Safari

Anyone been on safari in Africa? You can recommend a place in particular? Any advice?

At the moment I'm looking at Tanzania.

Dh grew up in Kenya, and they went on some nice safaris.  I'll ask about tour companies if you like. 

Nice one. Thanks hon.

~E~ went on one recently! I'm sure she'll have some advice for you! 

Most of Africa has a safari tour on something so a lot of it is what you are interested in seeing... grasslands, wetlands, mountains....

I lived in Kenya and what I noticed was the diversity of types of safaris. Some places were heavy on elephants or rhinos or the best place to spot a leopard It is also a fairly compact country so doing more than one park in a week is doable.

Also consider the time of year you are going because that may have an impact on which country you go to.

Tanzanian safaris are okay. My favorite was Ngorongoro Crater. Serengeti is just the other side of the Kenyan Masai Mara. Some companies split time between both countries.

A trip to Zanzibar is nice too.

Other safari options I'd recommend are Zambia, Botswana, Namibia (Etosha is one of my favorites!) and South Africa. That becomes southern Africa and the wildlife and types of safari start to change.

I was just about to say the lovely Olive will be checking in soon!

I was just about to say the lovely Olive will be checking in soon!

I was safari'd out by the time I left! 

E and her parents did package safaris booked from abroad so she could offer insight on that.

I met loads of travelers who power safari and try to cram 4-5 parks in 7-10 days. That's a lot! Slow down and relax.

I was thinking about the crater and the serengeti. We want to go in October which is apparently when the wildabeest come back. That sounds very exciting.

Cheers Olive. Very helpful.

I studied in Tanzania for a summer and we did a safari...it was the most amazing thing I have ever been on...I definitely recommend Tanzania!  Go to the Serengeti, the Crater, and Zanzibar....it is my favorite place to visit   Beautiful...we stayed in Stone Town at the Coco de Mer or something similar...ahhh I want to go back!  Good luck!!

I was thinking about the crater and the serengeti. We want to go in October which is apparently when the wildabeest come back. That sounds very exciting.

There are some resident wildebeest who stick around year round. The more sensible ones who think it is a bit silly to travel all that way and risk being eaten by crocs when the grass really isn't all that much greener on the other side. 

I love Etosha!  I've spent 3 summers in Namibia and got to go there each time.  Even during the dry season, it was full of different animals.  I also liked Okapuka Lodge between Windhoek and Okahandja.  It's privately owned and has some really neat tours.  Along with a beautiful open lodge and restaurant that look out over a grassy area that's full of grazers in the evening.  If you ever see oryx on the menu, try it, unless you're a vegetarian, that is.   It's the best ever!

My in-laws live in Kenya so that is where we safari.  Since the elections in Kenya in December and all the trouble they have had much of the tourist trade has slowed and the economy is really hurting.  The political situation is fine now and it is a great time to safari in Kenya as the tourists are only now just starting to go back.  This mean less people in the game parks which is great and that prices are cheaper.  We were in Kenya on safari just after the embassies in Nairobi and Tanzania were bombed and we had the game park to ourselves with a private driver - fantastic.  No matter where you choose to go as safari is a magical experience. Enjoy