baby zebra - Ngorongoro CraterLogistics for Tanzania safaris are a bit more convoluted than in other countries. I’ve already discussed the pros and cons of fly-in safaris versus driving safaris. Essentially, if you have the budget for it, flying will save you time and eliminate long drives. What you give up in a fly-in safari is having the same private guide from start to finish, who can build in flexibility, spontaneity and will help you see the wildlife species on your life list. Personally, I don’t think I would go the flying route. I like to drive between all the parks, though I preferred flying back to Arusha after ending in the northern Serengeti (there’s no reason to drive all those roads TWICE).
I have mentioned this before, but there aren’t many ATMs in the bush. Most lodges will take some form of credit card, but you should budget out for gratuities ahead of time, at the very least. On safari, you tip the lodge staff and your driver guide separately. I personally budgeted $10 per night for the lodge staff and $20 per day for my driver guide. I counted out my tip for my guide and put that in one envelope and I counted out my tips for the lodges and put that in another envelope. I marked them both to ensure I wouldn’t mix them up. Each lodge will have a tip box, so I would make sure to take the appropriate amount of my lodge envelope and drop it in the box during my stay. I gave my guide his envelope at the very end of the trip and thanked him for sharing his country’s wildlife and customs with me. I also had extra cash on me (to the tune of around $200) for buying souvenirs. I also made sure to have a handful of $1 bills on me for unexpected random tipping situations.
There are only ATMs in Arusha, Moshi, Karatu, and Manyara. Once you are in the Serengeti, you are out of luck. Don’t enter the Serengeti without some cash unless you have a plan. Let your driver guide know early if you need to stop for cash, so they can plan the stop.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.