So we were talking off cheap safaris...
 

and I made mention of my plans for a low budget trip in Tanzania.

Firstly my last TZ safari was made in Jan 2005 and I think at the time cost +/- 1300 USD per person I think (7 days) - I cannot find my original emails from this time. And that included afternoon and morning drives in the Crater, 2 days in the Serengeti, Oldupai, Lake Manyara, touring Mto Wa Mbu and the Maasai market, (please note this is not a tourist destination but the real thing...) and a couple of days staying with Maasai close to Longido. Photos can be seen at

http://www.smartgroups.com/pictures/...lbumID=5280137

It must be noted that my wife and I were part of a group - 11 people (?) travelling in 3 seperate vehicles. Campsites were Simba A, Seronera Public Campsite, Twiga (Mto wa Mbu) and on Maasai land at Longido. Other than alcohol, (purchased at Shoprite in Arusha and Serengeti gate) everything was included. I was indeed extremely happy with the service offered by the company I travelled with.

One should take into account that not all the campsites had shower facilities, toilets at public campsites (other than Twiga) were long drops in shacks and as others have mentioned as well the camps other than Twiga are unfenced and thus one must take care with the proximity of wildlife - particularly Hyennas which trapped me in the toilet for 15 minutes in the middle of the night at Simba A ;-) You had to supply your own sleeping bags and your clothes were always rumpled from being crambed in rucksacks. But at night oh the nights under canvas - the skies like a Pollock painting, the lions roaring close to the Kopjes at Seronera, the elephants hyenas and buffalos at Simba, the spiders and bats and constant percussion of beating insect wings: magical - at least for me. As real as the African wildlife gets.

Anyway Matthew get back on track...okay.

I am planning 2 more safaris to TZ at present. 1 for my father's 60th which will be a mad rush round the northern circuit budget camping (well it'll be me paying...) And the other will be for my wife and I but this will concentrate less on the parks and more on Maasai interaction and this will be budget:

We will plan to take the bus from Arusha to Mtu Wa Mbu and camp at Twiga (taking a lightweight 3 man tent with us from Portugal). Actually we have an offer to be picked up at Kili international by someone from Mto but I actually fancy doing the bus trip. I am undecided as whether we would camp for the whole time at Twiga (it has showers and a pool and bar etc) because we have been invited to pitch our tent at my friend's Manyatta approx 30 kms from Lake Manyara. Guests of both his family and village. Food supplies taken from Mto, (lots of energy bars and vitamin tabs and liberal use of baby wipes for hygeine) as it is our intention to really understand Maasai culture attending various ceremonies and cultural events.

The actual wildlife would be seen "free" from the Manyatta areas on treks with the Maasai (I am told by my friend that much wildlife including the big cats come into close proximity of the village)and a few days in Lake Manyara NP. Obviously having visited Ngorongoro it is not imperative to return.

Oh I really should spell check - So we were talking <i><b>of</b></i> cheap safaris...

And to finish off were my text was chopped off:

Therefore great savings will be made by not entering the Ngorongoro conservation area or Serengeti NP, and more time can be spent interacting as those of you who have made the journey by road north from Mto know it is a long (although extremely enjoyable) trip. Foodstuffs would be purchased locally at the market in Mto or meals be taken in the village, but as much as I wish to live the Maasai way I don't think I would actually drink the blood milk mixed in gourds...

So it is obvious that this 2nd trip is not a regular safari and only appeals to those interested in immersing themselves in Maasai culture. It would not interest someone visiting for their one and only visit to TZ and the actual camping conditions away from the campsite would be very basic. But for those who have been lucky enough to make contacts and friends and who are not worried about visiting the crater and Serengeti then it is perfect, at least for me anyway.

I'd just like people to know: I'm not an agent or tour guide, just someone who deeply loves TZ and its people. Money isn't the greatest concern: it is time, and as Julian (Jasher) can confirm with 2 young children time is so much more valuable than the dollar...

