2 nights in Arusha, 10 nights on Safari | Private Tour | Basic | SPB34
Surprises await you! With every turn of the steering-wheel, round every bend in the road or over the next small hill, Tanzania will throw at you something new, something unusual. Perhaps it will be a flock of vultures, picking over the bones of a lion’s recent kill. Or maybe the chase and the kill itself!
From strutting secretary bird to lumbering elephant, from soaring eagle to wallowing hippo, the parks you’ll visit on this epic thirteen-day marathon tour will provide you with breath-taking, awe-inspiring moments. Be dazzled by a shockingly pink mass of flamingos, struck dumb by the clatter of wildebeest hooves as they escape a would-be predator or simply enjoy the calm of watching a giraffe languidly grazing the high branches of a tree. Join your driver-guide as he scans the horizon for a cheetah or leopard. What a true ‘wildlife adventure’!
Whatever your arrival time at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your Easy Travel driver-guide will be waiting for you with a warm welcoming smile. Kick back and relax in your comfortable vehicle as he takes you to your hotel in Arusha, Tanzania’s self-styled ‘safari capital.’ On your one-hour journey to the hotel, you will get a brief impression of this large, bustling, commercial city. Depending on your arrival time, you may have your pre-safari briefing today; if not, it will take place early tomorrow morning.
Located 7km from the centre of Arusha, Arusha Outpost Lodge warmly welcomes you to Tanzania. Balcony views out onto the lush gardens are an attractive feature of the spacious bedrooms. Styled with tasteful African touches, they are all non-smoking and equipped with air-conditioning and televisions. You can enjoy the cool of the hotel’s outdoor swimming-pool, or simply relax and make use of the sun-loungers – and both indoors and out, there are plenty of places to unwind. Wi-Fi is available in public areas.
When it comes to dining, Arusha Outpost Lodge can offer a choice of international or local cuisine in its pleasant restaurant. Meals are prepared to order, and staff will encourage you to try our local Tanzanian specialities. Try nyama choma, rice/ugali with fish, banana stew and many others.
Our welcoming team will look after you – enjoy your stay!
Tour Briefing
Unless your arrival time yesterday allowed time for your safari briefing, then this will take place after breakfast. We will provide you with all the essential information, before we set off to our first safari destination, the nearby Arusha National Park, where we will enjoy a walking safari before lunch, then first taking to the water for our canoeing safari and then an afternoon game drive. In the evening, we will return to your Arusha accommodation (see above) for your dinner, and to spend the night.
Journey: Arusha to Arusha National Park
From your Arusha accommodation, the journey to Arusha National Park will take around ½ hours (35km).
Walking Safari in Arusha National Park
Accompanied by a park ranger, we will choose from a number of routes, depending on what this small but beautiful park has to offer today and how far you might want to walk. Your park ranger might show you the deep holes dug by aardvarks, or explain how an acacia tree emits a warning scent to other acacias! Be on the lookout for zebra, duiker, giraffe and hippo. The black-and-white colobus monkey is a favorite in this park, while in the skies, egrets and sacred ibis can often be observed. Even the trees have a story to tell. You might meet the aptly named strangler fig, which sucks the life out of other trees. pends years sucking the life out of its victim – perhaps an unsuspecting juniper. You might encounter warthog and buffalo, often seen together, with the former possessing a good sense of sight and hearing, while the buffalo relies on smell to alert to impending danger. A perfect symbiosis.
You might also have the chance to visit one of the park’s picturesque waterfalls, such as Talulusia, as it plummets 30 metres down to a rocky base.
After our walking safari, we will enjoy our well-earned lunch, before our afternoon activities.
Canoeing Safari in Arusha National Park
As colorful dragonflies buzz around this small lake, a birdwatcher’s paradise, you will take to the water for a different type of adventure. But it’s not insects, but hippos which are the big attraction here. Very territorial, they will let you know with a threatening bellow if your canoe gets too close! In the distance, magnificent Mount Meru might show its summit above the clouds. Perhaps a few flamingos might put on a little air display, taking off, circling seemingly pointlessly and then returning to the water surface. Everywhere, a sense of calm prevails…yet the thought of the giant three-tonne hippos being out there, somewhere, leaves us with a sense of nervousness.
Afternoon Game Drive in Arusha National Park
It may be small, but Arusha National Park can boast a number of highlights, which your morning activities will have demonstrated! But this afternoon, we will relax in our vehicle as your driver-guide shows you the rest of what this little gem has to offer.
And its areas are impressively different, with Mount Meru towering above the Momela Lakes, the montane forest area and the perfectly formed crater of Ngurdoto. In some ways, this is a Tanzania in miniature!
