$4,593 pp (USD)
2 travelers on Start dateArrival
Arrival
Day 1
Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport and Transfer to Your Lodge
Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport and Transfer to Your Lodge
Our driver meets you at the arrivals exit of Kilimanjaro International Airport and drives you to Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, about an hour away. The lodge sits in forest on the lower slopes of Mount Meru, at 4,566 m Tanzania’s second-highest mountain, which rises behind the grounds when the clouds part. After a long flight, the rooms are made for recovery: king-size beds with carved headboards, large bathtubs and solid wooden furniture. Spend what is left of the day on the colonial veranda overlooking the lake and gardens, and have dinner made partly with vegetables from the lodge’s own garden. Dinner and overnight at Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge.
- Main Destination:
- Arusha (City)
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Tarangire in the Dry Season
Tarangire in the Dry Season
After breakfast, your private guide collects you for the drive to Tarangire National Park (about 3 hours). In the dry season, the Tarangire River is the main source of water for many kilometres around, and as it shrinks to a sandy bed, elephants dig into it with their feet and trunks to reach clean water below the surface. These holes then serve zebras, warthogs and birds that cannot dig for themselves. Look for herds gathered along the riverbank, and for lions resting in the shade of the baobabs. After a picnic lunch and an afternoon game drive, continue to Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge near Karatu (about 2 hours). At 1,800 metres, evenings here are cool, and the view runs across farmland to distant villages. Dinner and overnight at Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge.
- Main Destination:
- Tarangire National Park
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- Rhotia Valley Tented Lodge
Wildlife in Tarangire NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Ngorongoro Crater and Drive to Central Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater and Drive to Central Serengeti
Leave early, around 6:30–7:00, to reach the crater floor in the quiet morning hours; the drive to the crater floor from your lodge takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. Lions, buffaloes, zebras and black rhino all live on the caldera floor, and the crater has a twist on the usual story: here spotted hyenas are skilled hunters in their own right, and lions often take over their kills rather than the other way round. Lunch is a picnic on the crater floor. In the afternoon, climb back to the rim and drive west across the Ngorongoro Highlands into the Serengeti, entering the park at Naabi Hill Gate and continuing to the central plains (about 4 hours). Dinner and overnight at Sound of Silence, a tented camp in the central Serengeti.
- Main Destination:
- Ngorongoro Crater
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- Sound of Silence Tented Camp
Wildlife in Ngorongoro Crater
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Morning in Seronera, Drive North to Kogatende
Morning in Seronera, Drive North to Kogatende
Spend the morning in Seronera, the heart of the Serengeti, where permanent water keeps lions, leopards and cheetahs in the area all year. Then head north with a picnic lunch on the way. As you leave the open central plains, the landscape changes to rolling hills, granite outcrops and woodland. The drive to Kogatende takes a good part of the day, with game viewing as you go (the distance between the two parts of the park is about 3 hours if driving non-stop). You arrive at Baobab Serengeti Camp in the late afternoon, a camp of ten tents set among acacias near the Mara River.
- Main Destination:
- Central Serengeti National Park
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- Baobab Mara Luxury Camp
Wildlife in Serengeti NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Full Day at the Mara River in Kogatende, Northern Serengeti
Full Day at the Mara River in Kogatende, Northern Serengeti
A full day along the Mara River, the last natural barrier for the herds on their way north. From July to October, wildebeest and zebras mass on the banks, sometimes for hours, before one animal finally jumps and the rest follow. No one can predict when or where a crossing will happen, so your guide will read the herds, choose a spot and wait with you; with a full day and a picnic lunch, there is time to be patient. Large Nile crocodiles wait in the river, and the herds often cross back and forth more than once. Between crossings, look for elands, topi and giraffes in the riverine woodland.
- Main Destination:
- Northern Serengeti National Park
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- Baobab Mara Luxury Camp
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Early Morning Game Drive and Bush Flight to Zanzibar
Early Morning Game Drive and Bush Flight to Zanzibar
How you spend the morning is up to you. If you’d like a last game drive, have an early breakfast and your guide will look for sightings on the way to the Kogatende airstrip; if you’d prefer, pack without hurry and head straight to the airstrip after breakfast. The late-morning bush flight to Zanzibar takes about 2.5 hours. The luggage allowance is 20 kg per person in a soft bag, including the 5 kg carry-on. On arrival, our driver meets you at Zanzibar Airport for the drive of about 50 km to Alladin Zanzibar, a small adults-only beach hotel in Matemwe on the island’s northeast coast. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
- Main Destination:
- Northern Serengeti National Park
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- Alladin Zanzibar
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 7
Free Day in Zanzibar
Free Day in Zanzibar
A day with nothing on the schedule. After four early safari starts, sleep in and take a slow breakfast at the hotel’s Sultan Restaurant. Matemwe is a quiet stretch of white sand beside a traditional fishing village, and the northeast coast has some of the strongest tides on the island: at low tide the sea retreats far across the reef flats, at high tide it comes right back to the beach. Check the tide times to plan your swims, and spend the hours in between by the pool or with a massage at the spa. In the evening, the rooftop Sky Bar looks out over the ocean and the fishermen’s dhows. Breakfast, dinner and overnight at Alladin Zanzibar.
- Main Destination:
- Zanzibar Island (Tanzania Beaches)
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- Alladin Zanzibar
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 8
Free Day in Zanzibar
Free Day in Zanzibar
A free day by the ocean. Matemwe is the closest beach to Mnemba Atoll, which lies just offshore and is one of Zanzibar’s best places for snorkelling, so if you’d like to see the reef, this is the day we recommend for it. Boat trips to the atoll leave directly from the hotel beach; the water around Mnemba is clear, with coral, turtles and reef fish, and dolphins are sometimes seen on the way, though sightings are never guaranteed. Back on shore, the afternoon is yours for the beach, the pool or the 24-hour gym. Breakfast, dinner and overnight at Alladin Zanzibar.
- Main Destination:
- Zanzibar Island (Tanzania Beaches)
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- Alladin Zanzibar
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 9
Free Day in Zanzibar
Free Day in Zanzibar
The last full day on the island. If you’d like to see more of Zanzibar, we recommend a day in Stone Town, the island’s old quarter and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, about an hour’s drive away. Its narrow lanes show centuries of Swahili, Arab, Indian and European influence, best seen in the carved wooden doors of the old merchant houses. On the way, a spice farm is worth a stop: Zanzibar has been called the Spice Island since it became one of the world’s main sources of cloves, and you can see nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper growing and taste them fresh. Or simply spend one more slow day by the sea. Breakfast, dinner and overnight at Alladin Zanzibar.
- Main Destination:
- Zanzibar Island (Tanzania Beaches)
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- Alladin Zanzibar
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 10
Departure from Zanzibar
Departure from Zanzibar
Breakfast is included on your last morning, so there is time for one more slow meal by the ocean before you leave. Standard check-out is at 10:00. If your flight is later in the day and you would like to keep your room longer, let us know in advance and we will arrange a late check-out with the hotel, subject to availability and at extra cost. Our driver collects you from the hotel and takes you to Zanzibar Airport. The pick-up time depends on your flight: for international departures, plan to leave the hotel about 4 hours before take-off; for domestic flights, about 3 hours before.
- Main Destination:
- No major destination visited
- Activities:
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
