janets1s

Hi all

Thanks for the interest! We have some special requests and our itinerary will probably be different than others!

We have to begin in Dar thanks to the European connections after visiting family in Switzerland. We also want to stop in Arusha to meet our guides from our previous Kilimanjaro adventures. My husband want to catch the migration coming into the Serengeti from the Masai Mara so we feel it is better to do this leg in mid-late October and not in November.

The internal flights are challenging but we are happy with the first half and the flights to Zanzibar. We are waiting for confirmation to fly directly from the Serengeti to Katavi.

I made a mistake in a previous post. We selected to stay at Sand Rivers in Selous.

Leg 1:
Road transfer to Dar es Salaam Airport (time TBD).
Depart for Selous at 8:15am with Coastal Airlines. Arrive Kiba Airstrip at 9:15am.
Sand Rivers vehicle meet and road transfer to Sand Rivers Selous (25 min) in time for lunch
3 nights at Sand Rivers Selous. Private guide and vehicle. Game drives daily. Full board with drinks included (except champagne) and laundry except ladies smalls.

Leg 2:
Sand Rivers road transfer to Kiba Airstrip (25 minutes). Depart for Msembe Airstrip at 9:30am with Coastal Airlines.
Arrive Msembe Airstrip at 11:30am.
Mwagusi vehicle meet and road transfer to Mwagusi Safari Lodge in time for lunch.
3 nights at Mwagusi Safari Lodge. Game drives daily. Full board with drinks included (except champagne) and laundry except ladies smalls.

Leg 3:

Mwagusi road transfer to Msembe Airstrip. Depart for Arusha Airport at 11:45am with Coastal Airlines.
Arrive Arusha Airport at 4pm. Meet and road transfer to Arusha Coffee Lodge (15 minutes).
1 night at Arusha Coffee Lodge. Dinner and Breakfast included with drinks and laundry extra.

Leg 4:

Road transfer to Arusha Airport (15 minutes). Depart for Kogatende Airstrip at 8:15am with Safari Express.
Arrive Kogatende Airstrip at 9:40am.
Nomad vehicle meet and road transfer to Nomad Serengeti Camp at Erythrina camp near the Mara River.
4 nights at Nomad Serengeti Camp. Private guide and vehicle. Game drives daily. Full board with drinks included (except champagne) and laundry except ladies smalls.

Leg 5: (In development)

Road transfer to Kogatende or Seronera Airstrip. Meet Katavi/Mahale Aircraft. Fly to Katavi.

4 nights at Chada Katavi

Road transfer to Katavi Airstrip. Fly to Mahale.

3 nights at Greystoke Camp.

Leg 6: (In development)

Depart from Mahale to Arusha. Overnight at Arusha Coffee Lodge.
Next day. Depart for Zanzibar with Safari Express at 12:15pm. Arrive at Zanzibar Airport at 1:45pm.
The Palms will meet you with a private car.
3 nights at the Palms. Full board with tea, coffee, juices, soft drinks, house wines, local beers and spirits included. Laundry is extra.

Leg 7:

The Palms private road transfer to Zanzibar Airport. Depart for Dar es Salaam Airport at 5:15pm with Coastal Airlines
Arrive at Dar es Salaam Airport at 5:35pm

bat

Jan:
Thanks for the info and any way you look at it--a fabulous trip. When you get confirmation on the Katavi -Mahale leg would you mind letting us know if that has worked out and if you can do a shared charter or whether it has to be a private one. I would like to do a Katavi-Mahale sequence but what I have seen so far suggests only a Mahale-Katavi sequence --at least with a shared charter.

Going to be living through you vicariously!

africa_lover

JAnet,

if you want to see more pictures of the sand rivers lodge, just send me an e-mail and I'll send you the link to the pictures.
I don't know if the following link will work :
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePh...favorites=true

and

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePh...&ownerid=0

Patty

Jan,
Thanks for the flight details. Let us know how the Serengeti-Katavi segment works out. May I ask which tour operator you're working with?

bat

Nomad indicates the shared plane route is Arusha-Katavi-Mahale-Arusha.
Monday departures are 4 days Mahale and 3 at Katavi; Thursday departures are 4 days Katavi and 3 days Mahale.

bat

An update on the Mahale-Katavi Nomad departures/arrivals. A travel agent has indicated that you can do the two camps in either direction--Mahale and then Katavi or Katavi and then Mahale.

