Saturday, November 20, 2004
I wrote this vacation proposal to my family, then decided I ought to put it in my Journal, too. Who knows – it could be the start of a Travel Program.
To Shari, with copies to Steve, Matt, Sue, Ellen and Allegra:
Shari, you asked what it would cost to bring your family to Tanzania for two weeks. I dropped into a Safari company in town today and began a discussion about this. What we sketched out is really exciting, and for much lower prices than I would have expected for all the goodies we put together.
First, the basis for the plan. I assumed a 2-week vacation for 14 people, in August 2005: 3 from Arlington, 6 from Indianapolis, 4 from Beijing, and one from Mwanza. If we add Ellen, Myrna, Glenn and Allegra – maybe Fitzgeralds too? – the per-person price comes down even more. This really looks like an incredible opportunity to me.
The itinerary:
Fly to Kilimanjaro and assemble in nearby Arusha. Arusha is a pleasant enough city, and has a good crafts market. The United Nations International Court for War Crimes in Rwanda is also located there. ONE NIGHT
In the 2 or 3 Land Rovers that we will be using for the rest of the trip – or equivalent, almost surely with pop-up roofs for safely viewing all the dangerous animals, we go to the Ngorongoro Crater, camping on the crater rim for TWO NIGHTS. The NC is unbelievable – gazelles, zebras, wildebeests, lions, hyenas, hippos, elephants, baboons, monkeys, flamingoes, rhinos, dik diks, jackels, giraffes, ostrich, and these are just the animals I remember off the top of my head. Also birds galore. All this inside a crater – a caldera, if you really want to get technical - that is only some 10 miles in diameter.
Actually, one day is enough in the NC, but it is also a good site for going to visit the Olduvai Gorge that is part of the Great Rift Valley that runs through much of eastern Africa, or a bunch of other interesting sites nearby on the second day. Or to chill out and recover from jet lag.
Next, on to a tented camp at Late Natron for ONE NIGHT, and a different type of terrain and animal species. This is deep in Massai country, and the Massai still maintain their culture with a vengeance. Always in groups of at least two, carrying spears or clubs that mean business, wearing red robes and apparently not much else, and sandals cut from auto tires. Very elongated earlobes, wearing lots of silver and beads in their hair, they are very proud, tall and lean. They don’t mind you taking pictures of them, but want to be paid a couple of schillingi for the privilege.
Then THREE NIGHTS on an extended safari through the Serengeti. By the end of this, the Massai, zebras and wildebeests will look pretty familiar. But there are comfortable lodges through this section and it takes us west to within an easy shot of Mwanza.
THREE NIGHTS in Mwanza seems like a good bit, but Mwanza is reknowned for its rock formations and there are spectacular views of Lake Victoria. But mainly, I really look forward to a culture exchange between the students here at Nsumba Secondary and our students from America and China. A pick-up international soccer game would be a cinch to arrange. I think our ex-teachers will be very interested in the Tanzanian schools – and very thankful that they did not have to teach under these conditions. This is also my opportunity to show you how people here really live. We will visit my friend Paul, and let him show you how he is expanding his flock of chickens so they will support his family. And you also need to see some of the mansions on Capri Point, so you know that there is extreme wealth in Tanzania as well as extreme poverty. Probably we will spend an afternoon at Tunza Lodge for some comfortable, laid-back food and drink in beautiful surroundings. For the time we are in Mwanza, we will simply rent a daladala, and have the thing completely at our disposal for an easy $50/day with driver.
From Mwanza, we take a direct flight across Tanzania to the old Spice Island of Zanzibar, for TWO NIGHTS of beach, snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, relaxation, and exploration of the capital, Stone Town. The Sultan of Zanzibar received a large annual payment from Britain until I think about 1950, in order to refrain from the slave trade that was the hallmark of Zanzibar.
From here we can arrange to sail from Zanzibar to Bagamoyo on the mainland by dhow with its large, picturesque lateen sail. I know less about Bagamoyo, but it is supposed to be good for tropical rain forest, and excellent beaches, and local color. ONE NIGHT.
