a great trip!

snorklesue-
If you are still out there, I just posted a link to an OAT trip in the trip report index that Patty mentioned - it even describes the pre-trip you were thinking of!

I toook the same OAT trip last year and posted a report. If you click on my name, it should appear.