i'm thinking african safari-who has been and can recommend?

[Speedy]

Interesting thread. Thanks!

[Buzz]

My friends recommended International Expeditions and Wilderness Travel as their two favorite "first/starter trip" tour operators for Africa. They said IE was more comfy and mainstream, while WT got a bit further off the beaten track. I misspoke earlier, turns out they're doing a Uganda gig in Sep/Oct, not a bit later as I had thought. They did say that both IE and WT have reasonably priced tours, as you say, whatever that means...
They've gone on smaller, more photo-centric tours that have been both more and less "reasonable" than IE and WT. I trust their judgment on world travel issues, especially Africa.
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[DeusxMac]

Guess I'll join in the photo display; on Tanzania's behalf (just a tiny fraction of all the photos we took, just animals here)...

[richorlin]

If money is tight, then have a look at Gate1travel.com
They have budget safaris to Africa that include airfare at reasonable prices. The only problem I have with them is that their trips usually include several days in Capetown. I don't want to sit around drinking SA wine in a city, no matter where it is, so it doesn't interest me. I have several friends who have used Gate1 for trips and they say it's very good, if the itinerary meets your needs. Also, very reliable.

EDIT: right after I hit "post", I noticed an email from Gate1 with this trip listed:
https://www.gate1travel.com/thedeal/1707...ce=thedeal&utm_medium=email&utm_term=170703&utm_campaign=southafrica&advid=bcf4f562-1643-4ff7-c347-98672d525e26