Tanzania Migration Safari

DAY 1: ARRIVAL ARUSHA

Depart from Johannesburg. Arrive in Addis Ababa / Nairobi and connect in transit with your flight to Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha, Tanzania.

Jambo and welcome to Tanzania! Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, you will be welcomed and transferred to your hotel located approximately a 60-minute drive from the airport, near Arusha town centre.

Arrive at the hotel, check-in and relax after a long day of flying.

O/N Arusha Serena Hotel or similar including dinner

Arusha Serena Hotel
Arusha Serena Hotel is unlike any other hotel in Tanzania offering authentic, bespoke experiences that stir the traveller’s soul while showcasing the breathtaking tranquillity of our surroundings. Set among the woodland slopes of Mount Meru at the edge of Lake Duluti, there’s no better destination for soaking in the beauty and magnificence of what is knowns as the Tanzanian Northern Safari Circuit. The ambience of our Arusha hotel is warmly reminiscent of our origins as a colonial era coffee farm, beginning with the welcoming stone-built reception area and extending to cottage-style rooms neatly arranged among landscaped lawns and the colourful banks of Bougainvillea. Traces of our heritage present themselves in elegant, country manor interiors featuring unique artefacts, leaded windows and French doors opening to extensive lakeview gardens. Social areas within our Arusha hotel include a library, a lounge and a restaurant offering an enchanting wood fireplace and lake and garden views.

DAY 2: ARUSHA – TARANGIRE

Enjoy a relaxing breakfast followed by a safari briefing.

Depart for Tarangire National Park to arrive for a late lunch at the Tarangire Sopa Lodge, which will also be our overnight stop. The drive from Arusha to the lodge is about a 4-hour drive.

Before reaching the entrance gate we will pass through the Maasai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee, and banana plantations.

After lunch we will depart on an afternoon game drive.

Tarangire National Park is sandwiched between the Masai Steppe and the lakes of the Great Rift Valley. The park covers an area of 2 600 sq. km and is famous for its huge herds of elephants, colossal baobabs, and grassy plains. It is home to the big predators and 550 species of birds have been recorded.

Dinner at the Lodge.

O/N Tarangire Sopa Lodge or similar including breakfast, lunch, dinner

Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Built to blend in with the vastness of its surroundings, Tarangire Sopa Lodge lies hidden among the kopjes, ancient baobabs, and grasses of the Tarangire National Park, home to the greatest concentration of elephants in Africa. Many can be seen around the lodge, allowing visitors a close encounter. While our circular guest suites with their high, conical roofs fan out to either side of the public areas, it is worth mentioning a word of caution here. Because the lodge is not fenced in any way, wild animals are at liberty to come and go as they please and transits to your room and back might be – but rarely – delayed by an elephant or two. This is the only reason our guards will insist on taking you to and from your room at night. Once inside the coolness of your room, you will be delighted at its space and airiness, and the views from its sheltered veranda. With its mini-bar, two double beds and an extremely spacious, well-appointed bathroom, you can only wish that you were staying an extra night.

DAY 3: TARANGIRE – LAKE MANYARA

Breakfast and check-out. We will enjoy a game drive while heading to the entrance gate and then bid Tarangire National Park farewell.

There is a short backtrack drive to the town of Makuyuni where we turn north-west and continue the journey up through a scenic escarpment that brings us to the colourful town of Mto wa Mbu.

We will stretch our legs here and enjoy a walk through the local market and buy some red bananas.

We will then proceed to our lodge, nestled on the rim of the great African Rift Valley with stunning views over Lake Manyara, Mount Meru, and on a clear day, Mount Kilimanjaro. You arrive in time for lunch followed by an afternoon game drive in the Manyara National Park.

O/N Lake Manyara Serena Lodge or similar including breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
Tanzania’s towering Mto wa Mbu escarpment provides a remarkable backdrop for a one-of-a-kind visit. Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge welcomes you with a peaceful location amidst the rich wildlife and unsurpassed tranquillity of Lake Manyara National Park. The lake is home to over 300 migratory birds including flamingos, long-crested eagles and grey-headed kingfisher; the lodge is designed to mimic this extraordinary birdlife, with an architectural motif featuring swooping avian curves and vibrantly coloured wall frescoes depicting the intricacy of bird migratory patterns. Here, at the Lake Manyara lodge, you’ll find everything you need to relax, rejuvenate, and discover the singular beauty of the region. Housed in circular two-storey “rondavels”, the accommodation pays homage to tradition, while also offering contemporary perks. Flamingo Restaurant, the central dining room, serves delicious cuisine and includes a veranda with picturesque views.

