Tour itinerary
Zanzibar Island Extension: Full details below
Day 1-8: As per itinerary above
Day 9-10: Transfer to Arusha airport for a flight to the ‘Spice Island’ of Zanzibar. After checking into your hotel in the island’s capital and main port you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy ‘sundowners’ on the terrace of one of the bars or restaurants looking out towards sunset over the Straits of Zanzibar. Stone Town, in the heart of Zanzibar Town, is a fascinating place to wander around; every twist and turn of the crumbling alleyways presents something of interest. From the Beit-el-Ajaib, or House of Wonders, formerly the Sultan’s palace, to the striking structures of the Arab fort and St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the town has an air of intrigue and history. The town has a multitude of mosques - 50 in all - as well as reminders of Zanzibar’s more sinister past as a large slave centre. There are also hints of a British presence - the National Museum houses artefacts from the British colonial period and Livingstone’s base for his last expedition has been preserved. There is ample time to browse the bazaars of the old town whose many irresistible crafts, textiles and spices make wonderful souvenirs. It's easy to get lost in the maze of streets, and part of the fun, but you may wish to hire a local guide to show you around and your hotel will assist you with this. Hotel - 2 nights (Bx2)
Day 11-15: Today you drive across the island to the coast where you check in to your beachside hotel. You have plenty of time to relax and enjoy this tropical paradise. The coral-sand shores of this beautiful coast are protected by an offshore coral reef. The reefs are peppered with colourful sponges, fan worms, sea slugs and a wealth of fish - from small anemone to clouds of damselfish. Dolphins also frequent the coast. Try your hand at deep sea fishing, snorkelling or scuba diving. For those who prefer to be land based take a spice tour into the centre of the island see your favourite spices growing here as you never knew they looked. Hotel - 5 nights (Bx5,Dx5)
Day 16:You transfer from your resort back to Stonetown. The trip ends here for Land Only clients. Those on group flights back home board the overnight flight via Addis Ababa.
Day 17: Arrive home
Day 1: Fly to Kilimanjaro Airport
Overnight flight to Kilimanjaro Airport
Day 2: Arusha
On arrival you transfer (one hour) to your lodge and relax. Set at an altitude of 1390m, the town is surrounded by fertile land yielding coffee, wheat and maize tended by the Waarusha and Wameru tribespeople. Arusha is once again the headquarters of the East African community as in the days when Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were members of a communications and customs union. It remains one of Tanzania’s most attractive and lively towns.
Lodge - 1 night (D)
Day 3: Lake Manyara; game viewing
This morning you cross the Great Rift Valley, one of the most dramatic features on earth. Stretching from the Dead Sea in Jordan to Mozambique in the south, it is up to 100km wide in places and hosts an enormous diversity of wild animals, trees and plants. You pass through the lands of the Masai, probably the best known tribe in Africa. Your destination is the small town of Mto wa Mbu, where you pitch camp and have a lunch stop, before you head into Lake Manyara National Park for your first game drive. This afternoon you hope to see its major attraction - the tree-climbing lions, although there is of course no guarantee! There are plenty of other things to see too - elephant, hippo, plain’s game as well as a huge variety of bird life, both resident and migratory. (Driving 120km/ 2 ½-3hrs) Camp - 1 night (BLD) - swimming pool on site
Day 4/5: Serengeti National Park; Olduvai Gorge
This morning as you make your way to the Serengeti you stop at Olduvai Gorge en route. This famous archaeological site is where some of the oldest humanoid skeletons have been discovered. You can listen to an informative talk about the discovery of Olduvai Gorge and the work of Dr. Leakey and visit the small museum exhibiting many of the fossils and relics from the area.
Established in 1951, the Serengeti is the most famous of Tanzania's national parks. It is well known for the annual migration that usually takes place across the savannah plains in June and early July - thousands and thousands of animals as far as the eye can see. Travelling at this time gives a chance to see a really unique and exciting natural phenomenon in action. Travel in December to February offers the chance to witness wildebeest birthing season where thousands of calves are born on the plains prior to the migration.
You spend the next two days exploring the sweeping grass plains, rocky outcrops (kopjes) and sparsely wooded river valleys of this incomparable park, where lion, cheetah, leopard, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, gazelle and perhaps even wild dog can be seen. Depending on where the most exciting wildlife is to be found, you might set off early in the morning for an extended game drive and return to camp for a big brunch and a siesta, or you go for a leisurely morning drive after breakfast, with another game drive in the afternoon. Your Group Leader will work out the best routine, in order to maximise your chance of seeing as much wildlife as possible. You spend the evenings in the camp at the very centre of this vast plain to eat and sleep beneath a panorama of bright moon and stars in clear skies, surrounded by the unfamiliar sounds of the African bush. Camp - 2 nights. Please note that while there are showers, they may not always work as thirsty elephants sometimes disrupt the water supply. (Bx2, Lx2, Dx2)
Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater
Today you enjoy a morning game drive and then return to camp for lunch before you leave the Serengeti behind to travel to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (approx. 3 hours drive). The Ngorongoro Crater is a vast volcanic caldera, some 19km wide; it offers tremendous game viewing opportunities including one of Africa's densest populations of predators. You spend the night on the rim of the crater; at 2333m it can be surprisingly cold here in the evening/early morning so make sure you have warm clothes at the ready. You’ll be able to enjoy the magnificent views over and down into the caldera. Basic Camp - 1 night (BLD)
Day 7: Karatu; Ngorongoro Crater game drive
This morning you descend to the floor of the vast Ngorongoro Crater in 4WD vehicles, accompanied by your local driver/guide(s). Ngorongoro is one of the most picturesque settings for observing wildlife and with about 30,000 resident animals, there is excellent game viewing here all the year round. The photographic opportunities are unrivalled! Encounters with animals are frequent and there is a wide variety of game to be seen. Lake Magadi, the soda lake at the floor of the crater, is home to hundreds of flamingos. This is also one of the best places to see the endangered black rhino. Leaving the crater you follow the road climbing steadily up its precipitous inner edge. You depart the park to camp near the small town of Karatu (approx. 1 hour). There is enough time in the afternoon for you to wander into the lively little town - a great opportunity to get an impression of life in a small rural African town.
Camp - 1 night (BLD)
Day 8: Tarangire National Park
Today you move on towards one of Tanzania's less visited sites, the Tarangire National Park. Established in 1970, it takes its name from the Tarangire River, which flows here all year. On approaching the park, the most eye-catching aspect is the sight of baobab trees, which rise up from the plain. They are instantly recognisable by the usually leafless branches that stick out of the top of the tree as if they were the roots and the tree had been planted upside down!
The park is renowned for its great herds of elephant, in addition to which you hope to see a variety of other animals such as wildebeest, zebra, Thompson's gazelle, buffalo, eland and hartebeest as well as leopard if you are lucky. You make your camp for the night and enjoy your last experience of the sounds of the African bush. Tsetse flies can bother you here; a tip is not to wear dark blue or black clothing which attracts them. Camp - 1 night (BLD), driving 150km/3hrs
Day 9: Fly home
Today you cross the open plains and retrace your steps to Arusha (120km/3hrs). The trip ends in Arusha for Land Only clients. Those on group flights have the opportunity to freshen up and have lunch before a late afternoon transfer to the airport for your flight back home.
(B) NB Lunch is not included today
Day 10: Arrive home