Lions & Leopards & Cheetahs, oh my! - Animals sightings

We saw the BIG 5!!! A Big Five safari in Africa aims to spot the "Big Five" game animals: lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and African buffalo. The term "Big Five" originated with big-game hunters in the 19th century who considered these animals the most difficult to hunt on foot. Here is our list of what we saw where - not comprehensive because we didn't get pictures of everything.

Here is our bird list - also not comprehensive:

And a few of our favorite animal photos:

Baboon troop (Arusha)

Waterbuck (Arusha)

Water Buffalo with a "toothpick" (Arusha)

Wee elephant & Momma (Tarangire)

Cheetah (Serengeti day 1)

Leopard (Serengeti)

Cheetah & 3 cubs (Serengeti day 2)

Giraffe (Serengeti)

Open WIDE hippo (Serengeti)

Sleepy lion (Serengeti)

Grey crowned crane (Ngorongoro)

Lilac-breasted roller (Tarangire)

Lesser Flamingo (Ngorongoro)

Fish Eagle (Lake Duluti)

Blue-capped cordonbleu

Lions & Leopards & Cheetahs, oh my! - Tips & Extras

Here are some things we learned on our trip that we want to share to make your trip the best it can be!

1. You pay to enter each National Park in Tanzania. This was included in the cost of our trip, but if we had decided to leave a park to come back to our lodging for a hot lunch and then go back out again, it would have cost another entry fee. Sometimes you need to listen to your guide about timing because the entry fee means that you have to leave the park by a certain time, otherwise you will have to pay more $$. 

Park entrance (Ngorongoro Conservation Area)

2. Toilets in Tanzania vary! Some are quite nice, some you might need to squat over a hole. Don't forget that if it is a nice (think regular American bathroom), you should probably have a $1 bill to tip the attendant - they don't take coins.

Also, while you are on safari out in the middle of the Serengeti plains (or almost anywhere else), there aren't toilets available. Before our trip, I wondered if there would be some type of portable toilet tent that would be brought out - NOPE! I had tissues, a ziploc bag (for used tissues) and disinfectant wipes, so that I could squat behind the vehicle and go... Take it easy on the coffee/tea/sodas or whatever else might mean more stops. There are picnic areas in the park with toilets, but it may be an hour drive or more away.

3. No plastic bags! There is a law banning the buying/selling/using plastic bags in Tanzania. Avoid bringing them, and if you do, you may have to give them up upon entry into the country. The exception is that travelers are allowed plastic bags for carrying travel toiletries, but you must take them back out of the country.

4. Sunscreen & bug spray: USE your sunscreen! We brought sunscreen but were jet lagged our first day and on our canoe trip, we both got sunburned wherever we forgot to apply the sunscreen. Bug spray is also important. We were recommended Off with Deet (at least 30%) or a spray with Icaridin (at least 20%) if you are in Europe.

5. Don't forget to have enough of your current medications while traveling and to pack them in carry on bags. You will likely have to take Malaria medicine which starts a day before you arrive and lasts seven days after you return (after 2 weeks, it was messing with our digestive systems). I am somewhat prone to motion sickness but wasn't affected on this trip. You might want to bring some medicine along if this is an issue you might have on bumpy roads.

6. Clothing while on safari: The general guidelines are to use colors of nature such as greens and browns. Natural colors help you blend in and not scare away animals. Dark colors such as blues and black can attract the tsetse fly and bug spray doesn't really help, so wearing long sleeves/pants can help prevent bites.

On another note, many of the roads (dirt trails in a safari vehicle) are BUMPY! I would strongly recommend a sports or support bra. 

7. DUST! Driving on dirt roads can be really dusty. Since your vehicle windows are probably open to help cool you off, you will likely get dusty. Our luggage, our faces, hair, camera, everything was covered with dust about half way through our trip (and it was the beginning of rainy season!) One piece of advice was to bring covers for your luggage. We didn't do so and had fabric backpacks, so the outsides were quite dirty by the end of our trip. We had a large Ziploc for our good camera, because you want to have it ready to take a picture, but you also don't want it to get full of dust... 

Arriving back at our lodging after a dusty day, we were always greeted with wet cloths to wipe our face and hands as well a refreshing glass of juice!

8. Electronics & Electricity: Tanzania is 230 volts, whereas the US is 120. You will need a plug adapter that is of the UK variety. Make sure your curling iron, blow dryer, electric razor, etc is able to handle this voltage or just don't take them. I did not take a blow dryer because I am used to having one at almost every hotel we stay, however I didn't find any available on our trip.

9. Haggling: We aren't really into shopping for souvenirs, so this wasn't a big thing for us, however it is a big part of Tanzanian culture. One of our two shopping experiences was at Marera Village Gallery. We stopped to eat our lunch and use the restroom. We browsed the shop where EVERYONE wanted to sell us something. Items are all priced for haggling. We were quoted $33 for two small items but didn't want to pay more than $20. When our sales person thought we were going to go with other items that cost less, she gave in and sold it for $20, but we probably could have gotten to 10 or 15. Think about what you really want to spend for it and then haggle your way down or walk away. Our last lodging had a much smaller number of local, handmade items for sale at a much more reasonable price.

