African Safari

[landover]

Anybody looking to save some money and have more fun, self-driven safari,

 

[Nemo2]

Anybody looking to save some money and have more fun, self-driven safari,

In 1983 my late wife and I rented a camper in Jozi, drove up to Kruger and spent about a week there.......we were first out of the enclosed camps each morning, drove until we found a viewpoint, (usually a waterhole/river), brewed up coffee and sat and had breakfast. It was great.

 

[someguy]

All you who have been: what did you do about malaria risk? Recently, there seems to be a lot of info surfacing about the risk of anti-malarial meds to the nervous system, some of them serious and some moderately long to permanent in duration.

 

[mpeirce]

> All you who have been: what did you do about malaria risk? Recently, there seems to be a lot of info surfacing about the risk of anti-malarial meds

All medicine is a trade off to some extent. Taking anti-malarial meds seemed much less risky to me than getting malaria.

 

[someguy]

What did you take and did you have any side effects?

> All you who have been: what did you do about malaria risk? Recently, there seems to be a lot of info surfacing about the risk of anti-malarial meds

All medicine is a trade off to some extent. Taking anti-malarial meds seemed much less risky to me than getting malaria.

 

[scrinch]

I've taken a lot of mefloquin over the years and never noticed any effects.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[mpeirce]

We all took Malarone. Daily dose; starts a couple of days before your trip; and continues afterward for a week.

On a later trip my wife took efloquine. It's easier because it's a weekly dose.

None of us had any side effects.

We also got a boatload of other vaccines, but that may have been because we were going to Malawi. Not sure if they recommend fewer for South Africa or Kenya.

More info: CDC - Malaria - Travelers - Choosing a Drug to Prevent Malaria

 

[HFWR]

I'd avoid it like the plague.

And ebola, and dengue, and malaria, and TB...

 

[chris2008]

For Botswana we took Lariam.
No side effects for us, but some people in the camp talked about bad dreams.

 

[savory]

I took larium and had side effects. I rarely remember my dreams but with larium I did. I was fortunate however, for the few weeks I took the drug, that my dreams were VERY vivid but no nightmares. Others I know, had no effect or nightmares. I can't remember the percentage of people who were not effected vs. those with bad dreams.

As recommended earlier, you may want to consider setting up the safaris when you arrive or doing them on your own. For example, you could rent a car and go to Krueger on your own. And/or you can easily find a company that you can hire for the day. A little more planning but a doable trip that can save a few bucks.

 

[H2ODude]

DS did Peace Corps in Mali, then worked in Lesotho and now Tanzania, so we have been to Africa several times; were it not for him it's unlikely we would have gone. We have had some great experiences thanks to him being there. Unfortunately have no contact information/sources as he arranged all the visits, travel and safaris. That has been a tremendous help; we've been to places we would never have gone and experienced things we never would have otherwise.

Agree with positives about Selous; DS lives in Morogoro so it was only about a 4 hour drive there. There are no permanent structures allowed there so we "camped" in quite nice tent combos that had a chemical toilet/shower annex to each one. The alternate, to go to the north, would have been very crowded. In the three days we were in Selous we rarely saw other tourists. Animals were very plentiful but never did see a leopard. One night awakened by gunshot from guide scaring off elephants trying to get into camp for the provisions (fruit)!

On other trip went to Botswana, Chobe park. It was good too but not as plentiful animals. It's not far from Victoria Falls so you can hit that too. On that trip we flew to Capetown and did that area as well, with the "little Carou" which is similar to CA wine country I'm told (have not spent any time in CA myself).

Yes, these were some very long flights, so if you're going plan on making the most of it. If you don't like flying, avoid the Joberg-Atlanta flight, especially during the hurricane season. The turbulence from the conveyor belt of disturbances that come from the Sahara to Americas makes for some very uncomfortable flying.

 

[H2ODude]

Forgot about the malaria. DS avoids the meds as doesn't want the long term use. Also had some awful dreams. He did have malaria twice when in Peace Corps; pretty brutal. Where is now is more highlands but he is fanatical about mosquito avoidance.

When visited in Mali we took meds. DW took Lariam and she had bizarre dreams that she could not distinguish from reality. Including having coherent discussions with the family dog!

Last trip I did not take meds. However, had to overnight in Das Es Salaam hotel where I distinctly recalled being bit by mosquito. After returned home came down with all the symptoms; I'm blessed with very good health so immediately was suspicious. Saw doctor, gave meds, and within 12 hours symptoms gone. However, the blood samples were negative, but doctor said they often get false negatives. I suspect my case was very early stage so likely not a lot of bugs were running around in me yet.

My recommendation would be to take the meds, avoid the Lariam.

 

[Nemo2]

However, the blood samples were negative, but doctor said they often get false negatives.

Reminded my of my post (#12) on this thread: http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f46/malaria-meds-in-india-64557.html

(I've had subsequent tests, all showing negative, but the doctors are unable to tell me what I do have that recurs periodically and exhibits all the symptoms.)

