Heart of the Migration-Tanzania
Experience life in a Maasai Village, game drives in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, track lion in the Ngorongoro Crater, watch cheetah race across the Serengeti Plains and experience the thunder of the wildebeest at the heart of the migration.
Itinerary
Days 1-3: July 16, 17 & 18, 2018
Arrive Arusha, RiverTrees Country Inn. Tarangire National Park, Tarangire Safari Lodge
Upon arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport, one of our friendly drivers will meet you and as you are driven to your first lodge, you’ll immediately immerse yourself in the breathtaking vistas of Tanzania and spend the night at Rivertrees Country Inn.
Depending on your arrival time you may have the opportunity to hire a bicycle and tour the local farm, go bird watching, visit a local project: Shanga, or simply recover from your long journey on the palatial Rivertrees property by the pool, on your front porch or in your beautiful room. We’ll have our Welcome dinner at the Rivertrees restaurant or pizzeria.
Rivertrees Country Inn is nestled between Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru in natural gardens along the Usa River, outside of Arusha Town. Combining old world ambiance, African country elegance, excellent farm cuisine, personal service and a genuine warmth from your hosts – Rivertrees is simply a magical place to stay.
Meals: Breakfast
After breakfast and a short briefing by your guide Jody Cole and introduction to our driver/guides we will depart for safari country and picturesque Tarangire National Park, the “Baobab Capital of the World.” The park is known for its wild landscapes, resident elephants, large prides of lion, leopards, giraffe, buffalo, the last remaining pack of wild dogs in northern Tanzania, and excellent year-round bird watching with more than 300 bird species. The Tarangire River is the only permanent water source within the 2,600 square kilometer park. During the dry season herd animals of all kinds (wildebeest, zebra, gazelles) migrate from the surrounding areas to this life-sustaining source of water. Also in the dry season the amazing giant rock pythons leave the swamps to live in the trees at the swamp edge, from where they will attack and kill large animals of all kinds, providing a most unusual natural spectacle.
We’ll arrive in time for lunch at our lodge before an afternoon and early evening game drive in the northern sections of the park along the Tarangire River. We’ll enjoy 2 game drives on our full day interrupted only by a delicious, warm, farm fresh lunch.
Tarangire Safari Lodge sits on a bluff overlooking the Tarangire River, the park’s only permanent water source and a popular watering hole for elephant, buffalo, and other grazing herds. Accommodations are in bungalows and permanent tents with full amenities strung out along the ridge. The lodge has excellent buffet meals, a full bar, and a swimming pool.
Meals: Full Board
Days 4-5: July 19 & 20, 2018
Southern Serengeti, Masek Tented Camp
We have make a morning departure for the Ngorongoro Highlands, where we can stretch our legs with a guided two-hour light hike through the forested highlands inside the fabulous Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where a majestic 150-meter waterfall awaits. Along the way, visit the elephant caves, so-called because the deep recesses in the valley wall are created by elephants digging up the earth to ingest the mineral-rich soil. This rich soil also attracts buffalo, bushbuck, waterbuck, and baboons to the area. We will enjoy a hot lunch in the Gibb’s Farm dining room overlooking the lush gardens and valley below.
We’ll continue westward, skirting the Ngorongoro Crater and descending to the southern grass plains of the Serengeti, part of the vast Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Once we are in the Ngorongoro area we are on heightened look-out for wildlife. From here until our last day, July 25th, we are on full-time game drive safari!!!
Lake Masek Tented Camp: Luxurious Lake Masek Tented Camp is located by the shores of Lake Masek, situated between the vast plains of the Serengeti and the woodlands of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Accommodations are in spacious tents on raised platforms set high above the lake and feature en suite bathrooms with tub and star shower. The main lodge contains a magnificent lounge for sundowners, a well-appointed library, and a dining area and balcony with sweeping views of the lake.
As the Ngorongoro Conservation Area offers walking, and if our schedule allows, on Friday morning we will have a ranger-guided bush walk through the acacia forest and open plains of the Lake Ndutu area. Unlimited game drives are available to us during our stay.
Meals: Full Board
Days 6, 7 & 8: July 21-23, 2018
Northern Serengeti, Mara River Tented Lodge
We’ll head north into the Serengeti National Park – probably the most famous wildlife area in the world. More than 4 million animals reside within its ecosystem, including a million and a half wildebeest, a quarter million zebra, twice that many gazelle, and tens of thousands of their predators (lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, crocodile, etc.). Moreover, the vast park offers breathtaking scenery unto itself. Scattered throughout the southeastern short grass plains are kopjes, geologic wonders comprised of exposed gneiss and granite shaped by the wind and temperature fluctuations. Different environments emerge as you head deeper into the Serengeti, where we will find riverine forests, acacia woodlands, forested hills, and open grassland that create a vast geographic mosaic. We’ll game drive and stop for a picnic lunch as we pass through the Seronera area en route to the remote northern sections of the park. Unlimited game drives all days in the Serengeti.
