6 Days / 5 Nights On The Mountain, 2 Nights In Arusha Hotel | Private Tour | Basic | ETPKM6H
Marangu, being the oldest of the routes to the summit, is also known as the “Coca Cola” Route and like the famous soft drink, it is certainly popular, representing a good choice for reaching the summit. It is perceived as being the easiest route up Kilimanjaro, but do remember that everything is relative – this is still a tough physical challenge. Marangu also allows for some relative comfort – overnight stays in mountain huts, another feature which adds to its popularity, particularly as this makes an ascent achievable even in the rainy season. Although the Machame route is now more popular, Marangu can still be crowded as the same trail is used for both the ascent and descent. Our Easy Travel Marangu program involves six days actually on the mountain, giving extra time for acclimatization and therefore improving the chances of success.
Month | Season | Traffic | Weather | Road Trails | Sky | Recommendation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January | Peak | Medium | Little to no rainfall | Dry | Sunny & Cloudy | Highly Recommended |
February | Peak | High | No Rainfall | Dry | Sunny & Cloudy | Highly Recommended |
March | High | Low | Short Rainfall | Wet & Muddy | Cloudy | Highly Recommended |
April | Low | Low | Long rainfall | Wet & Muddy | Cloudy | Recommended |
May | Low | Low | Short Rainfall | Wet & Muddy | Cloudy | Recommended |
June | Peak | High | No Rainfall | Dry | Sunny & Cloudy | Highly Recommended |
July | Peak | High | No Rainfall | Dry | Sunny | Highly Recommended |
August | Peak | High | No Rainfall | Dry | Sunny | Highly Recommended |
September | Peak | High | No Rainfall | Dry | Sunny | Highly Recommended |
October | Peak | High | No Rainfall | Dry | Sunny | Highly Recommended |
November | High | Medium | Little to no Rainfall | Wet & Muddy | Sunny & Cloudy | Recommended |
December | High | Medium | Little to no Rainfall | Wet & Muddy | Sunny & Cloudy | Recommended |
Challenging. Guests undertaking one of our trips categorized as ‘challenging’ will require a good level of fitness and proper physical preparation –perhaps two or three months – in advance of arriving in Tanzania. To take one of these trips, you must be confident in your own level of fitness and stamina. Our ‘challenging’ trips involve a significant degree of high-altitude hiking, and at times a degree of discomfort can be expected. For example, on a summit day to reach the top of Kilimanjaro, a total of around 13 hours is required of participants and this is combined with a great deal of ascent and descent. Special clothing and equipment are required for these trips, as advised on our trip notes, and accommodation is in tents or mountain huts, depending on which trip is undertaken.
Accommodation on this tour is in our Basic category, with two night’s hotel accommodation in Arusha and five nights out on the Mountain in the public Huts. Our Basic level accommodations are selected by Easy Travel to focus on good value.
Day | Start (Location) | Altitude (Meter) | Altitude (Feet) | Finish (Location) | Altitude (Meter) | Altitude (Feet) | Time (Hrs) | Vegetation(Zone) | Distance (km) | Distance(Miles) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Marangu Gate | 1970 | 6400 | Mandara Hut | 2700 | 8858 | 4-5 | Rain Forest | 8 | 5 |
2 | Mandara Hut | 2700 | 8858 | Horombo Hut | 3720 | 12,205 | 6-8 | Moorland | 12 | 7 |
3 | Horombo Hut Zebra Rock | 3720 4100 | 12,20513,451 | Zebra Rock Horombo Hut | 4100 3720 | 13,45112,205 | 1-1.5 1-1.5 | Moorland | 22 | 1.2 1.2 |
4 | Horombo Hut | 3720 | 12,205 | Kibo Hut | 4703 | 15,430 | 6-8 | Alpine Desert | 10 | 6 |
5 | Kibo Hut Uhuru Peak | 4703 5895 | 15,430 19,341 | Uhuru Peak Horombo Hut | 5895 3720 | 19,341 12,205 | 6-8 4-5 | Ice Camp Alpine Desert | 6 16 | 4 10 |
6 | Horombo Hut | 3720 | 12,205 | Marangu Gate | 1970 | 6400 | 5-7 | Moorland Rain Forest | 20 | 12 |
76 | 46.4 |
After your long flight, you’ll be pleased to spend your first night in comfort at your hotel, the Planet Lodge in Arusha. If you have chosen to be picked-up by us from Kilimanjaro International Airport, your Easy Travel driver will be waiting to meet and welcome you and take you to your hotel in Arusha to relax after your flight. Your adventure has begun!
