Nancy

<BR>This will be our first safari to <BR>Africa. Where should we go? We're <BR>interested in seeing many animals <BR>and also different cultures. Please <BR>give us your opinions. Thanks.

Pete

For a first trip, Kenya definitely. <BR>You can't beat the Masai Mara for animals. One piece of advice. Spend the extra money and take an air tour. <BR>The distances between the parks are vast and the roads are often awful. <BR>Tanzania's roads are worse. Try and time your visit to coincide with the great migration, around June-July in the Mara. Good luck. You'll be taking the best trip of your life. <BR>

Al

Pete gives good advice. The Masai Mara and the Serengeti run into each other, and the migrations take place back and forth between them. Yes, take an air ride. We popped for a balloon ride, and it still thrills us every time someone mentions the Masai Mara. The tented camps were a superb experience. We found that the Ngorongoro Crater was the high spot of our trip to Tanzania. Otherwise, sights in Kenya matched or exceeded Tanzania in almost every way. By far, the Kenyans are more prosperous, more tourist-friendly, and more service-minded. We found many facilities in Tanzania to be poorly built, poorly maintained, and the border crossing to be a shakedown by officious thugs. Tanzania's roads were far worse than those we traveled in Kenya. Washboards, dusty, and downright dangerous. In Tanzania, the resorts financed and run by the Aga Khan were superb. Arusha is a dump. The highway connecting it with Kenya at Namanga is fine, and running south to Taragire is OK. But once you leave the pavement, it's pure torture.

mm

I was in Tanzania this past June. I agree that the roads in Tanzania are horrible especially in Arusha. I did take into consideration that they are a third world country and chalked up the discomfort to experience. I went to Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake Manyara for the northern circuit and to Selous for the southern circuit. I think Ngorongoro and Selous (the Mbuyuni Camp where we stayed has a resident elephant) should not be missed. We also flew to Mafia Island (the roads within the isalnd are bad too) but the peace and quiet and scenery that we got was worth it. I heard that the tourism workers in Tanzania are not as good as those in Kenya as they are still learning the trade. However, sometimes it's a trade off for getting to experience the real Tanzania . I did use two local outfits (via the internet)to handle my travel and found them to be exceptional. One was Bobbytours for the northern circuit and Coastal Travel for the southern and Mafia Island portion. I don't have ready access to their e-mail address but they do have web pages and should be easily accessed via the internet. One other thing, we did go early in June which meant we were ahead of the tourist season. This helped a lot as there were less crowds and vehicles (you'll understand this when you finally get to drive around). This also meant that the guides managers were still fresh and willing and able to help you in your every need. Good luck.

Sharma Baker

1We are interested in a safari too and wondered what the temperature and climate was like in June in Kenya and Tanzania. Definitely sounds like Kenya is better. Any reason not to use Abercrombie and Kent. What about South Africa.

Pete

Temps in June are mild--about 75 degrees. <BR>By all means, use A & K--they're the <BR>best. I've taken 3 A & K African trips: <BR>small groups, great leaders and guides <BR>and wonderful itinery. No wasted time. I went with Travcoa once, but they're not in the <BR>same league. So. Africa is interesting, <BR>but Kenya is where you want to go for <BR>animals.

Carol

We took our first safari last Aug/Sept and went to Samburu, Lake Nakuru, "The Ark", Masai Mara and finally a breath taking view of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Amboselli. Every place we stayed was lovely (except we were disappointed with the Ark) but best of all was the Tortilis Camp in Amboselli where we stayed. The food is out of this world. It is run by Italians and they make the best pasta with fresh herbs and vegetables from their gardens (Plus they have the ONLY bartender we have ever met outside of the United States that can make a martini !!!). <BR> <BR>I agree you should fly from one place to another. We were driven and it takes alot of time and you tend to see the same things and the roads are very bad. The balloon ride over the Masai Mara is worth every cent and I'm afraid of flying !!! If you go to Tortilis Camp try and get Sam as your guide. We had a great walk with a Masai warrior then a ride up a hill to enjoy the sunset over Mt. Kili. Doesn't get any better then that. Don't miss any opportunity to go to Kenya. <BR> <BR> <BR>