Ranger Safaris, Tanzania -- Ngorongoro- Serengetti-- Manaria - Precautions
Apr 03 '01 (Updated May 02 '01)
The Bottom Line If your are using Ranger Safaris take a few simple precautions. Tanzania is Wonderful country. Visit the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara. Choose your travel operator with care.
If you are using Ranger Safaris in Tanzania learn from our bad experiences. In May 2000 a group of us travelled with our young children from Bombay India to Tanzania.
When we first arrived at Kili airport there was no one to pick us up and we had to make our way to Arusha.
Worse was still to follow -Soon after we told our driver that we wanted to buy bottled drinking water. No problem he took us to the Ranger workshop where some shifty looking characters arrived with crates demanding $3 for a bottle. Since we'd already bought some at the airport at half the price, we refused it and demanded to be taken to a supermarket we'd seen on the way.
Instead the driver "Matty" got wild and took us to a slum where we refused to get out of the wagon. He then drove at high speed to a liquor shop where he spoke to the lady in Swahili and we were still overcharged for the water. We did not want to make an issue.
Following this he drove wildly to lake Manyara often at twice the speed limit marked on the signs. Possibly to intimidate us. We often had to tell him to slow down but to no avail.The driver had quite an attitude and was rude. When we transferred back to Kenya-we gave him what he deserved - a measly tip. He exploded and said rude things about us to our next driver.
Our Kenyan driver told us he'd never seen such behaviour and in any case a tip was not mandatory.
We had left a written complaint with Ranger Safari at Arusha and when we returned home to our travel agent. Unfortunately there was no reply and our travel agent told us that they had complained to the manager Mohammed in Tanzania and the owner in London who we were told pleaded helplessness as most drivers indulged in such things. The impression we got was that the owner did not care.
Our advice : if you use Ranger safari --buy your water in Kenya if you are coming by road. Alternatively demand to be taken to a supermarket to buy something and then get water, it should cost less than $1 for a 1.5 ltr bottle. You will need at least 1.5 liters of water per person per day and bottled water is frightfully expensive in the hotels.
Another thing is to take prophylactic medication against Malaria as medical facilities are woefully inadequate in Tanzania and the disease is endemic.
The country is beautiful so it was well worth visiting despite our bad experiences with the driver. If you are not happy with your driver talk to the Manager at the hotel you are staying at they will be able to contact the agency's head-office to ask for a change of drivers.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
reformer
|
|
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.