funtimes2

We are going on safari in Tanzania in April and want to know if anyone has been in April before. I am concerned about the rain and bugs as well as high grass for animal viewing.

Bill_H

We were in Tanzania April 1-10, 2006, three days at Lake Manyara and a week in the Serengeti. The two lodges we used were maybe 1/3 filled and all three mornings at Manyara we were the only jeep in the park until around 9 AM, so the lack of crowds was a bonus.

<b>I am concerned about the rain and bugs</b>

We had a LOT of rain many nights (and two flying termite hatches, which have to be experienced to be believed) and it was often cloudy early before burning off ... didn't rain that much during the day though ... there were a zillion bugs but they mostly bothered the animals and I only got bit once by a tsetse.

A couple of times the rivers near Seronera were flooded and we had to turn back a few times driving on some of the tracks, but in general we had pretty good access to the more remote areas.

<b>... as well as high grass for animal viewing</b>

Not really a problem where we were since there were a million or so wildebeests and zebras on the short-grass plains near Naabi Hill.

If you're really concerned with bugs and rain then a drier month would probably be more suited for you ... last year we went in both January (very dry) and April (very wet) and enjoyed both ... April was better for scenics (several rainbows) and birds, especially nesting species, but overall we preferred January because we didn't lose any photography time with the weather like we did in April. But I'm still glad we went in April, it was just different and not quite as productive.

You can view our April photos here ... be sure to check out the cheetah-on-the-roof shots and also the lions fighting ... note all the flies on the bodies and faces of the lions too ...
http://members.aol.com/bhilton665/tanzania_rainy_2006/

I'm sure you'll have a good time in April, it's just different from the dry season.

Bill

funtimes2

Thank you so much for writing back Bill. You are the first person that has responded to my April questions. We looked at your pictures. Very Cool!! We are getting excited and if we see half the birds you have on the site we will be happy. Thanks again.

funtimes2

One more thing, what do you recommend for the bugs? We have Bug Off clothes from LL Bean but are wondering about sprays. Also, we are bringing a rain poncho but do we need to bring jackets or are long sleeve shirts enough?

Bill_H

<b> ... if we see half the birds you have on the site we will be happy</b>

I can almost promise you you'll see more than we photographed, probably 3x the species, since we often saw birds that we couldn't photograph well due to distance or light or the bird not sitting still for long enough ... April is a good time to see a lot of birds!

<b>what do you recommend for the bugs?</b>

We took (IIRC) 30% DEET but the best thing we found was at the first safari lodge we visited, where each room had small 10 ml packets of bug juice about right for applying to one person ... this was called &quot;No-Bite&quot; and I just now looked at the back of a packet and it says it's only 15% DEET (I'll be darned, I thought it was stronger because it worked so well) and 5% Dimethyl Phthalate (whatever that is) ... this felt better on my skin, not as stringent (maybe because it has less DEET). This seemed to work fine.

Anyway I mentioned to the room attendant that we liked this stuff and could we get a few more packets and he brought us a full box and I tipped him $10 (several day's pay in most local industries) and he promptly brought me four more boxes, which of course I couldn't accept, but I admired his industriousness

<b>We have Bug Off clothes from LL Bean </b>

I've heard these work well ... the big thing with clothes is to avoid black and dark blue as these are the colors that attract the nasty tsetse flies (I was bit once each trip by a tsetse and it stings).

I have to say that the bugs on the lions make it look miserable but if you've ever experienceed mosquitos in south Florida or Alaska or black flies in the Maine woods then you'll come back thinking the bugs in Africa are not nearly so bad as expected. So long as you don't get swarmed by tsetses.

<b>we are bringing a rain poncho but do we need to bring jackets or are long sleeve shirts enough? </b>

We had rain gear but never wore it, even with all the rain ... you can close up the jeep and at the lodges they always had a rack of umbrellas in the dining areas, lounges and rooms ... most of the rain was at night so using the umbrellas coming back from dinner to the room was the most common rain-walk.

Long sleeve shirts should be warm enough unless you're at Ngorongoro, where it's much higher and colder on the rim early AM.

Bill

funtimes2

We really appreciate your great advice Bill. Funny you should mention Maine and black flies as we grew up in Maine with them. Since then we have moved out west but you never forget black flies. We always have a chance to see them when visiting family in the summers. Lucky us. You have helped to make me feel better about going in the rainy season. Well, I would say this is one last question but still 3 monthe to go so maybe I won't say that. What about cash for a ten day safari? We have read that cash is best, checks are accepted and credit cards are carrying big fees. Any suggestions and anything else novice safari goers might need to know?

Bill_H

<b>Funny you should mention Maine and black flies as we grew up in Maine with them.</b>

I have a picture of my wife photographing June lupines in New Brunswick and she almost looks like a bee-keeper with the mesh head-net and mesh gloves and the blackies buzzing around If Maine in June (or Alaska in July) is 100 on the bugginess scale then Tanzania in April was about a 10 ... you'll have no problems if you're used to black-flies.

<b>What about cash for a ten day safari? We have read that cash is best, checks are accepted and credit cards are carrying big fees</b>

There are several good older threads around discussing cash, tipping and credit cards, mostly by people who have been there more often than I ... I would just say that most of the lodges accept credit cards for things like drinks, laundry and gift shop purchases and that's very convenient, but you may pay 3-4% or more extra for currency conversion, depending on the card.

You need cash for the entry visa at the airport and for tips, and not a bad idea to have some local currency for purchases when away from the hotel, where they are less likely to appreciate dollars, but porters and waiters at the lodges were fine accepting either dollars or shillings.

I don't know anything about checks.

Often something is priced in both Tz shillings and dollars and usually you get a better rate if you can pay in dollars, so it's a good idea to exchange some dollars early on ... for example, the exchange rate was 1,200 shillings/dollar last April (I think it's over 1,300 now) so a drink at the bar might be priced at 4,000 Tsh or $4 US, which was worth 4,800 Tsh if you had exchanged dollars to Tsh ... so you can save 20% just by having shillings.

Your safari operator will probably give you guidelines on how much to tip and how much cash to bring. Our driver stopped in Arusha for us to exchange a couple hundred dollars into Tsh on the way out of town, which worked well for a 10 day trip last year. Any Tsh left over at the end of the trip (I think you can't exchange Tsh back into dollars) was just added as part of the tip to the driver, who was paid mostly in dollars.

Bill

Bill_H

<b>Often something is priced in both Tz shillings and dollars and usually you get a better rate if you can pay in dollars</b>

Sorry, this is backwards ... I meant &quot;usually you get a better rate if you can pay in shillings&quot; ... but not always and that's why it's a good idea to have some cash in both currencies.

funtimes2

You are so helpful and we enjoyed reading about your wife's blackfly encounter. Thanks again and I hope we get a chance to see and enjoy some of what you got on film last April.
Daylene &amp; James