Have never been on a Safari but plan to do one next year as part of a round the world ticket I am trying to purchase soon as cost of airfares are really going up. Have been reading a lot of trip reports and have the Fodors Safari guide. We have traveled extensively independently through Europe/South America and Asia. Seems like East Africa would be a good first step in Africa with either Kenya or Tanzania for 14-17 days. Think we will do South Africa with Capetown/ Kruger/VF on another trip due to our limitation of time.
Leaning towards Tanzania as it appears most of the destinations require driving while Kenya appears best with some small planes for transport. I tend to get airsick in small planes despite Scopolamine patches. We are going to the Galapagos next month and will be trying some combination stronger for the small plane flight between islands. We will be flying through Europe as we will be celebrating my wife's birthday with the family in the Dordogne in June so Africa will be an extension of that RTW trip. Prefer to fly either Lufthansa or Brussels form Europe but we might have to fly Ethiopian Airlines as we will be on a Star Alliance Business Ticket. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

One the reasons we focused on South Africa for our safari experiences was that it offered such an incredible variety of environments, landscapes, cultures, etc. We couldn't afford long visits to high-end game lodges, so we'd spend 3 or 4 (tops) nights in those lodges, then move on to non-safari locations or to wildlife Reserves or national parks where we could drive ourselves and/or stay in affordable lodgings outside the reserve boundaries. With this approach we leveraged a lot of activities and destinations in that marvelous country.

Now this might not apply to you, but do you foresee spending ten or.more nights (out of 14 to 17) on safari? People are different, of course, but we found that even in "luxury" settings, we started getting a little overloaded with game drives, bush walks, over-the-top dining and all that.

So maybe I can describe an imaginary couple of weeks in SA, just to illustrate this idea.

We liked to visit the Sabi Sand game reserve, on the edge of Kruger National Park. Many of the lodges in the SSGR are quite pricey, so maximizing the time on the ground is important. In order to get to the lodge in plenty of time to get settled before the afternoon game drive, we'd position ourselves the night before at someplace within a couple hours' drive from the lodge. We used Graskop, an old settlement on the incredible Panorama Route (canyons, mountains, waterfalls...) then would get to the safari lodge as early as allowed (usually noon) the next day.

After 3 or 4 days of amazing wildlife viewing, we'd drive back to Johannesburg, drop the rental car and fly down to Cape Town. After a couple of days in the Mother City, and depending on the month, we'd head out of town up the Atlantic coast to an old fishing village, Paternoster, set in country where the wildflower display was mind-blowing.

Or we'd head up the Indian Ocean side to the Cape Winelands and the Garden Route, a stunning mountain-and-ocean region, maybe ending at Addo Elephant National Park a couple of days later. Addo is a self-drive park featuring a LOT of elephants (duh) as well as the rest of the Big 5. Then we'd fly to Joburg or Cape Town, then on to the next RTW stop, typically London or Sydney.

This would make for a busy but rewarding couple of weeks. I'm not saying this a model for you, but I'd recommend you think about how many days to allocate to specific activities.

Have been to Tanzania twice and preferred safaris there to South Africa, BUT it is a big function of when. We went once in the dry (July) and once in the green (Feb) and the latter was much better for the migration and wildebeests giving birth. We went to South Africa in September (and also Botswana in August/Sept but you didn't mention that). September in/around Kruger was similar in temp and landscapes to Tanzania in July. Even though we saw the big five and had wonderful accommodations, it just did not seem as "wild" as Tanzania or Botswana.

And not to contradict the prior poster, for the northern Tanzania circuit, if you drive both ways to and from Serengeti, I think 12 nights is about right, so 14 with buffer days at either end seems a good idea. That is a lot of safari, but one day we just kicked back at a tented camp that had a view of a waterhole and lots of animals milling about for an afternoon.

Now, the complication is that getting to the Kilimanjaro airport (near Arusha where the trips start) isn't easy. I do think it is still served by Ethiopian which is a Star partner, and possibly Turkish Air, but often the flights are at terrible times. We flew on KLM, not a Star airline, and the other time into Nairobi on BA (again not Star) and then on a small plane to Tanzania. I used to hate small planes but traveling in Africa gave me enough experience to now choose small plane scenic flights. You still won't get me on a helicopter, though. Sorry for the diversion.

Anyway, safari is like nothing else and I hope you can make it work.

