OVERVIEW
In just 12 days you will be immersed deep into Africa’s culture and the diverse wildlife in Tanzania’s major national parks. The itinerary starts with a Maasai culture experience in the spicy islands of Zanzibar or Mafia Island depending on your preference.
ARRIVAL DAY
On arrival and after border formalities, you will be welcomed by our guide, who will transfer you to Africa Amini Life Original Maasai Lodge (HB). Depending on your arrival time, it is possible to do some activities.
On your way to the Lodge, you will be welcomed by great views of Mount Kilimanjaro (when the sky is clear), the highest in Africa covering 5895m, and the second highest Mount Meru covering 4563m above sea level. You will encounter different ways of living practiced by locals and plenty of banana and coffee farms. Your 12 days tour is as good as started on this first day
PROGRAM
Day 1, Africa Amini Maasai Lodge
After morning breakfast gets ready for this day’s activities with lunch included. Add more value to your trip by spending your night in Original Maasai Lodge. This meaningful and mindful African nature accommodation facility is located in the most beautiful part of Tanzania between Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru.
It also offers a spectacular view of small mountains around these two iconic Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. Africa Amini Life Lodge is one of the places to rest and refresh. It is the gate away for excursions, safaris, mountain hiking, and cultural adventures.
The lodge offers free activities like; spear-throwing, Maasai traditional dances, Maasai nature walks tour, or getting to know Maasai culture through stories around campfire conversations. Every day you can experience the sunrise behind Kilimanjaro on the terrace, in the midst of African nature. International and traditional Swahili dishes are refined with home-grown herbs and served in the restaurant.
Other Activities:
1. Live music/performance off-site
2. Tour or class about local culture
3. Walking tour4. Mountain biking (additional charges)
5. Donkey riding (additional charge)
6. Hiking with the Maasai
After enjoying all these activities, you will depart to a lodge/ hotel in Arusha town for an overnight retreat.
Day 2, Arusha Town Tour
After breakfast get ready to leave your lodge/hotel and start a full-day tour in this iconic city with lunch included. Arusha is a tourist city that serves as the starting point for safaris to National Parks. While in Arusha town you will have an opportunity to explore Maasai Market, Cultural Heritage Centre, Local Hand Crafters, Coffee Plantations, and the Arusha Museum before returning to a lodge/hotel for an overnight retreat.
Day 3, Arusha – Tarangire National Park
You will be picked up from your hotel at 8 am and drive alongside the great rift valley to the iconic Tarangire National Park for a full-day game drive. Your day ends at a lodge/tented camp where you will retreat overnight.
Tarangire is a breathtaking and fascinating wildlife destination, you will only realize how beautiful the park is once you get in. With high encounters of big herds of elephants (bigger than anywhere else in the northern parks of Tanzania), the biggest baobab trees, thousands of wildebeests and zebras as they turn from their calving grounds of Lokisale and Simanjiro plains bringing calves home to get permanent water from Tarangire river and other sources like Silalei swamps and prominent ponds. Tarangire is endowed with such a good habitat and vegetation giving it a good cover enough to offer 4 out of the big five namely Lions, Leopards, Buffalo, and Elephants. Tarangire is unique in many ways but the frequency of witnessing lions on trees is second to Manyara National Park. For birdlife lovers, this is home of birds, get stunned by the high concentration and diverse bird species here.
Day 4, Tarangire – Lake Manyara National Park
You will be picked up from your hotel at 8 am and drive deep into the great rift valley to Manyara National Park for a full-day tour with packed lunch and overnight at a lodge/tented camp.
As you enter Manyara National Park get ready to explore the diversity of wildlife in this natural evergreen area. The secret to lowish life of abundant flora and fauna here is the everlasting underground water sources. Manyara park is famous for high encounters of tree climbing lions, big elephant herds, large troops of baboons, hippos, and home for flamingos enjoying the soda ash lake Manyara.
Regardless of its small size compared to other parks in northern Tanzania, this is home to over 350 species of bird, truly magnificent for birdlife. Yet the park stands uniquely for its varied aquatic bird life, flocks of pelicans, flamingoes, herons, egrets, stalks, and spoonbills. No wonder the water body covers 230km2 which is almost 71% of the total size of the park. Although lions are all over Manyara it’s not the case for other big cats like leopards which are rarely viewed.
Day 5, Lake Eyasi Cultural Tour
A guide will pick you up from your lodge/tented camp at 8 am and start a journey to the incredible Lake Eyasi for a full-day cultural tour.
Located southwest of the Ngorongoro crater and southern of Serengeti is the famous soda/salty lake of Eyasi. The lake lies in the east African great rift valley similar to lake Manyara. This is a shallow terminal basin (endorheic) lake, very shallow receiving most of its water from the volcanic flanks of Ngorongoro crater. Apart from being a stop to seasonal migrating flamingos, this is the home to some of the oldest traditional hunter and gatherer tribes of Hadzabe. The Hadzabe or commonly known as Hadza will give you a glimpse at how most indigenous tribes of Africa lived before civilization.
