Tanzania Safari - Private Tour

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €342.20pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

To enter Tanzania, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least one blank page.

You will require a tourist visa to enter Tanzania, apply for an “e-visa” online before you travel or on arrival. The visa may take a while to be issued and there are certain requirements that must be completed so please make sure if you choose this option you do it well in advance of your travel date, it is valid for a 90 day single entry stay from the date of arrival in to Tanzania.

Upon arrival, you will also be asked to fill in a declaration form before going through customs.

We work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. When calling the Travel Visa Company, they will advise you of any changes to the fees or the procedure, they will also advise you of all information they will require in order to apply for the visa. We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding these.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

This tour is accessible to most people with an average level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves full days of sightseeing, often on foot and includes some hiking, climbing of stairs and getting on and off 4X4 vehicles. Many of the roads in Tanzania are unpaved and so journeys can sometimes be long and bumpy. Please note that this tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

The currency in Tanzania is the Tanzanian Shilling (Tsh) but USD ($) is also widely accepted. Credit cards are not widely accepted and some establishments only accept Tanzanian Shillings, so it is advisable to have cash in both currencies. There will be access to ATMs in most major cities (not available in the reserves) where you will be able to withdraw money in the local currency.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take money with you to cover any personal purchases such as souvenirs, laundry, any meals not included in the itinerary as well as drinks and any additional snacks. We recommend you take a minimum of GBP £200 per person. It is a good idea to try and maintain a supply of small notes and change in either the local currency or US Dollars for tipping or small purchases.

Tipping

It is at your discretion to tip your driver/guide, waiters, porters, and housekeepers. We recommend tipping approximately $2 per person per day for waiters, porters, and housekeepers and $7 per person per day for your driver/guide. This is a total of $56 per person to budget for tips on your trip for the driver/guide plus extra for the other staff. Tips are accepted US dollars ($).

In Tanzania, guests will be met by drivers who are fully trained as driver guides with a wide knowledge of each destination.

Private Tour: If you have booked a private tour then you will be accompanied by a Driver Guide or a Driver and Local Guides. These will be available to you during all scheduled sightseeing. Private Tours can depart on any day of the week depending on flight and train schedules and the opening days of the attractions. They will follow the itinerary as described in the brochure unless you have been advised otherwise and you will still have all of the same meals, sightseeing and local excursions included.

Throughout your tour, you will travel in an adapted safari vehicle that is for both open road driving as well as safaris.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to camps. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and Tanzania. All group tour hotels have private bathroom facilities, other facilities differ depending on the accommodation. The safari lodges may also have restrictions on electricity accessibility at certain times of the day. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.

Western and international food will be served however some establishments will serve traditional meals giving you a chance to experience local flavours. Vegetarian and Vegan options available, please request prior to departure. Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Please note that on some days, lunch will be a packed lunch to enjoy whilst on safari.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way, so to ensure your comfort and well-being, two bottles of drinking water will be provided on touring days.

The Government of Tanzania has banned all plastic carrier bags from being brought into, used, or sold in Mainland Tanzania. Visitors should not pack or carry plastic bags in their luggage. Disposal desks are available at all entry points for any bags brought inadvertently.

Exceptions include plastic packaging used for medical, industrial, construction, agricultural, food, sanitary, and waste‑management purposes. Zip‑lock toiletry bags are allowed, as they stay in the traveller’s possession and are not disposed of in the country.

For more information, contact: ps@vpo.go.tz / +255 685 333 444 / +255 743 715 62.

On your arrival at Kilimanjaro airport youll be met by a representative from our local agent in Tanzania holding a sign displaying ‘Mercury Holidays’. The representative will transfer you to your hotel on arrival where you will spend your first night. There will be a guide with you throughout the tour and will be able to answer any queries you may have.

If you need to contact your representative during your stay the details are:

African Eagle: P.O box 7268 Uhuru Rd, Arusha – Tanzania Telephone Number 00255-679-737 609 E-mail: operations@ae.co.tz

Emergency contact information: Please find below the emergency contact details 24 hour: +254 733 603 500

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Camera and charger
• Binoculars
• Small day pack for excursions
• Personal first aid kit containing travel pills, rehydration powder, plasters, stomach settlers, antiseptic creams, aspirin etc
• Sunscreen, insect repellent & wide-brimmed hat
• Waterproof, lightweight jacket, lightweight clothing, sweater & swimwear
• Plug types – D & G and 230V