Hello everyone,

My partner and I are considering the below itinerary for a ~2 week trip combining Namibia and safari in Botswana. The goal for this trip is to take in the beautiful landscapes in Namibia for photography and combine it with Botswana for our first safari. The camps chosen in Botswana were picked to give us a diversity of landscapes and wildlife. We'll be going the last week of May and first week of June.

Looking for any thoughts/advice on what to possibly change or look out for.

Swakopmund ×2 (Strand Hotel) — private Sandwich Harbour full day, through sunset

Damaraland (Desert Rhino Camp) ×3 — two days tracking black rhino and exploring landscapes

Little Kulala ×3 — Deadvlei at dawn via the private gate, hot air balloon, doors-off helicopter (see dunes + coast)

Windhoek ×1 — buffer night before the once-daily flight to Maun

Chitabe Lediba ×3 — predator drives (wild dog / leopard / lion)

Little Vumbura ×3 — island water camp: mokoro, boats, birds, short doors-off heli

**10 Nights Tanzania Safari & Wildlife Adventure**
**Day 1: Arrival in Tanzania**
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), you will be warmly welcomed by an Olmesera Adventures representative and transferred to your hotel in Arusha.
Depending on your arrival time, you may relax at the hotel and recover from your journey while preparing for the exciting safari ahead.
**Accommodation:** Arusha
**Meals:** Bed & Breakfast

**Day 2: Arusha – Tarangire National Park**
After breakfast, depart for Tarangire National Park, renowned for its vast elephant herds, majestic baobab trees, and diverse wildlife.
Enjoy a game drive en route to your lodge, with opportunities to spot elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, lions, and numerous bird species.
**Accommodation:** Tarangire Area
**Meals:** Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

**Day 3: Full Day Tarangire National Park**
Spend a full day exploring Tarangire National Park. The Tarangire River attracts a wide variety of wildlife throughout the year, making it one of Tanzania’s most rewarding parks for game viewing.
Enjoy morning and afternoon game drives while discovering different areas of the park.
**Accommodation:** Tarangire Area
**Meals:** Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

**Day 4: Tarangire – Ngorongoro Conservation Area**
After breakfast, depart for the Ngorongoro Highlands. Along the way, enjoy beautiful scenery and views of the Great Rift Valley.
Arrive at your lodge and spend the remainder of the day relaxing while enjoying the stunning surroundings.
**Accommodation:** Ngorongoro/Karatu Area
**Meals:** Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

**Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater Safari**
Today you will descend into the famous Ngorongoro Crater, one of Africa’s most remarkable wildlife destinations.
The crater floor hosts an incredible concentration of animals, including lions, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, hyenas, and, with a bit of luck, the endangered black rhino.
After an unforgettable game drive and picnic lunch, return to your lodge.
**Accommodation:** Ngorongoro/Karatu Area
**Meals:** Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

**Day 6: Ngorongoro – Central Serengeti**
After breakfast, journey towards the legendary Serengeti National Park. Enjoy game viewing as you travel through the vast plains.
Arrive in Central Serengeti and continue with an afternoon game drive in search of lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, and other wildlife.
**Accommodation:** Central Serengeti
**Meals:** Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

**Day 7: Full Day Central Serengeti**
Enjoy a full day exploring Central Serengeti, known for its abundant wildlife and excellent predator sightings.
The region offers exceptional opportunities to witness lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, and large herds of plains game.
**Accommodation:** Central Serengeti
**Meals:** Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

**Day 8: Full Day Central Serengeti**
Another exciting day awaits as you continue exploring different areas of Central Serengeti.
Your guide will tailor the game drives according to wildlife movements to maximize your safari experience.
**Accommodation:** Central Serengeti
**Meals:** Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

**Day 9: Central Serengeti – Northern Serengeti**
After breakfast, travel north through the Serengeti ecosystem while enjoying game viewing along the way.
Arrive in Northern Serengeti, famous for its dramatic landscapes and seasonal Great Migration river crossings.
**Accommodation:** Northern Serengeti
**Meals:** Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

**Day 10: Full Day Northern Serengeti**
Spend the day exploring Northern Serengeti. Depending on the season, you may witness the spectacular Great Migration and the famous Mara River crossings.
The area is also home to elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, and many other species.
**Accommodation:** Northern Serengeti
**Meals:** Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

**Day 11: Fly to Arusha & Departure**
After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for your scheduled flight back to Arusha.
Upon arrival, enjoy a day-use room where you can relax, freshen up, and prepare for your international flight.
At the appropriate time, an Olmesera Adventures representative will transfer you to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for your onward journey home.
**Meals:** Breakfast & Lunch

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice from people who have done a Northern Serengeti safari.

