Description
Day 1
Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport – Arusha – Tarangire National Park
We pick you up in the morning at Kilimanjaro International Airport and welcome you in the Northern Tanzania. You will proceed to the Tarangire National Park. After entering the Park gate game drive starts until you reach the Lodge for lunch.
The Park gets its name from the river that threads its way through the length of the reserve. It is famous for its dense wildlife population which is most spectacular in dry season. Think of Tarangire as part of a much larger ecosystem and you’ll understand why its game varies with the seasons. Particularly large numbers of elephant herds congregate at Tarangire river, as do many wildebeest and zebra. There are also substantial populations of impala, giraffe, eland and buffalo. Thompson’s gazelle, Coke’s hartebeest, Bohor reedbuck and both greater and lesser kudu are found here. The localized and unusual Gerenuk and fringe-eared oryx also occur here, though in our experience they are seen exceedingly rarely.
Lion are common throughout Tarangire, as are leopard, whilst cheetahs seem to favor the more open areas of the South. Spotted hyena is always around, and whilst wild dog sometimes passes through; sightings of them are rare.
With a range of environments and good game, Tarangires`birdlife is also varied –and over 500 species have been recorded here, including ashy starlings and large flocks of beautiful yellow-collared lovebirds, both of which are endemic to Tanzania. You willreturn for lunch to the Lodge. In the later afternoon you will arrivereturn to the Lodge for dinner and overnight. (hot lunch/Lunch boxes |dinner)
TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Accommodation: Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Day 2
Tarangire National Park – Manyara
After breakfast,you will leavethe Tarangire NationalPark with game drive en route and proceed to the neighboring Lake Manyara National Park. As soon as you enter the Park Gate you will start with game drive.
Lake Manyara stretches from 50 km along the base of the rusty –gold 600 m high Great Rift Valley Escarpment and is a scenic gem as written by Ernest Hemingway “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”. As visitors enter the gate they pass into the high forest, home to troops of baboons and both blue and Vervet monkeys. Further along the forest opens into woodland, grassland, swamps and beyond the soda lake itself.
Covering 200 km2it is sanctuary to over 400 species of birds including flamingo, pelican, storks, ibis, cormorant and Egyptian geese. The park is particularly noted for its huge herds of buffaloes and elephants. Also giraffes, hippos, reedbuck, warthog, wildebeest, zebras and a great variety of smaller animals can be seen.
After visiting the National Park you climb up the Great Rift Valley and arrive at your Lodge.
(breakfast | lunch | dinner)
LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
Accommodation: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
Day 3
Manyara – Serengeti National Park
After breakfast you will start your safari towards Serengeti National Park. You will climb up the Ngorongoro Crater and enjoy a spectacular view down to the crater.
While in Ngorongoro Conservation Area you can visit a Massai Boma. The Massai are an indigenous ethnic group of semi-nomadic people living in northern Tanzania and Kenya, and they are the only group allowed free travel over the border. Consequently, they are probably the most well-known African ethnic group in the world. Masai culture is intricate and fascinating. Roles are determined by age, wealth and position in the community. Men are warriors and herders and cattle play a central role in their lives. The more cattle, the wealthier the warrior and his wealth then enables him to take multiple wives. Herds are large and warriors constantly wander on the mountain and surrounding plains seeking pasture for their animals – often camping out. Massai families live in small traditional bomas which the women make from mud, sticks, grass and cow dung. Bomas are scattered over the area and are just large enough for sleeping and cooking. Women leave them at dawn each day to fetch firewood and water. Children spend their days playing around the boma and are taught to tend livestock while still very young.
On your way to Serengeti you will pass the border between Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park at Naabi Gate. There you will have your lunch boxes. When you climb up the big stones at the Naabi Gate, you will have a beautiful view on the endless plains of the Serengeti and behind you, you will see the Ngorongoro Highlands. As soon as you enter the Serengeti plains, you will have a game drive. The spectacle of predator versus prey dominates Tanzania’s greatest park. Golden-manned lion prides feast on the abundance of plain grazers. Solitary leopards lying in the acacia trees near the Seronera River, while a high density of cheetahs prowls the south-eastern plains. Almost all three African jackal species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a host of more elusive small predators, ranging from the insectivorous aardwolf to the beautiful serval cat. Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequaled for its natural beauty and scientific value. In the later afternoon you will arrive at the Lodge for dinner and overnight. (breakfast | lunch boxes | dinner) SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK Accommodation: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
Day 4
Serengeti National Park
Today you will have a full day game drive in the Serengeti. The Serengeti is rich in its diversity of landscape. Between the open plains of the Serengeti and the Maasai Mara, thousands of wildebeests and zebras migrate to greener pastures as the seasons change and the circle of life and death continues. Predators follow the Wildebeest Migration closely, waiting for an opportunity to strike weak prey as they make their way into different territories. The precise timing of the Wildebeest Migration changes annually and it is a very unpredictable and spontaneous natural event. At your travel period the migration is still in the central Serengeti on the way to the North. The spectacle of predator versus prey dominates Tanzania’s greatest Park. Golden-manned lion prides feast on the abundance of plain grazers. Solitary leopards haunt the acacia trees lining the Seronera River, while a high density of cheetahs prowls the southeastern plains. Almost uniquely, all three African jackal species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a host of more elusive small predators, ranging from the insectivorous aardwolf to the beautiful Serval cat. In the early evening you will return to your Lodge for dinner and overnight. You can also stay the whole day outside in the bush with lunch boxes.
