3 week Tanzania Safari

Question

Hi there,

Me and a friend are looking to spend roughly 3 weeks in East Africa later this year. We want to do the usual stuff – safari, climb Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar etc. We’re fairly well travelled, met whilst backpacking in South America but neither of us have been to Africa before.

I have a few questions but any general advice and recommendations are welcomed. We aim to travel as independently as feasibly possible without be foolish.

  • 1. We are aiming to book a return flight to Dar es Salaam then travel internally to National Parks and Kilimanjaro. Is this the best way to do it or would Nairobi be a better starting point?
  • 2. Safari – We’ve read a few forum posts saying it’s better to book on arrival in Africa to cut out the middle man. With 3 weeks we’ve a bit of flexibility but can’t afford to waste too many days. How likely is it that we’d be able to get on a tour within a day or two of arrival? Is it worth it for the saving?
  • 3. Kilimanjaro climb – Again, only 3 weeks, ideally we’d do it in 6 days. Is it best to book in Africa and get on a tour quickly? Again, worth it?
  • 4. Internal journeys probably from Dar es Salaam to Arusha and back… Is it better to fly? What are the options like for coaches/road travel? Is reaching Arusha any easier from Nairobi?

 

Thanks in advance

Herman!

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safariquestions 2020-07-13T19:20:24+03:00 2 Answers 427 views
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Answers ( 2 )

  1. safariquestions
    -1
    2020-07-13T19:29:54+03:00
    Reply

    Hi Herman!

    First of all I would like to recommend bringing a tent. In a lot of areas it is possible to camp for very cheep. there are many hostels and camp sites with cabins and semi permanent tents. You can just camp all the time in Tanzania!

    There are so many options when it comes to a company to help you with this, and they can do it all for your, you just need to go online, look for few from the great reviews, write them and pick them one you think is good, at this stage you can email us for comments! You can as well book on arrival if you are flexible in time – 1 to two days is enough for that!

    I would have to recommend JRO – Kilimanjaro as a starting point over Dar Es Salaam. Dar is a large city and of-course a bit far from Arusha! So you can book arrival Nairobi or JRO and if possible depart from Zanzibar, so fly into JRO, do Kilimanjaro and Safari, then fly to Zanzibar and leave from there!

    For your internal travel you have to take into consideration that the roads in Tanzania are not as good as you may think; not bad like in south America but bad like you have never seen before. In some places it will take you 6 hours to go 100K. keep this in mind as it will probably take you longer then you expect to go by road.

    This is part of the Africa experience and I would recommend driving but be prepared for the time it will take. There are also comfortable public transport from Arusha to Dar which takes about 10 hours – very luxury, you can overnight and take the boat ride next day!

    For things to see. The Serengeti is the obvious place. Just the right company and timing!

    hope this helps. let me know if you have more questions.

    Jonas!

    Best answer

    • Sorry, this is a private answer.

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