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| DAY 1
- ARUSHA, TANZANIA
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Arrive into Kilimanjaro International Airport tonight and after clearing customs, you will be met and transferred to the KIA Lodge. This lovely lodge is located near the airport and your accommodations will be in one of the 40 charming bungalows set among lush gardens. The open air bar has a magnificent view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. A late night buffet will be served tonight.
Overnight
- KIA Lodge (D,B & B basis) |
| DAY 2
- NGORONGORO CRATER
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This morning after breakfast, you will be met by your private safari guide and 4WD vehicle and depart by road to the “eighth natural wonder of the world”, the Ngorongoro Crater. You will descend 2,000 feet to the crater floor, which spreads for 102 sq. miles. The crater is a virtual "Noah's Ark", inhabited by a wide variety of wildlife. It contains a river, several swamps, a soda lake (complete with flamingoes), a forest and open plains. It contains over 30,000 large mammals, roaming free. The grasslands are home to black rhinoceros, zebra, eland, lion, wildebeest, gazelle, cheetah, hyena and other wildlife. It is also known for its large bull elephants who have exceedingly large tusks, because of the mineral rich grasses in the crater.
After game viewing and stopping for a picnic lunch, you’ll drive back up to the crater rim and check into the Ngorongoro Farm House, a luxury lodge facing the Oldeani Volcano, set on a 500 acre coffee farm located only 3 miles from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area gate. Three separate and intimate camps contain a total of 30 large bungalows with decks and fireplaces. The huge main building, covered with an elegant thatched roof, contains the reception, bar, dining area, library and lounge with a fireplace where guests can enjoy a rest during the cool evenings in the highlands. Guest areas are completed by a swimming pool with superb views of Oldeani Volcano and a craft shop. There is also an organic vegetable and flower garden.
Overnight
- Ngorongoro Farm House (all meals & activities) |
| DAY 3
- SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
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This morning after breakfast, 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 can 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 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.
After checking in and enjoying lunch, you will have some time to relax before departing on an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti. Return to the lodge in time to freshen up and enjoy the campfire before dinner.
Overnight
- Ndutu Safari Lodge (all meals & activities)
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| DAYS 4/5
- 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 all day game drives with box lunches, or early morning game drives followed by breakfast, then heading out again. Your guide will advise you based on the best wildlife opportunities. 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 drinks in the lounge before dinner. Afterwards sit by fire and enjoy the stars. NOTE: In order to be in a better location to see the “great migration”, the Serengeti Serena Lodge will be used from May through August, and the Lobo Wildlife Lodge will be used from September through November.
Overnight
- Ndutu Safari Lodge (all meals & activities)
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| DAY 6
- SERENGETI / LAKE MANYARA / TARANGIRE
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This morning after an early breakfast you will depart for Lake Manyara National Park. Although it is only 205 sq. miles in size, this enchanting park 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 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 spending time in the park, with a stop for a picnic lunch, you’ll continue to 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. Activities include wildlife viewing in the park and walking with Maasai guides and visiting nearby Datoga and Maasai villages.
This afternoon you can depart on a guided walk to the lake shore, or just relax by the pool.
Overnight
- Maramboi Camp (all meals & activities) |
| DAY 7
- TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
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You have full day of game viewing activities get an early start after breakfast into the park, stopping for a picnic lunch. Return in the afternoon to relax, or visit a local village or go on guided walk to the southern shore of Lake Manyara.
Overnight
- Maramboi Camp (all meals & activities) |
| DAY 8
- TARANGIRE / ARUSHA / DEPART
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You will be awakened early and after breakfast, depart on a final morning of game viewing in the park. Return to the camp for lunch. In the afternoon, you will drive back to Arusha, stopping for some shopping if you like, and continue to the KIA Lodge where you will have the use of a dayroom and dinner. After dinner you will be transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport. Day room – KIA Lodge (Breakfast, Lunch)
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8
Days
from
US $ 2,450