Hadza is very close to nature, traces show that the bushmen inhabit the same area for thousands of years. They get their food by hunting and if you have a full day here you will have a chance to hunt with Hadza. For a day visit, the bushmen will demonstrate and explain their hunting techniques which have lasted for generations. These bushmen hunt using bows and arrows which are self-made. Hadza is holding to their traditional way of life even in the modern world of the 21st century.
To date majority of Hadzabe still start a fire by friction and smoke to get their favorite food, honey. Visiting Hadzabe land is truly a tour to remember and will leave you knowledgeable of the history of mankind.
Day 6, Lake Eyasi – Ngorongoro Crater – Serengeti
We start our day very early ready to descend into the crater floor for an incredible and most valued game drive. Get ready to see wildlife in the most beautiful place on earth, truly the garden of Eden. After the game drive, you will head to have lunch at a public picnic site after which you will start ascending the walls of the crater 5.6km to the rim (you can discuss this with your guide, for the lunch might be taken in the crater floor or at the rim) before exiting Ngorongoro conservation area to Serengeti National Park for overnight at the Lodge/Tented Camp
Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s most famous and biggest caldera. The caldera has a 19km of diameter and 260km circumference offering one of the largest concentrations of wildlife due to the availability of water and food almost all year round. The crater has a river, several swamps, a soda lake with a great concentration of flamingos, a forest, and open plains. Gorgor and Mwanduzi swamps are home to the oldest male elephants with the longest tusks ever, buffalos, and hippos all year round. The crater is a very important hide and habitat for endangered species of wildlife. One of few places with a high population density of black rhinos in the world.
Day 7, Full Day in Serengeti National Park
This day we suggest that you wake up early in the morning and get the chance to witness a wonderful sunrise. You will have a full-day game drive in Serengeti with Lunch and return for overnight at Acacia Tented Camp
The Park stands uniquely for hosting the world’s largest migration of wildebeest and zebras across river mara. This vast and beautiful short grassland makes a perfect cover and habitat for Antelopes and big cats’ ecosystems. Kopjes are perfect hide and spotting points for predators here. With more time here, you can witness predators hunting impalas, gazelles, hartebeest, elands, zebras, wildebeests, buffalo, and on very few occasions giraffes. Hyenas and vultures are highly populated in Serengeti.
This is not all but Serengeti National Park provides a perfect habitat for well over 480 species of birds. Your day ends at the Lodge/Camp in Central Serengeti
Day 8, Pursuit of Wildebeest Migration in Northern Serengeti
After early morning breakfast, you will depart to the north in pursuit of the great wildebeest migration.
The great migration starts from the southern plains of Maswa and Ndutu. This is where wildebeest give birth and wait until their calves are strong enough to shift elsewhere. This is when the migration begins through the western corridors of Nyamura, Musabi, Kirawira, and Nyasirori plains where they risk their lives by crossing the Grumet river which is famous for its Nile Crocodiles. Sometimes movement from Ndutu will pass central Serengeti, Seronera. Meeting at central (regarded as migration junction) before heading to Kogatende.
The most beautiful event to witness is at Northern Serengeti when big herds of wildebeests and zebras gather to cross river Mara bordering Kenya and Tanzania. And the cycle continues, the main reasons being the search for a secure place for calving, water, and perfect grazing areas.
Day 9-10, Fly-out of Serengeti to Zanzibar
The schedule for this depends on your flight time. Waking up early, you will enjoy a morning game drive before heading to Kogatende Airstrip for departure.
You’ll be met by our representative in Zanzibar, after greetings you will be transferred to a hotel in Stone Town where you will spend your first two night. This is an old city, magnificently decorated with its buildings dating back to 19th century’s architecture. Apart from the great view of the city, there is a possibility of arranging old town guided tour and other activities. Activities and excursions are organized at the hotel depending how much time you want to have for relaxation.
Day 11-12, Nungwi Zanzibar
The rest of your stay in Zanzibar you will be transferred to Northern area of Nungwi. It was once a local fishing village, this area with pristine beaches has turned into popular destination. There so many activities to full your bucket list and an incredible place for relaxation.
Activities in Zanzibar includes but not limited to Sunset Dhow Cruise, Spice tour, tour to Mnemba island, Jozan forest tour, Prison Island tour, Dolphin tour and Scuba diving
Package Available In
Premium
High-end service, Dedicated expert, Hot Lunch, Park Fly-in- Private Tours
Luxury
Luxury Accommodation, Low Mileage Luxury 4×4 Jeep, Hot Lunch- Private & Group
Mid-Range
Best mid-priced lodges, Luxury 4×4 Jeep, Hot Lunch- Private & Group
PACKAGE
Includes
Excludes
- All
- Full board accommodations
- Hotel lunch during the safari
- Service of professional English Speaking Guide (Other Language on request)
- 4 x 4 Safari Jeep with pop-up roof, charging unit, in-car fridge, large windows
- Unlimited Mileage
- Unlimited drinking water while on safari
- All park, conservation, and concession fees plus Taxes
- Detailed Itinerary
- Airport drop-off and pickup
- All
- Traveler’s insurance
- VISA
- Drinks outside safari
- Tipping (we recommend from $10 per person per day)
- Personal spending
- International flights
Tour Gallery
