35-50 years of age
Review about Augrabies Falls National Park by Agatha
The Augrabies falls are majestic, especially when the Orange river is in flood.
35-50 years of age
Surrounded by landscapes as far as you can see, majestic elephants roam on your path.
We stayed at Kwa Maritane, one of the lodges in the park, the rooms are well appointed and the food was terrific. At the patio by the restaurant, many an elephant comes to browse and birds peck at the bread on your plate. Surrounded by the "wild" in the lap of luxury. Pilanesberg is generally very hot and dry, a high factor sunscreen and hats are a must! The guides on the game drives are very knowledgeable about the area and know how to track the game in the park. One of the few national parks where you can see the "Big Five". Herds of buck and elephant abound and we were lucky to spot cheetahs and lion. The scenery alone is worthwhile, as the park is situated in the cradle of an extinct volcano. Lakes and acacia strewn mountains make it any nature lover's "must-go-to-destination". In short, a terrific experience. For the wild at heart, Sun City is only a mere 10 minutes away too.
US
35-50 years of age
Tanzania... best travel experience of my life!
I had the great pleasure to spend about a week and a half in Tanzania in early November, 2009. This was a trip that I had spent hours and hours researching, reading about, asking questions about on various travel forums, and then finally planning with my safari tour operator (Good Earth Tours). I had very high expectations, and they were all exceeded. Everything from the weather, the low number of other tourists (and bugs/mosquitos!), the wildlife viewing, the services and care given by my safari outfitter and private guide, the warm welcomes from the good people of Tanzania, the quality of the food and lodging, the amazing natural beauty of the various parks we visited, all varied and different from one another... just made for the most magnificent trip I have ever taken. And I have taken quite a few. I love to take photos, purely amateur, but some of the photos I came back with stunned my friends and family, they couldn't believe the beautiful sights that I was able to see.
I feel like my itinerary was perfect, I wouldn't have changed a thing about it. Flew into Kilimanjaro Airport, and planned to spend two nights in the town of Arusha pre-safari, just to get acclimated to the time change, and to have a buffer day in case of flight delays or other problems like that. And it was a very good thing that we did that. ("We" was just myself, and one friend... party of two for this entire trip.) My friend had a mishap with her passport as we were preparing to fly out of St. Louis, it was current, but did not have more than six months validity left on it, which we did not know was necessary. What a day that turned out to be...after some scrambling to find out our options, my friend flew ahead to Chicago with hopes of getting her passport renewed on the spot. Thankfully, we had a long layover there before the international flight. Long story short, my friend did make it on the plane to Amsterdam, with only minutes to spare. The door was closing. I was already on the plane, planning to go ahead to Tanzania, knowing that we had the buffer day built in and that my friend could at least make it by the second day, and we would not miss our safari. So, just a word of advice, check your passport date! And do try to have an extra day to recoup when you arrive, or just relax, or to save yourself a whole lot of worry in case something like this happens to you.
The best part about our "extra" day in Arusha, though, was that we did get to have the most lovely lunch at Hatari Lodge, and a half-day visit to Arusha National Park. It was something I had debated back and forth, whether or not to include Arusha National Park in our safari. I am so glad we did. My very favorite photo from the whole trip was from there. And the way we did it was very cost effective... we asked to have lunch at Hatari Lodge, which is inside the park. So it was sort of a bonus to see the park, while we were just driving thru on our way to lunch! And our guide was so wonderful (Prosper was his name, with Good Earth Tours). We were getting to know each other during the drive, and I was just asking casual questions, making conversation. I asked about whether we would likely see Flamingos at Lake Manyara later in the week. Prosper said if we wanted to see Flamingos, he would make it happen. Turns out, the flamingos were actually in Arusha. lol LOTS and LOTS of them. He didn't have to do it, because it wasn't on our itinerary, but Prosper took at least two extra hours of his personal time, and took us to see the flamingos in Arusha National Park after our lunch. It was so beautiful, and such a pleasant surprise. Just a fantastic way to start our journey together.
