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help planning trip to tanzania

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I am leaving for East Africa at the end of this month and will not be returning until May 10th! Please provide me with any travel advice you may have. places to go/ not to go, budget hotels, getting around, etc.
14 years ago, December 4th 2009 No: 1 Msg: #95382  
Hello fellow travellers,

I am leaving for East Africa at the end of this month (December 27th) and am not returning until May 10th! The first month I will be spending two weeks in Ethiopia and two weeks in Tanzania. Then I will spend two months volunteering perhaps in Kenya, not sure yet. But, I am open to all suggestions of places to go/ places not to go. If you have any information on Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, and/or Uganda please share. I would like to focus my trip around the environment and culture which shouldnt be too hard! So any information you have about safety issues, getting around the countries, places to go, where to stay, etc. will be such a great help. I am a recent college graduate (this past May) and have been saving up my money since but do not have much to spend so any budget travelling advice you have please let me know. For example, when going to the national parks is it best to find a place to stay outside? Do you need to hire a guide at every national park? What are the cheapest but reliable safari tours? i love to get "off the beaten track" and get a real feel for the local culture, step away from all the tourist "hot-spots", go on crazy adventures, hikes, whatever!

I will be landing in Nairobi and heading straight to Zanzibar. What is the best way to get there? How long will this trip take?

Thank you for all your help and I am a Belizean Expert. I have spent about 5 months there so if anyone needs travel advice there please let me know!

Reply to this

14 years ago, December 5th 2009 No: 2 Msg: #95422  
B Posts: 15
Where are you going after Tanzania? Are you wanting to go on a safari in Tanzania or ??? January will be the hottest month in Tanzania so you may want to spend some time in cooler parts of the country such as Arusha, which would be more convenient to go straight from Nairobi. Send some more details of the general trip outline and your interests. I am sure tahat you will have a great adventure. Reply to this

14 years ago, December 6th 2009 No: 3 Msg: #95503  
Hello Jamie 😊

I will be landing in Nairobi and heading straight to Zanzibar. What is the best way to get there? How long will this trip take?


Be careful in Nairobi and dont spend much time there. It is not called Nairobbery for no reason. Take a taxi by a reputable taxi company from the airport to your hotel.

I personally would take busses and boats to Zanzibar. You can probably fly from Nairobi, but why fly over the country when you can experience it by bus.

Take serious safety precautions such as never falling asleep on busses, not wandering around at night, not accepting food from strangers, wearing no visible jewelery and keeping laptop, camera etc out of sight most of the time...

A copy of the Lonely Planet book for East Africa might be a useful purchase for you.

Mel Reply to this

14 years ago, December 10th 2009 No: 4 Msg: #96047  
B Posts: 37
I took Kampala Express from Nairobi to Dar Es Salaam a month ago and wouldn't recommend it. We left at 5 a.m. and arrived at 11:30 p.m. with only two stops the entire day. The last two hours were spent in a traffic jam going into Dar. I wouldn't say don't take a bus, but possibly break up the trip by an overnight in Moshe or somewhere. We were zombies by the time we got off the bus. Likely it would be nicer on a better bus line, but we were severely restricted in our preparation time. Make sure you have lots of U.S. dollars - and don't expect to cash travellers cheques in Dar. The ferry was wonderful and Zanzibar is great. I think Lonely Planet warns about hanging about on River Rd in Nairobi, where the buses are, and the locals will warn you too. I was there with a local, and we kept on the move. Have a great time. Reply to this

14 years ago, December 10th 2009 No: 5 Msg: #96049  
Thanks for all the advice!

My travel plans have changed around a little bit will no longer be landing in Nairobi and going directly to Zanzibar.

I am hoping to do a safari (with two other friends) in either January or February. We are probably going to do the northern circuit most likely Serengeti and NCA for about 4-5 days. Given the fact that we are on a budget can anyone reccommend a tour operator? What parks we should see? I have read a lot about how congested the northern parks get, at this time should this be a problem? Should we consider doing a safari in the southern parks? What parks do people reccommend there and what parks can you walk around on foot?

My interests are nature and wildlife, local culture, and getting "off the beaten path". Any other suggestions about places to go or places not worth going (since we have such a long list!) would be greatly appreciated!
Also, what is the best guidebook for Tanzania?
Thanks,
Jamie Reply to this

14 years ago, December 16th 2009 No: 6 Msg: #96458  
Well, if you are planning to visit parks, why don't you check out the National Parks of Tanzania. To have a safari experience while in the Africa I will share you the list of parks where you can find the safari these are also the parks we visited last time we have a trip to Africa with the vacationers, here's the list: the serengeti, the lake manyara, arusha national park and the most popular the kilimanjaro national park. Hope my list can really help you.
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14 years ago, February 11th 2010 No: 7 Msg: #103303  
Where are you going after kenya? Are you wanting to go on a safari in Tanzania or ?or kilimanjaro? may will be the mid cold month in Tanzania so you may want to spend some time in cooler parts of the country such as Arusha,or moshi, which would be more convenient to go straight from Nairobi.
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