After our day’s activities in Arusha National Park, we will return you to your Arusha accommodation (see above) so you can relax, enjoy your dinner and get a good night’s rest.
Tarangire is huge. As you stand at the park gate and look south, it stretches as far as the eye can see. Known as the ‘Elephant Playground,’ this phenomenal park contains huge herds of these mighty mammals. But Tarangire is also home to buffalo, lion, wildebeest, zebra and gazelle and the park can rival Serengeti for sheer animal densities. What might you see today? Perhaps a solitary male lion stretched out beneath a tree, perhaps a trio of male cheetah enjoying some lazy bonding-time in the sun. Maybe some graceful Grant’s gazelle or zebra bounding away from the road or a couple of giraffe munching happily from the choicest acacia branches. For Tarangire specialities, look out for kudu and oryx.
Here as in other parks, it pays not to ignore the small animals. It’s so easy to be mesmerized by the power and majesty of an elephant or the elegance of the giraffe. Ask your guide to find you an agama lizard, especially a male one who changes colour in front of you according to the temperature! Or a hyrax, known as pimpi, an insignificant-looking creature of around 30cm in length…who astonishingly is related to elephant
Not many trees will pass you by without something of avian interest catching your eye. A memorable flash of colour might be a lilac-breasted roller or blue-eared starling. Ostrich are plentiful and it’s hard not to chuckle at the sighting of the well-named, studious-looking secretary bird as it awkwardly pads across the grasslands.
The park is also famous for its splendid baobab trees, rolling savannah and acacia woodland. It can be dusty – wear a scarf over your mouth – but this is a minor inconvenience for sighting wildlife in such abundance.
Publicly operated by the Tanzania National Parks Authority, Tarangire Public Campsite lies inside the park itself. The campsite is unfenced, which means that animal visitors are a possibility here! Toilet facilities and showers are available, though note that there is only cold water at this campsite. Your meals will be prepared for you by our Easy Travel staff.
At night, entertainment will be provided by the sounds of the wildlife as you fall asleep under the star-filled African skies. This is real adventure-time!
Day’s Highlight
The chance to get close to the wildlife on a morning will surely stay in your memory for ever. After our lunch, we will climb aboard our vehicle to explore the many wonders of this diverse park.
Safari in Tarangire National Park
You may have thought that you have seen all that Tarangire has to offer, but you will certainly enjoy some new experiences as we explore the park further in our morning game-drive.
The varied terrain in itself could be considered a wonder, with riverine woodlands and grasslands, acacia and baobab. Amazingly, some 550 bird species have been recorded here, and it won’t be long before an air-bound blaze of colour alerts you to something interesting. You might recognise an ostrich or a stork, but if you can’t identify the smaller species, there’s no need to worry – that is what your expert driver-guide is here for!
The birds are exotic and so are the names: what about the ‘white-bellied go-away bird’ or the ‘Madagascar bee-eater’ for example? But of course, we will also see plenty more large mammals this afternoon.
Journey: Tarangire to Lake Natron
Our journey today will take us northwards, skirting the side of the Great Rift Valley to Lake Natron, with an expected time of 4 ½ hours (195km).
Waterfall Walk
Only a short distance from Lake Natron itself, we follow a narrow gorge that carves its way through the escarpment wall, crossing and re-crossing the rushing stream that carries waters down into the valley. At times, we will have to wade across. Such is the incline that at times, waterfalls cascade down. Our reward comes after about 45 minutes, when we have the chance to cool off (and yes, it really is cold, despite the high air temperatures!) and swim in a pool beneath one of the falls. From above, we may be observed by a mountain goat or two, precariously perched on the seemingly inaccessible rocks! Delightful!
The Lake Natron Public Campsite has only basic facilities, but is set in a spectacular setting with views to the Great Rift Valley Escarpment and the surrounding mountains including Oldonyo Lengai. Most guests are happy to take a cold shower to cool off after experiencing the heat of this wonderful location. Your Easy Travel staff will put up your tent and carry out all the duties necessary to make your stay as comfortable as possible, including cooking all the meals during your stay. Fall asleep under a star-filled African sky, before waking to continue your safari adventure.
Journey: Lake Natron to Lake Manyara
Between these two lakes, set in very different surroundings, is a journey of around 3-hour (120km).
Day’s Highlight
A chance to get close to the shimmering, alkaline waters of Lake Natron, with its incredible natural surroundings, will provide you with a very different experience.
