About to bail on Tanzania--where to go next week instead?
May 1, 2019 8:32 AM Subscribe
My partner and I were supposed to fly out this Saturday for a two-week trip to Tanzania. Turns out it's going to thunderstorm nonstop for the entire time, ruling out a lot of our plans. I'm looking to the great minds of AskMefi to see if we can find an alternate international destination! Details inside.
We're looking for an experience. We're both mid-20s, experienced travelers, and willing to go off the beaten path and/or out of our comfort zone. We're happy to do the backpacking life but are a kind of over hostel dorms. We loved the mix of wildlife/nature, beach time, cultural experiences, and diving that Tanzania offered, but none of those are 100% required. More suggestions like these would be awesome.
Collectively, we've been to: Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Switzerland, Belize, Costa Rica, France, UK, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Barbados, Bahamas, Italy, Japan, Iceland, Turkey, & Jordan. I'd return to Turkey and Belize.
Musts:
We're looking for an experience. We're both mid-20s, experienced travelers, and willing to go off the beaten path and/or out of our comfort zone. We're happy to do the backpacking life but are a kind of over hostel dorms. We loved the mix of wildlife/nature, beach time, cultural experiences, and diving that Tanzania offered, but none of those are 100% required. More suggestions like these would be awesome.
Collectively, we've been to: Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Switzerland, Belize, Costa Rica, France, UK, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Barbados, Bahamas, Italy, Japan, Iceland, Turkey, & Jordan. I'd return to Turkey and Belize.
Musts:
- A destination serviced by Turkish Air out of Boston
- Outside of North America
- Somewhere with either Visa on Arrival or no visa for Americans
- Not exorbitantly expensive--ideally under $3000 total for the two of us (excluding flights)
- Decent weather next week--happy to walk around in the rain, don't love getting swamped by thunderstorms while trying to relax on a beach
- Somewhere unusual--we've done a lot of western Europe and would like something unique for this trip
- Opportunities for cool photography! Love festivals, hikes, cool markets, etc.
- Some opportunities to relax (as we were going to in Zanzibar), but mostly active
Is it thunderstorm "Thunderstorms in the afternoon, tropical style" or is it "People there are actively telling us not to go because of the weather," because if its the first, I'd still go. Thunderstorms are really hard to forecast like that.
I was just in Mexico and that was the forecast when we left, and it ended up with only one day impacted by rain.
Otherwise- Georgia doesn't require a Visa, and Turkey is Visa on Arrival, and Eastern Turkey is not European-like the way Istanbul and beaches in Western Europe could be.
India - E-Visa requires four days to process.
posted by JPD at 9:13 AM on May 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
I was just in Mexico and that was the forecast when we left, and it ended up with only one day impacted by rain.
Otherwise- Georgia doesn't require a Visa, and Turkey is Visa on Arrival, and Eastern Turkey is not European-like the way Istanbul and beaches in Western Europe could be.
India - E-Visa requires four days to process.
posted by JPD at 9:13 AM on May 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
What part of Tanzania were you going to? It’s s big country, it isn’t thunderstorming everywhere for two weeks!
You could head down to Mtwara (diving at Msimbati or Mikindani). Kilwa for history. Pemba/Zanzibar have totally different weather patterns to the mainland too. Go to one of the less popular reserves like Ruaha.
Probably a lot cheaper than Arusha too...
posted by tinkletown at 9:15 AM on May 1, 2019
You could head down to Mtwara (diving at Msimbati or Mikindani). Kilwa for history. Pemba/Zanzibar have totally different weather patterns to the mainland too. Go to one of the less popular reserves like Ruaha.
Probably a lot cheaper than Arusha too...
posted by tinkletown at 9:15 AM on May 1, 2019
Or Botswana? Their rainy season should be over by now.
posted by tinkletown at 9:32 AM on May 1, 2019
posted by tinkletown at 9:32 AM on May 1, 2019
Turkish Airlines only flies to Istanbul from Boston, so presumably you mean anywhere that Turkish Airlines serves from Istanbul?
May in mainland southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, parts of Vietnam) is at the very beginning of the rainy season, but if you're leaving very soon it won't be that rainy yet, although it will be extremely hot. The cost of living and traveling is fairly low once you get there, and it's pretty different from Western Europe. From the point of view of culture and relaxation it can be as Western-friendly high-end resort as you want it to be or very off the beaten path, as Southeast Asia has a very wide and diverse tourist sector.
Thailand is visa-free for Americans; Laos and Cambodia have visa on arrival, and I believe Vietnam as well. Obviously check on this!
Finally, I also second the thunderstorm question. I assume (hopefully) when you were planning that you were aware that May falls in the "long rain" rainy season throughout much of Tanzania, so I am also wondering if this is like "extreme historic rainy season predicted" or normal tropical thunderstorms, which do not tend to rain all day, 24/7 for weeks on end in most tropical climates.
posted by andrewesque at 9:33 AM on May 1, 2019
May in mainland southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, parts of Vietnam) is at the very beginning of the rainy season, but if you're leaving very soon it won't be that rainy yet, although it will be extremely hot. The cost of living and traveling is fairly low once you get there, and it's pretty different from Western Europe. From the point of view of culture and relaxation it can be as Western-friendly high-end resort as you want it to be or very off the beaten path, as Southeast Asia has a very wide and diverse tourist sector.