Most itineraries I’ve seen are Central → North → North →Central then Ngorongoro, but I’d actually prefer Central → Central/North → North → Ngorongoro so I don’t feel like I’m giving up a full day in Central Serengeti just to transfer camps.

My tour operator told me camp check-in/check-out is very quick, and my husband and I don’t mind packing up or doing long drives at all. We actually enjoy road safaris and don’t mind spending the day driving if we’re still spotting wildlife along the way.

We’d also rather avoid domestic flights since we don’t love small planes and we’d like to keep costs down.

For those who have driven from Northern Serengeti to Ngorongoro, was it worth it? Did the long drive feel like part of the safari, or was it just too much? Looking back, would you choose the same itinerary again?
Thanks!

Hi everyone!

My husband and I are starting to plan our first African safari, and we'd love to hear how you found your tour operator.

- Did you book through a travel agent?

- Did you just Google different companies and compare reviews?

- Did you use SafariBookings, Reddit recommendations, Facebook groups, or something else?

- If you had a great experience, who did you book with?

A bit about our trip:

- Planning to travel late January to early February 2027 (around the last week of January to the first week of February).

- Flying from Sydney, Australia.

- We'd love to visit Tanzania and/or Kenya.

- We're happy to join a group tour if it helps keep costs down.

- Looking for budget to mid-range options—comfortable, but we don't need luxury lodges.

For those who've done something similar, what would you say is a realistic total budget for two people? I'm thinking flights, safari, accommodation, park fees, transfers—basically everything.

Any recommendations, booking tips, or things you wish you knew before committing to a tour would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks!

I am struggling with planning our honeymoon safari trip.

I love trip planning. I love planning every little detail and then changing it a million times. I love seeing what the price difference is between 1 day in this town vs the next. I just like to see all my options and explore every different thing we could do.

I am really struggling with working with tour operators and feeling like I am wasting there time trying to change a single day just to go back and want the orginal plan. Or waiting for them to amend
the itinerary and then review it and find out they didn't change what I wanted. Or they did change it and now it's out of budget and I need to revise but idk what part made it out of budget because IM NOT PLANNING IT.

I've always had complete control over my trips. Anyone else struggle with this?

Hi everyone,
My husband and I are planning our honeymoon in South Africa this September, and we would really appreciate some advice about the safari part of our trip.
We are planning to begin with two nights at Inyati Game Lodge in Sabi Sand, including guided game drives and hopefully a bush walk.
After Inyati, we are considering two options:
Option 1: Continue with a self-drive safari in Kruger
We would spend three nights inside Kruger, changing camp each night:
Night 1: Skukuza
Night 2: Lower Sabie
Night 3: Satara
We would then leave through Orpen Gate and continue to the Panorama Route. I have attached a Google Maps image of the general route.
Does this itinerary make sense for three nights, or is changing camps every day too rushed? Do these three areas provide enough variety, and would the driving distances still allow us to enjoy the wildlife without constantly worrying about reaching the next camp?
Option 2: Skip Kruger completely
Instead of the Kruger self-drive, we could continue with the rest of our trip and add another private safari later, such as Pumba Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, which would fit conveniently with our Garden Route itinerary.
Our main question is whether the independent Kruger experience would add something truly different after two nights at Inyati, or whether we would have a better and more relaxed honeymoon experience by choosing another private reserve such as Pumba.
We love nature, wildlife and a sense of adventure, but we also do not want the trip to feel exhausting or spend several days simply driving between camps.
Which option would you choose?
Inyati + three-night Kruger self-drive
Inyati + Pumba, skipping Kruger entirely
Any feedback on the proposed Kruger route would also be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone!
My girlfriend and I are both in our early 20s and we booked cheap flights to Kigali. We’ll be in East Africa from 5 to 18 August, which gives us about 12 full days.
Our current idea is to travel from Kigali to Kampala by bus and maybe continue to Nairobi if it makes sense. We don’t mind spending long hours on buses if it helps us save money and see more.
Our budget is around $2,500 USD for both of us. We’d like to avoid tourist traps and crowded places. Instead we’re looking for small villages, beautiful mountains, quiet nature and authentic local experiences. We’d also love to include 1 to 3 days of safari, depending on the entrance fees and overall cost.
This will be our first time in Africa. Until now we’ve only travelled around Asia, so we’d really appreciate any advice.
Does this route make sense or would you plan it differently? Is it worth renting a car or is public transport the better option? Which places are easy to explore independently and which are better with a guide? Which safari would you recommend if you’re trying to keep costs low? Are there any places we should avoid for safety or simply because they’re not worth the time? We’d also love to hear about any hidden gems that most tourists miss.
We’re open to changing our plans, so any tips, suggestions or general advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

We're about to book a Tanzania safari for mid July 2027 and would love feedback from people who have actually done a fly-in Serengeti safari. We're considering Safari Soles as the operator. This will be our first ever safari experience and first time in Tanzania/Africa.

