50something

We are doing a 10 day safari in the northern parks (Serengeti,Ngorogoro,Tarangire,and Lake Manyara)in late December/early January. Are we likely to have Tsetse fly problems in any of these parks at that time of year?

Sarvowinner

Hi 50something
Don't know about the Tsetse flies (but praying they aren't too bad and we wnon't be wearing blue). We will be travelling around the sometime as you and would love to see your itinerary. BTW I will be turning 50 in November. Our trip is:

01JAN2006 Arusha : Moivaro Coffee Lodge
02JAN2006 Safari : Karatu Gibbs Farm
03JAN2006 Safari : Serengeti Olduvai Camp
04JAN2006 Safari : Serengeti Ronjo Fly-camp
05JAN2006 Safari : Serengeti Ronjo Fly-camp
06JAN2006 Safari : Serengeti Ndutu Lodge
07JAN2006 Safari : Serengeti Ndutu Lodge
08JAN2006 Safari : Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

followed by three nights in Zanzibar 2 nights at Pongwe Beach & one night at Dhow Palace in Stone Town.

Then onto South Africa with AIr Tanzania: Durban (visiting friends) Capetown (touring wine country and Garden Route) and Victoria Falls before flying back Sydney for Australia Day (Jan 26). We haven't spent much time on the SA portion yet! So any advice welcomed.
Sarvo

alwaysafrica

Hi 50something,

My hubbie and I were in the Northern parks from December 26th to January 13th of last year and didn't see one tsetse fly! Not sure whether we simply lucked out or whether it's truly a good sign for what you can expect...

Have a wonderful trip!

50something

Thanks for the replies. Lets hope that we also lucky - dont fancy the idea of being bitten by one.
Our itinerary is:
Dec 27 Arusha - Impala hotel
Dec 28/29 Tarangire - Tatangire Safari lodge
Dec 30/31 Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (quite fancy the idea of bringing in the new year there).
Jan 1/2 Ndutu lodge
Jan 3/4 Serengeti Sopa Lodge
JaN 5 Lake Manyara - Kirurumu lodge
Jan 6 Overnight in Arusha at Impala lodge
Jan 7 Fly back to Cape Town
We would love to have included 1or 2 of the private tented camps but seem to have made our booking too late. We are wait listed for Swala and Olivers camps in case they have cancellations.
I would love to hear comments regarding the above.

Sarvowinner - it looks as if we just miss each other.Pity as we could have chatted about our rugby teams! When in Cape Town do hire a car and visit Cape Point, go up the cable-car to the top of Table Mountain, include Franschoek in your winelands trip (book lunch at Le Petti Femme if possible),if you are reasonably fit take a walk up to the top of Lions Head or along the Contour Path above Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Take a drive to Hermanus using the coastal route back to Cape Town.
Along the garden route stay in Knysna or Plettenberg Bay. Even better is the Tsitsikamma area - explore websites like www.sa-venues.com and www.gardenroute.co.za
I can recommend the A'Zambesi Hotel and the Elephant Hills hotel at Victoria Falls (both on the Zimbabwe side but safe from all the political problems there).

Africaholic

I believe you're not going to encounter tsetse flies in East Africa as the parks are on fairly high elevation. From my experience, tsetse flies are a Southern Africa 'nuisance'. I don't wish on ANYONE to be bitten by a tsetse fly (speaking from experience) - they go through jeans even. A powerful remedy for any insect bites is 100% pure and natural lavender essential oil - only a drop will relief the itching, and draw the toxins out. Carry it in your fanny pack - the sooner you apply it, the better.

Sarvowinner

50Something
Good news on the Tsetsi flies. It is a pity we won't get a chance to meet - but I'm glad we won't be able to discuss the rugby - sad days in Sydney right now - and I won't even go near the cricket
Thanks for the heads up on A'Zambezi as we can get staff rates there.
I must start planning the SA portion. Do I need to make reservations or can we try to wing it?

Joan80

I am sorry for my ignorance but could someone tell me are Tsetse flies the ones that we see all over childrens faces when there is a documentary or news story here in USA on children and problems in Africa.

serengeti

We did encounter them in Lake Manyara. It stings with they bite and they can bite through layers of clothing. No issues if you are bitten (except for the sting). The files in Tanzania do not cause sleeping sickness.

Joan80,
I am 90% sure the flies that you see in documentaries are regular house flies and not Tsetse flies.

luangwablondes

Tsetses have a particular foundness for the color blue. So try to avoid wearing blue clothes. If you see a blue cloth in the bush with a bucket underneath, that is a method that is used to control tsetses. Used to be quite common years ago in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Africaholic- I have come across considerable numbers of tsetses in western Tanzania-especially Katavi and also the Southern part of the Selous.

matnikstym

if you want to see a picture of a tsetse bite go to cyntut's pictures. her thread is called "trip report-lower zambezi national park"...not a pretty sight!!!

austkaye

Dear 50something,

I did a week in Tanzania in Feb 2001 and we were at Ngorogoro Crater and at a camp called Kusini in the Serengeti. No flies at the Crater but they had had late rains around the camp and the mud was atrocious and it was the mud I was told that attracted the tsetse flies and they were beyond belief. I'm used to the odd march fly at home, but over there it would be nothing to have a dozen or more attacking you. No repellant seemed to work, so in the end, my two nieces decided to shut all the windows, as they preferred to be boiling rather than bitten. Not sure what our driver would have preferred, but I think the girls were right! I was told that at that time it was highly unusual for the flies to still be there, but the late rains brought them back. I do not recall any of us wearing blue, didn't make any difference as we still got bitten and to kill them, as with march flies, to have to wait until they are bitting. So I do not know how you can really be sure if they will be present or not, but once we left the mud areas, they did ease up.

Kaye

50something

It seems that I should take some Doom spray with me just in case.
Sarvowinner. I would advise booking anything prior to mid-January as this is school holiday time, particularly Cape Town waterfront area, Knysna, and Plettenberg Bay.
ps The cricket has been fantastic to watch. Most South African cricket fans have been glued to the TV even though our team is not involved.

Sarvowinner

Hi 50
Thanks for the advice - I spent so much time planning Tanzania I seem to have run out of puff when it came to SA. I must get going. We've booked into the A'Zambezi but we are a little concerned about going to Zim esp. when we watch the news. I feel so sorry for those poor people who have lost everything.

50something

Sarvowinner. Just met up with a friend who recently returned from a holiday at Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side. They had a fantastic time and said that you would not have known there were troubles in the rest of the country. The whole town was buzzing with tourists and most of the hotels were full.

Sarvowinner

Hi 50
Thanks for the update.