Dave wrote:
> OK - let's talk about it. The Guide/driver with you doesn't get that
money.
> They're paid a salary of no more than $250 - $300 a month and depend on
tips...
> Bottom line: the safari business in east Africa is really a transportation
> business - and you should always choose an operator that is good at it.
Dave,
Thank you very much for patiently (and not snarkily) explaining this to me.
I had no idea that the vehicles were that expensive, nor that the majority
of travel in them was not on "roads" as I would know them (I figured mostly
not in the parks, but assumed that the roads between Arusha and the northern
parks were in halfway decent condition).
I have never been anywhere near Africa so have no idea what it is like, and
apologize for my ignorance. Based on treks in other developing countries,
and the fact that a safari in India costs about $40 a day, plus say another
$25 for accomadation (pp), I had thought the $175 for Tanzania unreasonably
high.
I think it is obvious that the wildlife will be better in Tanzania. It is
my dream to watch giraffes on the Serengeti so I had planned to go anyway.
Not having understood all of the costs invovled I had thought that the
safari business was just grabbing money from tourists and I was just hoping
that there were cheaper options. I see now that the prices quoted are
reasonable based on all the costs involved.
Thank you again for your explanation. If you have any recommendations for
mid-range safari operators I would appreciate them. I am interested in the
Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, and figure I would need 5 days to see these
properly (please advise if this is not correct). Not sure what season we
would go in (trip route is dependant on what is happening with the
Pakistani-Indian border), but am planning to go 2005 or early 2006.
Liz
Liz
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