DAY 4: LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, leaving Lake Manyara behind, the journey continues north-west across the stunning hilly countryside of the highlands which is filled with wheat and coffee plantations, and then into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. From here lie the vast plains of the Serengeti, where you’ll hopefully start spotting game well before you get into the park.

Our lunch stop will be at the Miracle Experience Restaurant in Seronera, not far from the Seronera Airstrip (no alcoholic drinks available).

After lunch we will game-drive to our tented camp where we will arrive late afternoon in time to freshen up and enjoy our first dinner in the Serengeti National Park.

O/N Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp or similar including breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp
Guarded by three-million-year-old granite towers in the magnificent Serengeti National Park, Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp offers the quintessential African Serengeti safari experience. Our elegant, tented camp is located on one of the main annual migration corridors of over one million wildebeest, half a million zebras and gazelles, and their accompanying cast of predators. The camp also offers close proximity to lions, giraffes, hippos and all of the other fascinating wildlife that inhabits this 14,763 square-kilometre park. Our sophisticated and exclusive Serengeti safari camp accommodation offers two comfortable queen beds with mosquito netting, free Wi-Fi access, hot showers and flushable WCs in the bathroom and large private decks with gorgeous views. Start or end your day with a delicious meal in our tented dining room.

DAY 5: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Optional hot air balloon trip (refer to separate costs below).

Morning and afternoon game drives in Serengeti National Park.

Lunch and dinner will be at the lodge. Guests can join us for both game drives of choose to only do one and enjoy the comforts of the camp.

O/N Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp or similar including breakfast, lunch, and dinner

DAY 6: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Full day game drive with a hot lunch at the Serengeti Serena Lodge.

Return to the camp for dinner.

O/N Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp or similar including breakfast, lunch, and dinner

DAY 9: NGORONGORO CRATER - ARUSHA - DEPARTURE

Departing Ngorongoro Crater after breakfast, we head southeast past Lake Manyara and Mto wa Mbu village.

Through the highlands and the Karatu district, we’ll view the scenic wheat plains and coffee plantations before journeying down the spectacular escarpment where we turn north on to the main Arusha – Dodoma Road and head into Arusha for lunch at Four Points by Sheraton.

If time permits. we will have the opportunity to visit the Cultural Heritage Centre for some last-minute shopping, followed by a transfer to the Kilimanjaro International Airport to be in time for the flight to Addis Ababa / Nairobi (in transit), and onwards to Johannesburg.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

DAY 7: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK - NGORONGORO CRATER

After breakfast, we will check-out and enjoy a game drive en route to the Serengeti gate.

Depart from there to the Ngorongoro Conservation area, viewing game across the vast Serengeti plains, stopping off en route to enjoy our picnic lunch. We will visit a Maasai Village before we continue to our lodge, set high on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater.

O/N Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge or similar including breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge
Stay right on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater. Tanzania’s prehistoric Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, has yawned heavenward for millennia. Deep within its immense walls is a breath-taking blue-green landscape dotted with plains, lakes and forests; an eerie, otherworldly “land that time forgot” thick with massive bull elephants, rhinos, wildebeests and the highest concentration of lions in Africa. Nestled high above the plains into the Crater’s jagged rim, cloaked in river stone and indigenous vines, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is barely visible to the naked eye. Framed by arched stone passages and timbered decks, its torch-lit walls are adorned with stylized cave paintings. At the stone heart of the lodge burns a glowing fire, which is kept constantly alight. Rooms are looped around the Crater rim. Each has its own rock-enclosed balcony, and all enjoy completely uninterrupted views of the volcanic amphitheatre far below. The Ngorongoro hotel is a place that feels as ancient as the Crater itself, yet no modern comfort has been spared in an effort to bring you the best safari adventure in Africa and one of the most unique travel experiences in the world.

DAY 10: ARRIVE IN JOHANNESBURG

Arrive at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

END OF SERVICES

DAY 8: NGORONGORO CRATER

A highlight awaits you this morning as you depart to explore the Ngorongoro Crater. After breakfast, you descend with a picnic lunch through the early morning mists and 2,000 feet into the crater. Ngorongoro Crater is the World’s largest intact volcanic caldera. Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct areas, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes, and springs, to open grassland and some sandy dunes. It’s an awesome wildlife experience. Lunch is enjoyed near a small lake filled with hippos. We then continue game viewing before returning to the crater’s rim and our lodge.

O/N Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge or similar including breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner