Down to earth holidays

Description

This fabulous Africa wildlife and beach holiday in southern Tanzania is all about diversity of experiences. It is an adventure holiday which gives you the chance of excellent wildlife viewing in the renowned Selous Game Reserve (on foot, by boat and by jeep), you take a spice tour and explore Zanzibar's Stone Town, then head for Saadani National Park on the mainland coast above Dar es Salaam for wild beaches, wildlife and culture. 

To get around you take a fascinating train journey from Dar to Selous, enjoy boat and canoe trips, walks, and there are short flights too.  Your accommodation is no less varied, as you start in a gorgeous lodge in Selous, then a hotel in Stone Town and in Dar es Salaam, a beachside tented camp in Saadani, and even a night fly camping (wild camping in tents) by a river.

Selous Game Reserve is one of Tanzania's largest reserves (much larger than the Serengeti) yet far less visited than the parks in the north. It has a varied landscape from mountains to valleys, rivers and lakes, so not only does this make for a wonderfully scenic safari, but it also means that there is a great variety of wildlife. There are thousands of elephants, buffalos and antelopes, huge numbers of hippos, wildebeest, giraffe, zebras, and even the endangered wild dogs are doing extremely well here.

On Zanzibar you'll stay in Stone Town, from where you take a spice tour and have chance to explore this fascinating town with its maze of alleyways.

Saadani National Park is about 4 hours drive north of Dar es Salaam. It is a unique and beautiful park as it is on the coast so combines beach with wildlife, and also has a small but thriving village. It's remote, few travellers know about it so it's quiet, the beach is clean, wild and deserted, AND the park has four of the 'Big Five' (no rhino). There are also giraffe, reedbuck, waterbuck, eland, zebra, buffalo, warthog and smaller antelopes, and even lions are making a determined effort at a comeback here. You will love your four nights at Saadani!

So, why choose this Tanzania adventure safari and beach holiday? For a really varied and good quality African experience, for a truly superb price.

Detailed Itinerary

1. DAY 1: DAR ES SALAAM. When you arrive in Dar we will pick you up and take you to your hotel on the Slipway waterfront (room only basis). The rest of the day is free, and this is a great place to wander around the markets, but if you want to go out on excursions (such as a snorkelling trip) these can be easily arranged locally.
2. DAY 2: RAILWAY JOURNEY.  Tuesday: departs 1550 / arrives 2000.  Friday: departs 1350 / arrives 1900. (Times are guidelines only, and days and time are subject to change, so please check with us). 
   You have a free morning. This afternoon we take you to the railway station to catch your train to Selous. If all goes well, this is a roughly 6 hours railway journey, however you need to be prepared for longer, as this is an African train and it runs on African time! (You might want to take a packed lunch or snack). Sit back in your 4-person first class compartment, and watch Africa go by outside, whilst meeting another aspect of Africa inside!  (Though it’s not required, if you’d like an escort on this train, we’re happy to provide one for a small supplement). At Kisaki station you will be met and transferred to your safari lodge just outside Selous Game Reserve. D.
3. DAY 3: SELOUS. This morning we take you on a foot safari down the dry Sable River, and through elephant country across the hills around Sable Mountain. In the afternoon we have a cultural excursion, as we visit the Kisaki hospital project and meet the local Maasai as they bring their cattle home for the evening. FB.
4. DAY 4: SELOUS. Today you have a full day’s game drive, including a boat safari, in Selous Game Reserve. FB.
5. DAY 5: SELOUS. There is an early morning game drive in Selous today, then the rest of the day is yours to relax and enjoy the camp. If you’d prefer to take more game activities, these can be arranged for extra cost. FB.
6. DAY 6: TO ZANZIBAR. After your last morning in Selous (optional game activity not included), we transfer you to the airstrip for your afternoon flight to Zanzibar.  This takes about an hour (usually with a stop in Dar). On arrival you’ll be transferred to your hotel in Stone Town. B.
7. DAY 7: ZANZIBAR. Today you have a chance to explore Zanzibar. We will take you on a spice tour, then you have the rest of the day to take another optional excursion, or simply enjoy wandering around the fascinating alleyways of Stone Town. B.
8. DAY 8: SAADANI. This morning you are transferred to the airport for the short flight to Saadani National Park on the mainland coast. Here you can enjoy an afternoon game drive in the park. FB.
9. DAYS 9-10: SAADANI. The next two days are your chance to relax. Your lovely, en-suite tented room (on stilts!) is on the coast overlooking the Indian Ocean just outside of Saadani National Park. In front of you is a beautiful, wild, clean, deserted beach. Relax and enjoy! However if you can’t sit still and want to do something, the lodge offers activities (payable locally) such as: canoeing on the Mafui creek, game viewing in the park, visits to the local village, and (from early 2010) a chance to join elephant research project trackers. B,D.
10. DAY 11: SAADANI. After lunch today we drive you south to the Wami River, and here we have a fabulous fly camp. In the afternoon we’ll go for a boat safari. A fly camp is a camp with no infrastructure, so when we pack up nothing of the environment is disturbed. You sleep in tents and we’ll cook by the campfire. A very African experience!  Great fun. FB.
11. DAY 12: SAADANI TO DAR. After an early morning game drive followed by breakfast, we drive you back to Dar es Salaam. Here you have your last night in the hotel on the Slipway waterfront, unless you are leaving on a flight tonight, in which case we'll take you to the airport. B
12. DAY 13: Transfer to airport for flight home.