Yes I'd really like to inspire further dicussion about budget options - as for one some of the prices mentioned with the lodges I could not bring myself to pay knowing there are thousands in TZ dying of starvation and AIDS related problems, indeed I felt guilty on my last trip staying in a small guesthouse in Arusha with warm running water and good food when I passed by groups of women collecting water from a trickling standpipe - my left over bath water looked cleaner...

We have actually discussed the possibility of moving to TZ but at present it is an impossibility. (Likewise I think even RSA) So we intend to return as often as time constraints permit.

Anyway, this is going on and on and you have more important things to do than read my babble - but yes, let's see some talk of camping - if that is what people want. In the end it is down to personal choice I guess. However you get there, wherever you stay, don't put it off. TZ is great.

Matt

Matt,
Did the $1300pp include international flights?

I have the same question as Nyamera.

Matt,
I really admire your way of doing the safari. It is very unique experience from my &quot;MalaMala&quot; way. I'd like to find something that is sort of in the middle between your way and my way. (Actually my wife is the outdoors type and would absolutely love to do it your way. But until she finds out about it, I'm doing it my way:-) ). I like being &quot;close to nature&quot; but also like to have a shower anytime and have someone cook and houseclean for me.
Anyway, thanks for your great trip report and please continue.
regards - tom

No, I paid at the time +/- 550 UK pounds (PP) flying Air Kenya from Heathrow to Nairobi and then precision to Kili. I've checked recently for the same dates next year and it is about 150 UK pounds more.

I also squeezed in a Kili climb before the safari portion which was more or less the same cost pp.

Matt

$1300 pp for 7 days is expensive as a lodge safari. Didn’t you pay less than $100pppd?

$1300pp for 7 days/6 nights(?) = $216.67pppn. I paid close to the same per night cost for a private, non-camping safari in Kenya last year.

Maybe $1300 was for 2 people?

I really liked your pictures. Especially the roadblock, the camp visitor in the dark, the bananas and the sunsets. Your underwear was less interesting. ;)

Matt, thanks, very interesting info.

cary999, a nice middle ground is a self-drive safari in Etosha (Namibia) or Kruger (South Africa), where you stay in comfortable lodges (with en suite bathrooms with showers and maid service), and self-drive in the parks.

I have done the high end safaris and the self-drive, and frankly, I think I prefer the self-drive since it allows much more time on safari. I am leaving in three weeks to visit Hluhluwe and Kgalagadi in South Africa, and I expect nearly 12 hours per day on self-drive game drives (I won't be wasting my day at the lodge pool, as I did when I paid dearly to stay at Wilderness Safaris lodges in Botswana).

I will stay at high-end lodges when the self-drive is impossible (if, say, I visit Kafue next year), but I prefer the self-drive if comfortable lodges are available.

I am not a camper, and I really do like a shower in the morning and at night when on safari.

Check out www.sanp.org for info on Kruger and Kgalagadi.

No, we were on a structured tour and actually paid more because we booked through an agent in the UK. I wish I'd known about this board before then. But now upon returning I would like to do things independently as discussed and I think only having had experience of the country is this possible. I recall in Arusha a number of touts offering us cheap safaris but I recall in one of Eben's posts that the guides are so poorly paid one wonders how they can survive without tips.

By doing such a trip with a friend and by paying costs only could one really ever expect to pay less than 100 USD PPPN especially if including Ngorongoro CA and crater and Serengeti, especially with the rise in prices. But by limiting oneself to the Manyara area as is my intention and travelling via public transport to get there one could perceivably pay 50 USD PPPN if not budgeting on guides and drivers accompanying but by hiring from the village itself. That will be my intention anyway. Will it succeed? I won't know until I get there and I guess the best person to comment on up to date prices would be Eben who has toured intensively the campsites of TZ.

Matt

Interesting. It does sound as if it's easier to do a less-expensive trip in Kenya than Tanzania for the moment. I'd be curious to hear about such options (if any) for Uganda.

