30ott6 and I, along with our wives, will arrive in Dar es Salem next September to begin our safari. At the close of the safari, we will leave Tanzania out of Arusha in October and tour the Norongoro Crater. Is there any reason to arrive in Dar es Salem a few days early to do/see anything special? If it were at the end of the trip, we'd go to the beaches of Zanzibar, but at the beginning, I think we'd be too antsy to get going.

You could go early and gamble in the casinos...But put the ele and lion fees away..

I wasn't that impressed with Dar. Dar was dirty, with throngs of people milling about. I didn't feel comfortable there. I hired a cab and spent an afternoon getting an informal drive around.

However, as is my habit, I didn't stay in the tourist area. For that matter, I apparently didn't go anywhere near the tourist area of Dar.

I had a "grenade" thrown at me while in the Central Post Office of Dar.

That was certainly fun and entertaining.

SBT,
The only reason to spend an extra night in Dar on arrival is in case your luggage/firearms don't make it on your flight.

You also get one extra day to acclimatise before the hunt.

FWIW, personally, I don't think the Ngorongoro has anything over the Photographic sections of the selous. On the contrary.....and the Selous is much closer to Dar then flying across the country to ngorongoro

I really like the drive from Arusha to Serengeti. A stop at Mosquito Creek (Mto Wa Mbu) and Lake Manyara National Park is a good opportunity to see the riverine biotope and a slew of little antelopes not easily seen elsewhere. Up the slope to the rim of the crater you will pass through a region of lush and productive farms and the people will look Ethiopian rather than Tanzanian (because that's where they come from!). The rim of the crater, especially in the early morning in the mist, is an incredible vantage point to watch the sun come up over and into the crater, bundled in some warm clothes with a mug of coffee in your hand. Continuing on to Serengeti you pass next to Olduvai Gorge, site of Dr. Louis Leakey's famous anthropological discoveries and a nice small museum. It's a good spot for a stretch your legs stop and the difference in climate as compared to the crater is dramatic. The entry into the Serengeti plain has always impressed me, especially if you arrive at a time of the year when the wildebeest herds stretch from one horizon to the other. It would be a shame to go to Tanzania and not see these places on the pretext that the Selous is "just as good".

Wink,
That is a very "dramatic" and "out of Africa" description and, if I may add, very true except for 1 important thing! You left out the hordes of tourist vans criss crossing the entire ecosystem

Besides the fact that from 2006, entry into NGR and Serengeti Parks will be increased to $100 p.p.p.d. and entry to the crater floor for game viewing will be restricted to half day tours only (Morning or afternoon)! In addition, in July you won't have any views from the crater rim for most of the day due to heavy mist reducing visibility in most cases to a few dozen metres

Furthermore, end of July the migration will be on it's way to the kenyan border North West of the Serengeti making it very difficult to observe, if at all

Despite the above, both places offer spectacular game viewing opportunities and close-up photography. IMO so does the Selous and with a lot more exclusivity! You can walk, fly-camp or go on a boat ride along the river which i promise you is better than anything you have described above

Just my humble opinion....

Nitro-X,

That's what you get for walking around Dar. in your "DPM, SAS Smock"!!!!

Plain clothes my good man - haven't they taught you guys that stuff out there in that school in Perth yet?

Just poking fun at you!!

Jeff

Jeff

Actually it was a rock through through one of the windows. Except maybe a hundred people all thought it was a grenade and hit the deck. ALL except five stupid white mazungas.

As exciting as it can get without ending up as mincemeat in the cracks in the walls. Which is what I would have been as the "rock" (never saw it) was rolling around 5 feet in front of me among the bodies.

About the only good thing I remember about Dar was the Post Office, and they had an ice creamery. We had been living and camping rough eating simple food for several weeks so it was a nice change.

When I visited Africa to hunt, I made it a point to see as much of the local life as possible.

In Tanzania my PH had one of his staff give me a tour of DAR. He showed me downtown, we went to the coast area and had a seafood lunch at a restaurant on a dirt road. He showed me the rebuilt US Consulate. We did some shopping at several shops for Tanzanite. The good, the bad, the ugly. Watching and listening to the culture at the outside restuarant and bar at the Sea Cliff Hotel will be remembered forever.

I wrote about riding the train to the Selous in a previous post. I returned to DAR by vehicle with the PH, crossing a bridge built by the Germans in 1902. Speaking of an adventure!

While in South Africa I spent a day in Bloemfontien visiting several museums and the monument to the Women of the Boer War. Because of my interest, my PH arranged for his friend (editor for Sky News) to guide me. My cost was a wonderful dinner at a South African Steak House (great salad bar).

My point is, take advantage of your trip don't be afraid to step "outside the box". See all you can.

Can't wait to get back