After an early breakfast at your hotel (08.00hrs), we depart one hour later and arrive at the Marangu Gate (1970 meters) around 11.00hrs, ready for registration and the start of the trek.
Excitement builds as the porters load up equipment and you meet the professional trekking team who will accompany you up the mountain. Starting on the south-east side of Kilimanjaro, at an altitude of 1970 metres and finishing the day at 2700 metres, our total walking time today to Mandara Hut – where we will spend the night – is around 4 – 5 hours (excluding breaks), during which we cover just over 8km/5miles. Today’s walk, though almost entirely uphill, is a pleasant one, with perhaps the chance to see some blue monkeys or to admire the rainforest vegetation on the ascent. The rainforest is the chief feature of today’s landscape, though you may also encounter waterfalls, depending on the season. Look out for the bright red impatiens kilimanjari flower, an iconic symbol of the mountain, perhaps some blue monkeys, colourful lizards or streams of busy red ants on the insect superhighway. Don’t worry if you are not a nature expert, as your mountain guides will amaze you with their knowledge!
We start the walk late in the morning, take our picnic lunch at around 14.00hrs, and then continue the walk until we reach the hut about 17.00hrs. You will have time to relax and reflect on the day’s walk, chat to your guides or play cards. Dinner is prepared by your mountain chef and his team, and served at 19.30hrs.
At the end of the day, the mountain’s giant heathers and bearded lichen begin to show themselves for the first time; you will realise the diversity of the mountain. The Mandara A-frame Huts, where you will sleep, feature solar-powered lighting, while water is supplied from a stream and there are flush toilets. As you will be sleeping in dormitory-style accommodation with others, bringing some earplugs is advisable!
Our early 07.00hrs breakfast prepares us for an 08.30hrs departure and today our 12km/7miles walk will take between 6 and 8 hours of actual walking time (excluding breaks) and we will climb a total of 1020 metres to the finishing-point at Horombo (altitude: 3720 metres).
On the way we will enjoy our picnic lunch at 13.00hrs, before continuing our climb and arriving at the huts at Horombo (3720 meters) around 16.00hrs, with dinner served at 18.00hrs. On today’s walk, you will note that the forest landscape is quickly replaced by moorland and heather, as our route takes us past the renowned Maundi Crater. Altogether, the scenery today becomes more barren and largely treeless, but nevertheless some of Kilimanjaro’s iconic plant species can be seen today. Look out for the fascinating giant groundsels, lobelias and proteas. If you are lucky enough to have a clear day, you should get the first chance to see the snow-capped peak of Kibo and also the distinctive Mawenzi peak. Like Mandara (2700 meters), the camp at Horombo (3720 meters) also consists of A-Frame huts and caters for those on the way up the mountain and those on the way back down. Once again, you will be in dormitory accommodation.
Today is our extra day for acclimatization, a very important part of our program as it allows vital extra time for adapting to the mountain air, which becomes ever thinner as we ascend. We give everyone the option today to visit the Zebra Rocks (4100 meters), which involves a 90-minute climb and a return descent to the Horombo Hut (3720 meters) for a second night. Don’t expect to see a zebra at these rocks, however, as they take their name from their stripy black and white colour, caused by the effects of mineral-laden water on the lava rockface.
Horombo is a busy stopover, being used by both climbers and descenders on Marangu, as well as those descending on the Rongai route. The presence of abundant water at Horombo (3720 meters) means that you have the ‘luxury’ of toilets and even washbasins! Look around you today and you will notice that you are reaching the point where the moorland scenery runs out, to be replaced by Alpine desert. And although there are definitely no zebra here, you may be surprised to find some species of rodents and birds this high on the mountain.
From our Horombo starting point a 3720m, today we ascend a further 983 metres, covering around 10km/6miles and aiming to arrive at the hut at Kibo (4703 meters) for our overnight stop by around 16.00hrs. We’ll start early once again, with a 07.00hrs breakfast and a 08.30hrs departure. Our walk to the Kibo Huts is expected to take us around 6-8 hours.
Our backdrop today is mainly Alpine desert terrain. Where the path divides on our walk, we choose to take the southern (left-hand) route. On this path we take the opportunity to fill up our water reserves at the Maua River, the last useable water supply at a height of around 4,000 metres. At first today’s stage is rather steep, and there is less vegetation, but we are rewarded with our first sight of some of the famous ‘cones’ of Kilimanjaro. Picnic lunch is once again scheduled for 13.00hrs. After the Maua River, we climb towards the Mawenzi Ridge and across the barren, dry terrain known as The Saddle and head for the huts, which are at the bottom of the Kibo summit. Dinner tonight is at 17.30hrs and you are advised to get to bed early, in preparation for the midnight departure for the summit. The Kibo Huts are quite basic, being made of stone.
