Tanzania Travel Suggestions
 

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are trying to finalize our travel arrangements to Tanzania in May and we've become a little overwhelmed to say the least. The tour group we are going on is originating in Arusha and will be concluding in Zanzibar. Does anyone have any travel suggestions or hints in how we can get from NYC to these locations? We've looked into flying directly to JRO from Europe as well as flying through Nairobi and connecting to JRO. Any hints or help would be greatly appreciated. So far, we've been quoted at $1700 for all the flights (British Airways) but I have no idea if this is a good deal or not! Thanks!

Well if you search for Arusha, you would see this very recent thread discussing how to get there from Nairobi. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/afric...bi-arusha.html

It's a very easy drive. You can get a driver to take you, or take a bus or rent your own car if you will be coming back to Nairobi. As for airfare to Nairobi from NYC, it's only about $800 each on TK which is a good airline in the Star Alliance. Or $1300 on Virgin.

You could get a cheap one-way flight from Zanzibar back to Nairobi and perhaps enjoy a couple days there in a nice hotel before you fly back.

Here's a link to a different view about travel to Kenya.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_923.html

Ah, the Kenyan border with Somalia is in the opposite direction from Tanzania.

True. Not to mention those State Dept warning are always way over the top.

The warning pays a good deal of well-deserved atttention to the Somali border, but also discusses Nairobi and Kenya in general.

"Violent and sometimes fatal criminal attacks, including armed carjackings, home invasions/burglaries and kidnappings can occur at any time and in any location, particularly in Nairobi. As recently as spring 2010, U.S. nationals were victims of carjacking and kidnapping. In the short-term, the continued displacement of thousands of people by the civil unrest of 2008 combined with endemic poverty and the availability of weapons could result in an increase in crime, both petty and violent. Kenyan authorities have limited capacity to deter or investigate such acts or prosecute perpetrators. "

Another post in this thread suggests Nairobi as a good romantic destination.

It's good to have warning, but you should keep it in perspective. You could just as easily and correctly say

"Violent and sometimes fatal criminal attacks, including armed carjackings, home invasions/burglaries and kidnappings can occur at any time and in any location, particularly in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Miami. As recently as spring 2010, U.S. nationals were victims of carjacking and kidnapping. In the short-term, the continued displacement of thousands of people by endemic poverty and the availability of weapons could result in an increase in crime, both petty and violent. US authorities have limited capacity to deter or investigate such acts or prosecute perpetrators."

I spend a good part of each year in Nairobi and feel just as safe as I do in any US city. Enjoy yourself, but be aware of your surroundings. It's a great place.