Day 1:
Meet and Greet upon arrival at Dar es Salaam Airport. Your attendant will assist you to obtain the visa upon arrival if you have not got one in advance. Your vehicle will be awaiting you once you are cleared through immigration and customs. You will now be transferred to Hotel Sea Cliff for overnight stay on Bed and Breakfast basis.
“Situated on the North Eastern point of the Msasani Peninsula as it juts out into the magical blue waters of the Indian Ocean is the spectacular Hotel Seacliff. Set among the lush, beautifully manicured gardens and the priceless views of the ocean, the 93 room hotel provides an idyllic and tranquil setting for all guests”.
Day 2:
Your adventure begins today. Very early morning breakfast and pick up from the hotel for your transfer to the airport for flight to Kilimanjaro. Your flight departs at 0720hrs, arriving Kilimanjaro at 0840hrs. Pick up from the airport and transfer to Tarangire National Park for a full day game drive with picnic lunches. Dinner and overnight at the Tarangire Sopa Lodge.
Wildlife
Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons.
Tarangire Sopa Lodge
“Hidden among the kopjes, lies Tarangire Sopa Lodge, surrounded by ancient baobab trees. It is the home of the greatest concentration of elephants in Africa, and other game including the elusive leopard. Over 400 bird species can be spotted here as well. With water constantly available in the area, the greenery is lush providing a wonderful contrast to the burnt ground”.
Day 3:
After breakfast, proceed to Serengeti for en route game drive with picnic lunches via Olduvai Gorge. Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge.
Wildlife in the Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti is home to thousands of plant and animal species. While many visitors focus on charismatic species including lion, cheetah, elephant and leopard, there are many other mammal species that roam the plains by the thousands. These include giraffe, topi, bushbuck, warthog, hippo, rock hyrax, Grants gazelle and impala. These animals are viewed in herds or alone, and cover all ecosystems of the Serengeti.
Day 4:
After early breakfast, proceed for game drive and back for hot lunch, Rest by the pool and proceed for afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge.
Serengeti Serena Lodge
“Set high on the saddle of tree-clad ridge commanding panoramic views over the endlessly rolling reaches and volcanic reefs of the Serengeti, the Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge is the ultimate fusion of traditional African architecture and world-class style. Drawing its inspiration from the circular ‘Rondavel’ dwellings and winding paths of a traditional Maasai village, the Lodge features thickly-thatched, stone-built rooms, spaciously set amongst groves of indigenous trees that are cooled by sparkling streams and papyrus-fringed ponds”
Day 5:
After breakfast, proceed towards Ngorongoro en route game drive with picnic lunches. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.
Wildlife in the Ngorongoro Crater
“A population of approximately 25,000 large animals, largely ungulates along with reputedly the highest density of mammalian predators in Africa, lives in the crater. These include the black rhinoceros and the hippopotamus, which is very uncommon in the area. There also are many other ungulates: the wildebeest, zebra, eland and Grants and Thomsons Gazelles. Thre crater has the densest known population of lions. On the crater rim are leopards, elephants, mountain reedbucj and buffalo.
In summer, enormous numbers of Serengeti migrants pass through the plains of the reserve, including 1.7 million wildebeest, 260,000 zebra, and 470,000 gazelles. Waterbuck occur mainly near Lerai Forest; Servals occur widely in the crater and on the plains to the west. Common in the reserve are lions, hartebeest, spotted hyenas and jackals”.
Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
“Perched on the jagged rim of the crater, wreathed in morning mist, camouflaged in river-stone and cloaked in indigenous creepers, the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is a triumph of ecological and architectural fusion. Sensitively constructed so as to take nothing from its environment whilst affording endless vistas over the heat-shimmering reaches of the crater below, the clustered boulder-built buildings of the Lodge hug the crater rim, linked by rope-lashed timber walkways that skirt the buttressed roots of ancient, liana-hung trees”.
Day 6
After early breakfast , proceed for full day crater tour with picnic lunches. Dinner and overnight Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
“Standing high on the bluff of a dramatic ochre and terracotta streaked cliff above the flamingo-frosted expanse of Lake Manyara’s gleaming alkaline waters, the Lodge commands panoramic views across the volcano-studded floor of the Great Rift Valley”.
Wildlife in Lake Manyara National Park
“Apart from the tree climbing lions and large concentration of elephants, Large buffalo, wildebeest and zebra herds congregate on these grassy plains, as do giraffes – some so dark in coloration that they appear to be black from a distance. Squadrons of banded mongoose dart between the acacias, while the diminutive Kirk’s dik-dik forages in their shade. Pairs of klipspringer are often seen silhouetted on the rocks above a field of searing hot springs that steams and bubbles adjacent to the lakeshore in the far south of the park”.
Day 7:
After breakfast, proceed for full day game drive with Picnic lunches at Lake Manyara. In late afternoon, proceed back to Kilimanjaro Airport for flight to Zanzibar. Pick up from the airport and transfer to La Gemma Dell’est, part of the 5 star chain of Plan Hotel located on the northern tip of Zanzibar, for three nights accommodation on all inclusive basis.
Day 8
Choose from the whole lot of activities the hotel has to offer. Be it relaxing by the pool, or rewinding with the spa facilities, working out in the gym or enjoying some of the scrumptious dishes the hotel has to offer. The day is at leisure for you. Overnight at the hotel on all meals, soft and local hard drinks inclusive basis.
Day 9
Still a lot of activities to choose from, whether you wish to sooth yourself in the reading lounge or energize yourself by going for some of the water sports or simply rest in your room doing nothing, the choice is yours. Overnight at the hotel on all meals, soft and local hard drinks inclusive basis.
Day 10
After breakfast, you will be picked up from the hotel and transferred back to stonetown for a city and spice tour.
City Tour:
“The three and a half-hour tour begins with a visit to Zanzibar's colorful market, alive with the buzz of locals bartering. You may shop your souvenirs from here. Later on you will be taken to the site of the Anglican cathedral, its foundations built on the very spot where slaves were once sold and traded,. Afterwards, visit Zanzibar Museum where David Livingstone's first impression of the island can be read through his written journals and potent letter back home. From there, visit Tippu Tip House, Africa House (the former British Club), the Old Fort. The tour ends with an amble through the narrow, winding streets of Old Stone Town”.
Spice Tour:
“While spices no longer dominate Zanzibar's economy as they once did, there are still numerous spice plantations in the centre of the island, which make an interesting visit. Friendly and informed guides will escort you on a walking tour of the spice farms, picking bunches of leaves, fruit and twigs from bushes and trees, inviting you to smell or taste them to guess what they are.Almost all the ingredients of the average kitchen spice rack can be found on this tour. Local children weave small 'gifts' from palm leaves as they follow you around and will quickly scamper up a coconut palm to cut a fresh coconut for you”.
This is a great opportunity to find out why Zanzibar is known as the 'Spice Islands'.
This is a half-day tour and includes transfers, guide and admission fees.
After the tours, you will be transferred back to the airport for flight back to Dar es Salaam, where you will connect with your international flight back home.
END OF SAFARI
