| Lodge Safaris in Tanzania - I will try to
avoid the travel clichés of
'unique', 'off the beaten track' and 'renowned for...' These tired
expressions are used over and over again for almost every destination
in Africa! The lodge safari in Tanzania is by far the best way to see
this lovely country. Tanzania has so much to offer, including many
parks that have few visitors and high concentrations of game animals.
Some National Parks boast just one lodge in a million hectares. Your
Lodge safari in Tanzania can truly offer a taste of what the early
explorers experienced.
When
choosing your lodge safari, do so with care. Many visitors want to see
the great migration and the Serengeti. Some lodges are in fact hotels
and although very nice; they do not contribute to that 'out of Africa'
experience. What is called for is a camp experience and the private
camp is ideal for a special experience. When you look to plan your trip
try not to go for the 'lodge safari' but the private camp safari. Your
choice of lodge or camp is a very important part of the whole safari
picture.
These camps
are usually made up of a small number of tents. Not the two man tent
with no standing room and sleeping on the hard and sometimes damp
ground, nor is there the cooking over a stove and eating grass and sand
with your tinned food. No, these private camps have tents that have
large comfortable beds, a bathroom en suite and some even boast a
butler service. The cuisine is of the highest quality and you dine from
bone china and drink champagne [or beer] from crystal glasses.
If you want
to listen at night to the song of the African bush with the occasional
distant [or sometimes close] roar of a lion; if you want to open your
tent in a morning to be greeted by Impala and Zebra grazing so close to
your tent that you could almost touch them, then choose one of the
tented camps. If you want to be in a remote part of the park but close
to the animals; if you want to stand in the open plains of the
Serengeti and not be joined by a caravan of twenty other safari
vehicles, then the private camp is your option above the mere
mass-market tourist lodge.
There are
several such camps scattered throughout the Serengeti. Your choice of
camp will depend on what time of year you visit Tanzania. A good camp
is Kusini Camp in the Southern Serengeti. It is small, luxurious, and
in the ideal spot from the end of December until March, as the great
migration is in this area at this time. However, the rest of the year
this camp is a little isolated and animals may be harder to see.
A problem
with planning a safari round the migration is that the migration
follows the rains and the rains are notoriously unpredictable. Your
camp may end up being in the wrong area of the Serengeti. At times of
little rain the migration can remain in the Northern Serengeti at a
time of year when normally the animals have crossed into Kenya. Many
safari expeditions in a season of little rain may find themselves in
the wrong country!
This is a
headache for safari operators, as a disappointed client is not good for
business. However, this can be solved with a 'mobile camp' and this is
not only the best option but also by far, the most expensive option.
To get
around the high costs of the mobile camp there is a new breed of camp
emerging, a semi-permanent camp. This is a tented camp that moves
perhaps three or four times per year. It will follow the migration,
ensuring that whilst the migration is in the Serengeti, the camp will
also be in the mist of the animals. One such camp I have heard good
reports about is EMC [Exclusive Mobile Camp - Serengeti]. It is
friendly, knowledgeable, embraces fair trade tourism and best of all,
the camp is very good value for money. They have a web site and an
office in Arusha which will give out details of the migration and the
position of their camp. This is great, both for tour operators and for
people wanting to plan a safari.
This is
where the internet can help in a positive way, to help you plan a
safari that will truly be a holiday of a life time. There is no need to
hope your travel agent will do a good job in planning your vacation.
Take some of the responsibility your self and plan your safari; check
out your destination and accommodation. If your travel agent or tour
operator is not cooperative or flexible, ask around and go to someone
who is willing to earn their commission.
About the
Author
Bethel
Adventure cares about responsible tourism; we use tourism to improve
lives. http://www.betheladventure.co.uk
- We believe responsible tourism should give back to the communities
that tourism relies upon. see http://www.thejumapage.co.uk
for information on Tanzania
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