jenack

I am booking a safari for next September, and I have two airfare questions:

1)I am seeing RT flights on KLM from JFK-JRO(KIA)for about $1550pp. I am getting the same price from KLM that I am getting from air ticket consolidators. Does this sound about right, or has anybody seen anything significantly lower?

2)Does anybody have any thoughts on booking the flights way in advance vs. waiting awile?
thanks

Leely

Jen,
Lucky dog, you're going again so soon?!

FWIW, I think that's a pretty good price. Get it from KLM and make sure you get your miles. I paid 2300 SFO-JRO in June, and if I had bought the tix earlier from KLM they would have been considerably less. When I got my dates finalized with my tour op and went to buy the tix, the low priced ones were all gone.

But don't you want Mara in September?

sandi

That's pretty good for Sept for JFK/JRO. I'm seeing fares in the $1700 range.

Points to note.
- I also use the JFK/JRO on the outbound, but return to EWR (Newark) as there is a shorter layover in AMS (4/hrs vs. 7/hrs).
- The flight departing JRO to JFK or EWR, first goes to DAR before heading to AMS.

As Leely mentions, Sept is ideal for the Mara in Kenya. If you decide to include Kenya and conclude your safari here, KLM flies from NBO (via AMS) to JFK or EWR.

Hope this helps.

jenack

Not going AGAIN,this is THE trip that I have been working on for a year already!! Finally got it all straight and ready to book. And I DON'T want to talk about Mara in september!! I drove myself crazy with this itinerary and the logistics, so I finally just had to make choices. Doing private camping in the northern Serengeti by the Mara river and hoping for the best, then to Ruaha, Katavi and Mahale. But thanks for the info on the flights, it seemed like a pretty good price....and, Sandi, NWA Intl is telling me that I can catch a 10:15am out of Amsterdam on the return leg that goes to JFK(I did see that one to Newark and considered it). I had been told about the 10:15am to JFK by a consolidator, but could not find it on the NWA website. I called the international line, and they told me it does exist. Can't book the return flight for another week, as it is too many days out, but guess I will find out for sure then!!

sandi

That's great news... an earlier flight out of AMS to JFK, something for me to consider on my next trip.

If concluding on the Southern circuit in Tanzania, are you then departing for home from DAR? Would be a good idea rather than from JRO. Sure it's a later flight, but no back and forth. Maybe you can get a dayroom in DAR and do some sightseeig.

Oh, I'm so excited about that earlier flight... hope it's on their schedule for next early June. Thanks.

Leely

Oops, sorry! I got you confused with another poster whose screen name starts "jen" as well. I'm getting kinda dotty these days.

Your itinerary sounds fabulous!

jenack

Sandi--Don't quote me, and DON'T start booking people on the earlier flight yet!! You can confirm it with NWA intl(800-447-4747), or when I get it confirmed I will let you know for sure.
I am actually set to do the northern Serengeti first, then fly direct from Seronera to Ruaha via Arusha, and then to Katavi and then Mahale, so the final flight will be a shared charter from Mahale right back to KIA(or Arusha, but I think I can get dropped at KIA), should land around 5:00pm, then the night flight back out of KIA, so won't be passing through Dar....ah, I see what you are saying, the KIA flight goes through Dar anyway, so why not go straight there? Good question, don't know if I have that option, don't think I do, but I will ask.
But you and Leely did get me re-thinking my position on the Mara, so I am exploring that option instead of the northern Serengeti, but I might stick to my itinerary anyway. Thanks for the feedback!!

TigerPride

Myself and 3 friends are leaving in February 2007 out of Cincinatti, OH. We are paying around $1400. We also went Cheaptickets.com. We have already received our tickets. We could have flown into Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam cheaper; however, the logistics of getting to Kilimanjaro was not worth the effort. We are doing a 6 day Machame climb and a 3 day safari. We are really looking forward to it. I am a little nervious only because we have not locked in the trekking and safari agency yet.