Mara River Tented Lodge is the northern Serengeti’s newest addition. This permanent camp is set in the Kogatende area of the northern Serengeti close to the Mara River. It offers a front row seat to the wildebeest migration and river crossings, along with access to the huge diversity of wildlife in the area. The lodge includes 16 permanent tents built on raised platforms with en suite facilities, a lounge, restaurant, viewing deck, and swimming pool.
Meals: Full Board
Days 9 & 10: July 24 & 25, 2018
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge
We bid the fabulous Serengeti an early farewell to head south into the cooler Ngorongoro Highlands for our last night together. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of seven World Heritage Sites designated in Tanzania. It is the world’s first multi-purpose land use experiment, combining tourism, research, archeology, wildlife management, and traditional livestock grazing for the Maasai pastoralists for whom the reserve is home. We will have the opportunity to visit a Maasai boma (homestead) for an exciting cultural interaction and peek into the lives of this fascinating tribe, known for their beaded jewelry, dramatic dancing, and steadfastness to their indigenous culture.
Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge perched on the eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge commands magnificent views over the crater floor and a spectacular front row seat of the African sunset. Each of the 90 double bedrooms is very spacious with two queen-sized beds, a separate dressing area and a glass-fronted verandah. The lodge includes a swimming pool, extensive gift shop and a stunning restaurant with a high roof and large glass windows with views to the crater.
Meals: Full Board
July 25 Departure
This morning we will enter the famous Ngorongoro Crater for a morning game drive in what is often referred to as “Africa’s Eden.” The descent into the crater, 2,500 feet below the rim, is an unforgettable experience. While only 100 square miles in area, it offers several distinct habitats: acacia forest, swamp, short grass plains, long grass plains, riverine, and woodland. Each habitat attracts a unique variety of the crater’s 30,000 resident animals that create a density and diversity of wildlife unseen anywhere else in Africa. We’ll enjoy a hot lunch back at the lodge and then return through Arusha Town back to Rivertrees Country Inn, where you will have a final relaxing dinner prior to transfer to the Kilimanjaro International Airport and your flight home.
Meals: B/L at Sopa Lodge, Dinner at Rivertrees
PRICING
$7,380 Per Person sharing. Based on a minimum of 6-10 guests.
Single Supplement: $950
Prices and availability are subject to change until a signed trip application and 20% deposit are received, at which time accommodations are booked and a final itinerary prepared. Modifications to the itinerary may result in a change in price.
INCLUDES
- Accompanied by expert guide Jody Cole throughout
- All accommodations, meals and activities (as noted in itinerary)
- Services of English-speaking guides and drivers on safari
- Park fees
- Unlimited mileage on game drives in fully-equipped 4×4 safari vehicle with pop top
- Bottled drinking water in vehicle
- All road transfers within Tanzania
- At Lake Masek Tented Camp only: Mineral water, soft drinks, beer, house wine and house spirits (Champagne excluded).
NOT INCLUDED (unless noted above)
- Cold beverages and alcohol
- Laundry
- Optional activities on safari and at lodges that require additional charges
- Gratuities to trip leader, guides, drivers, crew or other staff
- International airfare
- Airport departure taxes
- Additional accommodations made necessary by airline schedule changes or other factors
- Pre-trip expenses, such as medical immunizations, travel insurance, passports, visas and any expenses of a personal nature.
Things to know now
- Passports MUST be valid for at least six months from your return home date. We recommend a validity of nine months to prevent any problems in this regard. There must be at least FOUR blank VISA pages in the passport (not endorsement pages).
- No vaccinations are mandatory but please consult your doctor for medical advice. We highly recommend the use of anti-malarial prophylactics. The drugs of choice seem to be Larium or Malarone. We recommend you contact your pharmacist/ Travel Advisory Clinic for advice as to which prophylactic is recommended. We also encourage you to research http://www.cdc.gov/ for IF you are overnighting in Kenya or traveling on to Zanzibar or South Africa you will need a Yellow Fever vaccination.
- Luggage is restricted to 18 kg/40lbs per person including photographic equipment and hand luggage – in soft-sided rolling bags.
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