Over the last month we have been working with some partners to add the first packages on our newly launched platform. The team is now solely focused on this and signing up more and more hotels, tour companies across Tanzania. I wanted to highlight some of our exciting packages available. These 3 packages represent some of the best of what Tanzania has to offer in about 2-3 weeks back-to-back trip typical of tourist visit stay. Fly into Dar es Salaam or Kilimanjaro airport and then use our booking flight search module to find a connection.

Once in Kilimanjaro/Arusha, one can start with a Safari adventure- this package offers best of the northern circuit starting, the package includes 3 parks and spans a total of 6 days- you will experience Tarangire,  Serengeti and Ngorongoro National Parks at $1,400 per person in an affordable camping format so you get a sense of true adventure.

Kilimanjaro is a much sought after challenge for the most adventurous of travelers- we currently have listed 2 complete hiking packages that are inclusive except for tip and personal equipment (which can further be hired). The Machame route (7 days with a minimum group of 5 people is at $1,800 per person) or if you are worried about altitude sickness and want more time to aclimitize, we added a 9 day option via the Lemosho Route for only $300 more per person at $2,100. Both packages are are challenging and offer stunning scenery- best times to climb Kilimanjaro are between July-October, Dec-February- we will write more on our blog about Kilimanjaro tips and preparations soon.

The only way to end an adventure  is to finish at the beach- That’s when this  ideal Zanzibar package comes in for those who want to combine diving and relaxing at one of the best beaches in Tanzania. Amaan Bungalows for 3 nights and get 4 dives from Sensation Divers from $406 per person, if you are more experienced diver and want more peace and quiet (Nungwi is very popular), you may want to check out the Pemba diving near Misali Island package for the same duration (3 nights, 4 dives staying at the scenic Misali Beach in Pemba, Zanzibar’s sister island) at $506 per person.

We will be adding many more packages that show the best, most popular as well as hidden gems of Tanzania. Sign up for our newsletter and like or Facebook Page to keep updated. We allow you to book and pay directly on our site for each package as well the flights, ferry transfers.

One of the things that many of our users have been telling us is the inability to communicate with experts on the ground before booking a package such as safari. Many websites waste a lot of time by creating a back and forth system starting with a “request quote” and then confirming payment details over some other manner- this helps tailor the safari but the process is just too cumbersome. We’d rather create the widest range of packages through itineraries and then sell, price them competitively and allow a faster and more convenient payment process directly on our site. We want to bring transparency and efficiency to the East Africa travel booking process without compromising customer service- after all a Serengeti safari is not the same as a flight ticket .

We understand that when a traveller has never been to Tanzania and is confronted with making a complex and large booking package, they may want to communicate with our team to ask questions and further refine, customize and validate their booking before clicking the “submit”button.

We have listened and responded to this important feedback early- we have tested and will be integrating a chat window on each package, so that when you want to ask any questions with a Yellow Masai agent you can using the chat window at the bottom hand corner. Below we have tested it on the recently uploaded Tarangire Safari, but will roll out across all and future packages as well as in the final checkout screen.

The chat service is powered by Olark. It allows us to deploy this service across the site reliably and access on our phone or computer.

It is like having your very own travel agent to discuss your options except with the convenience and interactivity of the internet. And because the Yellow Masai team is distributed in USA and Tanzania, 11-12 hour time difference, there is a very good chance you will encounter a member of the team no matter where you happen to be booking from. We strive for the best customer services as we realize how important it is to get your trip just right- enjoy!

I have recently been using Quora to answer questions related to Tanzania and Africa in general. Quite a few have emerged around Safari experiences. I thought I would post one of the answers I recently gave.

I also recommend looking at these other related questions:

Is it easy for a newbie to climb Kilimanjaro?
Which are the best countries to visit for a first time visit in Africa?- Tanzania comes well recommended

I would stay clear and avoid the “northern circuit” which has all the famous parks including Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Kilimanjaro and is very, very busy with tourists.