(breakfast | hot lunch/lunch boxes | dinner)
Accommodation: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
Day 5
Serengeti National Park/Balloon Safari (OPSIONAL)
Probably the most beautiful balloon flight in the world and the ultimate safari experience. 5:00 am, Serengeti Balloon Safaris will collect you from yourCentral Serengeti Lodge or camp, and transfer you by Landrover/Landcruiser to theirlaunch site. Here you will meet your pilot, receive a briefing and watch the inflation of your balloon. At dawn youtake off, rising as the sun rises and floating in whichever direction the winds of the morning take us. Your pilot can precisely control the altitude of our balloon: sometimes flying at treetop height, sometimes lower, offering a unique perspective and great photographic opportunities of the wildlife below. At other times thepilot may ascend to 1,000 ft or more, to see the enormity and wonderful panorama of the Serengeti. From time to time the pilot must put more heat into the balloon with the powerful whisper burners. In between these burns, there is silenceapart from the natural sounds below. The flight is for about one hour, depending on conditions, and eventually you have toland. You celebrate in the traditional manner with champagne (well, an excellent sparkling wine) before sitting down to a full English breakfast. Prepared and served in the bush in “Out of Africa” style with bone china, linen table cloth, Sheffield cutlery etc. After breakfast you receive your Serengeti Balloon certificate and later meet up with your safari driver ready to continue your day’s activities.
After this „lifetime experience“ you start for game drive in the Serengeti.
After the baloon you will spend the rest of the day in the Serengeti. The Park can be divided into 3 sections. The popular southern/central part (Seronera Valley), which the Maasai called the “serengit”, the land of endless plains. It’s classic savannah, dotted with acacias and filled with wildlife. The western corridor is marked by the Grumeti River, and has more forests and dense bush. The north, Lobo area, meets up with Kenya’s Massai Mara Reserve, is the least visited section.
It’s unique ecosystem has inspired writers from Ernest Hemingwayto, Peter Mattheissen, filmmakers like Hugo von Lawick and Alan Root as well as numerous photographers and scientists.
The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Early man himself made an appearance in Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves.
In the late afternoon you will return for a last night to the Lodge.
(breakfast | hot lunch/lunch boxes | dinner)
Accommodation: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
Day 6
Serengeti National Park – Ngorongoro Crater
After breakfast you will leave the Serengeti towards Ngorongoro Crater. Enjoy the view from the crater rim and you will understand when we talk about the masterpiece of mothers nature. You descend to the crater floor for a spectacular game viewing. The Ngorongoro Crater was formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself some two to three million years ago. The caldera is about 600 m deep and covers 250 km2. It hosts about 30.000 large animals including some of the Tanzania’s last remaining black rhinos. Thanks to anti-poaching patrols the number of black rhinos is about 25 now. Most of the animals stay in the crater all year, because water supplies never dry out. You will find hippos, hyena, jackal, cheetah, lions, ostrich, elephants, warthog, eland and hartebeests there, as well as huge herds of Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles. Even leopards find their home in the trees and forests, surrounding the crater, but are rarely seen. The landscape around the Crater the “Ngorongoro Conservation Area” is made famous by large herds of giraffes and the migration of millions of wildebeest, zebras, eland and endless numbers of gazelles from Serengeti to NCA and back each year. Lunch will be served at the hippos’ lake before ascending and returnng to the Lodge for Dinner and overnight. (breakfast | Lunch boxes | dinner)
NGORONGORO CRATER
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 7
Ngorongoro Crater – Mto-wa-Mbu activities – Arusha
After a relaxing breakfast you leave Karatu and you proceed to Mto-wa-Mbu. You can make a walk through Mto-wa-Mbu, see the market and interact with the local people. At lunch time you will enjoy a different tribes traditional cuisine, fresh cooked and prepared on the shamba (= plantation) of the Mamuya family.
In the later afternoon you will return back to Arusha for a last night in Northern Tanzania.
(breakfast | hot Lunch | dinner)
MTO-WA-MBU
Accommodation: Lake Duluti Serena Hotel
Day 8
Arusha – Kilimanjaro International Airport
In the morning you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure flight back home to South Africa. (breakfast boxes)
PROVISIONAL PRICE – R44200.00pp sharing (+R4200.00 single room)
Deposit – R8000.00pp (price can change due to the dollar)
Copy of passport is needed!
Included:
Flight tickets (non refundable)
New 4/4 Safari Jeep with qualified English speaking Driver Guide
Full board and accommodation in double suite room
All Park fees and concession fees
Unlimited Water for each guest during the day
All Transfers as per itinerary
Amref Flying Doctors of Africa Society Membership which entails all safari participants to one emergency or aero-medical evacuation to Nairobi; medical expenses are not included.
Not included:
USD 70pp for driver/guide
All kind of tips, and gratuities
Additional like optional activitiesas – Hot Air Balloon safari in central Serengeti (±$620.00)pp
Personal expenses like, laundry, communication expenses, visa etc.
Alcoholic, non-alcoholic drinks and beverages at the Lodges
Health and travel insurance – highly recommend. (Contact our office for best insurance)
You-Nique Tours has the right to alter the tour program and price due to circumstances, petrol prices, dollar rate and weather conditions.
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