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Backtrack to Arusha
I have been through 12 pages of threads but didn't see this addressed, so I truly apologize if I missed this discussion.
As a point of reference we loved our B,SA&Z trip in May. When looking at some of the competitors for a similar trip to K&T Classic Safari they arrive and leave from Nairobi and start to the south and basically go in a circle, eg. Amboseli, Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti Nat Park, Masai Mara, Mt.Kenya Safari Club, Nairobi. I know that the Tauck guests almost always love this trip. I have seen a couple of reviews that commented on the very long day from Serengeti back to Arusha and then to Amboseli. I am just curious whether some of you felt this return to Arusha was inefficient or know why the itinerary was made this way. Thank you for your input!
As a point of reference we loved our B,SA&Z trip in May. When looking at some of the competitors for a similar trip to K&T Classic Safari they arrive and leave from Nairobi and start to the south and basically go in a circle, eg. Amboseli, Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti Nat Park, Masai Mara, Mt.Kenya Safari Club, Nairobi. I know that the Tauck guests almost always love this trip. I have seen a couple of reviews that commented on the very long day from Serengeti back to Arusha and then to Amboseli. I am just curious whether some of you felt this return to Arusha was inefficient or know why the itinerary was made this way. Thank you for your input!
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Most people know my opinion of Nairobi airport???? I love the Arusha area, it is much more like a typical African town. Nairobi is just like driving through a British city at rush hour with numerous roundabouts to negotiate.
The scenery on any K or T road trip is spectacular, I can't even remember a long day.
Lake Manyara has few animals to view nowadays, I can't remember the reason, but it is a fact. But you do have to go that way because of the geography of the area. The K and T tour has changed since I took it.
When I took the Tanzania Zanzibar tour we drove through some fantastic and gorgeous scenery on our way from one place to another, winding loops road, baobab trees, waterholes full of zebra, it was like driving through paradise but I can't remember specifically where it was off hand. When we went to Amboseli it was during the drought, so we were driving through very dusty sand for a long time, but we loved it, others on that, our first Africa trip complained that Africa was too dusty, but they complained about everything.
Have you considered the Tanzania Zanzibar tour? It is very good value compared to the K and T tour and avoids Nairobi. The K and T tour is so unnecessarily expensive now they stay at Mt. Kenya Safari Club And the Four Seasons. There was nothing wrong with the original tour accommodations but now the tour is a day shorter yet more expensive.
When I have half heartedly looked at other tour company Africa trips for this area they have been more expensive or had dreadful cancellation policies, I have never had to cancel a tour, but you never know.
Besides lunch and shopping at the TCHC, one reason for returning to Arusha is that it might be easier (only place possible?) to do TZ/Kenya border formalities at the land border. We flew from Amboseli to Mt. Kenya, and the Amboseli airport had only a small runway with a small un-manned building, so I seriously doubt formalities could be done there. See my photo taken from Observation Hill of the Amboseli runway and small building.
On the other hand, there are TZ formalities if you go in the other (clockwise) direction to JRO, Kilimanjaro Int'l Airport, instead of the Arusha muni. However, unless other companies travel to the Mara via Nairobi, I don't know what they do between the Serengeti Nat'l Park and the Masai Mara- there was nothing at Ngerende, the little Mara airstrip, except a little gift shop/shack!
The "airport" building and runway in Amboseli is in the mist behind the hippos. One of our drivers had to chase a group of zebra off the far end of the runway.
Building at Mara airstrip.
Looking at the map, both Tarime, TZ and Migori, Kenya are well west of the Serengeti and Masaii Mara, but on a major highway (smoother gravel road? : ) ) that runs along Lake Victoria which looks like it might be a prime spot for border stations.
The Four Seasons and Fairmont Mt. Kenya were both very nice- significantly above the quality of the Arusha Serena, Ngorongoro Serena, Amboseli Serena, and Fairmont Mara, though Mt Kenya is classy in more of an old-timey sort of way. When we went in 2015, you could have a fire in the fireplace your room and the grounds were beautiful! The Four Seasons was, well, a Four Seasons and more modern. The big attractions of the Four Seasons were that you are just minutes away from game drive locations and there is a watering hole just beyond the infinity edged pool. However, wouldn't you know, not one single animal stopped by during the two days we were there!!! Now I expect a bunch of the regulars will jump in here to tell me about all the wonderful animals that visited the watering hole during their safari- go ahead, rub it in!! It was so bad, I didn't even take any photos of the empty watering hole. A friend took this photo of a biped pool creature : ) that was in the act of making trumpeting elephant sounds so realistic that many people came running out of their rooms, hoping to see what had been elusive for the last few days. They were extremely disappointed. : ) I, ooops I meant he, just smiled : )
We are headed to Botswana next May/June.
I would agree with AlanS that the drive from Ngorongoro Crater to the Oldupai Gorge and then onward to enter the Serengeti National Park was the "longest" for me. Much of my impression of that day which was comprised of mostly driving comes from the parched earth and lack of vegetation that we saw. There had been a drought. Animals were elsewhere looking for moisture. So we did not see much (except some camels in a grove of trees) along the way. The camels were likely staged for our benefit as the drivers could call ahead to put the camels in place along the road.