MamaTembo

I'm told in Vancouver BC that KLM hasn't posted its fares for 2007. Same situation when I try to depart from Seattle. I'm waiting to book tickets YVR-AMS-DAR for June 2007. I read here that people are booking for Sept 2007. I'm thinking that something is odd. Thank you if you can shed some light on this...
Leslie

Marija

Not to confuse you but we were in the Mara and in the northern Serengeti this September. The northern Serengeti just didn't have as much game as the Mara.

dssxxxx

Or you can do what I did.

EWR-AMS-JRO and reverse on the return for 400,000 sleazy pass miles in business first for 2.

Too long to fly in the cattle car.

If you are large, tall, etc., you might try BA in their larger premium coach into NBO and then fly on to JRO.

Good luck.

sandi

jenack -

I wouldn't be booking tickets for anyone but myself. At least there may be an option which I'll be sure to inquire about when I'm ready to book.

jenack

Mamatembo, try calling that NWA int'l number(800-447-4747)and asking about flights. As far as I know flights can be viewed and purchased up to about 330 days in advance, so June '07 should be quoted and available for purchase. I don't know if Northwest operates near you, but you can check NWA.com.
TigerPride--Feb. is coming fast!! Probably should get locked in.
Marija--can you elaborate on when you were in each place, and what your experiences were? Thanks!!

Marija

We were at Bataleur in the Maasai Mara from 13-16 September and in the northern Serengeti from September 20-24 at CC Africa Tanzania Under Canvas, a semi-mobile camp that tracks the migration. Yes, we saw wildebeest in the Serengeti but it just wasn't the same incredible migration experience as in the Mara where they are much more concentrated. Before we left I was concerned that doing both the Mara and the northern Serengeti was too much of the same thing but they were very different. I'm so glad we followed the Fodorite advice and went to the Mara in September! If I could choose only one I would go to the Mara to see the migration, though I really liked Tanzania under Canvas.

jenack

Marija, What was your experience with the crowds in both the Mara and the Northern Serengeti at that time of year?
I have this horrible vision of being in a crowd of landrovers looking at a lion. Was it ever a problem?

Marija

The Mara was definitely more crowded than the Serengeti. We very rarely encountered other vehicles in the Serengeti. However, the Mara was nowhere as bad as the Ngorongoro Crater. There were good reasons for all of the vehicles in the Mara to be there. There were a lot of animals there! In two days we saw the big five. We also saw two crossing which were great. In five days in the Serengeti we didn't see cats, except for cheetahs on the way to the airstrip. (We did see some sleeping lions on a ridge one morning.) I'm glad we went to the Mara, even if we had to share it.

jenack

Well, I am not one to ignore the advice of well-informed others. I'm looking into substituting the 6 nights in the northern serengeti with 6 nights in the Mara!! I'm looking at 4 nights at Rekero tented camp, and 2 nights at Rekero Kidogo. It actually works right into the rest of the itinerary very well, and I think it is a good move, I am just waiting on pricing....thanks for the advice!!

jenack

How many nights do you think would be ideal for the Mara? I just cannot figure out at what point I might have seen enough of a particular area/camp and want to move on, balancing that with the desire to not feel rushed from place to place. I am planning 4 days inside the Mara and 2 outside, but I have tremendous flexibility to add/remove days. I am also doing 3 parks in the south/west of Tanzania, 3 nights at one and 4 at each of the others. Any thoughts based on how long/short you felt your stays were?

jenack

Also, as this thread began as an airfare question, I have decided to go with the Emirates flight from JFK-Dubai-NBO, and then returning from Dar. The total travel time is a couple of hours longer than the KLM flights, but the connections are very good, no more than 2-3 hours in Dubai in either direction, and the arrival time in NBO is 2:15pm vs. 8:55pm KLM, giving me half a day more to explore town or explore my bed, and departure is 4:30pm Dar vs. 11:05 for KLM. I get the sense from all of your replys on the cost that $1500-$1600 is a pretty good price to get for the tix. But not sure if I should book this right away or if I should wait awhile.

sandi

If you have your land accommodations confirmed then book the air. Prices aren't going to come down.

From JFK, mostly using KLM, I've paid between $1150-$1350, but that has always been in off/low-season. The Emirates fare at $1400 is tempting enough for me to consider the extra $100 on my next trip.