Tanzania Tented Camps Safari across Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara offer outstanding wildlife viewing in true safari style with all the creature comfort you could possibly wish for whilst ensuring an entirely authentic experience without hordes of tourists.
DAY 1: ARRIVE IN TANZANIA.
Arrive anytime at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). We will arrange a private transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha at Masailand Safari Lodge, where the rest of the day is at leisure. We stay at Masailand Safari Lodge, which is beautifully located on the coffee farms and is a perfect place to prepare for your adventure.
We will gather in the hotel for a pre-safari briefing and an equipment check.
We will also confirm you have the appropriate mandatory medical coverage and travel insurance.
Dinner and overnight at Masailand Safari Lodge: Bed, Dinner and Breakfast included.
DAY 2: GAME DRIVE IN TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK:
Today we head to Tarangire National Park. The park, which has its own source of water, comes into its own in the dry season as birdlife congregates on the Tarangire River and herds of giraffe, zebra, buffalo and, in particular, the elephant can be seen. Predators such as lions and leopards are also regularly spotted here. Our lodge is located within the park. It has a large lookout area from where sundowners can be had whilst watching the game on the sweeping plains below.
Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Safari Lodge: Full board.
DAY 3: GAME DRIVE IN SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK:
We head towards the Serengeti National Park. En route, there is an opportunity to visit Olduvai Gorge. It is within this steep-sided ravine that Louis and Mary Leakey made some of the world’s most important archaeological discoveries in the 1950s. Here is a small museum we are able to see evidence of our ancestors that have been dated back 2.5 million years. After lunch, we drive into the Serengeti itself and the rest of the afternoon is spent game viewing in the vast plains that are broken only by stands of acacia trees and the occasional kopje. In December, January and February we will normally meet the migration with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffe, buffalo, and elephant, and many large predators such as lion, cheetah, and leopard. We return to our special tented camp for the night.
Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp: Full board.
DAY 4: ANOTHER DAY GAME DRIVE IN SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK:
We have another full day in this wonderful park, rising early to make the most of our time. Our guides will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year; we can spend time at the Hippo pool watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water happily living alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, be in the middle of the migration, sometimes surrounded by wildebeest, sometimes by zebras, which travel with the wildebeest. We journey from the wide open plains to the kopjes: these volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals and from the top, we can look out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing, we will hopefully see all of the plain games; elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lions and if you are lucky the elusive leopard and cheetah, as well as huge amounts of interesting birdlife, from the elegant secretary birds to the flightless ostrich. We return to our special tented camp for the night.
Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Heritage Tented Camp: Full board.
DAY 5: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK TO NGORONGORO CRATER:
Morning game drive in Serengeti; afternoon drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
We have a final game drive in the Serengeti before heading back into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater where we spend the night.
Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Kirurumu Tented Camp: Full board.
DAY 6: GAME DRIVE IN NGORONGORO CRATER:
We start the day with an early morning game drive before heading to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro is a special place in that it is a Conservation Area, not a National Park; this means that the whole area is managed for both the animals and the local Masai people who graze their cattle alongside the indigenous wildlife. During the drive in Ngorongoro, we have a chance to glimpse something of the Masai way of life. After stopping at the entrance gate, where there is a chance to learn more about this fascinating volcanic landscape, we will drive around the rim of the Crater itself, and from here we can look down and see the herd of wildebeest or buffalos. Finally, we descend into the crater. The crater walls provide a natural sanctuary for the animals, which means there is plenty to see: lions, elephants, buffalo, rhino and leopard (if you are lucky). The only animal you won’t see in here is a giraffe, whose long legs are unable to cope with the steeps sides of the crater. In the late afternoon, we travel back to our special tented camp.
Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Kirurumu Tented Camp: Full board.
DAY 7: GAME DRIVE IN LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK:
We depart from your lodge and proceed to Lake Manyara National Park. Although small in size, this park is one of the most diverse reserves in the country. Lake Manyara covers two-thirds of the park. At the backdrop is the wall of the Great Rift Valley, before which lies the groundwater forest, areas of open grassland near the lake foreshore, and the Soda Lake. We enjoy a picnic lunch in this area, which consists of open grassy areas, hot springs, dense woodlands, and steep mountainsides. Lake Manyara National Park is a birding paradise that has more than 350 species of bird. The park is also famed for its unique and elusive tree-climbing lions.
In the late afternoon, we drive back to our special tented camp.
Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Kirurumu Tented Camp: Full board.
DAY 8: CULTURAL TOUR IN MTO WA UMBU:
Today we will visit Maasai boma in Mto Wa Umbu before we drive back to Arusha.
Get an inside look at the homes and exquisite crafts of Mto Wa Mbu’s many tribes. Visitors will get a chance to meet locals and learn about banana beer, Makonde woodcarvings, and the tribal painting techniques; the village provides a great introduction to everyday life in Africa.
In the afternoon we drive back to Arusha.
Dinner and overnight at Masailand Safari Lodge: Bed, Dinner and Breakfast-included.
DAY 9: ARUSHA TO DAR ES SALAAM:
Morning breakfast then drives to Kilimanjaro airport for the flight to Dar Es Salaam.
Upon arriving at Dar es Salaam International Airport we will arrange a private transfer from the Airport to Harbour View Hotel, where the rest of the day is at leisure.
DAY 10: DAR ES SALAAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:
Early morning breakfast or breakfast box then we drive direct to Dar Es Salaam International Airport for your international flight back home.
SAFARI INCLUDES:
1. Full board accommodation whilst on safari in the above mentioned en suite tented camps and lodges
2. Private safari guide
3. Maasai Experience tour
4. Extended Toyota Land Cruiser
5. Private 4 x 4 safari jeep with pop up roof for game viewing
6. Transfers in both directions between the International Airport
7. Park fees
8. Crater fees
9. All meals while on safari
10. Airport Arrival/Departure Meet and Greets at the airport
11. On safari – Vehicles equipped with ice chest with mineral water, wildlife guidebooks
12. Government taxes, VAT and service charges relating to accommodation and included meals
SAFARI EXCLUDES:
1. Tanzania Visa: USD.50 per person on arrival, USA and Canada passport holders USD.100
2. Personal Expenses (e.g. laundry, telephone, beverages, etc.)
3. Meals not listed above
4. Optional Tours (balloon rides USD. 500 per person etc)
5. Tips and any items of personal nature.
Kilimanjaro Airport
Olekambini Trekking and Safaris Limited is the premier outfitter for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru and Tanzania tailor-made safaris; the company is operated by Tanzanian professional and experienced guides.
We offer tailored made safaris, Wildebeest Migration Safaris, Walking Safaris, Cultural Tourism Safaris, and Zanzibar Beach Vacations.
Kilimanjaro is one of the most attractive places for ordinary tourists and climbers from all over the world. Climbing the highest African peak can be the most memorable adventure of your life. To make your Kilimanjaro dream come true for real, you must carefully approach choosing the right tour operator.
We use modern, high-quality camping equipment and clean, highly rated lodging and facilities to keep our clients as comfortable and safe as possible while on adventures with us.
We use 4×4 extended Toyota Land Cruiser specifically configured for wildlife photography. Each Land Cruiser seats 7 guests on three rows of seats, but we give each photographer a full row. Vehicles have ample side openings, supports for tripod heads, open roof and ample space and loads of bean bags on board. The whole trip will be by road.
The vehicles will be driven by professional local guides who have extensive knowledge of the parks visited and are used to working with photographers.
This safari will take us to one of the best areas for wildlife watching and photography in the world, the southern Serengeti plains, at the time when over one million Wildebeests gather here to give birth to their calves.