Finally, on to Dar es Salaam. DES has an interesting Village Museum and a great market for typical carved ebony objects. Also a huge and famous local market, but expect to be pick pocketed there by professionals – don’t take or wear anything you don’t want to lose if you go. Otherwise, DES is simply a dusty, crowded African city. But it is the LAST NIGHT before flying back to the real world.
Other options:
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, but that takes 5 or 6 days and is quite expensive. Those who have done it say it is an incredible experience.
Climbing Mt. Meru which is another beautiful mountain, and this one can be done in 3 days for a LOT less money, as it is a little smaller and a lot less famous.
A side trip to Kampala, Uganda for white-water rafting in the headwaters of the Nile River. Myrna and I might do this around Christmas time this year.
Jane Goodall’s gorillas are within visiting distance, but again, that is REALLY pricy.
Or lots more that we just haven’t had time to think about yet.
Now, the cost for all this? Maria wanted to estimate high, so that the real price would almost certainly be lower than this first rule of thumb guess, not higher. It came out to $13,130 plus the cost of food while in Mwanza, Zanzibar, Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam. Food is cheap. Food and stuff while we are on the safari part of the trip is included in the safari cost. Split 14 ways, it all comes out to a high-end approximation of about $1250 per person, well under $100/day. And that includes the cost of flying from Mwanza to Zanzibar.
Additional costs to consider: The Tanzania visa is $50 per person, and there is an exit fee of $30 per person – possibly from both Zanzibar and Tanzania proper, but Maria wasn’t positive about that. You will also need to get the appropriate shots and anti-malaria medication before coming here. Maria said that her round-trip flight from Iowa was about $1,500, but that it is cheaper to arrange flights from the US rather than from here. There are probably enough of us to get some block fare discounts, but Jennifer or Steve can surely better advise about that kind of thing.
Matt, I think you would want to check out prices on United Emirates, flying through Dubai. People who have flown on UE say their service is exceptional.
So there it is, folks. What do you think?
Lee, your guide to East Africa
To Shari, with copies to Steve, Matt, Sue, Ellen and Allegra:
Shari, you asked what it would cost to bring your family to Tanzania for two weeks. I dropped into a Safari company in town today and began a discussion about this. What we sketched out is really exciting, and for much lower prices than I would have expected for all the goodies we put together.
First, the basis for the plan. I assumed a 2-week vacation for 14 people, in August 2005: 3 from Arlington, 6 from Indianapolis, 4 from Beijing, and one from Mwanza. If we add Ellen, Myrna, Glenn and Allegra – maybe Fitzgeralds too? – the per-person price comes down even more. This really looks like an incredible opportunity to me.
The itinerary:
Fly to Kilimanjaro and assemble in nearby Arusha. Arusha is a pleasant enough city, and has a good crafts market. The United Nations International Court for War Crimes in Rwanda is also located there. ONE NIGHT
In the 2 or 3 Land Rovers that we will be using for the rest of the trip – or equivalent, almost surely with pop-up roofs for safely viewing all the dangerous animals, we go to the Ngorongoro Crater, camping on the crater rim for TWO NIGHTS. The NC is unbelievable – gazelles, zebras, wildebeests, lions, hyenas, hippos, elephants, baboons, monkeys, flamingoes, rhinos, dik diks, jackels, giraffes, ostrich, and these are just the animals I remember off the top of my head. Also birds galore. All this inside a crater – a caldera, if you really want to get technical - that is only some 10 miles in diameter.
Actually, one day is enough in the NC, but it is also a good site for going to visit the Olduvai Gorge that is part of the Great Rift Valley that runs through much of eastern Africa, or a bunch of other interesting sites nearby on the second day. Or to chill out and recover from jet lag.
