Philipsburg

My wife and I went on safari in Northern Tanzania (Crater, Serengeti, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire) for our honeymoon in Feb 2006. The information we received from the fodors and other forums proved to be very helpful…we had a wonderful trip and got bit by African safari bug. We are in the EARLY planning stages of our next trip (probably still a couple years out) and are looking for advice on planning this trip.

In 2006 we did a private safari with Roys and really enjoyed having our own vehicle which gave us more freedom during game drives. (We’d prefer to do a private safari for our next trip) We also much preferred the mobile and permanent tent camps as opposed to the lodges. (Can’t beat the rush one gets from hearing the various sounds of wildlife right outside your tent!) One downside with the ’06 trip was that certain areas we visited seemed a bit overcrowded with tourists. One of our main goals with the next trip is to visit more remote areas with fewer tourists.

We are currently contemplating Botswana or a return trip to Tanzania for the less visited southern parks of Ruaha and Selous. (Although we could be sold on another location if there was a compelling argument). We realize that this will be a more expensive trip than in ’06, but it’s a cost we are willing pay. We are not interested in luxury lodges, our primary goals are good game viewing in beautiful remote locations with fewer tourists than we experienced in ’06.

Any recommendations you can provide us on Botswana, Southern Tanzania, or another locations would be much appreciated! We need to decide where to go before the real planning begins. Thanks in advance for your advice

raelond

We visited Botswana and Zambia in 2006 and Northern Tanzania this past March. We are planning on returning to Tanzania in 2010 visiting Mahale, Katavi and Ruaha parks. We are looking into camps in these parks owned by Flycatchers. Vehicles are shared (4 maximum), but as we shared vehicles when we stayed at Wilderness Safari camps in Botswana, we don't have a problem with that. Even with the expensive flight to these parks, the cost would be less than if we visited Botswana again in high season staying at Wilderness camps. I was told that I could get a very good rate with Flycatchers if we were able to go in 2009 because of the downturn in the economy. You may want to look into this. We will have to wait until 2010.

ShayTay

I don't think you could go wrong with either of these locations. I've been to Botswana a couple of times and it's my favorite place in southern Africa. There are some deals that are now cropping up, but there may be more later that will extend into 2010, given that many people plan their safaris a year in advance. I'm currently looking at going to southern and western Tanzania and am currently working with Authentic Tanzania out of Dar es Salaam. David Barker has been quite helpful in my planning. Raelond, I'm going to take another look at Flycatchers and see what they're offering.

canadian_robin

I would certainly recommend Botswana. We visited in August 2008 and loved it. We self-drove with a roof-top tent from Maun to Kasane and then went on to Vic Falls in Zambia, but self-drive may not be your cup of tea. It is a good way to avoid the crowds however. If you want to see my trip report, here is the link.

http://bert-and-bin.smugmug.com/gall...18318816_Pyvk6

There are lots of photos and our itinerary. To read about Botswana, I would recommend the Bradt guide. Robin

atravelynn

Perhaps the losing destination in this decision will take the lead for your Trip #3.

The months you plan to travel would be a major factor in a recommendation of Botswana or Southern Tanzania or maybe Zambia for remoteness.