Recommendations for a East Africa Overland Safari Trip Currently looking towards nomad africa adventure tours

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nomadtours.co.za

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  andy19363 on 23/10/2014 - 06:44

  My son went with oasis overland last year….. Had a great trip
  http://www.oasisoverland.co.uk/trips/africa/list/

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    noslappers on 23/10/2014 - 09:56

    Cheers Andy they were on the top of my list but I dont think I can handle the seating arrangements on the truck for up to 8 weeks (they have seats running from the front to the back of the bus facing inwards - army style) meaning you cant really gaze out the windows or get comfortable as far as I can see.

    Any thoughts on this ? Can you ask him if this was an issue or am i missing something here?

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      andy19363 on 24/10/2014 - 10:51

      He did the 17 week Cairo to Capetown trip and seems to have spent most of his time on the 'sundeck', if his photos/video are anything to go by.
      I haven't asked him, but thinking it through…. if the seats are traditional 'bus' configuration, you will potentially see the back of a person's head to the front and, depending on if you get a window seat or not, either beautiful scenery, or the side of someone else's head. I'd also wonder if the 'army style' might provide a bit more leg room - but as said…. I haven't done it.
      It was quite a flexible trip…. he ended up flying to Zanzibar and stayed a couple of weeks there, before re-joining the truck later down the track. Some folks were also unable to get visas for ?Sudan? so ended up by-passing and re-joining the truck later.

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  spychiatrist on 23/10/2014 - 10:40

  Look after yourself and don't bring home the E with you

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  Smiley82 on 23/10/2014 - 10:52

  We went in 2011 and booked through TopDeck Travel in the UK, who utilise Africa Travel Co (www.africatravelco.com) trucks. We did a 35 day trip that started in Nairobi and finished in Johanesburg.

  We saw a host of different truck setups whilst we were there, so it's important to have a think about what you want from the truck/trip - which you probably already have given your comment about seating above.

  Our truck had normal front facing seats, and came with a driver, guide and cook. For us, this was REALLY important, as some tours don't come with a cook, and the task falls to the group - including the shopping and market trips. Given how big some of the days can be when you're on tour, the last thing you want to do is have to decide 'whats for dinner'. Our group had to help with cooking/cleaning up etc, but didnt have to shop or do the meal plan. My advice, particularly for an 8 week trip is to ensure that you get a truck with a dedicated cook!

  In terms of price, they vary significantly, mainly because of the way they sell the trips. Some are largely inclusive, some are a small upfront payment and a large local payment in US$ once you get there. Some are really low initially, because every single item is an add on 'optional activity'. You really need to check out what they include/don't include, to be able to compare them.

  I looked through my files and found our budget from way back then, and our trip, in 2011 for two people was GBP 3,551 (including everything - visas, actities, park fees, tour price). in AUD that's around $6,392 for 2 people. The overall total cost for us including pre/post accommodation in Nairobi/Joburg, and spending money ended up being GBP 5,700 for two people for 41 days. That's around $10,250 AUD. And we did everything! And bought some great souveneirs :-)

  Make sure you have a sufficient spending money budget as well, as there are so many things that you can see/do that need $$. We had people on our trip who didn't really think it through, and ended up in the camp for lots of the activities because they didn't have the money to actually do anything…..! They travelled all the way to Africa, and then didn't do the Masai Mara or the Kruger safari! crazy….

  Anway, hopefully this helps - take a look through the companies again, focus on things like group size, inclusions, staff included, camp arrangements (sharing tents/single tents?) etc.

  Post back if you have any more questions :-)

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  Smiley82 on 23/10/2014 - 11:02

  Oh - one more thing! Take a look through what your trip will actually be broken down into. Our trip, Nairobi to Joburg was actually 3 trips, with people coming/going throughout.

  Nairobi to Zanzibar
  Zanzibar to Victoria Falls
  Victoria Falls to Joburg

  We had people joining and leaving at each leg, and at Victoria Falls, actually got a new truck/driver/cook for the next leg, as well as a much smaller group (14 or so from memory). It can be a good thing, particularly over such a long time to get fresh faces (and offload some annoying ones….!) and can also be a chance for you to take some time out. For example, you could take the tour as far as Victoria Falls, and then have a week there yourself, and pickup the next truck that is coming through, to give yourself a bit of a break from the constant travel/setup tent/packup tent/travel etc. We knew a few people that did this, just to break it up a bit.

  Cheers.

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    noslappers on 23/10/2014 - 21:23

    thanks for all the great info Smiley, I totally agree with everything you mentioned and really like your idea about having a break at the end of each leg as the tours are usually broken up. Can I ask did you find the trip you did to be a bit hurried as ive been reading alot of the shorter trip itineraries having huge drive days (10 hours +) day after day?

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      Smiley82 on 23/10/2014 - 22:59

      Whenever we had a big travel day, it was usually followed by a few days in camp, or shorter day travel next times. I don't remember feeling 'rushed' but there are definitely some big days of driving to get through that's for sure. Big drives also led towards the end points of legs - so things might be busy leading up to Victoria falls for example, but then we'd relax in camp for 3 days. For some people though, if they ended their trip there, they would miss out on the downtime…..

      They are pretty upfront with the distances and drive times each day, so take a look and find one that feels reasonable for you.

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  zrach on 01/11/2014 - 10:08

  I so want to travel there but what are the chances of getting E? I know the outbreak is on the other side of the continent but everyone's against me going

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  noslappers on 07/11/2014 - 03:43

  Hi Guys

  Just thought I would give you an update and also some info on how we booked a tour and ended up paying $4549 AU per person for a 54 day all inclusive overland tour with Gadventures saving over $3000 AU Each.

  So 1st thing we noticed was that STA were selling there Africa overland for Gadventures and the price was at the time was quite different (it was cheaper through STA) after ringing them we were told as the tour started in under a month they couldn’t sell the date we wanted and of course the next date was more expensive.

  Calling GA we were told that was incorrect and it was available. Next thing I found was when I looked at the .au sites for the exact same tour it was again completely different in price, it was a lot cheaper purchasing the tour from the au site. Another call to GA and the sales consultant told me it was exactly the same tour and sent me the exact same invoice she had previously sent me in pounds, this time in aud (both stated 35% off) but came in at again over $1000 less. I have no idea why they give the wrong conversion rate but it works out excellent if you have an Australian postal address but to be honest I don’t think they would ever be able to check. The reason all this came about (the .uk and invoices in pounds) was because I was already on holidays in London when I was looking into the Africa trip.

  Tour we booked: http://www.gadventures.co.uk/trips/ultimate-africa/DAUA/2015…

  Currently:
  STA UK Site $6043.86au
  STA AUS Site $5249au (was $7000AU they state)
  GA Adventures UK Site $6043.86au (was $7555 AU they state)

  So just to recap I found a great price and received a invoice in Pounds, asked to pay in AUD and the price came down significantly more, just as checking the .uk and .au sites the prices came tumbling down.