Lakeside Walk
This morning, accompanied by a guide, we take the opportunity to walk along the lakeshore of Natron. To the north of this shallow lake lies Kenya, while away to the south is the brooding shape of Ol Doinyo Lengai, a still-active volcano. The heat here is hostile, but there’s still wildlife to be found! The highlight has to be the lesser flamingos, with their distinctive pinkish hue – caused, of course, by the pigment of the algae on which they feed. Other migrant water birds can be seen, mainly during the winter months. Nearby, you might catch sight of a zebra, gazelle or wildebeest, though the densities of large mammals cannot compete with the national parks.
We will have an early cooked lunch before leaving Lake Natron, and on reaching Lake Manyara we will set out on our afternoon game drive.
Safari (Game Drive) in Lake Manyara National Park
Set against the rugged Rift Valley escarpment, and characterised by its shimmering lake, Manyara is rich in vegetation and the wildlife that thrives here. Enjoy the tranquillity as majestic pink flamingos wade elegantly, picking out a meal of algae from the shallow, alkaline waters. On land, Manyara’s terrain is compact, yet boasts differing environments such as diverse forests fed by waters seeping from the nearby escarpment. Monkeys are abundant, but look out too for the lions, giraffe, warthog and grumpy Cape buffalo who all call this park ‘home’. Hold your nose when we reach the hippo pool, because these big lumps smell!
Set on the edge of bustling Mto wa Mbu town, the home to a mix of Tanzania’s colourful tribes, Twiga Public Campsite provides organised, spacious camping facilities with a grassy area for the tents. There’s an on-site bar, restaurant, shop and curio shop. Campers here can make use of the pleasant pool.
There are toilet and washing facilities, access to Wi-Fi and even the possibility to enjoy a massage.
Journey: Lake Manyara to Serengeti National Park
With Serengeti as our destination, and with your head full of magical memories of Manyara, we set off to the north and west, a 4-hour journey of around 205km, following the famous Rift Valley. On the journey, you will be enchanted by the colors of everyday Tanzanian life, the different faces of the tribesmen, their herds, the bustle of the transport, the vibrant roadside stalls and markets. Soon, however, the human habitation gives way to the Serengeti plains.
Day’s Highlight
Perhaps our morning yoga session will be your best memory today, but Serengeti is a National Park which will offer you a whole variety of wildlife surprises over the next few days. Perhaps today’s highlight – certainly for first-time visitors – will simply be the Serengeti terrain itself. The sheer vastness, as the plains roll away in front of you into eternity, will leave you with a sense of awe.
Safari in Serengeti National Park
At last! Serengeti, the incomparable wonder of Tanzania, will be the stage for the natural animal theatrics which will be performed over the next few days. Your game drive here combines the known with the unknown, the certainty that you will be amazed with the uncertainty of exactly what you will see and when. Changing light, a changing cast of animal actors, ensuring that at every turn there is a new experience. Snap off some memorable photos, but don’t forget to simply take a deep breath and enjoy nature in its real-time, raw beauty.
In central Serengeti, the Seronera Public Campsite provides basic facilities in an open area visited by wildlife. Your Easy Travel staff will assemble your tent and make you as comfortable as possible. Water here for showers is cool and toilet facilities are basic. Visitors should be aware that when the camp gets busy, the cleanliness at this camp can suffer a bit.
At night, listen to the sounds of the animals and marvel at the star-studded African skies – a real Tanzanian adventure!
Today is a full day of discovery, a chance to enjoy the varied landscapes of the Central Serengeti. The Seronera River weaves its way through the Serengeti, providing waters for all species of wildlife. You will also see the distinctive rocky outcrops, the famous kopjes which characterize the Serengeti landscape. Kopjes are very hard and often granite. They have been aged at maybe 600 million years old and created even before the earth’s surface was pushed up from the ocean. Lions and other cats frequent these stony places and they are also home to snakes and hyraxes. Slowly weathering in wind and rain, they are peeling off in layers, which you may see on close inspection.
Everything here varies with the seasons, but in May, November and December migrating herds join the already rich population of resident animals which live here year-round. (In the rainy season, the landscape turns black with hundreds of thousands of wildebeest – a simply incredible sight.)
Imagine tall trees, clear starry skies, the sounds of animals shuffling nearby at night-time. Welcome to Ngorongoro Simba Campsite, the public campsite based on the crater rim above stunning Ngorongoro Crater. This is a simple place, a great location in the middle of nature and just a short distance from the beating heart of the famous Conservation Area.
Here, you can sit by your tent and marvel at the surroundings or chat to your companions in one of the communal spaces provided at this public campsite. Washing and toilet facilities are basic here and as these are shared facilities, the cleanliness c
