tingle

We are planning to visit Tanzania and Kenya at the end of August this year (2009) and are seeking advice on 3 items :

1) We are thinking of staying at Serengeti Under Canvas and the Kichwa Tembo Masai Mara Tented Camps. Has anyone stayed there before ?
2) We have also been advised to fly in between the Tanzania destinations (ie. Arusha - Klein's -Manyara) rather than drive and would appreciate views on which is a better option.
3) Lastly, has anyone travelled with andBeyond (formerly CC Africa) before ?

Any advice or comments on the above would be most appreciated. Thanks a million !

sdb2

I haven't done Serengeti Under Canvas or the Kichwa Tembo Masai Mara Tented Camps, but I have stayed at andBeyond camps/lodges in S. Africa, Botswana and Tanzania. andBeyond is a first-rate company and you are treated royally. Last November I stayed at Klein's, Grumeti, and the Crater Lodge, flying from one camp to another (starting and ending in Arusha). I recommend flying---the roads of the Serengeti are not great and you'll spend more time than you'd like on the road.

Best of luck.

sandi

The distances are just too great to drive. If visiting Manyara and Northern Serengeti, then absolutely fly. And, fly between Tanzania/Kenya.

If staying at Kichwa Tembo in Kenya, is that their Bateleur Camp - 18/tents (in same category price-wise as Serengeti Under Canvas), or just their Kichwa Tembo Camp w/ about 40/tents. Both Bateleur and Kichwa Tembo are on the same grounds. If Kichwa Tembo, inquire about their lux tents rather than the classic which cost about $100+/person/nt addtl.

atravelynn

1 I've only been to those areas at that time of year, not those accommodations. Great choices. The mobile is one of the most luxurious mobiles and Kichwa Tembo is supposed to be really nice. The only negative I've heard is that some people felt there was a bit of driving from the camp to where the wildlife was. Since there are no fences and animals can roam at will, I would think it is somewhat a matter of luck if you see animals quickly or after some motoring.

2 Flying is the more comfortable and convenient way to go. Unless you stopped at other places along the way, you couldn't drive.

3 I used them in South Africa at Phinda and everything was excellent. The food and lodging were superb, but what I care about is guiding and I got the guide I requested for an entire week and the experience was wonderful.

You have a top of the line Africa trip with your plan.

aowens

I have stayed at Kichwa Tembo twice and highly recommend it. I felt like there was tons of game right there. I don't feel like we had to drive far at all!! We stayed in the standard tents and they are fine.

Marija

We've stayed at Serengeti Under Canvas and Kichwa Tembo/Bateuler and enjoyed both. Our trip with ccafrica is described here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...d-tanzania.cfm

Have a great time!

GrannyJoan

My husband and I stayed at Kichwa Tembo in Kenya for 3 days in 1999. It was my first trip to Africa and had such a great experience, I have returned several times since. The accommodations at Kichwa Tembo are superb. We watched herds from the cement porch in front of the tent in late evenings. The food is great and the game drives were very good. We took the hot air balloon ride and champagne breakfast on the Serengeti as well. Truly a memorable experience!

tingle

Thank you, fellow-travellors, for all the kind advice and suggestions. We are glad to hear that our trip plan is on the right track and are really looking forward to visiting East Africa.

We have one last question - we will be there during the last 10 days of August and just found out that the Wilderbeast Migration by then will most likely have already reaached the Masai Mara. If that is the case, do you all think it makes sense to spend 3 mights at Serengeti Under Canvas in Tanzania ? We were wondering whether it would make more sense for us to spend less time in the Serengeti and more time in the Mara ?

Thanks again for all your help. Its very much appreciated.

sandi

If I were traveling in August, I'd stick with Kenya. Inasmuch as you don't seem to have the Ngorongoro Crater on your itinerary, you can get much the game viewing in Kenya*. Maybe in addition to the Masai Mara, visit at Meru, Samburu or Laikipia... concluding in the Mara. And, if not spending for Serengeti Under Canvas, upgrade at Kichwa Tembo to their Bateleur Camp.

*also saves cost of another Visa and need to Yellow Fever inoculation which if having arrived from Kenya would need for entry to Tanzania.

While &Beyond doesn't have other props in Kenya, they should be able to provide lodging at Meru, Samburu or Laikipia at other lux properties.

tanzaniatouroperator

To answer your first questions:

We send hundreds of clients to SUC and Kichwa each year and CCA are very good operators. The distances are far to far to drive so you will need to connect the camps by air

Don’t worry about the migration. It is a popular misconception that all the herds cross into the Mara, as many remain in the north of the Serengeti near Kogatende which is where TUC should be at that time of year. Have a peak at http://www.tanzaniaodyssey.com/Migration.jpg which shows what the movement of the herds is likely to be

The other advantage of staying on the Tanzania side is that there are far far fewer tourists than on the Kenyan side of the border, so don’t worry !

atravelynn

If you want to see the migration, then your plan makes sense because the herds will be in the N. Serengeti and/or the Mara. They do go back and forth across the river as well, not solely a one way street. So you can't miss.

The fewer tourists that Tantourop mentions is a bonus too.

But if the cost is maxing out your budget, then Sandi's suggestion would be good too.

These are all winners in August.

Marija

We were both at the Mara and TUC near Kogatende in early September and the game viewing was much better in the Mara, though we really liked TUC (now SUC).

tanzaniatouroperator

if you hold off booking for a bit you may find that the CCA stay for 6 and pay for 4 deal may be extended into August

atravelynn

Who came up with SUC? The TUC was fine and even made you think of being securely and comfortably "tucked" away in your tent. But SUC? I saw that before and thought they won't use an acronym that sounds like suck. That's too close to "It sucks" which doesn't draw in customers. How about &UC?

tanzaniatouroperator

those gifted marketing boys at CCA, the same ones who came up with &beyond and then promptly got sued by a&k !
give me TUC rather than SUC any day !

sandi

These tent camps were originally called Tanzania Under Canvas (TUC), then changed to Serengeti Under Canvas, thus SUC. Typing either out it way too many keystrokes.