Tanzania Up Close: Wildlife Safari and the Great Migration

Depart the U.S. on your flight to Tanzania.

Upon arrival to Kilimanjaro International Airport, a Holbrook representative will meet you outside the airport and take you to the hotel. Please note: This is an arrival day and no meals are included.

After breakfast, receive a welcome orientation before departing Arusha National Park. We make our first stop at the ranger post, where we'll receive an introduction to the park and its history. Learn about a section of the park known as "Little Serengeti," as well as nearby Mt. Meru, Africa's fourth highest mountain. Depart from the ranger post for a walk in the foothills of Mt. Meru accompanied by an armed ranger. Pass through Buffalo Swamp and arrive at a lookout point with views of the park and impressive Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance. Continue to a waterfall and then open grasslands dotted with giraffes, warthogs, antelopes, flamingos, and a variety of other bird species. Set out into a wooded area in search of colobus monkeys before returning to the ranger post. A boxed lunch will be provided in the park. Return to the lodge in the late afternoon. Enjoy a lecture on the History of Tanzania before dinner this evening.

After checking out of the hotel and loading the safari vehicles, begin the drive to Tarangire National park. Tarangire is home to the greatest concentration of elephants in Africa. The Tarangire River snakes through the park, and as it's the area's only permanent river, wildlife travel long distances to reach it. The 1,096 square miles of protected lands are home to a large variety of game, such as wildebeests, elephants, zebras, gazelles, elands, gerenuks, lions and leopards. Extensive grasslands, dotted with the occasional acacia or baobab tree, provide the optimum conditions for viewing wild animals. Bird enthusiasts will have the opportunity to see more than 500 avian species, including Yellow-collared Lovebirds, Rufous-tailed Weavers, Ashy Starlings, Stocking-thighed Ostriches, and Kori Bustards. In the afternoon arrive at Tarangire Sopa, built to blend in with the vastness of its surroundings, Tarangire Sopa Lodge lies hidden among the kopjes, ancient baobab. Many elephants can be seen around the lodge, allowing visitors a close encounter.

After breakfast, an armed park ranger will meet us at the lodge for an escorted nature walk through Tarangire National Park. Return to the lodge in time for lunch, followed by free time to rest and enjoy the lodge amenities. In the mid-afternoon, return to the park watching wildlife while aboard safari vehicles.

Set out early this morning for a visit at a local school to learn what a typical school day in Tanzania is like. Interact with teachers and students. Learn from the children what it takes for them to get to and from school every day. Please note: It is not mandatory to bring donations to the school and/or the children. However, anyone who wishes to do so might consider bringing a few basic school supplies such as pencils, erasers, pens, colored markers, etc. to donate during the visit. Afterwards visit the village of Mto wa Mbu to enjoy lunch prepared by a local family with an explanation of the different culinary delights and how they are made. Today's drive will end at your accommodations near Ngorongoro Crater where you will have some free time to relax and take in the spectacular views on a walk around the lodge and crater rim.

This morning, descend into Ngorongoro Crater for wildlife viewing among one of the most unique concentrations of wildlife on earth. Vast grasslands cover most of the crater floor and provide ample grazing for resident zebras, gazelles, wildebeest, elephants, warthogs, and rhinos. With a large number of prey species contained within the crater, it is not surprising that Ngorongoro is also home to a dense population of lions. After a boxed bush lunch enjoy the rest of the afternoon inside the crater.

Today, check out and depart for the Serengeti - Tanzania's most renowned National Park. Home to the greatest concentration of large mammals on Earth, the migratory herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle roam widely in search of green grass and water. Once you cross through the gate of the park, your wildlife drive begins. Your guide/driver will follow the best path that leads to your camp, with the knowledge of where the wildlife can be found en route. Upon arrival at the camp, you will have the remainder of the late afternoon to enjoy the sunset and dinner at your camp.

Early this morning, begin the first safari drive of the day. Serengeti is Tanzania's first national park and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site where over a million wildebeest famously migrate each year. The park's high concentration of wildlife also includes the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, black rhino, and buffalo), as well as cheetah, zebras, giraffes, gazelle, monkeys, and over 500 bird species. This morning's excursion will include breakfast out in the field. Return to the camp late in the morning and have lunch. Enjoy some free time to rest and relax before heading out for the mid-afternoon wildlife safari. In the evening, gather around the campfire and have a discussion with your guide about the Great Migration in Tanzania.

Early this morning an optional balloon safari will be available (at additional cost). This once in a lifetime experience will allow you a stunning bird's eye view of the Serengeti that cannot be replicated on the ground. In the afternoon depart on a wildlife drive and head toward the area in the park where the migrating herds are found this time of year.
December-April: Southern Serengeti
May-June: Western Serengeti
July -October: Northern Serengeti
November: Central Serengeti

AM & PM wildlife drives.

After breakfast, depart from Serengeti and start the journey to Karatu. En route, stop at Olduvai Gorge, where the museum curator will accompany us through the on-site museum and on a walk to the Leakey Camp. Learn about archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey, who began their first excavations of this area in the 1930s as they searched for clues to the origin of mankind. The Leakey team's discovery of primitive tools and, later, fossilized hominid remains (Australopithecus boisei and Homo habilis) at this site helped lay the foundation for present-day theories on human evolution. After lunch, continue to Karatu. Upon arrival to the lodge, embark on a short exploratory walk around the lodge's farm/coffee plantation.

After a leisurely morning, return to Arusha. Before arriving at the hotel, pay a visit to a local home to enjoy a family-hosted lunch. Day room accommodations have been arranged at the hotel, where we'll be able to rest, finish packing luggage, or freshen up before catching the overnight flight back to the U.S. Enjoy a light snack at the hotel before departing for Kilimanjaro International Airport. Check-out is at 6 pm.

Arrive in the U.S.