Do any good safari outfitters have concessions located so that no charter is required ie, within a four hour drive from an airport?

Gunny,
Several do, they begin out of Arusha and go into Masailand etc.

I have HEARD that there is train service to several areas from Dar es Salaam, I believe. Tickets were $14.00. Sounds like a real deal. Hope it is true??????
Doug

quote:

Originally posted by Magnum Hunter1:
I have HEARD that there is train service to several areas from Dar es Salaam, I believe. Tickets were $14.00. Sounds like a real deal. Hope it is true??????
Doug

In 2002 I took the train out of Dar to Kinyanguru where I met my PH and hunted the MK1 and Gonabisi in the Selous. The cost of the ticket was $14.00

As mentioned, there are several "Good" outfitters that have concessions within 40 minutes to 4 hours from Arusha. These are masaailand. Hoewever, these concessions vary in quality and game availability. It depends what you are lookign for species wise. Some of these "good" outfitters are:
Wengert Windrose safaris
Robin Hurt safaris
Tanzania Game Tracker Safaris
Danny McCallum Safaris

From Dar es Salaam, the cheapest access is by train into the Selous and to some extent into Kilombero. Train ride varies from about 6 hours to 12 hours depending on where you are stopping. I always found it a pleasant experience but bring your own catering and make sure you book a whole compartment in first class. Oh and make sure you take a "crap" before you board to avoid a visit to the trains' facilities

quote:

From Dar es Salaam, the cheapest access is by train into the Selous and to some extent into Kilombero. Train ride varies from about 6 hours to 12 hours depending on where you are stopping. I always found it a pleasant experience but bring your own catering and make sure you book a whole compartment in first class. Oh and make sure you take a "crap" before you board to avoid a visit to the trains' facilities

I shared the compartment with a Tracker from another outfitter. Great decision. His name was Cosmo, was dressed like a "westerner" (Nikes, T shirt, ball cap), spoke perfect English, made a great "tour guide". I bought the beer, he went to get them.

Avoiding the "facilities" was a given

I rode it once on the cheap route, I assure you that if you took a crap in the middle of the floor no one would notice, not even the chickens in the crate I was sitting on!

Most Masailand hunts are by PHs vehicle from Arusha...The choice is yours however.

The train sounds as primitive as most indiginous travel in africa. To bad they dont do a upscale service for visitors. Ray sounds like he was impressed with the chickens. Do masiland hunts offer two buffalo options as with the Selous?

quote:

Originally posted by gunny:
The train sounds as primitive as most indiginous travel in africa. To bad they dont do a upscale service for visitors. Ray sounds like he was impressed with the chickens. Do masiland hunts offer two buffalo options as with the Selous?

There is a "private train" - an old steam engine that has been renovated - that I suppose one could hire for a few grand! The train stops whenever you want it to and you can get out, walk about and go off again.

In 1st class, it is actually not bad. What we used to do if we had clients taking the train, we would go to the station ahead of time, find our compartment, thoroughly clean it, put kikois (local cloths) over the "fake" leather seats, get a real smart lunch box, a cooler box with ice and lot's of wine, good quality crystal wine glasses, a few cigars and some air freshners. Was actually great!


as for the 2 buffalo in masaailand, it depends on the outfitter and what quota he has. Theoretically the license is the same ofr Masaailand or anywhere else in Tz which means one could take 2 buff. Outfitters sometimes restrict this to one per client on the shorter hunts depending on quota availability and what they perceive as the right "take-off" capacity for their area. It has been said many times before, you may struggle to get 2 buffs in 7/10 days in some masaailand areas whereas in most of the Selous its possible to shoot 2 bulls most of the time.

Bwanamitch, Do you still hunt there??.

Gunny,
No, I am not a Ph (too old and too many family ties )

But the selous is my favorite wilderness area.

Actually you can drive in to most of the concession, but its a 9 to 16 hour trip by vehicle, mostly on a dirt road of sorts, sometimes just a track for last year....I have driven in and out of many of them...That can be arranged with the safari company if they want to do it...Oh yeah and the fairy crossing is to die for, and you just might!!

Ray, maybe you can help me out with some names.I drove from MK1 to Dar. As I recall, it took about 10 hours. We went north on a track and crossed a river on a steel bridge dated 1909. After crossing the bridge, the tack became a "road" which improved as we headed north and east. We picked up a paved road which headed east into Dar.

I did it once, will charter a flight next time.