Private Essence of Tanzania

Tour Highlights: 

• Tarangire National Park
• Ngorongoro Crater
• Serengeti plains
• Scenic flight over the Rift Valley (optional)

Day 1 – Tarangire National Park

An early morning briefing at your Arusha hotel kick starts your safari, before we head off away from the main safari route of the Northern Circuit, to Tarangire National Park, a true hidden gem.

Highly underated, yet bursting with a dense wildlife population, it won’t take you long to appreciate just why we love Tarangire.  It’s a special park, virtually untouched, with far fewer visitors than the world famous Serengeti and Ngorongoro.

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 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!

From Tarangire, we head up through the beautiful highlands to the farm rich area of Karatu on the outer slopes of Ngorongoro crater, where we overnight at Bougainvillea Lodge or similar.

Day 2 – Ngorongoro

Incredible and unforgettable, today is surely one you’ve been itching to tick off your African travel bucket list. 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 splendid backdrop of the thickly forested crater walls. Our picnic lunch on the crater floor will forever remain a unique memory.

Varied terrains and dramatic consisting of forest, grasslands and both freshwater and soda lakes make the Ngorongoro Crater a true marvel of creation.

Overnight Bougainvillea, or similar.

Day 3 – Serengeti

After breakfast this morning, we continue onto Serengeti Wilderness Camp, or Ndutu/North Wilderness camp, our base from which to explore the Serengeti for the next three days.

Overnight Serengeti Wilderness camp/ North Wilderness Camp/ Ndutu Wilderness Camp

Day 4, 5 & 6 – Serengeti

Relax with three full days in 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 a quarter million wildebeest trek in columns of up to forty kilometres long in search of grazing, drawing with them their 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 Serengeti Wilderness camp/ North Wilderness Camp/ Ndutu Wilderness Camp

Day 7 – Arusha

Morning transfer to the Seronera/Ndutu or Kogatende airstrip for your (optional) flight back to Arusha. It is an exceptionally scenic flight (weather dependent) across the sweeping expanse of the Rift Valley escarpments and the highlands of Ngorongoro. Or return by road to Arusha.

If you are not flying out tonight, but overnighting in Arusha, we highly recommend heading out to Mosque Street. Here, you will find probably the best chicken in Africa (we will phone in your order the day before – to be sure…) Relax, eat, meet the locals … real people.

In every town there are a few gems – delightful places off the beaten track that give you a sense of the soul of the town. Khan’s is undoubtedly one of the key attractions in Arusha, and while it’s definitely been discovered, it’s still the real deal. You may have heard of Khan’s as “Chicken in the Ditch”, “Chicken on the Bonnet”, “Kuku on the Curb”, “That place by Soko Kuu with the fantastic chicken” or “Zubeda Autospares by Day, Khan’s Chicken BBQ by Night”.

Tasty salads, Zanzibar pizzas, garlic naan, barbecued chicken, beef mishkaki and mutton shish kabob are all winners. Even the passion juice is top notch. But Khan’s serves up more than an evening out – it’s one place that will always remain a highlight of your trip to Arusha.

Another great spot is the ” Lively Lady Bar and Grill “, down by the old train station, where the ambience is great (best pork chops ever), drinks icy, and, 1960’s ROCK AND ROLL is played … loudly!

Price includes:

• Services of a Wild Frontiers guide
• Accommodation at quality lodges/ tented camps as set out above
• Meals as specified above
• Serengeti Wilderness Camp/ Ndutu/ Serengeti North Wilderness Camp all include local beer, house wine and soft drinks in the Full board rate
• Park and camp/ concession fees ( listed separately above)
• Game viewing activities as indicated
• Bottled water for game drives / in vehicle (not at hotels/lodges)

Price excludes:

• International flights, one way flight from Serengeti to Arusha (listed above)
• Visas
• Travel insurance
• Health requirements
• Gratuities
• Drinks not specified above
• All items of a personal nature and any service not specified
• There is a cash bar at the Serengeti Wilderness camps

Charging facilities: There are charging facilities at the lodges/camps as well as on in our Wild Frontiers’  safari vehicles for camera batteries, mobile phones etc. Two-pin plugs as well as the round three-square pin plug points.

Weather: Tanzania is a land without winter. Temperatures in northern Tanzania range between 15-21C during the day and 4-10C at night, from May to October. From November to March the daytime temperature varies from 21-32C and from 15-23C at night. However, if you are travelling to high altitude areas like Ngorongoro Crater and Kilimanjaro, of course the temperature drops substantially.