10. Other ways to save money:

*Book your own flights - I booked the same flight suggested by our tour company and saved $300 or more.

*Watch for extra charges at lodging - One night we ordered wine and although we wanted a glass, they brought the whole bottle (don't be afraid to correct issues). One day I looked at the menu and decided on a cocktail/margarita that wasn't listed. They charged over $20 (and the ingredients were tequila, soda water and lime slices with a salt rim). Another time the wine we ordered by the glass was listed on our receipt as the more expensive glass - we corrected their mistake before paying. On another note, when we ordered drinks in the evening before dinner, they often brought us fritters or peanuts (at no cost).

*We also thought about the possibility of getting our driver to take us to a store at the beginning so we could pick up a bottle of wine or some beer (our vehicle had a cooler for water) that we could have enjoyed in our rooms (we wouldn't take it to the dining/bar area of course).

*When you book an activity through your tour provider, it can be more expensive. Sometimes if you decide last minute to do another activity during your trip, your driver can make arrangements (maybe) at a better cost. I would get some pricing from the tour provider in advance to help you decide if you are actually getting a good deal or not.

*When we were finalizing the cost of our trip with the booking company, they had to make reservations at all the places we would stay. We were told "that it was high season" (it wasn't) and the original hotel they wanted to put us at was full (we were booking 7 months in advance) and that it would cost about $40 extra per person. I asked that they find us a different place to stay that was less expensive and got the response that I would be given a 1% discount which would bring the cost back to its original quote. Note that they place they moved us to was one that they own!!!

Lions & Leopards & Cheetahs, oh my! - Accommodations & Food

We stayed in 4 different accommodations during our trip. Two were lodges that are owned by our booking company. Two were tent camps inside the parks. ALL of them were very luxurious (compared to what we are used to). We were greeted upon arrival by staff who gave us damp cloths to wipe our face and hands as well as a refreshing glass of juice. We also had our bags carried into our rooms and met with the "manager" for a tour of what the "resort" offered - pool, facilities, and dining.

There wasn't any air conditioning, but each of our rooms had fans and a nice breeze. Since Tanzania is south of the equator, their seasons are opposite to what most of us are used to. It is still close to the equator, so there isn't a huge range of temps. All of our beds also came with mosquito netting that was pulled around the bed each evening while we were at dinner. Bush babies (hot water bottles) were placed in our bed and kept our toes warm all night (66°) at our lodging in the Serengeti!

Both of our stays outside the park included pools. All of our rooms, including the tents included full bathrooms with showers. They provided bottles of filtered water in our rooms because we were advised NOT to drink or brush teeth with the tap water.

Each of our stays came with "Full Board" which means that every meal was included in the cost. Breakfast was usually a buffet with assorted breads and fresh fruit, cereal and yogurt as well as an egg station that would make eggs to order along with bacon and sausage (we didn't care for the bacon and found it a bit chewy and mostly unsalted). 

Lunch was typically a boxed lunch that our accommodation provided for us so that we wouldn't have to return in the middle of a game drive. It consisted of a juice box, fresh fruit (apple/banana), a main and side, and something for dessert. One of our best mains was spaghetti bolognese. one of the strangest included a bun with butter and a couple of thin carrot slices????!

One day we were able to come back to our accommodation and have a "Hot Lunch". This consisted of a choice of cannelloni with a savory fruit/veg salad. Usually you would have to leave a park and drive a ways to get back to your accommodations to have a hot lunch, so it often doesn't make sense.

Dinner was a 3 course meal that we pre-ordered each day. Often the first course was soup, a really nice main, and then dessert. If you want anything to drink with a meal, I believe coffee and tea are included (and often juice at breakfast), but anything else, including water costs extra. At the end of your stay, when you check out, you will be asked to pay for the extras. *see post on Tips and Extras

Dining and pool area (Wildlife Residence)

Bedroom (Wildlife Residence)

Bathroom with shower & tub (Wildlife Residence)

Menu choices (Wildlife Residence)

Lamb Curry (Wildlife Residence)

View of Zebras during dinner!! (Wildlife Residence)

Our tent at Ang'ata Tarangire

View from our tent Ang'ata Tarangire

Spacious bedroom Ang'ata Tarangire

One of the items (carrot sandwich?!) in our boxed lunch

Tent camp bedroom (Asanja Moru)

Onion bhaji - we were often served complimentary appetizer when we were relaxing with a drink before dinner (Asanja Moru)

Tent camp, Asanja Moru, main tent for relaxing and dining

Chocolate lava cake (Asanja Moru)

Time to dine! (Asanja Moru)

Balcony with outdoor shower (Manyara Best View Lodge)

Bedroom (Manyara Best View Lodge)

Infinity edge pool (Manyara Best View Lodge)

Lamb shank & mashed potatoes (Manyara Best View Lodge)

Our view at breakfast & dinner❤ (Manyara Best View Lodge)

Lions & Leopards & Cheetahs, oh my! - Planning & Preparation

Besides deciding on where you want to go, what you want to see and do, and for how long, there are a few other things to keep in mind.

