Day 1 Arrive Arusha, Tanzania
Upon arrival this evening, you will be met and transferred to your beautiful lodge for a welcome rest.
New Arusha Hotel or similar
Day 2 Tarangire National Park
We leave the bustle of Arusha behind and head west into the bush to Tarangire National Park to our base camp at a permanent deluxe-tented lodge on the park border. Explore the area with game drives and escorted walks. You will have opportunities to see territorial markings, tracks, and learn about the medicinal use of trees and plants.
Kikoti Safari Camp (BLD)
Situated in a private sanctuary of 10,000 acres, just outside the borders of Tarangire National Park and right in the middle of the migration path that the wild animals take between June to November, Kikoti Camp is in a little paradise. The delightful camp, named after a nearby, mile long stretch of Kopjes, is built amongst the most dramatic of landscape of ancient boulders, which command views of epic proportions, and baobab, mopane and fig tree forest. To the north, the Great Rift Valley Escarpment and Ngorongoro Highlands rise above Lake Manyara, to the east are the Simanjiro Plains calving grounds to the wildebeest herds, to the northeast lie Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru and to the west the magnificent Tarangire National Park. Kikoti is at the heart of the Tarangire eco-system and is rich in wildlife and culture too, as the land on which it stands belongs to the Maasai pastrolists who stand to benefit greatly from Kikoti's community-based partnership. This secluded camp offers camping in great style reminiscent of the bygone safari era. Fully fitted tents are comfortable and spacious and discretely spread out amongst the stunning landscape where elephant, buffalo and other animals congregate regularly in the drier seasons. Large trees provide ample shade from the heat of the day. Kikoti's food is some of the best in Tanzania. Freshly prepared by expert cooks using local ingredients and methods, the food is unpretentious, delicious and plentiful and served to client's individual timings, either in the dining tent or outdoors in the wilderness. At Kikoti you will experience no crowds, no long drives - just pure drama in the wild and ethnic culture. The emphasis is on exploration on foot, vehicle or bicycle (will be introduced soon). You may seek out rock paintings, walk along the elephant paths to water holes, climb rocky outcrops for magnificent sunsets and sunrise, drive during the nighttime in search of nocturnal animals, visit the animal hides overlooking the waterholes and interact with the Maasai friends. Kikoti really is special.
Days 3-4 Tarangire National Park
Leaving camp early in the morning with a packed breakfast means that you can make the most of prime game viewing opportunities before heading back to camp for a late lunch. Escorted by armed guards and naturalist, a game walk in the late afternoon will give you an intimate taste of life as an African explorer before you take a refreshing sundowner on Kikoti Rock with some of the best sunsets in Africa as a backdrop. An evening game drive in a convertible vehicle will open up for you the world of Africa’s nocturnal game before you enjoy your bush dinner and retire at the end of an exhilarating day. Kikoti Safari Camp (BLD)
Days 5-6 Lake Eyasi
We take you to our mobile camp on the shores of Lake Eyasi. Traveling via towns such as Mto wa Mbu and Karatu we will have the chance to wander amongst the Barabaiz and Datoga tribes people before reaching the lakeshore. As there are no permanent accommodations on the lake we outfit a full mobile canvas camp for your use here. These spacious tents with en suite facilities, allow you to live much as the first explorers did without making any concessions to modern comfort levels. With such comforts guaranteed, you are perfectly placed to share the lives of the Hadzabe Bushmen escorted by Momayo Muhindoi. Experiencing life through the eyes of such ancient peoples will give you a privileged view of the lives of one of the last groups of authentic hunter gather groups left in Africa. Kisimangeda Camp (BLD)
Day 7 Karatu – Ngorongoro Highlands
Bidding farewell to our cultural hosts we will drive up to the village of Karatu in the Ngorongoro highlands taking an early lunch at the Ngorongoro Farmhouse, just outside the Ngorongoro park gates, that will be your home for the next two evenings, we will have plenty of time in the afternoon to explore this magnificent habitat.
Ngorongoro Farmhouse (BLD)
Ngorongoro Farm House is an exclusive lodge facing the Oldeani Volcano, in Ololdukan, a 500-acre coffee farm located only 4 kms from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Lolduare gate. The Farm House provides an original experience reminiscent of the atmosphere of old days. There are three separate and intimate camps of 30 comfortable bungalows; each unit is attractively built in the style of an old colonial farm and rustically decorated with local materials, full of details of good taste, with the purpose of offering guests an imaginary journey to days of the past. 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 an organic vegetable and flower garden that covers some acres.
Day 8 Ngorongoro Crater
Morning depart to Ngorongoro Crater with picnic lunch. Descend into the 100-square-mile Ngorongoro Crater to view game on the vast grasslands of the crater floor. Spectacular animal life can be found throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water. Ngorongoro is one of the most impressive game haunts in Africa and has been designated a World Heritage Site. Local wildlife includes black-maned lion, the highly endangered black rhino, wildebeest, zebra, elephant, hippo, jackal, and hyena, the most important predator within the crater. The bird life is also prolific with flocks of flamingoes on the soda lake as well as other species of water and plains birds. After a picnic lunch, return to the lodge for dinner and overnight. Ngorongoro Farmhouse (BLD)
Days 9-11 O Olduvai Gorge • Serengeti National Park
Today we leave the Ngorongoro highlands and start our drive down into the vast plains of the Serengeti ecosystem. On the way we shall stop to visit Olduvai Gorge, a river canyon cutting 300ft into the volcanic Serengeti plains, once home to our earliest ancestors. Their remains can still be found nestling in the exposed soils. Continue into the park and game drive enroute to our private campsite for dinner and overnight. These days we shall spend in the Serengeti, staying in our mobile camp. Part of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, Serengeti National Park is home to the most famous wildlife spectacle on earth, the annual migration of a million wildebeest. We use the Seronera Plains for our seasonal camp base in order to ensure year round access to this mobile feast. Mobile Tenting (BLD)
Day 12 Arusha • Depart or extend your stay
After breakfast return to Arusha where the journey comes to an end. You have the option of returning by a seven-hour drive or you may wish to fly on a scheduled flight from the Seronera airstrip (B)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
2008: Jan 17; Feb 18; Mar 3, 20; Jun 5, 18; Jul 4, 31; Sep 11, 18; Oct 16; Nov 7; Dec 16
NOTE: Private safaris are available for any date of departure
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Tanzania
Wildlife Viewing
Cultural Journey
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