mkude

Hi all, I have just decided that I will be going to Africa solo... and need help figuring out the best place/places to go and with what company. I am a 38 yr old female... so I dont want to be traveling alone. I definitely want a group. I want some luxury, but dont know the differences between budget and luxury. Can someone help? And tell me what country/countries they would go to and why? Is it too much to want to hit two countries in one trip? I probably have 2 weeks there... Also, what is your favorite tour company? Sorry so many questions... I am a bit overwhelmed. I would like to go between May and September some time... but I'm flexible on dates. I dont want to be constantly running around... I would like SOME down time. I also know I want some adventure, but not too much... A nice mix between a luxury/service tour and an adventure tour. Any advice? Help!!!

Thanks!

P_M

I'm sure you will get a lot of good advice here but I would like to throw in this recommendation.

I have a travel agent friend whom I met on this board and she sometimes takes groups to Africa. I'm hoping to join one of her tours if possible. I know they are planning a trip in the next year but I'm not sure when. You might want to get in touch with her as she is quite the expert on Africa.

http://www.thompsontravel.smugmug.com/

Femi

I am also a frequent solo traveler and understand your desire to be part of a group. The downside of a group for me is that they are constantly on the move. Rare to find one that spends more than 2 nights per stop.

If you let us know what your budget is, it will help narrow the options.

Two countries in two weeks sounds reasonable, but how many stops will you make in each country? South Africa alone has enough that is of interest to me to keep me busy for more than a month.

What are your interests? This will also help narrow the options. Safari from dawn till dusk? Or would you like a bit of culture and natural wonders thrown in? What is the most important inclusion to you?

christabir

We met up with a solo woman traveller on our last trip to S Africa. She was having a ball. She stayed 5 days at two different camps and had a great time meeting all the people that come and go. Because she stayed a longer time than most visitors do, she really got to relax and enjoy the experience.

Not knowing your budget, the Tauck tour looks like a good one to me. They changed it a little last year and it now looks close to a perfect group tour to me. Wilderness Safaris does a few group tours that someday we would love to do in Botswana.

Enjoy your planning!

Leely2

Hi, you'll find lots of suggestions on this recent thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...r-tanzania.cfm

If you do a search, you will find many other threads about this for trips to various countries. I am visiting Kenya and Rwanda solo in two months ( !!!) but I have been to East Africa before with other friends. I can see why you might worry about totally going it alone to an area completely new to you. By the way, I am close to your age and female.

Enjoy your planning.

atravelynn

I see you have a time frame on this thread, very good. Check out which places are best for wildlife vieiwng during the months you wish to travel.

http://www.africa-adventure.com/dsp_besttime.html

I also see you have 2 weeks. If you must fit your international travel into the 2 weeks. then that is 10-11 days on the ground.

On the other thread I put links to lots of reading material, but here's a thought, based on what you say you want and don't want: Phinda in South Africa, along with somewhere else.

I spent a whole week there alone. It is a cheetah sanctuary with 7 distinct habitats and there are many activities you can do each day besides the traditional game drive. I mainly did rhino tracking on foot, plus one canoe trip and some cultural activites, to augment the game drives.

There are several beautiful places to stay. I stayed at Forest Lodge.

I will mention that this is a fenced reserve of 55,000+ acres.

Here is a link to my report, which contains another link to photos. The first part is about the rhino tracking.
http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...rip-report.cfm

You can google Phinda for lots more info.

If you combined Phinda, for 4 days or more with another reserve in the Sabi Sands area (the private reserves next to Kruger) you'd have a great trip. Even though you'd be going alone, you'd do activities with other people but you'd control how many days you spend at each location.

You can consider this suggestion, along with all the other info.

mkude

Thank you so much for your advice, everyone! I am going to keep reading... I am sure I will come back with more questions.

atravelynn

The other thing I was going to mention about Phinda. I think they still have a walking trails safari where you stay in a tented camp and do walks in the morning, drives in the pm. That was a less expensive option as I recall, if they still offer that.

ShayTay

I can identify with your dilemma, Mkude. I'm a solo female traveler myself, but enjoy traveling with others. I'm going with a group to Botswana in September and there are still openings... don't know if you'd be interested. If you are, contact Bill Given at "The Wild Source" and ask him to send you an itinerary for the group that ShayTay is in. ([email protected])

sandi

All of the above is good info.
But with only 2/weeks it's difficult to cover the southern African countries - SA, Bots, & Namibia - and also Kenya in East Africa.

You can certainly cover South Africa with Capetown and safari in 2/weeks; likewise, Botswana and or Namibia.

Your particular interests and budget are of importance.

There are a number of companies that do "group" departures, as OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) who offer the international air in their programs, are located in the Boston area; Tauck (tends to be expensive)in Westport, CT; 2AfriKa in NYC. You can check out their respective sites to see this years offerings.

Good luck!

Lynneb

Also check out Explore, Exodus and the Adventure Company. All provide group tours. I've joined a couple of these a long time ago with a friend but there were always a few single people on the trip too.

ann_nyc

When comparing prices, be sure to note whether the price includes your international airfare or not (some tours include it, others do not)

heasereb

Hi there,

I travelled solo and then joined a group in Zambia in summer 2007. Almost 3 years ago.wow. I went on a 13-day tour with Jenman Safaris. I had heard they were safe, but not going to provide you with gourmet meals. For me, that was fine and the price fit @ $2300 for upgraded lodging was perfect. We met in Zambia and went to Botswana and Namibia - the Caprivi strip. I had a very nice time and Chobe and the Okavanga delta were fabulous as well as Mangu/mankwe? national park (i may have that one wrong., but it was in botswana).

I spent two days in Zambia alone (trying to get my luggage from South African airways) and took a day tour in Zimbabwe which was fantastic. I did walk alone from Zimbabwe to Zambia (between the Victoria falls) and although I was alone and obviously a tourist, I was not afraid and people loved to talk to me.

For your first trip, I would suggest going with a tour instead of renting a car and driving from place to place. The roads are fine, but there's not a whole lot of gas stations and you better know which dirt road to take where. One place we had the lodge have to come get us in their super duper 4-wheel drive. We also got stuck twice in the sand roads and took all 6 of us to get us out!

Pick a tour that crosses countries. Victoria Falls is a very amazing place and a starting point for a lot of tours. Ask here about tours. I heard Thompson is very good, but a bit $$.

Good luck. I am now planning a trip to focus upon Namibia and South Africa.

Heather

living4safari

Hi there

I realise that this is rather late, but my favourite tour operator is Africa Direct - www.africadirect.co.za - Tanya is very experienced and will be able to give you very good advice. She has also worked out the most amazing itineraries for us. I love going on safari and I also like a variety of things to do. I love doing adventurous things, but I also treasure my down time.
Please let us know how you come along.
Kind regards

Sorry2903

Hi,

There are three destinations I want to share with you.
You can go to Western Uganda - the Pearl of Africa http://www.ugandasafarilodges.travel/. This place contains a natural beauty from mountain and forest. You can see green forest and wildlife. You can see high trees, birds, butterflies, elephants, chimps.

Do you know Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe? http://www.victoriafallszambezi.travel/. This place is a heaven of Africa, is one of the seven natural wonders of the World. There are many things to see and go around Victoria Falls. You can see the beautiful waterfalls from the helicopter that takes you on a “Flight of the Angels”.

You can go to Okavango Delta in Botswana. http://www.okavango-safari.travel/. A wild land, verdant grasslands, arid salt pains and the mighty Kalahari desert. You will have an opportunity to experience nature’s munificence in a pristine environment. It is an attraction destination for travelers to Botswana.