May 14, 2008
Tanzania is a grand place for an African safari, but at a cost substantially over the price of a safari in Kenya
A number of readers have questioned my seeming preference for Kenya over Tanzania as a place for wildlife safaris, and I should respond. I am well aware that the wildlife-viewing opportunities in Tanzania are the full equal of those in Kenya. But it is only the safari industry of Kenya that has attempted to price their vacations at an economical level, permitting mid-income people to enjoy this superb travel adventure. As best I know, you cannot hope to enjoy even a one-week safari in Tanzania, including airfare from the U.S., for the $2,500 price that many tour operators now offer for a weeklong safari in Kenya (and some recently went down to $1,999).
That being said, Tanzania is a peaceful place with excellent safari opportunities, and many Americans may prefer to substitute it for Kenya in light of the touchy political situation in Kenya. But these are Americans able to afford the higher cost of a Tanzanian safari.
Two readers from Calumet, Michigan, Bob and Deloris Langseth, have written me about their very positive reactions to Tanzania, and I feel obligated to share their arguments with you:
That being said, Tanzania is a peaceful place with excellent safari opportunities, and many Americans may prefer to substitute it for Kenya in light of the touchy political situation in Kenya. But these are Americans able to afford the higher cost of a Tanzanian safari.
Two readers from Calumet, Michigan, Bob and Deloris Langseth, have written me about their very positive reactions to Tanzania, and I feel obligated to share their arguments with you:
We have been to Tanzania on 9 occasions since 1992. It is one of the few countries in Africa that has never had a civil war ... You do not need to land at Nairobi. Go instead to the Mt. Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, via KLM. Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania and my wife climbed it at age 72 in 2004. The Ngorogoro Crater -- one of the wonders of the world -- has all of the big 5 animals, is a 4-hour drive from Arusha, and a gateway to the Serengeti. On the way you have Tarangire National Park which has the largest herd of elephants in any of the parks, and Lake Manyara with its vast flocks of flamingos... We have been beautifully served by the Menno Travel Agency in Minneapolis (800/635-2032) and/or by Safari Makers Ltd. out of Arusha, Tanzania... We went to the Serengeti in 2007 for our 50th wedding anniversary. The park rangers stated that more than 2 million wildebeest and zebras make the migration. We estimate we saw over a half million animals, along with 23 lions (5 were in one tree) as well as a cheetah and leopard... We love Tanzania and want to share this good news of a peaceful country and fabulous game parks.Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: kenya, safari, tanzania
Feb 20, 2008
With Kenya removed from the safari scene, Tanzania is your next best (but costlier) bet
Prior to the outbreak of widespread violence over a disputed election, Kenya was the leading destination for an African safari: its wildlife is so massive in numbers, and its lodgings and other costs so low, that it supplied excellent, short safaris (five nights in the actual games parks) for as little as $2,000, including round-trip airfare from the U.S. to Nairobi.
Hardly anyone is going there now, and many observers fear a lengthy conflict between various ethnic groups that will make tourism impossible. Neighboring Tanzania is regarded as a suitable substitute (the wildlife-rich Serengeti is almost wholly in Tanzania), and most safaris in Kenya would already dip into Tanzania at some point in the safari, as they did in my own trip there.
But there's a problem. And to discuss it, I invited Ken Hieber, president of 2Afrika.com (tel. 866/GO-2-AFRIKA; www.2afrika.com) onto my Sunday radio show, to be interviewed at the beginning of the program's second hour. A native South African transplanted to the U.S., he has for years operated both safaris and non-safari trips to every leading destination of Africa. If you go to the podcast of the second hour of our February 17 program (www.wor710.com, clicking on "weekend programming" and then on my name and face), you'll hear his explanation.
The problem is simply one of cost. Though the airfare to Tanzania's Kilimanjaro International Airport is no different than to Nairobi, the environmentally sensitive policies of the Tanzanian government have never permitted the massive expansion of tourism that Kenya encouraged. Fees for visiting the games parks are higher; lodgings are more costly; the cost of vans and drivers is higher. The result is that though Hieber was recently operating Kenyan safaris for approximately $2,500 per person (including trans-Atlantic airfare to Nairobi), he must charge approximately $3,000 per person for a safari to Tanzania (specifically, $2,995 for one itinerary, $3,195 for the "Tanzanite"). But -- and it's a big "but" -- his Tanzania safari places you in the games parks for at least four days more than the Kenyan equivalent.
If you'll go to the website and click on Tanzania, you'll see the available opportunities. The one assurance I can give (based on my own safari experience in both Kenya and Tanzania) is that a Tanzania safari will provide the same, breathtaking, almost mystical experience of the world as it was before human beings came onto it.
Write and read comments about this post.
Hardly anyone is going there now, and many observers fear a lengthy conflict between various ethnic groups that will make tourism impossible. Neighboring Tanzania is regarded as a suitable substitute (the wildlife-rich Serengeti is almost wholly in Tanzania), and most safaris in Kenya would already dip into Tanzania at some point in the safari, as they did in my own trip there.
But there's a problem. And to discuss it, I invited Ken Hieber, president of 2Afrika.com (tel. 866/GO-2-AFRIKA; www.2afrika.com) onto my Sunday radio show, to be interviewed at the beginning of the program's second hour. A native South African transplanted to the U.S., he has for years operated both safaris and non-safari trips to every leading destination of Africa. If you go to the podcast of the second hour of our February 17 program (www.wor710.com, clicking on "weekend programming" and then on my name and face), you'll hear his explanation.
The problem is simply one of cost. Though the airfare to Tanzania's Kilimanjaro International Airport is no different than to Nairobi, the environmentally sensitive policies of the Tanzanian government have never permitted the massive expansion of tourism that Kenya encouraged. Fees for visiting the games parks are higher; lodgings are more costly; the cost of vans and drivers is higher. The result is that though Hieber was recently operating Kenyan safaris for approximately $2,500 per person (including trans-Atlantic airfare to Nairobi), he must charge approximately $3,000 per person for a safari to Tanzania (specifically, $2,995 for one itinerary, $3,195 for the "Tanzanite"). But -- and it's a big "but" -- his Tanzania safari places you in the games parks for at least four days more than the Kenyan equivalent.
If you'll go to the website and click on Tanzania, you'll see the available opportunities. The one assurance I can give (based on my own safari experience in both Kenya and Tanzania) is that a Tanzania safari will provide the same, breathtaking, almost mystical experience of the world as it was before human beings came onto it.
Write and read comments about this post.
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