Sorry for the long story there... but I felt it was important to share. Back to our itinerary:
Two nights in Arusha at the Kibo Palace Hotel
Two nights at Tarangire Sopa Lodge
One night at Lake Manyara Hotel (A Wildlife Lodge property)
Lunch at Gibbs Farm
One night at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
Two nights at Seronera Wildlife Lodge
One night at Lobo Wildlife Lodge
Two nights at Migration Camp (including a full-day game drive to the Mara River)
Flight to Zanzibar
Stayed four nights at Imani Villa Beach Resort
Flight back to Arusha, picked up by Good Earth representative, who took us to some local places for last-minute shopping, lunch, etc. They kept our luggage for us during the day, and then drove us back to Kilimanjaro Airport for our flight home.
Good Earth took such good care of us, and so did the good people working at all the different lodges and camps. The food was so good everywhere we went. At least that is my most humble opinion.
I was especially impressed with the Wildlife Lodge properties. They are extremely budget friendly, and I thought they would be a little more rustic than they were, but was willing to save a few bucks by staying with them, in order to better afford the luxury of Migration Camp as the grand finale of our safari at the end. The Wildlife properties are Very, VERY well located, you are in the heart of all the beauty and wildlife. They are truly great lodges, the architecture of the common areas especially pleased me. And the food here was just as good as the Sopa lodges.
Migration Camp, well, what can I say, but DON'T MISS IT! Just an amazing experience to treat yourself extra special for a night or two. It's expensive, but I think it is worth it for at least one night.
I guess that is the basics, please feel free to contact me for more details! I love to talk about it and reminisce! :)
Cheers!
Sandi
35-50 years of age
Review about South Africa by Agatha
They have a great infrastructure and access to most parks are easy. Great accommodation, food and a very hospitable people.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Good Earth Tours & Safaris by Sandi
Good Earth allowed me to customize to my heart's content, guided me with opinions and alternatives when asked, and took the best care of us! Ask for Prosper if you are into photography at all. He has a passion for the same, and he truly enjoys helping you find the best shots! But most of all, Prosper is the perfect mix of knowledge, skilled driver (very important in the event of rain!) humor, friend, and great Eagle Eyes! lol!
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by ~lustedtowander~
Arrive early to avoid the crowds, and you can watch a lovely sunrise over the alkaline plains of Lake Manyara. And go soon - unfortunately, the borders of the park are slowly being pinched by development.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Ruaha National Park by ~lustedtowander~
Although the wildlife is a bit more elusive, you will have this park virtually to yourself. And it is a vast expanse of river, woodland and grassy plain open to exploration. If you self drive, you must endure the long, rough access road. But you can camp anywhere, with no neighbors except the odd cheetah. Safari as it is meant to be.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by ~lustedtowander~
The animals are there, in one compact space. And so are the people. But it is quite unique - the early morning drive to the crater rim is often foggy and wet, and the steep descent an adventure itself. If your time is brief, and you crave instant animal gratification, go here. If you have more time and the inclination - make the bumpy, dusty drive to Olduvai Gorge, request Lucas as your guide, and revel in hominid history.
A warning: There is a fee to enter the Ngorongoro Conservation area. You must pay again if you want to go into the Ngorongoro Crater. And you must pay again to enter the Serengeti. This traveler thinks that is too much paying.
US
35-50 years of age
Review about Arusha National Park by ~lustedtowander~
Arusha is a special little park, easily explored in a day. In that wondrously diverse day, one can glimpse black and white colobus monkeys in trees on crater's edge. Cape buffalo graze the swampy crater floor, and flamingos pink the lake shores. The adventurous can walk the dramatic ridges of Mt. Meru.
US
35-50 years of age
Classic game parks, but spoiled by too much industrial tourism.
The very names of the Tanzanian National Parks can fire the imagination! Serengeti... Ngorongoro.... However, while the wildlife viewing is superb, the experience is tainted by industrial tourism, poor facilities and outrageous entrance fees. Many times I have heard foreign visitors say they don't mind the high cost, as it is an investment in conservation. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of tourism dollars being directed towards conservation. That said, if one makes a little effort to avoid the crowds, the safari experience in Tanzania can be excellent.
