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| DAY 1
- ARUSHA
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Upon arrival into Kilimanjaro International Airport and after clearing customs and immigration, you will be met by and transferred to the Kigongoni Lodge. This beautiful small lodge is located on an historic 70-acre coffee farm near Arusha, amid natural forest. Set upon a hilltop with lush gardens, the lodge offers breathtaking views of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru. Tucked between the trees are fourteen cottages, built in traditional African styles and materials. The rooms, cocktail lounge, and restaurant - all with fireplaces – are furnished in an intimate and comfortable manner, maximizing the site’s unique views and natural features. Relax for the evening before beginning your safari the next morning.
Overnight
- Overnight – Kigongoni Lodge |
| DAY 2
- ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
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After breakfast you will be met by your private safari guide and depart for Arusha National Park for your first game drive. Set between the slopes of Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro this small park is one of Tanzania’s hidden gems and one of the few places where you will have a good chance to see the rare Black & White Colobus monkeys, which inhabit the Ngurdoto Forest. The parks contains a series of shimmering alkaline lakes, which attract large flocks of flamingo’s and a variety of birds, along with elephant, buffalo, zebra, gazelle, wart hog, hippo and an amazing number of giraffe. The rare black rhino is also found here. One of the highlights of today’s game drive is a short walk to a viewing area overlooking the miniature Ngurdoto Crater, which is completely reserved for the animals, so no one is allowed to go down into it. From high above the tiny dots that appear on the crater floor are actually huge Buffalo, that feed in the marsh grasses.
Overnight
- Kigongoni Lodge (all meals & activities) |
| DAYS 3/4
- TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
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This morning after breakfast you will depart for Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s third largest. Here you’ll find a geologic landscape as diverse as the wildlife, with nine distinct vegetation zones ranging from grassland to woodland, from deep gully vegetation to scattered rocky hilltops. Ancient Baobab trees dot the landscape dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. The Tarangire River, that meanders through the park attracts an abundance of wildlife, from elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, zebra, giraffe and numerous antelope to a variety of colorful birds. Your accommodations for the next two nights will be at Maramboi Camp. This is a small luxury camp set on a 2,000 acre private wildlife concession in the migratory corridor between Lake Manyara and Tarangire – just 20 minutes drive from the entry gate. The 10 large walk-in tents are set on wooden platforms and there is a dining boma. Each tent has full ensuite facilities and 24hr, 22Volt solar power and a swimming pool. Activities include wildlife viewing in the park and walking with Maasai guides and visiting nearby Datoga and Maasai villages. After lunch you will enjoy an afternoon game drive or walk followed by drinks around the fire before dinner.
Overnight
- Maramboi Camp (all meals & activities) |
| DAY 5
- LAKE MANYARA / NGORONGORO HIGHLANDS
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After breakfast you will depart across the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park. Although only 205 sq. miles in size this enchanting park is one of the most popular and attractive wildlife sanctuaries in East Africa. It is noted for its beauty and incredibly lush acacia forest of giant fig and mahogany trees, which are home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys. The park is also home to large numbers of buffalo, giraffe, elephant, hippo, impala and of course it’s famous tree climbing lions. Other highlights include the Hippo Pool, where large numbers usually gather. Well known for its birds (over 400 species), Lake Manyara is one of the few places you will see the comical Ground Hornbill and the Crested Eagle.
After several hours of wildlife viewing in the park you’ll continue to the Ngorongoro Farm House. This wonderful farm, formerly owned by a German family, has been magically transformed. The original farmhouse has been replaced by a dramatic thatched roof structure that houses the dining room, bar and lounge. In the surrounding gardens, beautifully furnished bandas have been built with views of the distant hills and farmland. After lunch at the farm , you can relax on your private verandah, take a swim in the salt water pool or if you wish, visit a local school.
Overnight
- Ngorongoro Farm House (all meals & activities) |
| DAY 6
- NGORONGORO CRATER
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This morning enjoy a relaxing breakfast before driving the short distance to the "eighth wonder of the world", the Ngorongoro Crater. Driving up the slopes of the lush green mountain and arriving at the rim of the crater , the first glimpse takes your breath away. The floor of this collapsed volcano spreads for 102 sq. miles and the walls are 2000 feet high, a truly awesome sight. The crater floor is a virtual "Noah's Ark", inhabited by almost every species of wildlife indigenous to East Africa. It contains a river, several swamps, a soda lake - complete with flamingoes, a forest and open plains.
After checking in to your lodge, perched high on the crater rim, and enjoying lunch at the lodge, you’ll depart with your guide and descend to the crater floor for an afternoon of wildlife viewing. In the early evening return to your lodge with time to freshen up and enjoy a drink in the lounge before dinner.
Overnight
- Serena Crater Lodge (all meals & activities)
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| DAY 7
- SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
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This morning after breakfast and a final glimpse of the crater, you’re off to the famous Serengeti National Park, the symbol of Africa's wildlife. The word Serengeti comes from the Maasai language meaning "endless plains". The 6,900 sq. mile (18,000 sq. km) park is inhabited by more than 2 large million animals including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles. Large predators including lions, cheetahs, and hyenas are drawn to the area by this abundance of prey which migrate throughout the park. Many smaller animals – rock hyrax, bat eared foxes, mongoose, honey badger, jackals, monkeys, baboon and African hare inhabit the area along with nearly 500 species of birds. Off road you’ll find the "Kopjes", massive boulder islands of granite standing in a sea of grass, provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik dik.
Along the way to the Serengeti you will stop at the famous “Oldupai Gorge”, where Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey made their discovery of early man.
Your lodging for the next three nights will be at Ndutu Safari Lodge , near the location of the migratory herds of wildebeest and zebras. From December to March, the migration is clustered in the southern Serengeti between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Lake Ndutu. This delightful small lodge, sits back from the lake in a beautiful setting, and is know for it’s friendly staff and wonderful food. At night you can sit around the campfire and look up at the magnificent African sky, while listening to the sounds of animals in the distance. In the morning you'll be awakened by the sounds of birds.
Overnight
- Ndutu safari Lodge (all meals & activities)
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| DAYS 8/9
- SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
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During your stay in the Serengeti, you can decide with your guide how you would like to spend your days. On most mornings you’ll be awakened early and after coffee or tea depart on an early morning game drive in the amazing Serengeti. The early mornings are magical in the Serengeti, when the wildlife is just waking up to greet the days. After returning to camp for a hearty breakfast you can depart on a late morning game drive returning to camp for lunch or you may want to depart with a picnic lunch so that you can spend the whole day wildlife viewing. Off road, across the Serengeti plains, you’ll find "Kopjes" - massive boulder islands, standing in a sea of grass. The kopjes were formed by volcanic activity and provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik dik. After a days activities you return to camp for sundowners around the fire and dinner.
Overnight
- Ndutu Safari Lodge (all meals & activities)
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| DAY 10
- ARUSHA / END OF SAFARI
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After breakfast you will leave the Serengeti, spotting wildlife on the way. You will arrive back in Arusha in the afternoon and be taken to the KIA Lodge, where you will have the use of a dayroom until your evening transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport.
Dayroom – KIA Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch)
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10
Days
from
US $ 3,350
