Camping in the Serengeti

Bruz82

Howdy All,
31 year old seasonal male traveler, next trip im looking at Kenya/Tanzania for 7/8 days and have my eye on maybe doing it with intrepid.
Just looking for any tips from anyone that might have done this on the following

- How safe are the campsites ( and actual tents ) from animals in the serengeti ?
- Any one know if intrepid use a private or a public campsite for there trips?
- Any one with any good /bad experiences with this company or in this park in general ?
- It with be my 1st ever travel with a group so and advantages/disadvantages I should be aware off.

Any other relevant info iswel.

Thanks in advance.

Innervision

I did a similar trip last year with G Aventures; we met some Intrepid groups along the way at various points so I think they all use similar campsites.
They're generally public, and from what I remember our one in the Serengeti had a couple of other groups there.

They're safe from the animals on the whole, you'll be able to hear plenty of animal noises as you head to sleep which was incredible to be honest! We had one instance in the Serengeti campsite where both myself and my boyfriend woke up about 3am and needed to head to the bathroom but upon sticking our heads out of the tent there was a fairly massive buffalo about 3 metres from the tent...needless to say we held it in for a while!! We were assured that this isn't too common though and the animals will rarely come too close.

We loved travelling in the group to be honest. This is really dependent on the individuals you end up with but we made so many great friends from all around the world. The majority of people on these trips are solo travellers so it's such a great way to meet people. Naturally there might be people you don't get on with or who don't seem to quite pull their weight as regards clean ups, cooking etc but there's normally enough great people to make up for it!

Make sure you have a look at info in your trip instructions about packing lists etc, there's plenty of things you mightn't think of that will make your life easier on the trip. I did Kenya down to Cape Town for my trip and the Serengeti was probably the highlight, you'll have an amazing time!

Bruz82

Fair play to you ....thats a great reply.

Thanks

Bruz82

Innervision,
Just in relation to the visas ( Kenya and Tanzania only)....did you get at the border/airport or did you get in advance.....Ive booked this trip with intrepid for May 3rd.......Im hoping i can get both when Im over there or am I better off getting in advance.....How did you go about it ?

Thanks

bungaro79

tanzania visa you can get at the border, it costs €100

CountryJoe

Bruz82 wrote: »

Innervision,
Just in relation to the visas ( Kenya and Tanzania only)....did you get at the border/airport or did you get in advance.....Ive booked this trip with intrepid for May 3rd.......Im hoping i can get both when Im over there or am I better off getting in advance.....How did you go about it ?

Thanks

tanzania visa you can get at the border, it costs €100

Visa is $100 at the border and the airports. However if you are staying in Tanzania for only 7-8 days, say it to them at the border and you may get a discount. When I was entering into Tanzania they asked me how long I would be staying for and I said it would only be a week they asked me why I was staying for such a short time. I told them I had travelled around Tanzania before so this time would only be a flying visit. The lady at the border office asked me to wait a few minutes while she spoke to her superior, who then came out and said due to the fact I would not be staying that long, that I could have the visa for $30. So it would be worth saying to them that your trip is only a little over a week and you may get some kind of discount hopefully

Enjoy your trip, Tanzania is a great country and camping in the Serengeti is a great experience.

Bruz82

Thanks CJ.....sounds like its definitely worth a shot !!

Anybody ever do the hot air ballon over the Serengeti....is it worth the dosh you pay???

Innervision

We didn't get any visas before going, the tour guides on the trips are great for organising the border crossings in my experience.
We didn't do the hot air balloon trip, no-one on our tour did, and our guide confessed to us that he thought it was a bit overpriced but I'd imagine it's still a great experience!