Overland safari in Africa - which company?

than4

Hi,
OH and I are looking to go on an overland safari trip in Africa Oct/Nov this year.
We are looking at going from Nairobi-Jo'burg for about 5-6 weeks.

Our main problem is deciding which company to go with and whether to
a) pay less £'s here and more for additional activites, entry fees, food etc when we get there (budget backpacker companies such as Acacia, Absolute Africa) or
b) pay more £'s here and have more included, thus paying less on the trip (Kuoni, Dragoman etc).

Overall, the amount you end up paying looks about the same, but I think you pay for things in US$ in Africa, so currency fluctuations could be an issue?

If anyone has any feedback on these companies or our dilema it would be much appreciated. Also any advice on the best way to carry and/or access money whilst travelling would also help.

Thanks

Arkright007

Have a look at the Intrepid.com UOW tour. I have travelled with the company before (in Russia, Mongolia and China) and found them good value for money. You need to take in consideration the local payment you have to make to the company guide for the tour.

I'm going on the Nairobi to Jo'burg tour in July so if you've not booked anything by then I can give you a report.

littlestar1981

If I was picking between your options I would chose a) as b) makes your trip quite rigid and you might discover other options / things you can visit along the way then not have the flexibility to do it. This makes for more difficult budgeting but IMHO is worth it. I would definitely keep it flexible... perhaps looking into doing the whole thing DIY! It might seem scary but it's not once you get there and realise how accessible things are once you have done the research.

I have looked at Absolute Africa before and it looks good but I haven't used them. Try gap year forums or lonely planet site to try and get more info on local safari companies (so Nairobi based ones) as opposed to ones based in the UK.... when I went to Tanzania we used a company called Masumin Tours for a trip to the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater and this was much cheaper than the UK based organisations.

For bigger things such as safaris and hotels US$ is probably better, the alternative is the local currency but some are closed currencies (can only be obtained in country) and you lose out twice.. firstly changing GBP to US$ then changing that to the local currency... also US$ will be easier as you can use that through each of the countries you'll travel.