1. You should have trip insurance. This is an expensive trip. Shop around for some travel insurance that will cover you in case you have to cancel, get sick, lose luggage, etc.

2. Going to Tanzania will require visas. Although we are living in Germany, as US citizens, we had to apply for  visas and pay the $100 a piece because we are from the US. I applied about a month ahead of our trip. It took me a while to work with their tricky website. Using my phone didn't work. I tried both Safari and Chrome browsers and parts would load on the website but there were a lot of glitches. I found that using Chrome on my laptop was much easier. Also accessing the website at certain times of the day seemed to help.

Be very careful about finding the exact correct website to apply for your visa, there are a lot of copycat sites out there. You will need your passport, a passport photo (I took photos from my phone with a white wall behind and they were accepted).

It took about 3 days for each application to be approved. I received approval and printed the document that was sent because it needs to be handed to an immigration officer at the arrival airport.

3. Make sure you have medical coverage that works internationally. We were fortunate that our current insurance already covered us. Our tour company also recommended that we pay $40 per person for coverage with Flying Doctors in case we needed an emergency evacuation from a remote location, but we didn't end up getting or needing it. If either of us had medical issues, we probably would have gotten this.

4. Check and see what medicines or vaccinations you might need at least a couple of months in advance of your trip. We went to a travel medicine clinic at our area hospital, and they were able to write prescriptions and evaluate what vaccinations we should have. In all, it took us a couple of weeks to get this done.

5. TIPPING - This is the one for which I wish I was more prepared. Tanzania accepts Tanzanian shillings, US dollars, and Euros - and maybe others?! We went with plenty of US dollars but not enough small bills. **It is important to note that coins are not AT ALL useful to locals.

Tipping recommendations are:

$10/ per person, per day for your guide

$8-10/ per person, per day for your hotel staff - there is often a tip box so that you can leave a whole tip that is divided up for staff, because you will not see all staff, such as those in the kitchen, but they still appreciate the tip.

$1 per bathroom visit at a rest area/shop. At the nicer restroom stops, there was always someone mopping the floor, turning on the water for you, giving you a pump of soap and paper towels... Having $4-5 per day in one dollar bills would be adequate.

Check all your money before you leave home because bills older than 10 years are not accepted/useful!

Lions & Leopards & Cheetahs, oh my! - Itinerary

We just returned from an 8 day Safari to Tanzania, Africa. It was a trip of a lifetime! We gained a lot of experience and discovered a few things that we would do differently.

Since we are living in Europe, we are trying to do some trips that we wouldn't likely do from the US. One such trip was an African safari, and we were inspired by several friends who had recently done a similar trip and posted some amazing pictures. We investigated two companies and the costs associated with each one. One company offered pre-planned stops for a bus full of people. The other let you pick and choose what you wanted to do and transport was private.

We ended up choosing a company (Tanzania Specialist) that our friends used and enjoyed. The two reasons we chose it were: trust and type of tours.  We knew from our friends' experience that the company was trustworthy and the tour they offered was private. We had our own safari vehicle and a dedicated driver/guide the whole time. We were glad not to be on a crowded tour bus but it would have been nice to have more people to visit with at our camp/lodging as we were relaxing in the evenings!

Our itinerary:

Things we liked/dislike about our intinerary:

First, we had asked to go on a late canoe trip on our arrival day so that we could check in to our accommodations and hopefully take a nap. We didn't end up having any nap time. We dropped off luggage, changed clothes, got box lunches and were on our way for a 12:30 pm canoe trip. Since Tanzania was 2 hours ahead of Germany at the time, it wasn't too bad. Our friends from the US took an extra night staying in Doha so they could adjust a little. Qatar airlines was WONDERFUL and one we would definitely choose again.

Typical boxed lunch

Comfy canoe on arrival day!

We chose to go at one of the less expensive times of the year (end of March, beginning of April). Rainy season runs from April - June and then again in November. The pros were that the crowds were light and there were a lot of baby animals. The cons were that there were fewer people to visit with and we didn't get to see the great migration. I think we were very fortunate that the rain mostly happened overnight. We only had light rain the day we hiked around Lake Duluti and then one other day for about 20 minutes in Tarangire NP during a game drive.

The drive from Tarangire National Park to our next location in Serengeti National Park was LONG (4-5 hours), and dusty - my hair felt like I hadn't washed it in a month. Also, our accommodation in Serengeti was a camp that was 1.5-2 hours away from most things we wanted to do. That meant a lot more time in the vehicle and our guide said there were many other accommodation options that could have been booked for us.

Our driver & Land Cruiser

Inside the park while on an animal drive, our guide would pop up the roof 

and we could sit or stand as we pleased. 

A final note about our itinerary. We spoke to our guide about things we wanted to do/see and he helped us plan what time we would have to be ready to leave the next day. Most mornings we departed between 7-8:30 am, except for the day we did our hot air balloon trip which was a 4 am departure.