Advice on tour to Kenya / Tanzania / Ethiopia in Oct-Nov? (1 Viewer)

[jurek]

Hi,
After many independent trips, I am looking for a good company to join an organized bird and mammal tour, suitable for a motivated person who wants to see 110% of what is available and is generally active and enthusiastic. I have 2-3 weeks this autumn, in any of these countries.

best,

 

[SteveClark]

Holmen Birding Safaris – We find the birds for you

 

[Jim M.]

Rockjumper and Birding Africa are two well-known companies with a variety of tours to those areas. But that is not a popular time for tours to those countries, and there are not many on offer, and even fewer with space available. The only one I found at those two companies with space still available is a 17 day Ethiopia endemics tour with one space available at Rockjumper departing November 27.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Holmen Birding Safaris – We find the birds for you

I wish more operators would provide a list of costs on their websites.

 

[Jim M.]

Jurek,

An excellent American company, Wings, has a Kenya tour with space available departing November 10: WINGS Birding Tours to Kenya in November - Samburu to the Masai Mara – Itinerary

 

[jurek]

I contacted Rockjumpers, and a problem appeared. In case there is another Covid travel restrictions and either the trip cannot go or I cannot travel the trip, they recommend I take insurance myself.

It is a different policy than I had e.g. with Ashanti Tours in Ghana - when the Covid travel restrictions hit, they kept the ;promise and we went to Ghana 2 years later, with excellent birding.

Now, while every insurer offers insurance which refunds the trip if I fall ill on Covid, very few or none offers an insurance which refunds the trip if my home country or the trip destination close the borders because of Covid. Anybody knows how to deal with it?

 

[Mysticete]

I contacted Rockjumpers, and a problem appeared. In case there is another Covid travel restrictions and either the trip cannot go or I cannot travel the trip, they recommend I take insurance myself.

It is a different policy than I had e.g. with Ashanti Tours in Ghana - when the Covid travel restrictions hit, they kept the ;promise and we went to Ghana 2 years later, with excellent birding.

Now, while every insurer offers insurance which refunds the trip if I fall ill on Covid, very few or none offers an insurance which refunds the trip if my home country or the trip destination close the borders because of Covid. Anybody knows how to deal with it?

Is that a likelihood at this point? Kind of seems we have moved onto the phase where no one cares about Covid anymore.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I contacted Rockjumpers, and a problem appeared. In case there is another Covid travel restrictions and either the trip cannot go or I cannot travel the trip, they recommend I take insurance myself.

It is a different policy than I had e.g. with Ashanti Tours in Ghana - when the Covid travel restrictions hit, they kept the ;promise and we went to Ghana 2 years later, with excellent birding.

Now, while every insurer offers insurance which refunds the trip if I fall ill on Covid, very few or none offers an insurance which refunds the trip if my home country or the trip destination close the borders because of Covid. Anybody knows how to deal with it?

My mate has just lost quite a lot of money after paying people on the ground in Uganda, directly and his trip has been called off twice with no chance of a refund it seems.

 

[Butty]

Is that a likelihood at this point?

At this point no - or nobody would be thinking of travelling anywhere. But (sadly) we don't plan, book and set off on trips all within the space of a few days, so the point is... how likely is it in the future? As we speak, it's at levels that are as high as it's ever been - globally - and it could evolve tomorrow to start, again, killing as many people and stopping as many trips as it was doing two years ago. People behaving as if it's gone away hasn't made it go away.

 

[jurek]

Is that a likelihood at this point? Kind of seems we have moved onto the phase where no one cares about Covid anymore.

I may agree that there should be no large lockdown, because the West has no more money for overreacting, and the war is a better excuse for inflation. But this does not rule out small bans like travel to Africa, because they can be deemed not significant to the economy.

Just checked that my travel insurance specifically does not cover lockdowns. Checking further options.

 

[Andy Adcock]

At this point no - or nobody would be thinking of travelling anywhere. But (sadly) we don't plan, book and set off on trips all within the space of a few days, so the point is... how likely is it in the future? As we speak, it's at levels that are as high as it's ever been - globally - and it could evolve tomorrow to start, again, killing as many people and stopping as many trips as it was doing two years ago. People behaving as if it's gone away hasn't made it go away.

This may have to be the new norm, not necessarily days but certainly weeks, depends how things develop and even then, it doesn't prevent a tour going tits up whilst you're actually there.

 

[Butty]

... (arguably worse) the whole medical/vaccination/testing/immigration/quarantine/whatever situation changing radically and without warning just a few days before travel - when everything is committed and paid for. At least if the world goes pear-shaped while you're in-country you have actually got there and achieved something. No insurance covers you for all of this, and, depending on the organisational basis of the trip, may cover none of it - and you take a total loss. New normal indeed 😢

 

[trogon52]

Looking into a Tanzania birding trip and came across this company: Tanzania Birding and Beyond Safaris Tanzania Birding - Tanzania Birding. Has anyone traveled/birded with them, or knows anything about them? Thanks.

 

[exilipes]

Looking into a Tanzania birding trip and came across this company: Tanzania Birding and Beyond Safaris Tanzania Birding - Tanzania Birding. Has anyone traveled/birded with them, or knows anything about them? Thanks.

I have travelled with them in Tanzania. They were excellent

 

[Steve Babbs]

Just out of interest, why, after mostly travelling independently, you have decided to do a tour for tour? Certainly the Arusha area of Tanzania is very easy to do independently. I was there last Easter and really couldn't understand why nobody else (travellers generally) was doing an independent trip.

 

[jurek]

Mostly because I had no time for planning, and I heard it is difficult / costly to self-drive.

 

[Steve Babbs]

Mostly because I had no time for planning, and I heard it is difficult / costly to self-drive.

It really isn't. We only did Lake Manara, Tarangire and the surrounding area and then north of Arusha for the larks and then Dulit Lake and Arusha NP a sit was a two week trip. I think a Rav 4 was about $50 a day. Accommodation cheap. Roads easy. People friendly - we were flagged down a couple of times by the drivers of safari vehicles who directed us to lions and a cheetah.

Definitely recommended as a good place for an independent trip to East Africa.

 

[jurek]

Thanks Steve, I will keep it in mind for the future.

 

[AveryBartels]

Incidentally, if anyone is planning an Ethiopia trip, I can put them in touch with an excellent driver with decent rates, who speaks good English, knows the birding sites and most (though not all) of the birds. Having been there in 2020 (right on the cusp of covid) I would say it is a trickier country to do solo but still no need to pay the full prices of a tour if that isn't your thing.