Is it for you?

This is a great trip for anyone who wants a bit of wildlife, a bit of beach, and to see some remote places as well as some of the more popular places. Most of the accommodation will suit everyone, as the lodges in Selous and Saadani, and the hotel in Zanzibar are all good quality. The fly camping in Saadani is really about the only thing which might not be right for a few people (ie if you don't like camping). Feel free to chat to us about this if you're unsure though.

Best times to go

This trip is best taken in January and February and between about June and November. It can be taken at other times, but it is then rainy so there can be logistical problems ... and you'll get a bit wet at times! DAY 1 OF THIS TRIP MUST BE ON A MONDAY OR THURSDAY (due to current train timetables).

Getting there

You need to fly into and out of Dar Es Salaam for this holiday. As we're ATOL-bonded, we can arrange flights for you, or you can sort them yourselves. Note: If you prefer to arrive on the morning of Day 2, this is possible. Please ask.

Responsible Travel

How this holiday helps:
Your holiday includes a visit to the Kisaki hospital project near Selous, which benefits from your visit.

Also, the lodges in both Selous and Saadani both have extremely good eco-credentials in terms of their environmental policies (eg solar power in the Selous lodge) and community responsibility.  The local community land owners are given bednight fees and lease payments for the Selous lodge. The owners are also very committed to the welfare of staff and the local community.  For example scholarships have been provided for some local children to go to secondary school, the Saadani lodge has provided an antenatal clinic, elecricity for the dispensary, water, food relief ... 

Carbon Offsetting:
For every client we take on holiday we plant 10 indigenous tree saplings. This is used as a poverty alleviation and biodiversity scheme as well as helping with carbon offsetting. Click for more details …

Giving to grassroots projects:
Our registered charity, The Tribes Foundation, is currently raising funds for a project in Tanzania. The kindness of strangers can make a big difference, so if you’re a travel philanthropist considering donating to a worthwhile charity, please consider backing this excellent community project.

Bibi Jann Children’s Care Trust supplies 60 children ages 2-6 (many of them AIDS orphans) with two meals a day and snacks and a pre-school education, including English, which is prompting graduates to excel in primary school. A first grade class opened in January 2006 and a second grade in January 2007.The Trust, oversees the school, adult literacy classes, women's group, AIDS-orphans school sponsorship program, and now GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA (though which people may sponsor a grandmother who is rearing her AIDS-orphaned grandchildren). Some 30 bibis (kiswahili for grandmothers) meet weekly to create and perfect their crafts for sale, with the goal of becoming self-supporting. The trust also sponsors three orphaned girls who live in the school compound.

We will shortly have a page with photos of the project on http://www.the-tribes-foundation.org/.

Shop ethically:
If you support buying fair trade, ethical and organic goods, please take a look at our online ethical shop for books, maps, travel gadgets, first aid kits etc before you travel. This is also a great place to find organic goodies and handmade crafts, many made in the countries and areas that we visit. Shop at Tribes Trading.

FOR MORE GENERAL DETAILS ABOUT OUR RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL POLICIES, CLICK HERE.

Comments

Trip Code: TZ5

Validity: 1-6-09 to 31-3-11

Individual Trip Dates & Prices

2+ people can take this holiday on most days (subject to availability), though it is best in January and February and also between June and November .
You need to arrive in Dar on a Monday or Thursday in order to connect with the train timetables.  Please call us to check availability.

2009 to end March 2011: £1640 pp

• Prices are based on twin share, excluding flights.
• Please ask about child rates (if available) and single supplements.
• Exchange rate fluctuations may affect these prices (see our Booking Conditions).

Duration: 13 days.

Included
Transfers, internal flights (Selous-Zanzibar, Zanzibar-Saadani), train Dar-Saadani, road transfer Saadani-Dar, meals as shown, park fees for included game activities, gameviewing as shown, spice tour, acommodation based on twin share, 5 nights full board, 3 nights half board, 4 ngihts B&B, 1 lunch.

Not Included
International flights, visas, insurance, drinks, tips, items of a personal nature,