We also get a taste for the breathtaking natural environment in Kenya by heading to Amboseli National Park, famous for its massive herds of roaming elephants that cover themselves in red dust, and keep a lookout for jackals, wildebeest, lions and Maasai giraffes on the open plains while the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro serves as the classic backdrop. Crossing the border into Tanzania, we travel through lush, green fields and traditional villages to Lake Manyara, an area renowned for its unique rainforest micro-climate, before journeying on to reach the rim of the incredible, volcanic Ngorongoro Crater.
Our descent into the heart of the crater, which is the largest unbroken caldera in the world, yields the opportunity to witness a microcosm of East African scenery and game, with teeming wildlife ranging from gazelle, flamingos and wildebeest to lions and hippos. From here, it’s on to the Serengeti, translated as ‘the land without end’ in the Maasai tongue, and into Serengeti National Park, which is the largest national park in Tanzania and undoubtedly the most well-known wildlife sanctuary in the world. Despite its fame, Serengeti National Park retains the features that first attracted travelers to its borders and built its reputation as the ultimate safari destination, namely that it remains unspoiled and remote.
Spending time investigating the excavation site at Olduvai Gorge means we have the chance to tread the grounds that are proven to have been inhabited over 1.8 million years ago by some of the earliest species of hominids. We leave the Great Rift Valley area and Tanzania, bound for Zanzibar, where we spend five days exploring historic Stone Town - an historic area laden with winding alleys, bustling bazaars and colourful mosques - seeing endemic monkeys and beautiful flora in Jozani Natural Forest Reserve and embarking on a ‘spice tour’, one of the must-do activities when visiting the ‘Spice Island’. Via Kenya, we fly to Madagascar, an island whose long isolation from the mainland has meant that it has benefited from a wholly unique evolution; evidence of which being that over 80 per cent of life on the island is endemic.
We travel past sceneries of brightly colored houses stacked upon hillsides, rice paddies that fringe the edges of towns, fort remains, rugged green mountains and hilltop palaces as we immerse ourselves in the sights, sounds and cultures of this inimitable destination. Steeped in fascinating history and offering a cultural experience like no other, Madagascar is the perfect finale to this first-rate tour.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Most meals are included (local restaurants and hotels)
- All transport, accommodation, sightseeing and entrance fees for sites noted as 'visited' in the detailed itinerary
- Gratuities for driver-guides, restaurant staff, porters
- Airport transfers for land / air customers arriving / departing on tour dates.
Price Excludes:
- Tour Leader gratuities, some lunches, drinks, personal items (phone, laundry, etc), international (if applicable) and domestic air taxes, visa fees, and any excursions referenced as 'optional'
- Airport transfers for early / late arrivals / departures or Land Only customers
- Optional trip cancellation insurance
- Our post-reservation trip notes offer further guidance on shopping, visas, and locally-paid departure taxes.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Tanzania
Madagascar
Cultural Journey
Ecotourism
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