Thailand is visa-free for Americans; Laos and Cambodia have visa on arrival, and I believe Vietnam as well. Obviously check on this!
Finally, I also second the thunderstorm question. I assume (hopefully) when you were planning that you were aware that May falls in the "long rain" rainy season throughout much of Tanzania, so I am also wondering if this is like "extreme historic rainy season predicted" or normal tropical thunderstorms, which do not tend to rain all day, 24/7 for weeks on end in most tropical climates.
posted by andrewesque at 9:33 AM on May 1, 2019
Damn -- it looks like Uganda no longer does visa on arrival, but that was my recommendation. Maybe a future trip -- definitely keep it in mind! It's a fascinating country.
Seconding Turkey, then! I see you've been before, but Istanbul is just so glorious, you know? And if you haven't traveled beyond there, that's an option as well.
I've been looking at Romania and Georgia for a vacation; both countries have a ton to do and are very inexpensive to travel within. I'm a bit sad I have to put my vacation off for another year, they're just lovely places to go.
posted by kalimac at 9:37 AM on May 1, 2019
Seconding Turkey, then! I see you've been before, but Istanbul is just so glorious, you know? And if you haven't traveled beyond there, that's an option as well.
I've been looking at Romania and Georgia for a vacation; both countries have a ton to do and are very inexpensive to travel within. I'm a bit sad I have to put my vacation off for another year, they're just lovely places to go.
posted by kalimac at 9:37 AM on May 1, 2019
Meteorologist here. What JPD said. In the tropics, any variations from the typical seasonal weather are nearly impossible to forecast more than a day or two in advance (unless there is a tropical storm coming, which there isn't). In the tropical countries I've visited, weather forecasts aren't a thing. The ones found online are for the benefit of visitors. In most cases, they are not of any more value than the climatological values, at least beyond 48 hours. So, in other words, I wouldn't make a big change of plans based on a forecast.
posted by jkent at 10:35 AM on May 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by jkent at 10:35 AM on May 1, 2019 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Have you been to Cappadocia in Turkey? It's got this crazy cool moonscape thing going on with "fairy chimneys" made of rock, you can take a hot air balloon ride, there's an underground city, cave hotels, and tons of history. Here's one traveler's photo gallery. Weather for the next 2 weeks looks pretty reasonable, partly sunny with a few showers.
posted by danceswithlight at 2:17 PM on May 1, 2019
posted by danceswithlight at 2:17 PM on May 1, 2019
Best answer: Georgia
Georgia
Georgia
Turkish flies to Tbilisi. Current weather forecast is mostly 70s/80s for the next two weeks. It is stupidly beautiful. The food is amazing. So is the wine. There is tons and tons and tons of hiking. (Seriously: so much hiking.) The cities are great: beautiful old Tbilisi, wacky architecture in Batumi, ancient monasteries outside Kutaisi. Batumi has a (rocky) beach! Getting around is a fun adventure. People are so friendly, especially to North Americans. It is so cheap (spacious airbnbs with all the amenities in the heart of the capital: ~$30 a night, motels with aircon in smaller towns: ~$15 a night, inter-city minibus trips: ~$3-15). Did I mention the food.
I've probably already said this on Metafilter but ever since we came back we've been joking that we work for the Georgian tourism ministry now. It's so amazing. It's so good and so fun and so delicious and so cheap. We were there in miserable sweltering 95° weather and we still loved it. Go to Georgia
posted by goodbyewaffles at 4:40 PM on May 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Georgia
Georgia
Turkish flies to Tbilisi. Current weather forecast is mostly 70s/80s for the next two weeks. It is stupidly beautiful. The food is amazing. So is the wine. There is tons and tons and tons of hiking. (Seriously: so much hiking.) The cities are great: beautiful old Tbilisi, wacky architecture in Batumi, ancient monasteries outside Kutaisi. Batumi has a (rocky) beach! Getting around is a fun adventure. People are so friendly, especially to North Americans. It is so cheap (spacious airbnbs with all the amenities in the heart of the capital: ~$30 a night, motels with aircon in smaller towns: ~$15 a night, inter-city minibus trips: ~$3-15). Did I mention the food.
I've probably already said this on Metafilter but ever since we came back we've been joking that we work for the Georgian tourism ministry now. It's so amazing. It's so good and so fun and so delicious and so cheap. We were there in miserable sweltering 95° weather and we still loved it. Go to Georgia
posted by goodbyewaffles at 4:40 PM on May 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Seconding (thirding?) Kyrgyzstan if you want natural beauty of horse riding or mountain trekking. But if you want cultural depth I strongly recommend Uzbekistan. We added it as lark to our last trip to Kyrgyzstan, and absolutely loved it. Insanely deep layers and layers of history and architecture. Amazingly developed infrastructure (esp compared to Kyrgyzstan), making travel very easy. Great food and shopping (again esp in comparison). And not yet overrun with tourists. It’s at the sweet spot for me. And no visa required for many countries, and easy e-visa for most of the others. Go now before it gets too discovered!
posted by NotAlwaysSo at 5:05 AM on May 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by NotAlwaysSo at 5:05 AM on May 4, 2019 [1 favorite]
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