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Recommend safari lodgings in Tanzania and Kenya, plus Zanzibar
I'm in the process of getting quotes from a few travel agents for a 2-3 week safari in Kenya and Tanzania, ending with a few days in Zanzibar. I'd love recommendations for any places you stayed that you loved, or advice on places to avoid. We're targeting Masai Mara, Samburu, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater (all the big touristy sites, I know, but they seem to make sense for first timers).
I'd like to stick to mid-range sorts of prices. No traditional budget camping, no $1000+/night places. TIA!
I'd rather be rock climbing or playing volleyball
Re: Recommend safari lodgings in Tanzania and Kenya, plus Zanzibar
In Zanzibar if you want to be in Stonetown 236 Harumzi is the best IMO. Their web site kind of sucks, but check out the pictures of the rooms, each one is completely different. The same owners run Emerson Spice. I've heard good things but have not stayed there.
If you want to be on the beach Nungwi is the big beach area. I've stayed at Kendwa Rocks, which isn't anything special but it has a great spot on the beach. I prefer the beaches across the island in Uroa--especially in the high season it's much less slammed with naked drunk Italians. I've stayed at a place called Tamarind there. It's an older property but very well maintained and managed. The people who work there are extremely accommodating. If you're looking for a party scene go to Nungwi. If you're looking to relax go to Uroa or Pongwe. I've heard good things about some properties in Matembwe but haven't been.
We stayed at Entumoto in the Masai Mara last November. It is a newer and small camp-I think 8 tents total. It was truly a place where they make you feel at home. The reservation agent was super helpful. We looked at a ton of camps-even Cottars bc they were offering a great price, but I am so happy we chose Entumoto. The tents are huge, great food, and the staff were really informative. Let me know if you want more info...
We did Tanzania last September and had a really great time. We were "upgraded" at a lot of places through our safari outfitter, though b/c they thought it was our HM instead of anniversary.
In Ngorongoro we stayed at the Serena Lodge. It was just okay, but in terms of the cost, probably your best bet. The hotel has a fantastic view of the crater, each room has their own private balcony, and the rooms are pretty big/nice. The only thing we didn't like is that there are a lot of rooms, so it was crowded and the food wasn't really very good. With that said, there aren't many other options around there, so I'd probably do Serena again.
In Serengeti, we went all the way up north b/c it's much less traveled and less people. We stayed at Migration Camp and it was AMAZING. I don't remember how much it cost. I think it's probably on the upper end of what you're looking to pay, but we loved it. There were always animals in the camp, we looked right over the hippos on the Grumeti River, the food was fantastic and service was great. My H got incredibly sick from Malarone while we were there, and they went over the top to take care of him.
In Zanzibar, we stayed in Bwejuu and made day trips to Stone Town. We booked at Breezes Beach Club, but were upgraded on arrival to their sister resort Baraza. Baraza was amazing, but IMO, not worth the price. We loved it since we were upgraded. Service there was phenomenal. I would assume their other properties would be as well, and the other two (Breezes and The Palm) are cheaper than Baraza. The only thing is that you can't really swim on that side of Zanzibar. The area right off the beach is a large coral reef for 1-2 miles out. It's full of sea urchins and the water stays pretty shallow/very warm. We loved being able to do the reef walks, and they have boats that will take you out to snorkel, so that wasn't a big deal for us. It was a beautiful beach and pretty secluded.
Thank you all for the tips, I'll be looking into them!
sunshine, thanks also for the travel advice. I'm hoping to time it so that we'd have an extra day if not two to readjust before we'd have to be back at work, so hopefully cancelled flights will be a little less of an issue.
Also, I looked at Breezes last night and it looked nice. I admit I went into sticker shock over the prices of the places in Zanzibar that the &Beyond agent suggested I look into. That's largely what prompted this post!
Oh, dear God! Good luck with &Beyond. I started out working with them and after several re-dos of the itinerary and the agent and I getting thoroughly annoyed with one another, I went with another company (Premier Tours). The chick couldn't seem to comprehend that I don't have $45k to spend on a safari vacation!
One other thing I'll mention since I know you're looking at &Beyond - when we were in the Serengeti, I watched one of their lodge's drivers pull off the road and drive into the bush to chase a cheetah out so that the people in their car could see. We had been sitting for 15-20 min watching a cheetah laying in the grass, and he decided to go in and chase it out. It really pissed me off b/c it was close to dark and cheetahs can't/don't hunt at night like other cats. She was stalking some giselle and that douche riled her up instead of letting her hunt/eat. It really upset me, but I'm all about seeing the animals in their habitats on their own terms. It didn't seem to bother anyone else around us, so maybe I'm just a freak, but I thought I'd throw that out there.
Hmm, I appreciate that feedback about &Beyond. I'm disturbed by your story about the driver and am hoping that was a bad one-off incident. You're not a freak at all to be annoyed by that!
I sent feelers out to about half a dozen different tour operators but suspect I might have to reach out to more. I went with ones that were highly recommended in the tour books I've been reading but am sensing that most of them are more luxury-oriented than I'm willing to pay. I did tell them all up front what my budget was and none of them rejected it out of hand, but I guess it's their job to try to upsell you.