I would recommened Selous Games Reserve http://tanzaniatouristboard.com/… , the biggest wildlife protected area in Africa, it is bigger than some countries inc. Rwanda and Switzerland! It is more remote, unspoilt and offers a safari equivalent to the old days without the convoy of tourists. It also offers a mix of activities beyond just sitting in a 4X4 vehicle for hours, in addition to a game drive, you can also go on a river boat safari down the Rufiji or go on a walking safari (hike) with an armed game ranger! I even once was at a natural hotspring where the game ranger was guarding us and few other from Lions whilst we bathed- if that’s not safari adventure, I don’t know what is!
Downside is that it will cost you- Selous Safaris are not cheap (and not that accessible), infact the Game Reserve is famous for upscale big game hunting- whether you like this or not, the park exists because the hunting model is more sustainable (higher revenue/tourist with less human environmental impact) than a mass tourism model such as in effect in the north of Tanzania and into Kenya requiring more roads, hotels and infrastructure that is destructive to the wildlife in the longterm ( a lesson Kenya learnt too late, and Tanzania in time to save parks like the Selous). That being said, poaching for ivory is back in a big way in Selous, so it remains to be seen if the sizable elephant populations can be saved in time-http://www.savetheelephants.org/…

Photography is great at Selous- And a flickr set of my Selous photos from 2 years ago- http://www.flickr.com/photos/469…
But in reality, some of the best photos you can take for a beginner photographer is in Ngorongoro Crater where all the wildlife is easily visible and quite tame. In Selous it’s challenging since they can be quite far and hidden in bushes, and will often runaway- it depends how competent you are and what kind of photos you are looking for. Selous is great for birdlife photography especially when you take an evening river boat safari. Selous is also great viewing for Lions, but also the rare African hunting (wild) dog- to which there are only some 3,000 left worldwide, 2,000 in the Selous Game Reserve.
Places I would recommend to stay in the Selous:

• Budget to medium end- http://www.jimbizalodges.com/ (locatedjust outside the park gate, must factor in 1hr time to go into park for game drives. By the river so perfect for riverboat safaris)
• High end- http://www.behobeho.com/

Another park that is also worth visiting in the south is the Ruaha National Park- also less tourists and is less expensive that Selous Game Reserve- a great pair of parks to do if you have the time and money though.

Last week, Yellow Masai had it’s first retreat at the Ndarakwai ranch on west Kilimanjaro- the setting was spectacular and dreamy to say the least, and there is no better place to have a meeting- we invited our marketing colleagues from Raspak design in Dar es Salaam who are handling our marketing services as well as other friends just for good measure - because they could not resist such a unique travel opportunity. We discussed all aspects of the business and the team embraced the challenges ahead in building East Africa’s travel Portal. We also got to meet some key partners inc. the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) and the Tanzania Tourism Board, who were extremely helpful and encouraged by our plans and approach- the best thing about these meeting was the level of open-ness to data sharing, which is critical in helping both travelers and Yellow Masai succeed. We also met a few Kilimanjaro tour operators,being one of East Africa’s biggest tourist attractions- the Yellow Masai team needed to understand the client-relationships and business processes behind putting together a tour to best be able to tweak our online platform to benefit all parties involved- we are about to enter testing and have recruited 10 tours, hotels to work so far- we hope to inc. an airline too.

One of the clearest lessons was reaffirming our assumptions of the need to change the way travel is search,discovered and booked within Tanzania. A few things still stand out that Yellow Masai will address:

Over reliance on physical travel agents for domestic flights: This is a big headache for travels since travel agents do not always have agreements with all the airlines and tours (their size and model make means they have to specialize), they are also not present 24/7 to book your flight or tour in the face of little seats especially in the  high season when hours and even minutes can mean the difference between getting a booking or not. The other issue is cost- why should one pay $40 additional to a $80 ticket for very little value add? Precisionair is now charging travel agents 30,000 TZS ($25) for priviledge to book tickets! this means a very high margin needed for travel agents to sustain themselves if they are not efficient- tickets end up being over 50% more than booking direct from the airline and only adds to the total cost of a tourists package.

