Private Safari

Arrive into Kilimanjaro International Airport tonight and after clearing customs, you will be met and transferred to the Loasis Lodge. This lovely lodge is located in beautiful cool area and your accommodations will be in one of the 20 charming traditional architect rooms  set along gardens.

The open air bar and pool offer a magnificent view of Mt. Meru. A late night buffet will be served tonight.
Overnight – Loasis Lodge (D)

After breakfast you will be met by your guide and depart south down the edge of the “great rift valley” for Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s third largest. Here you’ll find a geologic landscape as diverse as the wildlife, with nine distinct vegetation zones ranging from grassland to woodland, from deep gully vegetation to scattered rocky hilltops.

Ancient Baobab trees dot the park dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. The Tarangire River runs through here meanders attracting an abundance of wildlife, from elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, zebra, giraffe and numerous antelope to a variety of colorful birds. Viewing is especially good during the dry season (June – October), when large numbers of animals gather for the water from the river.

Your accommodations for the next two nights will be at Maramboi Camp. This is a small luxury camp set on a 2,000 acre private wildlife concession at the far southern end of Lake Manyara, in the migratory corridor between and Tarangire – just 20 minutes drive from the entry gate. The 10 large walk-in tents are set on wooden platforms with thatched roofs and private viewing verandahs.

There is also a large dining boma and lounge along with a swimming pool. Each tent has full ensuite facilities and 24hr, 22 Volt solar power. Activities include game drives in the Tarangire, walking with Maasai guides to the shore of the lake and visiting nearby Datoga or Maasai bomas. After lunch you will enjoy an afternoon game drive in the park followed by drinks around the fire before dinner.
Overnight – Maramboi Camp F.B

This morning you will depart for nearby Lake Manyara National Park. Although it is only 205 sq. miles in size, this enchanting park is noted for its beauty and incredibly lush acacia forest of giant fig and mahogany trees, – home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys.

The park is also home to large numbers of buffalo, giraffe, elephant, hippo, impala and the Hippo Pool, where large numbers usually gather. Well known for its birds (over 400 species), Lake Manyara is one of the few places you may see the comical Ground Hornbill and the Crested Eagle.

After a few hours in the park, with a stop for a picnic breakfast, you’ll continue up a steep road up the escarpment and into the lush foothills of the Ngorongoro Crater, driving by small farms and villages on your way to the Ngorongoro Farm House – a luxury lodge facing the Oldeani Volcano, set on a 500 acre coffee farm located only 3 miles from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area gate.

There are a total of 30 large guest bungalows located in three different areas set among lush gardens. All have private decks, fireplaces and full ensuite facilities. The huge main building, covered with an elegant thatched roof, contains the reception, bar, dining area, library and lounge with a fireplace where guests can enjoy a rest during the cool evenings in the highlands. There is also a swimming pool with superb views of Oldeani Volcano and a craft shop.

After a relaxing lunch you can stay by the pool, go on a walk, or visit the nearby town of Karatu,
Overnight – Ngorongoro Farm House (all meals & activities)

After a hearty Farm House breakfast you will depart for the crater rim. You will descend 2,000 feet to the crater floor, which spreads for 102 sq. miles. The crater is a virtual “Noah’s Ark”, inhabited by a wide variety of wildlife. It contains a river, several swamps, a soda lake (complete with flamingoes), a forest and open plains.

There are over 30,000 large resident mammals here including the rare black rhino zebra, eland, lion, wildebeest, gazelle, buffalo, cheetah, hyena and other wildlife. It is also known for its large bull elephants which have unusually large tusks because of the mineral rich grasses in the crater

After a long game drive (6 hour limit) and a box lunch you will leave the crater and continue to the famous Serengeti National Park. The word Serengeti comes from the Maasai language meaning “endless plains”. The 6,900 sq. mile (18,000 sq. km) park is inhabited by more than 2 large million animals including more than a million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of plains zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles.

Large predators including lions, cheetahs, and hyenas are drawn to the area by this abundance of prey which migrate throughout the park. Many smaller animals – rock hyrax, bat eared foxes, mongoose, honey badger, jackals, monkeys, baboon and African hare inhabit the area along with nearly 500 species of birds. Off road you’ll find the “Kopjes”, massive boulder islands of granite standing in a sea of grass, provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik dik.

Along the way to the Serengeti you will stop at the famous “Oldupai Gorge”, where Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey made their discovery of early man.

Afterwards you will continue into the park, spotting wildlife on the way to your safari camp or lodge. Depending on the season and the movement of the migration you will stay at one of four safari lodges:

Ndutu Safari Lodge (late November – March). During this time the migration is settled in the southern Serengeti in an area that includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the wooded Ndutu Lakes, and the vast plains and kopje’s where you can venture off-track. It is also calving season. Ndutu Safari Lodge is near the shore of Lake Ndutu and is surrounded by Acacia forest. The thirty four cottages, which are built of local materials, have a private verandahs facing Lake Ndutu. The main building houses the dinning room and there is a large open air lounge area and fire pit.

Mbalageti Serengeti Lodge (April – mid June). Once the heavy rains of April arrive the migration moves westward slowly, feeding on the fresh grasses before heading north in June. This luxury lodge is situated in the southwest area in the Mwamyeni hills. It offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the Serengeti plains and the Mbalageti River. The 24 chalets are made of local rock, wood and canvas. Each has a private veranda and full ensuite facilities. There is also a restaurant, bar, lounge and gift shop in the main building and the swimming is set on the edge of the hill – with a 360 degree view of Serengeti.

Kati Kati Camp (mid June – August) Kati Kati Camp is made up of 3 classic bush camps with just 15 guest tents, along with a huge dinning tent, and separate kitchen area. The tents are the large walking Hemming way ones, with regular beds (twin and king) along with flush toilets and 24 hour lighting. Showers are taken on request, as the water is heated beforehand and placed in a large bag with a handle. Kati Kati is set in the central area of the Serengeti, with hills and Acacia forest and Kopjes but you can also drive to the plains areas, an west to the Grumeti River from here.

Lobo Wildlife Lodge (October – late November) This lodge is located in the Northeastern part of the park, just 15 miles from the bordering Maasai Mara Reserve in Kenya. Here you will see the migration has it heads back into the Serengeti after spending several months in the Mara. The lodge is set inside an enormous volcanic rocky outcrop.

A waterhole below the Lodge attracts a variety of wild visitors during the day and is lit each evening revealing an interesting array of nocturnal animals. Each of the 75 guestrooms have views of the Serengeti swimming pool is situated on the very edge of the rock, offering uninterrupted views of the horizon.

Relax this afternoon or go on a game drive if time allows, returning to the lodge before dark.
Overnight – Serengeti Lodge (all meals & activities)

During your stay in the Serengeti, you can decide with your guide how you would like to spend your days – on all day game drives with box lunches, or early morning game drives followed by breakfast, then heading out again. Your guide will advise you based on the best wildlife opportunities and your interests.

Off road, across the Serengeti plains, you’ll find “Kopjes” – massive boulder islands, standing in a sea of grass. The kopjes were formed by volcanic activity and provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik dik. After a days activities you will return to the lodge before dark, with time to freshen up before dinner.
Overnight – Serengeti Lodge (all meals & activities)

Today you will have a long drive ahead of you as you make your way out of the Serengeti, into the hills of the Ngorongoro area and on too Arusha. But you will have a chance to spot wildlife and a box lunch will be taken for the ride.

You may have time to stop for some shopping in Arusha and then continue to the Loasis Lodge where you will have use of a dayroom and a light dinner before your guide drives you to the airport for your departing fight. – Dayroom – Loais  Lodge (F.B)