Nyamera, camping's not as bad as you think. It's possible to do a mix of camping, budget or otherwise, and lodge.

I saw a question about self-drive somewhere here recently but didn't see the answers. How do you know where to go when you're driving yourself? And what do you do if approached by an elephant, say, or some other big-and-scary?

Leely,
I touched on this in another thread previously, but when I was pricing Uganda safaris, I was getting quotes of between $280-$320pppn for private, non-camping safaris. This was for the usual inclusions (vehicle, driver/guide, full board accomdations, park fees, etc.) but excluded items like gorilla permits and chimp habituation fees. While that may sound very reasonable to most, I thought that it seemed high when you consider the relatively low cost of accomodations and park fees in Uganda.

You can find UWA park and activity fees listed here - http://www.uwa.or.ug/tariffs.htm

Outside of gorilla permits and chimp habituation fees (which weren't included in my quotes), the costs are very low. Entrance fees for category A parks such as Murchison Falls are only $50 per person for 3 days and a launch trip costs $15 per person.

Accomodations are relatively inexpensive too. I contacted several lodges and camps directly and the prices quoted to me varied from $90pppn to $165pppn.

I also found a number of tour operators that offered 4WD rental with driver/guide for $120 per day inclusive of insurance and unlimited km. The only additional cost would be fuel and estimates varied between $30-$40 per day depending on which operator I was talking to.

Though it's a bit of an experiment, I was heavily leaning toward this a la carte option before I decided to change destinations. Unless I'm missing some part of the equation, it seemed like I could put together the same trip for around $200pppn by booking my accomodations and vehicle rental separately and paying for everything else as we go.

I'd be curious to see what others thoughts are and if anyone has opted to go this route in Uganda.

Leely,
Group budget camping for less than $100pppn is very common in Kenya. The most I’ve paid per night is $200 and that was for an expensive camp, everything included – even return flights Nairobi-Samburu. It seems like prices are skyrocketing though, so if I’m ever going to return to Kenya it’ll have to be budget camping. I’m thinking of practising camping. First I have to get a small bladder shower and see if I can wash my hair with it. The problem is that budget camping trips sometimes stay at camps with no water. If there is any water, others in the group will use it before me – I always shower late at night. And I hate groups. And then I have to put on mascara before sunrise with a small mirror and a torch. Here sunrise is at 3 AM – 2 hours from now. I can’t afford a $50pn safari, so what I really should do is to start a thread called “What can I do to earn money?”.

Thit Cho,
What’s the cost per day for one person on a self-drive staying at lodges with ensuite bathrooms in Etosha or Kruger?

Nyamera,

We all have our preferences. I don't mind camping too much but I hate groups.

It's not Kenya, but you should go to Etosha if Thit Cho or someone else can confirm that it's not too expensive.

Also, I previously suggested writing a lurid novel for money.

Patty,

Yes, I do vaguely remember you costing a Ugnada itinerary out a while ago. I too was surprised at the expense. I've read reports on Lonely Planet where everyone says it's &quot;So easy&quot; to just get a car and driver and go, but boy would that make me nervous. At least for now. We'll see how desperate I get.

Ugnada=Uganda. Oops.

thit cho
Thanks for the info. I must look more into the facilities at Kruger. www.sanp.org doesn't seem to work. Was this to refer to the South Africa National Parks web site? - http://www.sanparks.org/
regards - tom

Oh this is an interesting thread. With regard to it Thorn Tree paosters saying it is easy to get a vehicle and driver and just set off, keep in mind that budget Africa overlanders people usually have a lot more time than two weeks. I think it would be easy if you could afford the time to hang out for a few days - arrange the whole thing from within Kenya or Tanzania. In Nakuru it was our experience that quoted prices came down quickly the longer you ahd been in town, and every member of the hotel staff was keen to put us in touch with someone. Of course we ended up with an ancient Toyota with a cracked windshield and a very taciturn driver with the richest armpits in Africa, but the theory is good... ;-)