Hi, just a quick note about Kenya vs. Tanzania . . . I did around an 18 day trip back in 2006 or 2007 (my thread is probably on this board) and we really enjoyed going to both countries. (We didn't rush through anything and had plenty of time.) We went during the Wildebeest migration.

The one very specific difference we found between the safaris in both countries is that in Kenya - if you see a leopard, you can just drive off-road to wherever it is. In Tanzania, the authorities were much stricter and you had to stay on the dirt driving path in the parks. I recall begging our driver to just go for it but he said he would get a very expensive ticket for doing so. I'm sure the regulations in Tanzania are much better for the environment though the more carefree attitude in Kenya was better for tourists. LOL. Of course, this was a long time ago though I would explore whether this is still the case. We were still glad we went to Tanzania because the Ngorogoro Crater is really special and quite different from anything else we saw.

I also get plane sick, car sick, boat sick, etc. We took one small plane from our camp in Africa and the whole ride was probably less than an hour and wasn't too bad. (The bigger issue was checking that they locked the door of the plane!) Apart from this one plane ride, the rest was driving and we loved doing it We spent every day feeling like we were in the movie, Born Free.

One other point about motion sickness - not sure if your safari rides (usually one early morning and one in the afternoon) will be private or with other passengers. You should make sure to sit in the first two seats since the back can be really bumpy and less fun. In one of the camps, we went with two other people we didn't know and they bee-lined it for the front on both rides that day!

Having never been to South Africa, I would opt for East Africa first so you can focus just on the safari portion. I'm dying to go to South Africa but will also want to explore the cities and everything else there.

Again, the caveat that my trip was a long time ago.

hi!!

Working on flights. Any comments on air Ethiopia
vs Turkish?

Just a slight correction to #4, you cannot go offroad everywhere in Kenya. In the National Parks you are supposed to stay on the road although it is a bit of the wild west especially in the Maasai Mara with many rogue guides from outside the area just trying to please clients. It's not ethical to tell your guide to break the rules, but because many guides believe tourists will tip better if they do, they will risk it. The safari experience in the Mara is falling apart, in large part due to over-tourism and ongoing bad behavior of guides. Please don't add to that.

If you want a far less crowded experience where everyone follows the rules and you can go offroad respectfully, try the private conservancies. They are all over Kenya. You'll have a far better experience with higher quality guiding (guides who will put the well being of the wildlife first) and less crowded sightings and contribute to the conservation of land shared with local communities. You cannot day trip into the private conservancies, you must be staying at a camp there. It is more expensive than most non-conservation properties, but in my experience well worth it. Camp brands I have stayed at and had excellent experiences: Kicheche, Offbeat, Asilia.

Going through Wild Source. Wrestling with flights as doing this as part of a Star Alliance Round the world air fare

I’m a repeat Wild Source client. You will be well taken care of and they will make ethical camp recommendations for you.

It is fantastic that you are embarking on your first African adventure. Given your extensive independent travel history and your upcoming trip to the Galapagos, you are clearly well-prepared for unique ecosystems.

Since you are prioritizing a land-based itinerary to avoid light aircraft and are already looking at Star Alliance options via Brussels or Lufthansa, Uganda is an exceptional alternative or addition to your East African shortlist.

Unlike the vast plains of the Serengeti or Masai Mara where flights are often used to skip long distances, Uganda’s Western Circuit is perfectly suited for a private driver-guide. You can traverse from the savanna of Queen Elizabeth National Park to the ancient Bwindi Impenetrable Forest entirely by road, enjoying the changing landscapes of the Pearl of Africa.

You mentioned a preference for Brussels Airlines. They fly directly into Entebbe (EBB) from Brussels, making it one of the most seamless entries into East Africa on a Star Alliance Business Class ticket. Uganda airlines can give you a connection from Uganda to either Kenya or Tanzania for the wildlife experience,

As a travel consultant in east Africa, While Kenya and Tanzania offer iconic big-game viewing, Uganda provides a unique combination. You can experience classic savanna drives and boat cruises on the Kazinga Channel, alongside the life-changing experience of Mountain Gorilla and Chimpanzee trekking. A combination of Kenya and Uganda or Tanzania and Uganda is a sure east African safari for you.

Whether you choose Tanzania, Kenya or decide to venture into Uganda, East Africa will surely exceed your expectations for a first-time safari. Safe travels to the Galapagos next month!


A giant Gorilla holding her juvenile in Bwindi implementable forest.