immrlo

Hello all,

I am getting married next May 22, 2010 and the fiance and I have our hearts sets on an African safari. We would like to leave that week after our wedding. From speaking to agencies like MasaiTravel and Go2Africa, we are looking seriously at Tanzania and Zanzibar.

We have limited knowledge of Africa. All we know is that we want to spend 10-12 days going on a safari, seeing the Big Five, and really getting into the cultural and natural experience of Africa. We love nature, are pretty fit and young, and want something out of the ordinary, so not necessarily luxurious. SInce it is our honeymoon, we would want romance as a part of the trip as well and so thought Zanzibar would be a good addition to the end of the trip, maybe 3 days there.

Our questions are:

1. Is using all-inclusive trips or agencies like the one i mentioned really the best way to go? Im willing to do more work if its cheaper that way. Are there better ways to book this trip?

2. What would be a good itinerary? I do want to go to the serengeti, ngorongoro crater...but again, I have limited knowledge.....

3. What are good places to stay? On a scale of 1 to 10, we want to stay in places of at least a 6 or 7. I saw camps and lodges which seem great but I'm still wondering if it would be a better deal to go with MasaiTravel's itinerary.

4. How is Zanzibar like? I would have preferred Seychelles but I heard it's more difficult to get to. Are they comparable?

Honestly, I am so open to your suggestions and am really looking forward to making this a memorable once-in-a-lifetime trip. Thanks SO MUCH in advance!

Patty

You can probably do better than Go2Africa's pricing by contacting Tanzania based operators directly. Go2Africa is based in South Africa and IME not that competitive on custom East Africa itineraries. Not sure about Masai Travel.

You can find Tanzanian operators on http://www.tatotz.org/members-directory.html

Or read through Lynda's East Africa trip report index to see who others have used for their Tanzania safaris. Also look at trips during the same time frame for itinerary ideas http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...port-index.cfm

Congrats!

Patty

Forgot to add, I would go with a custom itinerary for your honeymoon. Set itineraries don't usually take into account time of year. And if you do a one way drive/one way fly or all drive safari which is very common on the Tanzania northern circuit, you can have your own private vehicle and guide throughout.

Kenya Airways has twice weekly flights between Nairobi and Mahe, Seychelles on Thursdays and Sundays. This would involve some additional travel time (plus overnight in Nairobi if you're doing Seychelles last) if you're going to be in Tanzania vs going to Zanzibar. Also I don't know what your budget is like but the Seychelles is generally more expensive whereas I believe Zanzibar has more accommodations at various price points.

Leely2

Can't speak for Seychelles but Zanzibar is definitely a cultural experience and will be VERY different than what you see and do on safari unless you end up in a big all-inclusive resort.

<i>... and really getting into the cultural and natural experience of Africa. We love nature, are pretty fit and young, and want something out of the ordinary, so not necessarily luxurious.</i>

Based on the above statement I would say definitely include Zanzibar if you have time. Parts of it can be gritty/grotty. I thought it was beautiful and extremely interesting.

Percy

Maybe I can help a little also.

I just came back from a Safari and Zanazibar ( 2 months ago).

I booked directly with Predator Tours , as they are local...out of Arusha.

You can do your whole Safari in Tanzania and then fly over to Zanzibar.

Here is their e-mail address.

[email protected]

If you are going to e-mail them ( for prices and questions) ask for Stan .

They handled all my trip excellently so I can recommend them wholeheartedly !

immrlo

Thanks everyone! I am now wondering if I should spend more nights in the Serengeti or if it would be worth it to spend a day at Tarangire?

Thanks so much! I am definitely going to go to Zanzibar!

marshal6060

Yes,it will be great if you book with a travel agency.There are so many travel operators in Tanzania.If you contact a good number of them,you will be sure to compare the prices.

immrlo

Thank you all for your help!