Arrival
Arrival
Day 1
Arusha town - Tarangire National Park
Arusha town - Tarangire National Park
After a 7 am breakfast at the hotel, we pick you up between 8 and 8:30 am and start an en-route game drive heading to Tarangire gate. We arrive at 10 am and spend 10 minutes on registration before we start the game drive inside the park.
At 1 pm, we have lunch at the picnic site (we cater to both meat lovers and vegetarians). We exit the park at 4 pm and head to your booked lodge.
The park is 118km (2 hours drive) southwest of Arusha and its total surface area is 2,850 sq km. The park has sparse vegetation strewn with baobab trees and acacia trees. It is the only area in the Northern circuit with the greatest number of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem.
Animals expected to spot are zebra, cheetah, giraffe, lion, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, kori bustard (a heavy flying bird), antelope species, and many elephant.
After a great game drive in the crater including lunch at the Engoitoktok picnic site, you will exit the park and head to your Lodge for dinner and overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Tarangire National Park
- Accommodation:
-
Fig Tree Lodge & Camp
Wildlife in Tarangire NP
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 2
Ngorongoro Crater - Arusha Town
Ngorongoro Crater - Arusha Town
At 7 am, we have breakfast at the lodge before pick-up at 8 am. We start a game drive en-route to the crater gate, descending the crater at 9 am. The park has volcanic soil that supports many habitats, making it very likely for Big 5 spottings in a single day's visit.
Inside the park, there are Lake Makes (a Maasai word meaning soda lake) which provides a home to many birds. The park is also well known for the existence of many Maasai families living in their circular-oriented bomas. It is ideal for anyone wishing to explore the history of human evolution pioneered by the Leakey family.
Animals expected to spot are lion, buffalo, wildebeest, many birds, zebra, hippo, gazelle, jackal, fox, wild dog, eland, waterbuck, serval, and many ungulates.
Absentees here are giraffes, cheetahs, leopards, and elephants which are rarely seen at the crater rim. At 1 pm, we have lunch at the picnic site. We exit the crater at 3 pm and head back to your hotel in Arusha for dinner and overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Ngorongoro Crater
- Accommodation:
-
Arusha Tourist Inn Hotel
Wildlife in Ngorongoro Crater
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 3
Arusha - Mount Kilimanjaro - Dar es Salaam
Arusha - Mount Kilimanjaro - Dar es Salaam
Today, you will have an early breakfast at 7 am at the hotel. You’ll be picked up at 7:30 am by our guide and driver from your hotel and start heading to Kilimanjaro National Park Gate (a drive of about 2.5 to 3 hours).
After arrival, you will spend 10 minutes registering, and then you’ll start to climb. Walk through the rainforest to the Mandara Encampment.
A side trip to Maundi Crater is a good way to see the surroundings, including Northern Tanzania and Kenya. In the rainforest, look for towering eucalyptus trees, birdlife, and colobus monkeys.
Later in the afternoon, you will be driven back to Kilimanjaro Airport for your transfer to Dar es Salaam and then proceed to your hotel for overnight.
• Elevation: 1,860m (6,100ft) to 2,020m (8,875ft)
• Distance: 8km (5mi)
• Hiking time: 3-4 hours
• Habitat: Montane forest.
- Main Destination:
- Mount Kilimanjaro
- Accommodation:
- Bl Airport Hotel
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 4
Fly to Mafia Island from Dar es Salaam
Fly to Mafia Island from Dar es Salaam
After breakfast, you have time to walk around Dar es Salaam Street and later depart from JK Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. Fly to Mafia Island in the afternoon. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the lodge for check-in before starting your Chole Island Tour.
Chole Island is home to probably East Africa's only fruit bat sanctuary and is a great place to meet locals. It is also the right place to discover more about the slave trade market as well as sunset sailing.
After this short tour, you will head back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner, and your overnight stay.
- Main Destination:
- Mafia Island (Beach)
- Accommodation:
- Meremeta Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 5
Whale Shark Watching
Whale Shark Watching
After breakfast, we depart from the lodge for a trip to see the whale sharks! These beautiful giants are seasonally found just a few hundred meters offshore near Kilindoni Harbour. A short boat ride toward the west brings us to a feeding ground for the sharks and soon fins and dark shapes are apparent.
Up to 24 can be seen at a time; males, females, and juveniles, all beautifully marked with stripes and spots. The larger sharks are estimated at over 8m long, so they are an impressive sight next to the boat and quite stunning under the water.
The boat is able to move among them quietly and you can swim and snorkel to get a closer, underwater view of these gentle, wonderful animals. The sharks remain in a well-defined area.
Later, you will have lunch at the Sand Bank before heading back to the lodge for relaxation, dinner and overnight.
- Main Destination:
- Mafia Island (Beach)
- Accommodation:
- Meremeta Lodge
- Meals & Drinks:
Day 6
Mafia Island - Dar es Salaam
Mafia Island - Dar es Salaam
Today is the last day at Mafia Island, therefore you will spend some time on other activities before flying back to Dar es Salaam. The activities include fishing (at an extra cost), snorkeling, and visiting the nearest villages and beaches such as Miewe, Mvinje, and Mchangani. Later in the afternoon, you will be transferred to the Mafia Airstrip for your flight back to Dar es Salaam.
- Main Destination:
- Mafia Island (Beach)
- Accommodation:
- No accommodation (End of tour)
- Meals & Drinks:
