Hello all.
I'm currently in the middle of planning a sort of combination tourist(for wifey & me) and hunting or fishing trip (for me )
Other than what I've read on here and watching Saeed's video I don't know a darn thing about africa.

There would be 2 couples for the tourist part of the trip, and 2 guys for the hunt/fish part.
I'm thinking that because of the complications caused by firearms, if we went hunting that we should just rent/borrow from the PH. Or we could just stick with fishing.

So I have many questions and would welcome any and all opinions on how to maximize our trip.
We are currently looking at some of the tour operators that work Ngorogoro park. It looks like the rate for a 2 week trip is around $7500
What could we do in a crater for 2 weeks?
what else should we do?
When is the best time to go?
Whats the best way to work in some plains game after the tourist thing?
Is tigerfishing on the Zanbezi worth the effort/cost we would have to put into it.
is there a more cost effictive destination than Ngorogoro, One of the other options being discussed is a side trip to see some mountain gorillas.
Whats the best way to deal with the granola munchin tree huggers I'm sure to run into on the tourist side of things? I'm thinking I would just nip it in the bud when the first GMTH starts cryin from their overloaded emotions when they finally see a real live animal, by loadly asking "What does that one taste like? Can we have some for lunch today? Do the babies taste any better?"
That should buy me some privacy for a while I would think.
thanks
Dan

Bwana

The crater is wonderful but 2 weeks is far too long there. - I'd recommend you spend about 3 days there and then move onto other places in the Serengeti. - There are plenty of cheaper options but no better options. If you want to avoid the tree huggers the best thing you can do is book a private vehicle - it costs a bit more but is worth every penny.

We also run a photo safari booking agency, so feel free to send us an e-mail for suggesions etc..... I won't go into the ins and outs of it all here as I don't believe in hawking for business - but my e-mail address is in my signature if you're interested.

Dan, your request is a broad one but if you narrow it down to specifics, I see no reason why you can't accomplish all of it. Not sure what you've been offered for $7,500 but you can email me your number and I'll be glad to give you a call. I just returned from Zimbabwe and not only are Tigerfish available in the Zambezi but there are Largemouth Bass busting 13 pounds in some of the lakes. You can email me at: GGafricansafaris@aol.com/ Good hunting, David

How was the tigerfishing? How many/how big?
I'm thinking that should be a fairly cost effective addition, as well as something that the girls could come along on. Isn't it also a sightseeing sort of thing on a boat in the zambezi?
What else could we fish for?
thanks
Dan

notlim,

We offer privately guided photo tours all over Tanzania. Ngorongoro Crater is incredible but you only need one day actually in the crater. A 3 day tour will give you the Crater, Tarangire park, Lake Manyara and time for some shopping in Arusha. your group of 4 could have the vehicle and guide exclusively for the trip.

The plains game hunt is not viable in Tanzania. There are no ranches or private holdings that offer the "plains game" experience. It can be arranged on the regular hunting blocks but you can hunt lion or elepahant for less.

I might recommend the 3 day tour in Tanzania and then a week of hunting in RSA, Namibia or Botswana for a plains game. There are regularly scheduled flights from Arusha to South Africa making a two country adventure easily doable.

Feel free to contact me anytime for further info.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by notlim:
Whats the best way to deal with the granola munchin tree huggers I'm sure to run into on the tourist side of things? I'm thinking I would just nip it in the bud when the first GMTH starts cryin from their overloaded emotions when they finally see a real live animal, by loadly asking "What does that one taste like? Can we have some for lunch today? Do the babies taste any better?"

Last year in an "elephant park" when one guy said "its a pity some have to die" - he knew I had been elephant hunting - I just said "they just several tonnes of meat". I got told off by my wife.

Yep, 3 days at Ngorongoro Crater. Otherwise you will keep doing the same thing again and again.

A few days in the Serengetti.

Visit Zanzibar for 3 days or so would be nice too.

Probably somewhere else to fill out your 14 days, but with travel time, those three destinations may already be close.

If adventurous and very fit, walk up Kilimanjaro.

Something that has not been suggested by forumites:

Very often, hunting concessions are very suitable to photographic as well. Masaailand blocks are an example where the typical East African vistas, good game viewing and cultural experience offered by the Maasai can be very pleasant for non-hunters to enjoy. Bu8t there is no fishing .

Alternatively, one can combine a few days of photographic (as Mark suggested) for the entire group at the beginning, then start your hunt, with wives in tow, somewhere in the Selous where tiger fishing is great. The wives can then split from the hunting group to go do some more sightseeing either in the Selous, WHICH IS SPECTACULAR, or in the Ruaha, EQUALLY GREAT, and join up again with the hunters for the last few days. Most hunting camps are well suited to wives and non-hunters and I have yet to hear of an observer that did not enjoy a hunting camp or area. Most outfitters can arrange for a separate car and guide to take the observers around so they don't need to tag along with the hunters.