But keep in mind that if you have a particular sequence you want and want 4 nights at a particular camp, you have to pay attention to your departure day.

So for example, if I want to finish in Mahale with 4 nights--I have to leave on Monday. That starts me at Katavi for 3 nights, then Thursday transfer to Mahale for 4 nights.

janets1s

Hi all

I am on the road with limited access. Thanks again for all your help. We are looking at Kempinski and still reading all the trip reports and looking at the pictures.

We are still comparing itineraries from different Tanzania-based companies. Our preference is the following.

Leg 1:
Road transfer to Dar es Salaam Airport (time TBD).
Depart for Selous at 8:15am with Coastal Airlines. Arrive Kiba Airstrip at 9:15am.
Sand Rivers vehicle meet and road transfer to Sand Rivers Selous (25 min) in time for lunch
3 nights at Sand Rivers Selous. Private guide and vehicle. Game drives daily. Full board with drinks included (except champagne) and laundry except ladies smalls.

Leg 2:
Sand Rivers road transfer to Kiba Airstrip (25 minutes). Depart for Msembe Airstrip at 9:30am with Coastal Airlines.
Arrive Msembe Airstrip at 11:30am.
Mwagusi vehicle meet and road transfer to Mwagusi Safari Lodge in time for lunch.
3 nights at Mwagusi Safari Lodge. Game drives daily. Full board with drinks included (except champagne) and laundry except ladies smalls.

Leg 3:

Mwagusi road transfer to Msembe Airstrip. Depart for Arusha Airport at 11:45am with Coastal Airlines.
Arrive Arusha Airport at 4pm. Meet and road transfer to Arusha Coffee Lodge (15 minutes).
1 night at Arusha Coffee Lodge. Dinner and Breakfast included with drinks and laundry extra.

Leg 4:

Road transfer to Arusha Airport (15 minutes). Depart for Kogatende Airstrip at 8:15am with Safari Express.
Arrive Kogatende Airstrip at 9:40am.
Nomad vehicle meet and road transfer to Nomad Serengeti Camp at Erythrina camp near the Mara River.
4 nights at Nomad Serengeti Camp. Private guide and vehicle. Game drives daily. Full board with drinks included (except champagne) and laundry except ladies smalls.

Leg 5:

Road transfer to Kleins or Seronera Airstrip. Depart for Katavi at 8:50am from Seronera.
Arrive Katavi Ikuu Airstrip at noon.
Meet and transfer to Chada Katavi.
4 nights at Chada Katavi

Road transfer to Katavi Ikuu Airstrip. Depart for Mahale at noon.
Arrive Mahale Kalolo Airstrip at 12:20pm. Boat transfer to Greystoke Camp.
3 nights at Greystoke Camp.

Leg 6:

Boat transfer to Mahale Kalolo Airstrip. Depart for Arusha at 1:40pm.
Arrive at Arusha Airport at 6:30pm. Meet and transfer to Arusha Coffee Lodge. Half Board with drinks excluded.
Next day.
Depart for Zanzibar with Safari Express at 12:15pm. Arrive at Zanzibar Airport at 1:45pm.
The Palms will meet you with a private car.
3 nights at the Palms. Full board with tea, coffee, juices, soft drinks, house wines, local beers and spirits included. Laundry is extra.

Leg 7:

The Palms private road transfer to Zanzibar Airport. Depart for Dar es Salaam Airport at 5:15pm with Coastal Airlines
Arrive at Dar es Salaam Airport at 5:35pm

bat

Sounds great.

BTW, it now looks as if what that travel agent indicated is not correct re going Mahale and then Katavi (with the shared charters that is).