Tanzania Wildlife Safari

Depart the US.

Upon arrival in Kilimanjaro, you will be taken to your lodge in Arusha. *Since arrival will be late this evening, snacks will be provided upon arrival at the hotel.

Today around 10am, travel to Arusha National Park to explore what is known as "Little Serengeti". Here you will search for Giraffes, warthogs, antelopes, flamingoes and a variety of other bird species. Enjoy a picnic lunch before heading to the wooded area in search of colobus monkeys. Return to the hotel around 4:00 for some down time before dinner this evening.

Today head out towards Ngorongoro. Stop at Losirwa Primary School for some songs and games, the arts center and the Mto Wa Mbu Village for a local lunch presentation. Upon arrival at your lodge located on the crater rim, check in and then spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the views. Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest intact volcanic caldera, with sides up to 2,000 feet deep and a crater floor that covers approximately 100 square miles. Spectacular as it is, the crater accounts for just a tenth of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

After breakfast descend down into the crater, watch as the flora opens to grassy plains throughout the crater floor and enjoy the spectacular scenery and game viewing in what has been described as the eighth wonder of the world. The crater is home to many species of wild game and birds. With the exception of impala and topi (due to fierce competition with the wildebeest) and the giraffe (because there is not much to eat at tree level), almost every species of African plains mammal lives in the crater, including the endangered black rhino, and the densest population of predators in Africa. In the afternoon depart for Serengeti National Park doing a game drive along the way. In late afternoon arrive at the Tented camp located in Southern Serengeti.

Spend the day doing game drives in southern Serengeti National Park in search for the Wildebeest and Zebra migration. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the location of the famous annual migration of over a million wildebeest.

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Today we move to central Serengeti, spend the day doing game drives near the Seronera River which provides an important water source and therefore attracts a lot of wildlife like hippos and crocs.

Take one last game drive as you exit Serengeti and head to Karatu. En route stop at Olduvai Gorge. Nicknamed the "Cradle of Mankind," this famous anthropological site is located on a steep-sided ravine, approximately 30 miles long and 295 ft. deep. During an informative on-site lecture, discover the accomplishments of Drs. Louis and Mary Leakey, archaeologists who excavated key hominid fossils that provided significant understanding of the course of human evolution. Exposed deposits show fossils and remains of objects dating as far back as 2 million to 15,000 years ago. Late in the afternoon check in at Country Lodge Karatu located in the Ngorongoro Highlands.

Early morning start to the day as we drive to Lake Eyasi where we will enjoy the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers experience.
Related to the San and Kung Bushmen of Kalahari fame, the Hadzabe are a fascinating, traditional people. Experiencing life through the eyes of such ancient peoples will give you a privileged view of the lives of one of the last groups of authentic hunter-gatherer groups left in Africa. back to the lodge for lunch and the rest of afternoon we enjoy a relaxing time in the lodge.

This morning travel to Tarangire National Park, stopping en route to visit a massai village. In the afternoon enjoy a game drive and exploration in the park. Here you will find herds of up to 300 elephants, migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest, and elands. Thirsty animals wander hundreds of parched kilometers knowing that they will find water here. It's an amazing concentration of wildlife - and a smorgasbord for predators. Tarangire's pythons climb trees, as do its lions and leopards. Lion packs stalk through the park, their golden fur blending in against the dried out grasses. Leopards and their cubs stealthily prowl at night. It's also the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the fringe-eared oryx and long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed.

After your morning game drive transfer to Arusha stopping en-route at a local home to enjoy a family-hosted lunch and then go to the hotel. You will have a day room to relax and freshen up before being transferred to the airport for your flight home.

Arrive back in the US.