mush

We are a family of 4, with the youngest being 7 year old. We are headed to Africa in December 2008, around christmas time. One part of our journey will be in Tanzania, and the Safari we are considering is as follows: about 4 to 5 days in Serengeti, 2 days in tarangire, 2 days in Norongoro, for a total of about 10 days.

The problem is in understanding what we get for what we pay for, since I see quotes from 1500 per person to 6000 per person, and in some cases upto 9000 per person.

Since this will likely be our only Safari for a while to come, we would not mind raiding our savings to go beyond our initial budget, if necessary.

The things important to us are:
1) going with a company/guide who do their homework well, and are able to change the travel plans on the fly based on the current situation to provide the best experience

2) a mostly private experience, with only the 4 of us in the vehicle or at most 6 people in the vehicle.

3) The guide/tour company should be able to arrange the best lodging, to limit travel time.

4) The amenities in the camp are NOT important to us. Luxurious beds or food is not necessary. We go backpacking with the kids and are accustomed to very basic living.

Can you please suggest any companies/guides that suite our needs?

mush

Sorry, I should have mentioned that all figures I mention are US dollars.

pippa13

hi mush,
first of all: it's great that you are dedicated to an african safari incl. your kids!
it might become a bit difficult as some of the camps don't allow kids below 12 years of age

anyway - asilia is a great company with great accommodations all around serengeti and tarangire. quality accomm but lacking all super douper luxury.

if i were in your shoes i would definately state to them what you posted here and wait for the outcome.

weather should be fine with a rain shower here and there bot no torrential rains (hopefully).
calving season of the wildebeest should have just started with all the predators to follow.

just visit their website and built up your mind regarding tents etc.

http://www.asilialodges.com/

another great photographic safari outfitter:
http://www.nomad-tanzania.com/
which would also take you to isolated places like katavi....

enjoy planning!

PacoAhedo

Hello Mush,

We are a family of 4 that went on safari to Tanzania in April 06.(children 12 and 10 at that moment)

We also wanted a private safari and our trip was 2 days central serengeti,3 days southern serengeti,2 days ngorongoro and 1 day lake manyara.

We went with African Dream Safaris and our trip was perfect in every aspect and most important they deliver what they promise and we did all the time what we wanted to do(timing,schedule and areas for the game drives). Our guide was also fantastic.

The down side of this company is probably the price,they are not the cheapest(they have 3 options and for example their budget rate for december,10 days and 4 persons is 4160 $ pp) but their web site worth taking a look because they have a great amount of information, rates of every trip , etc... They only work Tanzania which is also important since they are specialize.

You have many options and doing a search in Fodor´s you will find a lot of possibilities,here are a few:

Thomson safaris
Nomad Tanzania
Kiliwarriors
Roy safaris
Good Earth Tours
Green Footprints.

One more thing,Tarangire in December may not be the best option unless you are keen birder,but i am sure the experts will tell you better.

Good luck.

Paco.

Bill_H

<b>The problem is in understanding what we get for what we pay for, since I see quotes from 1500 per person to 6000 per person, and in some cases upto 9000 per person.</b>

Mush, what $$ figure are you comfortable with?

Our experiences in Tanzania are similar in price to Paco's ... private jeep for only two people, staying at Sopa Ngorongoro, Serena in Manyara or Serengeti, Ndutu on Serengeti - NCA border (basically mid-range lodges) and paying a bit less than $400 per person/night. With four in the jeep it would be less, with four in one room a LOT less.

I think there is a premium for &quot;around Christmas time&quot; which will knock this up a bit though.

Two of the companies on Paco's list are in this price range (we used one of them). If you wish to stay at smaller camps like the ones Pippa mentions you will pay about double. I would be leery of camping in lion country with a 7 year old myself.

Bill

sandi

Forget the $1500 person. That comes to $150/day which barely covers a pup tent. And, it's not unusual for the large tour operators, i.e., Micato or A&amp;K to be charging $6K or even $9K. Pricewise, you can absolutely do better.

Prices will vary depending on the outfitter or tour operator. Prices will vary whether a private or group tour. The actual accommodations will bring different prices. Safari in Tanzania over Christmas/New Year's will have holiday supplements.

You have to compare apples-to-apples. No way to compare a lodge only safari to a tented camp safari. No comparison even between an all Sopa Lodge or Serena Lodge itinerary... both lodges, but one is generally higher priced. Likewise, this can vary between type of tented camps... whether permanent or seasonal, one owner to another.

Why not post one or two of the itineraries from the lowest, to medium to highest priced. With specifics, we'll be able to comment.

As another mentioned, Tarangire isn't at its' best in December.

atravelynn

You’ve been given lots of good advice.

#1) Changing plans--You can change your plan for the day easily with a private vehicle, but probably not your lodging once it is set. What you are seeking may be the mobile tented camps such as Nomad offers. They are positioned in the Serengeti to be in the region of the migration. I would not suggest the very remote Katavi (mentioned above) on this family trip in December, even though Nomad goes there.

#2) Private is not hard to do. You don't want a group of 6 made up of your family plus 2, unless you do a family oriented group departure and the other two are an adult relative and child. Thomsons does family trips that are group departures or they could adapt one to a private departure.

#3) You can consider flying into or out of the Serengeti to save time. Any of these companies listed will do fine on the logistics, as would most reputable operators. The exception would be if certain spots are booked up and an indirect routing is needed to hit the windows of availability. To assure a sound itinerary in every respect, the suggestion to post it on this forum is a good one. There are some expert tweakers here.

#4) So no Crater Lodge for you.

I like your pacing and places. Instead of Tarangire, Manyara is better for wildlife in Dec. and it chops off a bit of driving time. Here is a chart to see what parks are best in what months.
http://www.africa-adventure.com/dsp_besttime.html

To really fine tune your trip, check out the perfect safari in December offerings from Kiliwarriors’ website, which focuses on Tanzania.
http://www.kiliwarriors.com/

There are some cool cultural things you can include for the kids and the adults as well. Lake Eyasi is a good place for this. I have not been there but would like to go. This is an example of a family itinerary that goes there.

http://www.africa-adventure.com/safa...ri_to_tanzania


Here’s a report on TZ last Dec. I think this was a honeymoon so that would differ a bit from a family trip with a 7-year old, but the locations and sightings are relevant.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35096529

For travel around Christmas, I would not delay too much. What a wonderful family holiday it will be!