BootsnAll Travel Community

Thanks to some great input from people here, I have narrowed my trip selection down to South Africa or Tanzania.

The facts:
3 Weeks - End of October
Budget travel
Female, Solo
Looking forward to white sand, clear water, and big animals and wide open spaces.

So, that said:

1) Which country is easier to travel around and cover some ground?
2) Which is more affordable? (i.e., how much per day ave, if you know)
3) Which is more conducive to seeing and meeting people as a solo traveler?
4) Which feels more dangerous?
5) **** If you have been to both, which did you prefer and why? (I know this is subjective but I'm still interested)

Thank you!!!

Kelli

Tanzania has Zanzibar. The island of spice. How on earth could you go wrong with that?

quote:

Originally posted by travelingkj:
Thanks to some great input from people here, I have narrowed my trip selection down to South Africa or Tanzania.

So, that said:

1) Which country is easier to travel around and cover some ground?
2) Which is more affordable? (i.e., how much per day ave, if you know)
3) Which is more conducive to seeing and meeting people as a solo traveler?
4) Which feels more dangerous?
5) **** If you have been to both, which did you prefer and why? (I know this is subjective but I'm still interested)

Thank you!!!

Kelli

Well, Tanzania has Zanzibar (actually my favorite island in the world) but South Africa has Cape Town...

Ease of traveling around, I think SA has better infrastructure. And bus/rail network is also good...

Affordable? Mmm...neither of them are as cheap as I hope, maybe Tanzania has some edge on that (but airfare to Dar es Salaam might not be as cheap)

Danger? No contest about it...since South Africa really has bad reputation on the crime (I'm sorry my South African friends but...). Even Arusha is full of people who hustle you, Tanzania generally feels safe.

SA has Kruger and Tanzania has Serengeti, both are world class wildlife park. Ngorongoro Crater is just next to Serengeti and very, very scenic...

By the way, Kilimanjaro is is Tanzania.

So overall I would choose Tanzania over SA...

1) Its easier (and quicker) to get around in South Africa, bu if you are just going between Dar, Zanzibar, Arusha, and Moshi, travel shouldn't be a problem in Tanzani either. Just don't take the slow ferry over to Zanzibar unless you have twice the amount of time they tell you it will take...

2) Living expenses in Tanzania are cheaper -- assuming you are eating local and staying in guesthouses, hostels, or backpackers. Zanzibar is more expensive than the main land. From what I remember, safaris in Tanzania are probably comparable in cost to South Africa.

3) I found it much easier to meet other travelers in South Africa. They would have been hard to avoid. But then, in the main tourist areas that I was in in Tanzania (Dar, Moshi, Zanzibar) it wasn't hard to meet people.

4) South Africa seems more dangerous.

5) Tanzania! I feel at home there. But then, I could happily live in Cape Town. Both SA and Tanzania are great.

Have Fun!
Jillian

Haven't been to South Africa but spent 5 weeks in Tanzania this summer. Climbed Kili, did the safari thing (Serengeti, Ngorongo Crater, Tarangire) and then spent a week relaxing on Zanzibar's beautiful beaches. Doesn't get much better than this. We never felt threatened and absolutely fell in love with the country.

Frankly, the crime stats in South Africa scare the crap out of me. Easy choice in my opinion.

After much consideration, I'm going with Tanzania. Your responses were really helpful. I actually had decided to go to Guatemala because of an uber cheap ticket I had found, but I am going to transfer that ticket to another time and go to Tanzania for 3 weeks. Short notice but thats what I'm feeling right now. Thanks again!
Kelli