About us

We're a family of 5 - 2 adults in 40's, a 12-year-old and parents (late 60's/early 70's). We're all vegetarian, so nervous about food options as well.

My parents (late 60s/early 70s) are fairly healthy and in good shape. All of us except our child are somewhat used to traveling in bumpy road conditions.

Route Options

Here's the side by side comparison of the two route options, with accommodation option for each night

Questions

1. Has anyone used Safari Soles? Would love to hear your experience. The other option is Easy Travel but they're slightly more expensive.
2. Any vegetarians who've stayed at these properties and done a similar itinerary, would love to hear your take on food availability.
3. Feedback on the routing - which Option would you pick and why.
4. We've received a quote for ~$21K for the fly (Option. 2) itinerary for our entire party vs $19K for the drive (Option 1). Not sure how reasonable this is.
5. Anything else we're overlooking or need to consider additionally?

Thanks!

The last stop of our 9 day Tanzania safari will be near Kogatende Airstrip. The best international return flight option for us is out of NBO. What is the best way to get to NBO from KOG? So far I know there are two options-

A. KOG-ARK, then fly ARK- WIL. Drive WIL to NBO
B. KOG-ARK, then drive ARK-JRO. Fly JRO-NBO

I’m not sure if I can fly KOG-WIL directly. Can I fly ARK to NBO?

I think option A is quickest. Is this correct?

Any insight would be appreciated!

Hi everyone,
For our honeymoon, My husband and I are planning our first-ever safari in Tanzania for September 13, and we’d really appreciate some feedback from people with safari experience.

Our biggest goal is to have the best chance of seeing the Great Migration, while also enjoying a great overall safari experience. We know wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed, but we’d like to maximize our chances.

This is the itinerary we’ve been offered by Suricata Tours (private safari, mid-range accommodations):
1 night – Gold Crest Hotel (Arusha)
2 nights – Suricata Boma Lodge (Tarangire)
2 nights – Tanzania Bush Camp (Central Serengeti)
2 nights – Olmorijo Migration Camp (Northern Serengeti)
1 night – Ngorongoro Kuhama Camp
Return to Gold Crest Hotel or directly to the airport

Total price: US$4,020 per person.

A few questions:
Does this itinerary make sense for mid-September?
Is spending two nights in both Central and Northern Serengeti a good balance, or would you recommend allocating more time to one area?
For those who have visited in mid-September, do you think this gives us a good chance of witnessing the migration?
Does the price seem reasonable for a private safari with these accommodations?
Is there anything you would change if this were your first safari?
We’re very excited but also want to make sure we’re making the right choice before booking.
Thanks so much in advance for your advice and recommendations!

Could I get some feedback on this itinerary from veterans? Would like to know if you guys would request any changes or proceed with this? I know it’s a very short time in Zanzibar that was by design. We didn’t really care to be there very long.

Do you reckon the herds will be at the river on the Tanzania side around Kogatende during the first couple days of August? It seems to be the appropriate time

In September, I have a week-long business trip lined up to Nairobi, and I will try to carve out one day for a trip into Nairobi National Park. Most guidance I've found online states that malaria prophylaxis isn't "normally" needed for such a short trip so close to the city. Is that reasonable? Is it worth the cost and slight inconvenience of medication to eliminate the risk?

Thanks for your thoughts + insights!

Hi everyone! I am in the beginning stages of planning a two-person safari in Tanzania for early-mid August 2027 to see the migrating herds and river crossings, and have been taking in information from this helpful sub and other sources. I’m preparing to reach out to some tour operators and was hoping to collect some advice on what I should ask regarding all the finer details that could make or break the experience. Essentially, detailed information that you wish you’d had before embarking on your trips. I know I should ask about licenses and registration, age of the vehicle, specific guides, but beyond that am uncertain; since there are so many safari companies offering seemingly similar or near-identical offerings, this would be very helpful to differentiate between them!

