Ngorongoro Crater safari

[Reney]

Hi all,

I want to take my (older but physically fit) mother on her (and mine) first Safari, a well-travelled friend who has been on 6-7 safaris recommended Ngorongoro Crater as a good intro to safaris. I have never been to that continent nor taken this type of trip so I feel very out of my depth. Therefore seeking help here. I want to hear (especially from people who have been):

– best time of year to go
– how long to go for
– which travel company to use
– where to stay
– best flights (I have a good Avios balance and have new 241) from LON
– travel tips – any medical stuff do I need to take Malaria drugs etc

Pls throw your tips at me, I am starting from scratch. Have about 13 days of annual leave left this year so could do it this year or next. Worth saying now, no camping for me, a flushing toilet is a must 🙂

Thanks all! p.s forum search is broken so if there is an existing thread send it my way pls!

[Man of Kent]

Hi @Reney

We visited Tanzania back in 2015 (for my 50th Birthday) and covered what is known as The Northern Circuit which includes The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire – we absolutely loved it and have some wonderful memories and amazing photographs. We went in November and found the temperature and humidity fairly comfortable – it’s the season of short heavy downpours though. We went with Real Africa tour operator who looked after us all through. We flew KLM from London to Kilimanjaro via Amsterdam and then back from Zanzibar to London via Nairobi with Kenyan Airways.

We went for about 2 weeks with 10 days Safari and 5 days relaxing in Zanzibar. We had a guide with us for the entire safari who was excellent and we saw everything we were hoping for – the days can be quite long as we often set off early and got back late as most of the game can be seen when it’s cooler in the mornings and evenings. The lodges supplied packed lunches and you need to be prepared to answer the call of nature in the wild!

We have also been on safari in Kenya and South Africa and hope to go again sometime. The lodges were very comfortable with private facilities including flushing toilets! – we had some that were tented but would class them as glamping rather than camping but there are plenty to chose from of varying levels of comfort.

We took malaria drugs and I got my fair share of bites (Tsetse flies were also bothersome and are strangely attracted to the colour blue).

Hope this helps and happy to answer any other specific questions.

[YC]

I would have a think about if there are any specific safari things you want to see (Wildebeest migration, gorilla trekking, etc). One of the issues with doing safaris is that you end up wanting more so plan wisely from trip 1 as they tend to be expensive!

Might be worth keeping your eye on the jw marriott masai mara lodge and what the points rate lands at (there was an error rate few weeks ago but even if it is 120k pn, there might be value in there if you have marriott/amex points). Some are going to say its not a true safari lodge because it has the big international brand tag/type of customer it might bring but it is still only a 20 tent lodge (others are typically 10-15).

[Colin MacKinnon]

I would say that Tanzania seemed incredibly expensive, the government know how to change with he National Park fees!

We flew Swiss to Dar Es Salaam and then Air Malawi to Jo’burg via Malawi – so I have been on both their aircraft!

We flew Precision Air to and from Dar to Arusha, a popular starting point for safaris. Caution: the runway at Arusha is short and high, so Precision could not take all the passengers and their luggage. They came up with all sorts of ideas: leave the luggage for a later flight, and take the passengers. Take the luggage and bus the passengers to Kilimanjaro airport, and finally – fly over Dar without stopping, and just take the Zanzibar passengers and their luggage!

We chatted to the pilots about flying and once the ground staff saw that we were “friends” with the pilots, they let us collect our bags and then just as the steps were about to be removed, waved us over the aircraft and up the back stairs! It turned out that the aircraft was flying back from Zanzibar to Dar to overnight, so we got back to our hotel!

If you go to Ngorongoro, I would suggest flying into Zanzibar with Qatar. Skip Dar – the only hotel is the Holiday Inn, which is OK, but is a 30-40 min drive into town, and there is nothing to see in town. And then a 40 min journey back. Then get your flights from Zanzibar to Arusha.

Loved Stonetown in Zanzibar. There is a great hotel rooftop bar at The 5th Upendo House, just by the Fordanhi Gardens. You must go there in the evening for the sheer joy and fun of everyone around the various street food stalls.

[masaccio]

Adding a few different answers.

You can order anti-malarials online from LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor using a simple self-assessment that saves a lot of prescription faff. I always use malarone for malaria as it’s as effective as any other and has the shortest period you need to take them.

Buy lots of high-strength DEET as there are plenty of nasty diseases that have no vaccination and anti-malarias are not 100%. Tesco sell decent stuff cheaply and you should reckon on a couple of cans of spray per person.

Check with your doctor about vaccinations or visit Fit For Travel. If your doctor is as rubbish as mine regarding adult vaccinations, you can go private with Lloyds Pharmacy or the MASTA clinics.

For travel companies, look at Safari Reviews. I’ve used Kusini and Yellow Zebra, and both were excellent. I also benchmarked Audley, but found they were more expensive and didn’t really listen to what I wanted. Kusini and Yellow Zebra were similar prices, but it’ll depend upon which gets the best deals as sometimes lodges offer them 3-for4 or 4-for-5 deals.

Which time of year you travel will massively affect which locations you choose. If you are tied to a time of year, don’t lock down one location as it might be disappointing. A decent agent will ask good questions and listen to how you want to travel. If you want to see the migration (January-February in Tanzania), consider a mobile camp.

And +1 for Qatar as the airline to pick.

[vetjames]

Fortes safaris are absolutely superb. Gibbs Farm is a great place to stay.

[peckishpassport]

Tanzanian born and bred here.

+1 for Qatar as everyone else has mentioned. Qatar flies to Zanzibar, so you can add a couple of days in ZNZ at the start or end of the trip.

I stayed at the Ngorongoro Serena which is right on the rim of the crater – incredible views from the room balcony overlooking the crater.

I have a couple of local Tour companies based in Arusha/Mwanza and also a driver/concierge in Zanzibar that me and my family regularly use that I’d be happy to recommend. Dolphin Tours and Safaris is one of them. Look them up or DM me on instagram if you need more details.

[Aston100]

peckishpassport wrote:

I have a couple of local Tour companies based in Arusha/Mwanza and also a driver/concierge in Zanzibar that me and my family regularly use that I’d be happy to recommend. Dolphin Tours and Safaris is one of them. Look them up or DM me on instagram if you need more details.

I think you’re fine to list the details here.