Next, on to a tented camp at Late Natron for ONE NIGHT, and a different type of terrain and animal species. This is deep in Massai country, and the Massai still maintain their culture with a vengeance. Always in groups of at least two, carrying spears or clubs that mean business, wearing red robes and apparently not much else, and sandals cut from auto tires. Very elongated earlobes, wearing lots of silver and beads in their hair, they are very proud, tall and lean. They don’t mind you taking pictures of them, but want to be paid a couple of schillingi for the privilege.
Then THREE NIGHTS on an extended safari through the Serengeti. By the end of this, the Massai, zebras and wildebeests will look pretty familiar. But there are comfortable lodges through this section and it takes us west to within an easy shot of Mwanza.
THREE NIGHTS in Mwanza seems like a good bit, but Mwanza is reknowned for its rock formations and there are spectacular views of Lake Victoria. But mainly, I really look forward to a culture exchange between the students here at Nsumba Secondary and our students from America and China. A pick-up international soccer game would be a cinch to arrange. I think our ex-teachers will be very interested in the Tanzanian schools – and very thankful that they did not have to teach under these conditions. This is also my opportunity to show you how people here really live. We will visit my friend Paul, and let him show you how he is expanding his flock of chickens so they will support his family. And you also need to see some of the mansions on Capri Point, so you know that there is extreme wealth in Tanzania as well as extreme poverty. Probably we will spend an afternoon at Tunza Lodge for some comfortable, laid-back food and drink in beautiful surroundings. For the time we are in Mwanza, we will simply rent a daladala, and have the thing completely at our disposal for an easy $50/day with driver.
From Mwanza, we take a direct flight across Tanzania to the old Spice Island of Zanzibar, for TWO NIGHTS of beach, snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, relaxation, and exploration of the capital, Stone Town. The Sultan of Zanzibar received a large annual payment from Britain until I think about 1950, in order to refrain from the slave trade that was the hallmark of Zanzibar.
From here we can arrange to sail from Zanzibar to Bagamoyo on the mainland by dhow with its large, picturesque lateen sail. I know less about Bagamoyo, but it is supposed to be good for tropical rain forest, and excellent beaches, and local color. ONE NIGHT.
Finally, on to Dar es Salaam. DES has an interesting Village Museum and a great market for typical carved ebony objects. Also a huge and famous local market, but expect to be pick pocketed there by professionals – don’t take or wear anything you don’t want to lose if you go. Otherwise, DES is simply a dusty, crowded African city. But it is the LAST NIGHT before flying back to the real world.
Other options:
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, but that takes 5 or 6 days and is quite expensive. Those who have done it say it is an incredible experience.
Climbing Mt. Meru which is another beautiful mountain, and this one can be done in 3 days for a LOT less money, as it is a little smaller and a lot less famous.
A side trip to Kampala, Uganda for white-water rafting in the headwaters of the Nile River. Myrna and I might do this around Christmas time this year.
Jane Goodall’s gorillas are within visiting distance, but again, that is REALLY pricy.
Or lots more that we just haven’t had time to think about yet.
Now, the cost for all this? Maria wanted to estimate high, so that the real price would almost certainly be lower than this first rule of thumb guess, not higher. It came out to $13,130 plus the cost of food while in Mwanza, Zanzibar, Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam. Food is cheap. Food and stuff while we are on the safari part of the trip is included in the safari cost. Split 14 ways, it all comes out to a high-end approximation of about $1250 per person, well under $100/day. And that includes the cost of flying from Mwanza to Zanzibar.
Additional costs to consider: The Tanzania visa is $50 per person, and there is an exit fee of $30 per person – possibly from both Zanzibar and Tanzania proper, but Maria wasn’t positive about that. You will also need to get the appropriate shots and anti-malaria medication before coming here. Maria said that her round-trip flight from Iowa was about $1,500, but that it is cheaper to arrange flights from the US rather than from here. There are probably enough of us to get some block fare discounts, but Jennifer or Steve can surely better advise about that kind of thing.
Matt, I think you would want to check out prices on United Emirates, flying through Dubai. People who have flown on UE say their service is exceptional.
So there it is, folks. What do you think?
Lee, your guide to East Africa