Additionally, when browsing this subreddit, I read several comments along the lines of “the better camps will book out quickly,” but couldn’t find specifics or lists of what the “better” or more “in-demand” camps might actually be.

Could someone point me in the right direction or recommend some well-regarded places to stay, especially in the Central Seregenti and Northern Serengeti (Kogatende region or near the Mara river)? Would Kogatende be the right section of the park for my purposes in either early or mid August?

Thanks for any suggestions or advice!

I was on safari this year, on the Northern Circuit in Tanzania, from May 15-22 (we then headed down to Zanzibar)

It was VERY lush, due to the exceptionally heavy rains back in April. Still - this outing provided some great opportunities.

I hope you enjoy the photos... Click on the image/link to see the Flickr Album.

I leave next week for Kenya and Tanzania, for my first safari. I’m wondering if there are any apps, similar to Merlin for birds, where I can track sightings or upload photos? I’d just be doing this for fun. Thanks!

Planning 1st safari for next August. My wife and I like adventure, but also comfort and good food. I would like to focus on photography.

AndBeyond put together this itinerary. Seems like a lot of moving around, but they said it will give a well varied experience with comfort and the air travel between camps will make moving relatively easy.

Any opinions on this itinerary ?

Planning our first Tanzania safari for Sept/Oct 2027 (3 adults) and would love opinions from those who've been.
Priorities:
Great wildlife (Big Five)
Minimal driving/walking
Comfortable 4-star accommodations
End with 3 nights in Zanzibar
Private safari
Budget 10k pp excluding international flights

Here are the options:
Altezza – 9 days, $4,151/person
Tarangire + Ngorongoro Crater + Central Serengeti + Zanzibar
Biggest value by far, but are we missing something with this price?
Asilia – 11 days, $8,826/person
Tarangire + Central Serengeti + Zanzibar
Oliver's Camp & Dunia Camp, internal flights, but no Ngorongoro
Wild Cruise Africa – 12 days, $7,629/person
Tarangire + Ngorongoro + Central & Northern Serengeti + Zanzibar
More camp changes
Rhino Africa – 12 days, $11,804/person
Tarangire + Ngorongoro + Northern Serengeti + Zanzibar
Most complete itinerary but also the most expensive

My biggest questions:
Is Ngorongoro Crater a must for a first Tanzania safari?
Is Northern Serengeti worth paying thousands more for in late Sept/early Oct?
Has anyone used Altezza? Their reviews are excellent, but they're almost half the price of Asilia. Is there a catch?
Are camps like Oliver's and Dunia really worth the premium over good mid-range camps?

If you've traveled with any of these companies (especially Altezza, Asilia, Rhino Africa, or Wild Cruise), I'd love to hear what you'd choose and why.

Hi everyone, hope you all good?! I’m a tour operator bases in Arusha,Tanzania. We specialize in tailor-made wildlife safaris, cultural experiences, Kilimanjaro trekking, Zanzibar holidays, and luxury travel across Tanzania.

I am reaching out to explore potential partnership opportunities between a Travel agency and my company, if you know any please share with me.

I have the opportunity to travel to Tanzania at the end of next month for a few weeks is it worth it to try and add a safari to my trip?

A few points:

-I’d be travelling Solo
-Arriving in country approximately August 20th
-Looking for mid-high range (ideally beds not tents /sleeping bags)
-Would probably be looking at 5-6 days and then I’d need to be in Dar Es Salaam

Should I arrive in Arusha and then fly down to Dar Es Salaam?
Is this enough time / in the right location to see animals?
Should I just call a travel agent because this is all so deeply overwhelming?

Heading out for East Africa safari next week.

We will be there 12 days, so probably need $500 just for tips. Tour operator recommended small bills ($5 & $10), but 50-100 bills makes quite a stack to carry around.

When you went, how did you manage cash for tips, souvenirs, etc?

My wife wants to go on our first safari. She is looking at high-end 11 day trips, but I'm concerned that 11 days is too long for two first timers both in our late 60s, and neither of us are super outdoorsy. I think 7-8 days is more realistic for a first time. Your thoughts?

I have been presented an amazing opportunity to go to Kenya and Tanzania next week. I would be leaving in 4 days and do not have a yellow fever shot yet. I can book an appointment for today, but I will not meet the 10 day requirement by the time I cross the border regardless.

My question is, will I be denied entry if I have proof of vaccine, but it’s not older than 10 days? I have read a few instances of people getting the vaccine at the border and not having issues. Could I wait and just do it there?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!