
Travel through Tanzania’s northern safari circuit on this 8 day tour encountering some great scenery and wildlife along the way. See the often-overlooked Tarangire National Park, the fertile crater floor of the Ngorongoro caldera and the famous, wildlife-rich Serengeti National Park. Stay in style at luxury tented lodges and camps and head out in search of the wildlife in private, 4×4 safari vehicles.
Including international return flights with Ethiopian Airlines, internal flights, private transfers, the services of English-speaking representatives and guides, and all accommodation on full board basis, except for your hotel in Kilimanjaro.
Route
Staying at an intimate tented camp set in a private concession on the edge of the Tarangire National Park with the wildlife often spilling in to the Nimali concession and just metres from the camp, heading for a large waterhole.
Depart the UK on an overnight flight to Kilimanjaro.
Early afternoon arrival. Be met by our English-speaking representative/driver-guide at Kilimanjaro airport and get transferred to Arusha and your hotel located in one of Tanzania’s largest coffee plantations. Arusha is a small town at the base of Mount Meru and the gateway for safaris in Northern Tanzania. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. Stay at Arusha Coffee Lodge for 1 night including breakfast on Day 3.
After breakfast leave your hotel in Arusha to set off for Tarangire National Park, well known for its concentration of elephants. Arrive at your luxury tented camp in time for lunch and an afternoon safari drive. Your small and intimate camp sits peacefully in its own private concession bordering the Tarangire National Park and offers an exclusive game viewing spot far from the crowds. Stay at Nimali Tarangire Luxury Camp for 2 nights on a full board basis.
Morning and afternoon game drives through the park, with a picnic lunch and returning to camp late in the afternoon. Part of Tanzania’s northern safari circuit the often-overlooked Tarangire is quieter than the better known Serengeti and Ngorongoro. As well as grassy savannah plains, Tarangire is filled with ancient baobab and acacia trees, and a number of large swamps in the south of the park together with the perennial Tarangire River attract a large number of animals, especially in dry season. Look out for large herds of African elephants as well as wildebeest, impala and zebra, leopard, lion, hyena and cheetah. On return to camp enjoy the facilities; relax in the open-fronted lounge or go for a dip in the inviting pool before dinner.
Enjoy breakfast and a morning of leisure at the camp before leaving for lunch at Gibbs Farm in Karatu. Founded in 1920s as a coffee plantation, Gibbs Farm is a historic lodge on the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater and after lunch should you wish you can join in with additional activities (extra cost). Late afternoon set off for the drive to Ngorongoro and your luxury lodge that will be your base for the next two nights. The lodge is set about a 20 minute drive from the Ngorongoro Crater and offers suites in private log cabins, a swimming pool for relaxation and a spa. Stay at Neptune Ngorongoro Luxury Lodge for 2 nights on a full board basis.
Explore the Ngorongoro crater floor on a full day safari drive, stopping for lunch at a picnic site and returning to your lodge late afternoon. The Ngorongoro Crater is a giant, highly fertile volcanic caldera created by the collapse of the peak of the volcano millions of years ago. Its landscape of forests, plains and lakes is home to the densest concentration of wildlife in Africa. Look out for elephant, black rhino, hippo, zebra, wildebeest, rare wild dog, gazelle, buffalo, plus its large lion population and bird species, including pink flamingo.
This morning drive to Serengeti National Park arriving in time for lunch at your luxury bush camp before a game drive in search of the wildlife, returning to camp late afternoon. Asanja Moru offers an authentic bush camp feel with each of the eight exclusive en-suite tents embellished in African style and representing a special Maasai ceremony. The camp is located inside the Central Serengeti in Moru Kopjes, home to the remaining population of black rhino and the Gong Rock with its series of Maasai paintings, and just east lies the saline Lake Magadi, a paradise for flamingo. Stay at Asanja Moru Camp for 2 nights on a full board basis.
Spend the day on a full day safari and, depending on the movement of the animals in the park, either return to camp for a hot lunch or take a packed lunch to enjoy on the go. The Serengeti National Park is one of the best safari destinations in Africa and is perhaps best known for the Great Migration, when more than two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle with predators in pursuit, move through the park. At the heart of the park lies the Central region; the most popular area with a landscape of vast savannah plains and abundant year-round wildlife. Look out for big cat, buffalo, rhino, giraffe; lion and cheetah can often be spotted lying in the sun on the rocky granite outcrops known as kopjes.
After breakfast, transfer to Seronera airstrip for your flight to Arusha. You will be met by one of our English-speaking representatives and taken to a hotel for lunch before transfer to Kilimanjaro airport for your return flight to the UK.
Add a beach stay to your tour and make the most of the powdery white sand beaches of Zanzibar