Experience the thrill of Tanzania’s famed Northern Circuit with this unique small-group tenting safari, which delivers adventure, culture and value! The Tanzanian guides are the key – young, enthusiastic, professional, and highly experienced. Opportunities for walking and cultural interaction. Tents are large and roomy with comfy camp cots fitted with linens and blankets. Shared toilet and bucket shower tents. A group maximum of 10 members on each departure guarantees a wonderful ambiance.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1 - Arrive Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Upon arrival into Kilimanjaro Airport this evening you are met and transferred to your lodge (transfers are priced separately based on number of passengers-see pricing below). Welcome to Africa! Willy’s Cottages or similar.
Days 2-3 - Tarangire National Park
After breakfast we depart for Tarangire National Park. The park is bustling with wildlife, set amid baobab trees. During the dry season, the animals congregate along the banks of the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in Maasai land. Our days are filled with game drives, visits with resident tribes, and walking excursions. Mobile Camping. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 4 - Lake Manyara - Karatu
Early morning walk at Tarangire before departing for Karatu, on the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater. Cross the floor of the Great Rift Valley near Lake Manyara. Then, mingle with villagers at local markets such as Mto Wa Mbu or Karatu. Shopping and bargaining for bolts of cloth, crafts, and local produce immerse you in a daily ritual of African life. Afternoon visit to a school then drive up the escarpment to Lake Eyasi arrive at your camp and relax in the evening. Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp is situated directly on the shore of Lake Eyasi. Across this huge, seasonal soda lake that stretches away in front of camp, the Alipi escarpment wall rises two thousand feet up into the Endulen area of the Ngorongoro Conservation providing a stunning view. The camp lies amid a beautiful natural palm and acacia forest with a colossal rock as a backdrop and a natural spring nearby. The camp itself consists of six tents built on permanent platforms, an open dining room and bar, as well as a platform hidden in the reeds next to the spring where one can have a romantic dinner under the stars or chill out in the heat of the day and bird watch. Each tent has an ensuite bathroom and plenty of hot and cold running water. Toilets are flush type and have a proper septic system in place. Furniture and bedding is comfortable and in keeping with the rustic and understated look of the Camp. Lighting is supplied by a generator until the day. All tents have a beautiful view of the lake.
Day 5 - Lake Eyasi
Early morning walking and hunting-gathering with Bushmen (Wahadzabe) hunters or spend time participating in the morning routine of the settlement. Your local guide will interpret for you and discuss hunting techniques still used by the tribes. This dry and rugged landscape is inhabited by Bushmen who live in nomadic groups, hunting with bow and arrow and gathering roots, tubers and wild fruits. Be prepared for an extraordinary cross-cultural experience as you join these nomadic Bushmen in their daily life (note: there may be an opportunity to go on a hunt; guests who are not interested in participating in the hunt will have other activities available to them). In the afternoon you can also visit the Datoga, a tribe of semi-nomadic pastoralists who migrated into this area looking for good grazing land many decades ago, are interesting people to visit. They have so far resisted neighboring tribes' cultural infiltrations. The women, still wearing locally fat treated goatskin gowns, carve their faces and bodies to look prettier are usually seen. Learning about their history is as fascinating. Kisima Ngeda Tented Camp. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Days 6-7 Ngorongoro Crater and Highland Walking
NOTE: The Tanzanian Government is defining new restrictions on the number of people and vehicles visiting the Ngorongoro Crate each day. Every effort will be made to maximize your game viewing experience.
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.
Depending on season and weather permitting, the half-day hike options include the Empakai Crater, Olmoti Crater or the surrounding highlands on day 7. Impressive views of the landscape abound. Walking is not strenuous, but do expect some sloping terrain and at times, muddy paths. Afternoon visits to a Maasai village where herdsmen are often grazing their cattle around the crater rim. Note: Please bring warm clothing as you are camping at 7000 feet. Overnight two nights at a private mobile camp on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. Mobile Tenting. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Note: During the winter months (June, July, and August), the overnight stay at Ngorongoro Crater will be at Ngorongoro Farm House or a similar guesthouse.
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 - Olduvai Gorge - Serengeti National Park
Serengeti National Park is the most famous wildlife sanctuary in the world. Our journey here also includes a visit to Olduvai Gorge, the famous archeological site where the Leakeys unearthed the remains of Australopithecus, Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus. Mobile Tenting. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Days 9-11 - Serengeti National Park
We spend these days exploring the corners of the park, taking in the beauty of the seemingly unending plains. From January to March, the park is home to the migration of over 2.5 million wildebeest and zebra, which attract a host of predatory animals. The flora of the Serengeti is as equally diverse as its wildlife. Massive islets of granite, called Kopjes, standing in a sea of grass, provide shelter to a great variety of plant and animal species. Mobile Tenting. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 12 - Arusha - Depart or Extend Your Stay
After breakfast, drive back to Arusha where the safari comes to an end (arrive Arusha approximately 17h00) or continue with one of our extensions (Kilimanjaro climb, Southern Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya etc.). NOTE: the drive is approximately 7 hours including a lunch stop. There is an option to fly back – see pricing below.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Departures: (Date represents Day 1 – Arrival into Kilimanjaro)
Begins in Arusha on Tuesdays and ends on Saturdays
2008: Jan 1, 15; Feb 5, 19; Mar 4, 18; May 6, 20; Jun 3, 17; Jul 8, 22; Aug 5, 19; Sep 2, 16; Oct 7, 21; Nov 4, 18; Dec 2, 16
Contact for international airfare and possible extensions.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Tanzania
Wildlife Viewing
Cultural Journey
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