 

[ivinsfan]

I've been getting some mailings from Oceania cruise line about some marvelous African cruises they are offering for sale, the price seems fairly reasonable for what's included. Just go to Oceania.com and click on Africa...they bundle airfare in the price and are giving large discounts too. If your Mom has somewhat limited mobility that might be a good option. I like that you can book all your activities by the day, so everyone can do what suits there physical limitations.

 

[someguy]

The malaria info is really helpful. Sounds like Larium should be avoided and Malarone is ideal except for a limited (and easy to define) set of people.

Nemo2 & H20: those are some scary stories.

 

[Nemo2]

Nemo2 & H20: those are some scary stories.

I've had subsequent tests, none of which can identify anything.......but last Fall we were on a repositioning cruise from Europe and I overheard four Germans discussing (in English) malaria........spoke with them, one guy had been a surveyor in West Africa for 16 years and had experienced numerous attacks.......it was their thought that doctors in Canada are generally unlikely to have experience with tropical 'diseases'...(and my chances of getting a medical house call here during another attack are on the negative side of 'slim and none').

 

[H2ODude]

Yeah, getting malaria diagnosed here in NC was interesting. Primary Care doc was kind of excited, did a bunch of web searching, and after an hour sent me to an infectious disease doc. I was sort of surprised, infectious diseases in NC? Then I realized from posters in office that these are the docs that do HIV. Anyway, they must have taken 6-8 tubes of blood. He seemed actually more concerned about the OTHER things I might have picked up with similar symptoms and wanted to eliminate them. Like I said, within 12 hours the headache, backache, fever, and chills were magically gone. No recurrence.

 

[pixelville]

Anybody looking to save some money and have more fun, self-driven safari,

We did a self-drive safari in South Africa a few years back. Rented a car in Jo'burg and drove to Kruger. Drove around, stayed in the local camps, it was awesome. But you have to drive on paved roads, so you don't get as close to the animals, although we did have elephants, giraffes, etc cross the road. Hippos, Rhinos were a little distance away. A fraction of the cost.
I don't believe self-drive is possible in Serengeti, Masai Mara. If it is once in a lifetime trip, better to do the organized camps in East Africa.
May be catch the Wildebeest migration? If you want to see lots of animals, go during the dry season, since animals are seen more easily near the watering holes and more visible with less flora hiding them.

 

[pixelville]

I'm just starting to look into possibly going on a African Safari. I'm thinking maybe summer of 2015. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to go? Do you know of any specific resource to help me gather information?

Check out Intrepid Travel and Gap Adventures for itinerary planning ideas.
Best of East Africa overview | Africa Tours. See the Best of East Africa with Intrepid Travel
https://www.gadventures.com/trips/kenya-tanzania-overland/DKTO/2014/

Both companies are known for inexpensive, roughing it, a bit younger crowd types adventure travel. Note, I have not taken a trip with them and dont know anyone personally who has. With your mom, you might want a more traditional trip to a couple of game reserves instead.
From what I have read, a traditional safari is typically (average) $500-$800 per person per day for the safari i.e. lodge, food, game drives.
Hoping we can do one of these safari trips in the next couple of years.

 

[travelover]

I've used International Expeditions a few times, though not for Africa. Most of these travel companies subcontact travel, so if you do your research, you can hook up with the guys on the ground and save some money.

http://www.ietravel.com/africa-and-middle-east

 

[Ally]

My daughter and son in law recently took their two oldest children to Swaziland and went on an overnight safari. It was off paved roads and they saw lots of animals right next to their jeep. The area looks gorgeous. It's inside South Africa.

 

[MBAustin]

Check out Intrepid Travel and Gap Adventures for itinerary planning ideas.
Best of East Africa overview | Africa Tours. See the Best of East Africa with Intrepid Travel
https://www.gadventures.com/trips/kenya-tanzania-overland/DKTO/2014/

Both companies are known for inexpensive, roughing it, a bit younger crowd types adventure travel. Note, I have not taken a trip with them and dont know anyone personally who has. With your mom, you might want a more traditional trip to a couple of game reserves instead.
.

DD and I went with Intrepid to China a few years back. I was very pleased with the trip - had friends who went with higher-end tours who said their food was fair-to-middling and we had nothing but excellent meals. Everything was reasonably clean and comfortable but nothing luxurious. I was the oldest on the trip by 20+ years and DD was the youngest, the rest were mid-20s to late 30s.

So since I'm OK with being with a younger crowd and not being pampered, I'd go with Intrepid again.

 

[brett]

We spent time in South Africa last year. We flew to J'burg. We did 5 days of safari in Kruger. Fantastic company-Wildwings Safari. Our guide was Simon. First rate. After that we flew to Victoria Falls, also went to Botswana to a high end lodge. Our experience with Wildwings was so good that we want to go back. Found out about them on Tripadvisor.

Flew back to Port Elizabeth. Rented a car and toured for 2 weeks ending in Cape Town. We stayed in small B&B's along the way.