[travelover]

This link might help.

The Africa Adventure Company - The Best Time To Go

I've been to Africa twice. Once with a National Wildlife sponsored tour to Kenya and Tanzania and a second time with Earthwatch to Kenya with an additional week added on with a private guide.

If you drive instead of fly within Africa, it takes a long time to get places as the roads are rough and very dusty. So you spend a lot of time grinding down bumpy roads in a minivan with a lot of other tourists going from park to park. Bathrooms are few and far between, you may be frequently get to a nice hotel late and be rushed off early to the next stop. Flying however is expensive.

I liked Tanzania a lot and would not bother to see both Kenya and Tanzania, especially if time or money are limited. The animals, especially elephants, are wilder in Tanzania due to hunting there.

My second trip with Earthwatch was the better trip, though most time was spent at a single location (Sweet Waters Rhino Reserve). We got to see (and walk) with all the animals and to observe and photograph them at leisure. We also did night drives. We were working with local people, including the guides that accompanied us everywhere, so we got to know the people somewhat. We also made a trip into a small local town every few days. Earthwatch trips are tax deductible, a nice plus.

Saving Sweetwater’s Rhinos

So it is a trade off. First trip had more hand holding, saw more species and parks, but spend a lot of time trapped in a minivan. Second trip was more enjoyable, got closer to animals, met local people more, stayed in one place for most of trip.

Edit: Note Earthwatch is a "working vacation", though I greatly enjoyed the "work", such as counting giraffes, locating rhinos, etc.