Essence of Tanzania

An early morning briefing at your Arusha hotel kick starts your safari, before you head off away from the main safari route of the northern circuit, to Tarangire National Park, a true wildlife gem known primarily for its vast elephant population and impressive baobab trees. (Driving time 90 mins - 2 hours).

Highly underrated, yet bursting with a dense wildlife population, it won’t take you long to appreciate just why we love Tarangire. During the dry season (June to September) thousands of animals including elephant, buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest, kudu, and the rarely seen oryx migrate from the dry Maasai steppe to the Tarangire River in search of water. Lion, leopard and other predators follow, so be sure to charge your camera battery and empty your memory stick as some unique memories are waiting to be made. With impressive landscapes dominated by baobab trees, an enormous elephant population and over 550 varieties of bird, Tarangire offers secluded game viewing and loads of game – a winning combination in anyone's book!
Spend the day enjoying game drives, with picnic lunch included.

Overnight: Kirurumu Tarangire Lodge (or similar)

Kirurumu Tarangire Lodge is located on the very edge of Tarangire National Park overlooking a floodplain that is a rich seasonal feeding ground for elephants and other game. A short 15 minute drive and you’re in the park. It’s arelatively simple but comfortable camp, with guest accommodation in ten 10 permanent tented cottages – each well decorated and offering private verandahs. Relax around the campfire before dinner – which regularly receives excellent reviews!

There is plenty to keep guests busy aside from day and night game drives, including Maasai guided ethno botanical walks, mountain biking, and an evening of shared stories, dance and song with local Maasai.

Morning game drive in Tarangire. Head to the highlands of Karatu, stopping on the way to view Manyara and the escarpment below.

Overnight: The Retreat at Ngorongoro (or similar)

The Retreat at Ngorongoro is an oasis in rural Karatu, bordering the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. When creating this lodge, a serious tree planting project that would serve to off-set its our carbon footprint was embarked on. Planting over 40,000 indigenous trees wasn’t an easy task, but with persistence, success followed. This tree planting brought in numerous bird species(hence the bird-themed concept of the lodge), insects and other small animals.

Indigenous flowers blossom here, while the vegetable garden & orchard produce fresh food served at the Kipepeo Restaurant. The Retreat proudly harvests their own honey, roasts their own coffee, makes their own jams and juices, and uses firewood from the pruned branches of the trees they planted. Solar panels are used to heat water.

The 25 cottages are tastefully decorated and spacious - offering a generous 90 square meters, as well as a deck overlooking the Ngorongoro forest. Guests can relax in The Nest Lounge, or get active in the fitness room. There is also a lovely swimming pool in which to cool off and soak up the tranquil surroundings of this delightful property.

An early start today, but one we’re sure you’ve been itching to tick off your African travel bucket list. Enjoy a full morning and picnic lunch in the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the natural wonders of the world. The volcanic caldera of Ngorongoro offers spectacular game viewing in the crater. We can almost guarantee you four of the Big Five will show up, as well as a rich variety of birds, all viewed against the backdrop of the thickly forested crater walls. Varied terrains and dramatic landscapes consisting of forest, grasslands and both freshwater and soda lakes make the Ngorongoro Crater a true marvel of creation. Your picnic lunch on the crater floor will forever remain a unique memory.

Continue onto the Serengeti, home to more than three million large mammals spread over vast endless plains. It is here that we may encounter the fascinating spectacle of the annual wildebeest migration, where one and quarter million wildebeest trek in columns of up to forty kilometres long in search of grazing, drawing with them plenty predators and numerous other species of game.

From January to March the herds can largely be found birthing their young in the southern area around Ndutu, before proceeding north through the centre and Western Corridor during June and July, eventually splitting to the west and north as they continue their way toward the Mara River.

August to October sees dramatic river crossings which can only be considered Africa’s “greatest leap of faith”, before the herds return south in November to repeat this amazing instinctive procession all over again.
Overnight for 4 nights at one, or a combination of, the below Serengeti Wilderness Camps (or similar) depending on the time of year.

Overnight: Ndutu Wilderness Camp - View iBrochure

Ndutu Wilderness Camp available in the Ndutu area of the Serengeti ecosystem typically from December - March, which coincides with the ‘calving season’. It is placed in a private site, in the heart of the Ndutu plains – nestled under shady trees. Plenty of predators can be found year round in this area. The diverse eco-systems, from woodlands, to plains, to soda lakes, within the Ndutu area make it a unique place for bird watching.

OR

Overnight: Serengeti Wilderness Camp - View iBrochure

Serengeti Wilderness camp is set on a beautiful section of river with great views and resident game. The site is exceptional! Lion, leopard, cheetah, gazelle, impala, buffalo, baboon and some great birds including pygmy falcon can all be spotted in the area. We are tucked away from other lodges and camps, without the disturbance of noise or other lights. It's incredibly peaceful at night.

OR

Overnight: Serengeti North Wilderness Camp - View iBrochure

Serengeti North Wilderness Camp is a ‘seasonal’ camp located in the north of the Serengeti National Park, a short distance from the Mara River. This is the place to be between June and November when masses of migrating Wildebeest and Zebra cross over the Mara River.

Spend the following few days enjoying half or full day game drives in the Serengeti. We highly recommend booking a Hot Air Balloon trip. (optional extra) A hot air balloon safari over one of Africa’s most famous and majestic national parks is not easily captured in words.

The quiet of floating over plains, the exhilaration of climbing into the pink-blue of the early dawn on invisible currents, the breathless awe of peering over the basket’s edge at this vast swathe of wild Africa. Take off is at dawn and a champagne bush breakfast completes this must-do adventure.

After breakfast, return by road to Arusha (driving time +- 6-8 hours depending on which camp you are staying at and game viewing en route). Or, transfer to airstrip for your optional return flight back to Arusha/ Kilimanjaro airport.

It is an exceptionally scenic flight across the vast expanse of the Rift Valley escarpments and the highlands of Ngorongoro. (additional cost)