Fragmented Travel: When Tourists travel, they are not concerned by just the flight, hotel or tour- but the whole package- there is not enough information sharing between the different parties delivering the different travel services to make the travelers life easier- this coordination makes connections a pain, from having an affordable and trustworthy driver meet you to take you to your hotel or safari tour to being able to pay only one party at one time rather than 4 at different points of travel and hence always having to rely on having cash on hand. Whilst we believe in being adventurous- sometimes certainty and coordination in travel is necessary in order that you don’t miss international flights or key tour when a tourist has maybe a week of time to enjoy their holidays. Business travelers always want certainty!

Global approach and communication flows: One can’t help but notice when you board a flight from Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar and then onto Dar es Salaam- the diversity of travelers on the flight- at one point, a french family almost got on the wrong flight because they did not understand which flight they were meant to be on due to the itinerary and boarding pass and the focus on only the English language. Zanzibar has almist 50% of travelers originating from Italy- and given Tanzania’s colonial heritage- Germany is also a major market for Tanzania travel. American foundations and NGO workers originating from the Gates and Clinton foundations are spending months at a time traveling around East Africa delivering their work. Then there is China, with their ever thirst for business and leisure in Africa, that segment is only set to grow more and more. Many agents, airlines and tours have yet to adapt to this globalization- given Tanzania’s global appeal- this trend is only set to continue as the country cross 1 million annual tourists.

Discovery of new places and hence travel options is low: As the Yellow Masai team were being hosted in Arusha- a centre of the northern circuit travel scene, little did we know how many different hotels were available at rock bottom prices- many brand new and in operations only a few months with clean rooms with running hot water. Taxi’s did not even know where these new hotels are- Ruth, a Yellow Masai employee who had recently moved to Arusha and is working on signing up hotels and tours in the region was the one who knew about this affordable and friendly hotel Point View hotel, but has yet to have an online presence. Some places are famous but really difficult to find, such as the Khan’s the indian BBQ that attracts tourists and local alike, but is is down an alley.In the era of google maps, why isn’t this place clearly marked? Travellers focus on well known brand names is understandable, but during high season, many a fully booked. All this limits the potential of the travel market and hence the satisfaction of travelers when it comes to providing a variety of easy to discover options.

Yellow Masai hopes to solve all these challenges and is looking forward to “putting it all together” in a way that delights travelers in the region. The most encouraging signs during the trip was the connectedness of every business- I found wifi internet in the most unlikely of places and the small kilimanjaro tour provider had a PC with e-mail- this is key for Yellow Masai’s mission.

Negotiations with several villages surrounding the Tanzania Tarangire National Park has resulted in at least three of the villages agreeing to re-demarcate the boundaries, relocate and give their land to the park in order to make it possible for  Tarangire to be enlarged.
http://www.tanzaniainvest.com/tanzania-tourism-and-travel/news/380-tanzania-tarangire-national-park-set-to-expand

The media is buzzing with another debate- and that is the developments of the proposed Serengeti Highway that has the western world gasping at the potential devastating effects to the ecosystem. The Serengeti is a unique area in the world, a recognized UNESCO World Heritage site and an important attraction to the tourism economy- not to mention the effect it might have on Kenya’s Masai Mara to the north of the Serengeti should migrations be disrupted by this.

Whilst we respect the Government of Tanzania’ eventual decision to make the right one regarding the benefit of Tanzania as whole following well researched feasibility studies (these should be made public for the world to see), it is clear that the global public anger at this grows louder with each passing day- once mainstream media begins covering it then the they will be in even more pressure to at-least reconsider it’s alternatives. The Serengeti and the entire northern circuit area is one of the main draws to Tanzania tourism, and the eventual decision would put it at risk- some of the effects man has on nature are often irreversible, and this would be if the consequences are negative.

Best way to stay connected to this issue is to follow this facebook group

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