1. Who may attend this trip?
--Any Flint Hill student in grades 9-12. They must stay with the chaperoned group the whole time.
--Parents of these FH students
--Additional siblings of these FH students. These additional siblings must remain under the supervision of their parents. This trip may not be suitable for young students because of the long days with long periods of time spent in the vehicles.
2. The dates are not set in stone yet because nothing has been reserved, but we are planning to fly out of Dulles Airport on March 16 and arrive back home on March 26.
3. A deposit of $1500 will be required by August 30. If we do not have enough deposits by then, we may lose our trip, or the price may go up. Because we are booking our flights as a group, and the minimum group size is 10 (including chaperones), we will need at least 8 participants for this trip to run. We are booking our flights as a group because if there is a flight delay or cancellation, they will rebook us together on the same flight. If we book as individuals, we might not end up on the same flight; and we need to avoid the possibility of students flying without a chaperone present.
4. The cost of the trip varies depending on the number of participants. Price is expected to be in the $10,000 to $12,000 range, not including airfare, tips. travel insurance, visa, personal expenses. See below for what is, and what is not, included the price. Also it is important to know that the price for students younger than 16 is about $1600 less per person.
The Safari price includes:
a) All meals and accommodations from dinner upon arrival to dinner before departure
b) All park, camping and concession fees
c) All local traveling including transfers and the flight from the Arusha to Serengeti
d) All activities listed in the itinerary
e) All game drives with private vehicles/safari guides and unlimited daily mileage
f) Soft drinks/bottled water and snacks in the vehicles on game drives. And most beverages at meals in the Karibu tented camps.
g) VIP arrival services (This will help us get through customs faster.)
h) Membership in AMREF Flying Doctors (emergency medical evacuation to Nairobi Hospital, not to USA)
i) Beans for photography bags (I will tell you about this later).
j) Laundry at the Karibu tented camps
Price DOES NOT include:
International airfare. Airfare was $1800 last time I checked with the travel agent.
Travel Insurance
Tips/gratuities for safari guides and accommodation staff (The Unique Safaris information sheets in #11 below provide suggestions on this)
Beverages and laundry at Gran Melia, Arusha (first and last day)
Items of a personal nature such as souvenirs, etc.
Any changes made to the program once in Tanzania
Any costs associated with flight delays or cancellations
Single Supplement. Let Mr. Atwood know ASAP if you want a single room.
5. You will need a passport valid for at least 6 months after our return.
6. You will need to purchase a visa for Tanzania. Information about this in the Unique Safaris infosheet in #11 below . Cost is $100
7. The leader of the trip is Mr. Fred Atwood. He has led several Unique Safaris Eco/Photo trips to Tanzania in his 34+ years at FH. We will also have a female faculty member as a co-leader.
8 . Vaccinations: It is best to consult your own doctor and read the Unique Safari's info sheet about this, and about protection from insect and tick bites.
--Be sure tetanus is up to date, and consider getting hepatitis A and Typhoid vaccinations.
--Some doctors will also recommend Malaria prevention medication. They will probably want to look at our itinerary to determine whether to prescribe Malaria preventatives and to let you know the best type of medication for the strains of Malaria in Tanzania. Caution: One Malaria medicine, Doxycycline, makes people very sensitive to the sun, and we will be exposed to a lot of sun.
9. We will always be eating at places that are very careful in their food preparations.
10. Travel Insurance: You are required to purchase sufficient insurance. We do not endorse any particular travel insurance company. This website has been very useful in the past for comparing plans and trying to find the best deal: https://www.squaremouth.com
11. Further information sheets from Unique Safaris have been linked below. Later, I will add some additional information sheets about photography, rules, emergency contact information, and information about our driver guides.
Safari Planner and Guide https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FKbBkGogz4b3ZMbvaYi9Ew4yBwEACbyH/view?usp=sharing
Requirements for International Travel to Tanzania https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cDuPJ3bK6v9H1jkmemUTTDsGPjMu68vq/view?usp=sharing