BootsnAll Travel Community

Hey people

First post, so here goes:

Some friends and I are planning to climb Kili via Machame route this sept and do a 4/5 day safari afterwards. We're ready to book a package deal with one of the many tour operators. However, we wanna know whether it's possible and cheaper to book the safari whilst in Africa, rather than book from here in London.

Does anyone know of any safari tour operators in the area and has anyone here done this before. If so, can anyone reccommend a reputable tour operator based around kili. Thanks.

Yes, you can book in Tanzania and it's cheaper.

But

# If something goes wrong you’ll only have local laws and customs to rely on for recourse. Getting a refund could be nearly impossible, and liability laws in Tanzania are not what they are in most other places.

# You will spend 3 to 4 days talking with various operators and then working out how to pay them, as most do not take credit cards. This is very time consuming and takes a lot longer than expected, especially if you are talking to companies in Moshi, Arusha or even Marangu.

If you are short on time, I would say book in advance. If you have plenty of time, then go there and figure it out on your own.

I agree with the above statement.

Just came back from a successfull kili trip and did a 4 day safari (Tarangire>Lake mayanamr>Ngorongoro).

We used JT tours. Our guide was fantastic, but the management blew. they screwed up our hotel reservation on the last day and instead of staying in the crater we ended up at some run down hotel. It was nice, but not what we paid for. We did not get a refund either.

I would book in advance if at all possible. Many Kili operators also run safaris. they might be able to cut a deal.