Tanzania and Kenya Trip 2018 - advise needed
 

We are about 8 families interested in a 2 week trip to Tanzania and Kenya next year (2018) during July/August. We are looking for input with planning the itinerary and lodging, transportation, safari planning etc. We will be traveling with kids 5yrs to 14yrs of age. We would prefer to keep it at about $3000 per person.

Thank you

Hi Paul,

With the costs of a Tanzania Safari just having gone up thanks to the increase in 'Concession Fees' ( upto $ 59 per person per day) on top of the already expensive park entry fees ( upto $ 71 per adult per day) your budget may be a limiting factor if you do end up spending a full 2 weeks in East Africa. Lets also not forget that July / August is peak season so getting rooms at some of the more reasonable & popular lodges or camps can sometimes be a challenge.

However the places in Tanzania and Kenya are just something else and it really is a trip of a lifetime. What I'd suggest is to plan to spend a little longer in Kenya as it offers better value for a similar experience to Tanzania. Also, the wildebeest migration which starts sometime early July sees all the action move into Masai Mara from Serengeti so the Mara is the place to be..3 to 4 nights at least is recommended.

In Tanzania you may want to include Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara and Tarangire. Tour Operators in Kenya will often have you stay in Amboseli on your way to Tanzania as this park is closest to the Tanzanian border. I'd also suggest doing the Nairobi / Kenya to Arusha [ Tanzania] transfers by road shuttle buses - typically about US$ 40pp for a 2 way trip instead of USD 250pp by air.

Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha [ many reasonable options right by the lake] and northern Kenya [ Samburu, Shaba, Mount Kenya] would be the other places you'd want to visit during the Safari. Maybe end the trip with a couple of nights along the beach in Kenya and there's now a new train service [ built by the Chinese] for the Nairobi to Mombasa transfer that takes just over 4 hours and costs about $ 35 for 1st class one way..

Planning such a trip, and infact even just getting a thorough quote / estimate from a tour operator is a challenge. Only a local operator could offer such a safari close to your price point so in Tanzania you may want to consider Bushbuck, Bobby Tours [ have used both - good experience] or Leopard tours though the latter are quite big and often too busy for a highly customized trip.

In Kenya I've had an excellent experience with Shoor Safaris Kenya http://www.shoortravel.com/ , especially good with customized itineraries designed with a budget in mind. Try Somak as well though like with Leopard they are more into the mass market . Southern Cross http://www.southerncrosssafaris.com/ is also very reliable though best for Safaris to Tsavo + Amboseli as they're based along the coast.

When we were researching safaris, we ended up choosing to just visit Tanzania. IIRC, it was cheaper and simpler to avoid border crossing.
We went to Arusha NP, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngronongrono Crater, Central Serengeti and Northern Serengeti.
We contacted 8 TOs for quotes, kept narrowing the field based on their responses and ultimately went with EASY TRAVEL.
We were completely satisfied with the process before the trip and absolutely delighted with the safari. Recommend them most highly.

Renting houses adjacent to each other would be ideal. Try airbnb for accommodation deals.

blaquecapital, where on safari do you think there are houses for rent through AirBnB?

You may need to up your budget to get a decent safari. Considering that you will be traveling with young children, camping may not be a good option.
Consider low cost but good quality accommodations to bring your costs down.
Here are a few that may start with.
Amboseli: Kibo/ Sentrim
Lake Manyara: Manyara Wildlife camp/Migunga tented camp
Tarangire: Tarangire simba lodge
Ngorongoro: Gibbs farm/
Serengeti; serengeti katikati camp
maasai mara; sekenani, elengata olerai/ mara sopa lodge,

These accommodations may help you to work close to your budget.

Our safari cost us about 4500 each over a period of 12 days visiting both Kenya and Tanzania. For the same in a group I would expect this to fall sharply as you will be sharing the transportation costs. we used Mbugani East Africa mbugani(dot)com

As the above poster has mentioned, July-August is the peak season and so you ought to have finalised your plans by now.