Travel Agency
Our travel agent was Piper & Heath. Normally, I book all of our travels, but this trip became a bit overwhelming. I’m so glad we went with them. They are US-based, and dedicated to safari travel. They really listened to our wants, and our budget. Their communication was perfect. Always following up when needed, and they adjusted to some late-stage changes we had, due to Qatar cancelling two of our flights.
They handled everything, except our flights to/from Tanzania (which I booked myself using miles). So, 4 different lodges, 3 different small-aircraft flights, multiple airport pickups and dropoffs, guides – all of it. And it all went off without a hitch. We were thrilled with the chosen camps and the itinerary they put together for us.
They prepped us for what we needed to do before and during our trip. Tipping (all in USD), vaccines (none), visas (pay-on-arrival), travel insurance, clothing and gear, power, WiFi, – they had it all covered. They gifted us soft-sided, wheeled duffel bags (which is the recommended luggage for safari Jeeps and small planes). They also sent us power plug adapters and a few other goodies for our trip.
I can’t say enough good things about them. They made a complex trip look easy, and made it a seamless experience for us.
Cost
Our original budget was $20,000 USD, +/- 10%. The safari part itself was $22K, so just at the top end. That covered everything in Tanzania, except for tipping and visas. Our flights to/from Tanzania were separate, and I booked those using miles.
Tanzania visas are $100 USD per-person (for Americans). Only $50 for non-Americans.
Travel insurance was about $1100 USD.
Tips – we spent about $1000 USD on tips – mostly for guides and the lodge staff.
Qatar business class flights were 262,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points in total (for 2 of us, round-trip)
American airlines business class flights were 95,000 American Airline miles in total (for 2 of us, round-trip)
Timing
Peak season is June through the end of September. We were originally planning on a September trip, but our travel agent suggested October, as for the camps we stayed in, prices dropped as of October 1. By like 20%. So we took advantage of this by starting our safari on October 1. We didn’t get to see the great migration and water crossings, but that wasn’t an important item for us anyway. The weather was perfect – no rain at all. It was a good idea by our Travel Agent, and we’re glad we went with their suggestion.
Luggage
Our luggage limit for the small planes was 20 kg total (44 pounds), and that includes your backpack/purse/etc. We kept our luggage to 15 kg, and our carry-on backpacks to 5 kg.
Piper & Heath (our travel agent) sent us soft-sided, wheeled duffel bags (which is the recommended luggage for safari Jeeps and small planes). They worked out perfectly. Each camp will do laundry for you, so that helped a lot.
Qatar flights
We flew Qatar Airways for the first time. I had always wanted to try their Q-Suites product, and it was amazing!
Each long-haul flight (DFW-DOH, and DOH-DFW) was on an A350-1000. We chose the two middle seats that have the seats closer to the center. Each seat becomes a lie-flat bed, with mattress pad and pillows. In the center, they lay down a cushion that bridges the two seats and covers the partition (which lowers below seat level). So we end up with a double-bed in the sky. The suites all have doors, so you really feel like you’re in your own private space.
Of course, excellent food, and a solid wine menu. They provide pajamas to change into, which we both did. So you’re not in your traveling clothes for the entire time. It was surprisingly nice. Starlink Wifi was available the entire time, on all of our Qatar flights.
On the DOH-JRO flight, we had a 787, and it also had closeable door suites. On the DAR-DOH flight, it was also a 787, but it did NOT have the doors, but it was still a super nice product.
Miles Redemption
I booked the Qatar flights using miles – it was definitely the best award redemption I’ve ever done.
I was tracking the Qatar award flights for months, so I knew not only exactly what day they released award flights (361 days in advance), but also exactly what time (3:00 AM Qatar time). So when the exact time came, I was ready. I booked it as 2 one-way flights. DFW-DOH-JRO, and then DAR-DOH-DFW. I booked each flight 361 days in advance.
I transferred Chase Ultimate Reward points from Chase to British Airways (so they became Avios), and then transferred the BA Avios to Qatar Avios. And I booked directly on Qatar’s website. I did a test transfer of a few points, so I could confirm that the transfers would work, and to see how long they took. Turns out that both transfers were almost instant. I was also lucky, as when I did this booking, Chase was offering a 30% bonus on points transfers to British Airways. So, if I transfer 100K UR points, it becomes 130K BA miles.
With the Chase 30% bonus, it was 131,000 each way for the two of us. So, 262,000 Chase points in total. For over 42 hours of flight time, in Q-suites business class. I was super stoked with that redemption. If I remember correctly, I checked the cash price, and it would have been about $11,000 USD per-person!
I wasn’t able to book with Qatar directly from Cancun to Africa, which is why I booked from DFW (Dallas). And I knew they fly an A350-1000 between DOH and DFW, which would give us the Q-suites experience I wanted. I then used some American Airline miles to book us award flights from CUN-DFW and back.
Lounges in Doha Airport
Because we flew business class, we were able to try out the business class lounges.
On the trip to Africa, we went to the North Garden lounge, which overlooks the huge garden area in the airport. It was a beautiful lounge. The entrance felt like walking into a resort. There is a full sit-down restaurant where you can order from the menu, and they also have a number of buffets and bars. In the Garden Lounge, there is also a separate Louis Vuitton cafe, but you have to pay extra to eat there, so we skipped it. That seemed odd. We took advantage of the showers in the lounge – it really does make a difference taking a shower after a 15 hour flight, before you have to get back on a plane again.
On the way home, we decided to try the south business class lounge. Not as impressive as the Garden Lounge, but still super nice. Again, a full sit-down restaurant, buffets, and bars. We also showered in this lounge. The south lounge shower rooms include a toilet, but the shower rooms in the Garden Lounge do not.
Camera
I wanted a decent camera for the trip. I ended up buying a used digital camera off of eBay. Specifically, a Lumix DMC-FZ2500. It has a 1-inch sensor, and a good zoom (24–480mm equivalent). It’s a “bridge” camera, meaning it has a fixed, non-interchangeable “superzoom” lens. Buying used worked out great. I actually bought it from a pro photographer.
I’m new to photography, but I’m super glad I had a good zoom camera. I still have a LOT to learn when it comes to photography, but even so, I’m happy with most of my photos. I took over 3000 photos on this trip – I still haven’t gone through them all yet.
Elizabeth brought a pain of binoculars that we borrowed from a friend, and she used her iPhone – mostly for videos. So we ended up with a good mix of still photos from me, and videos from her.
Bugs
We read a lot before we went about tsetse flies (and how they’re attracted to dark clothing). Also, about mosquitos that transmit malaria. Our travel agent said we were in a super-low-risk area for malaria, so we decided to skip taking anti-malaria meds.
Surprisingly, we only saw a few flies and zero mosquitos the entire trip. We read lots about malaria-carrying mosquitos, and the bites from tsetse flies – but for us – zero problems.
We did spray our clothes with Sawyer permethrin before we left. Couldn’t hurt, so we did it.
During our trip, we didn’t see any mosquitos. None. There were a few flies, but nothing abnormal.
So, in short, bugs were a non-issue for us.
Vaccines
We didn’t need any vaccines for this trip. Some countries require yellow-fever vaccines, but Tanzania does not. So we didn’t have any vaccines, nor meds for our trip.
Dust
The roads can be super dusty, especially when other trucks are around. One tip I read about and glad I did was to bring a pillowcase for my camera. So, when in the truck, I simply put my camera in the pillowcase, which prevented it from becoming a dusty mess.
Also, a buff-style facemask proved super helpful during some dusty drives.