Our schedule for our ‘Summit Day’ is necessarily very different to our other days on the mountain. Rising at 23.00hrs, we take our tea and biscuits (23.30hrs) before a midnight departure. Today, we have around 1192 metres to climb, on what will be our toughest day, with around 10-13 hours of actual walking time and a total distance of 22km/14miles.
Our expectation is to reach the summit from 07.00hrs onwards. We begin on a rocky path, and then climb via a series of zig-zags which get ever tighter as we climb.
Our reference points on our ascent today are, first, William’s Point (5131 metres), Hans Meyer Cave (5258 metres) and then Gillman’s Point (5719 metres). The focus today is on walking pole pole – that is, slowly. On reaching the Uhuru Peak (5895 meters), we take time to celebrate the successful climb, take those essential photos and congratulate ourselves, before making the descent to return to Kibo hut (4703 meters) for about 11.00hrs. There we take a very well-deserved, two-hour rest and enjoy a welcome Brunch. Setting off again at 14.00hrs, we continue our descent until we reach the now-familiar Horombo Hut (3720 meters) for about 17.00hrs. Dinner today will be served at 19.00hrs
After breakfast at our now-familiar time of 07.00hrs, we take the chance to thank our hard-working guides and porters at the important ‘Tipping Celebration’. Afterwards, we depart from Horombo Huts (3720 meters) and start our descent down towards Marangu Gate (1970 meters), stopping at Mandara Hut (2700 meters) around midday for a cooked lunch.
Marangu Gate (1970 meters), is usually reached by 16.00hrs, and today’s section is approximately 20km/12miles which takes us between 5 to 7 hours of walking time. Having reached Marangu Gate (1970 meters), you will be presented with your certificate, a fitting souvenir recognising your tremendous achievement. We then return by vehicle to Arusha, to the comfort of your lodge, for your overnight stay and some deserved relaxation. Or perhaps, if you still have some energy, you can celebrate your wonderful achievement. After all, you have just climbed Africa’s highest mountain!
After a good night’s rest at your lodge, you will take breakfast ready for the scheduled check-out by 10.00hrs. (If you wish to remain in the hotel during the day, please advise us of this when you book your trip and we will inform you of the cost for a ‘day room’ which allows you to stay until 18:00hrs, and then make the booking on your behalf.)
If you have booked a transfer to the airport, you will be collected from your hotel and dropped off at the airport. For those travellers who have booked to go on safari, our Easy Travel guide will be meeting you in the evening to provide you with a briefing.
This itinerary is based on transportation by vehicle. Our reliable, comfortable 4 x 4 vehicles will pick you up at the airport at the start of your safari and take you back to the airport at the end. Our Tanzanian roads are very rough in places and distances between the national parks are not insignificant. On this safari, there may be the option to reduce the time spent in your vehicle, by flying to your first safari destination at the start of your safari, or by flying back at the end of your safari, or both. These options of taking an internal flight or flights do attract an extra cost. If this is of interest to you, please ask your Easy Travel tour consultant at the time of booking your safari and they will be happy to advise you.
All visitors will spend some significant time in our comfortable vehicles on the rather rough roads of Tanzania. Anyone who is liable to back pain may experience severe discomfort and should satisfy themselves as to the suitability of a safari (and take medical advice if appropriate) before booking.
Please note that our itineraries are not suitable for those with limited mobility or who are physically disabled. Our vehicles are not capable of being adapted to accommodate those people, unfortunately.
Please note that we cannot guarantee the sighting of any particular animal or bird during our safaris. In our itinerary descriptions, we make reference to many of the animals you may see, but these references are for illustrative purposes only. For example, your driver-guide will do all he can to find you a black rhino if you are visiting Ngorongoro, but such animals are rare. While no sightings of any particular animal can be guaranteed, a quick read of our visitor reviews on Tripadvisor will show you what incredible wildlife experiences our visitors enjoy. And remember: the more days you book, the more wildlife encounters you will have.
All of our Migration Safari itineraries are designed to give visitors the best possible opportunities of seeing The Great Migration, and our driver-guides are passionate and experienced in finding you the best wildlife experiences. Visitors should be aware, however, that the wildlife act according to the availability of water, not to the schedule of any safari operator. When booking a Migration Safari, you may have an expectation of witnessing a ‘river crossing’ but there can be no guarantee that this will take place on any particular day. If the wildebeest don’t want to cross, then no crossing will take place. Many of our Migration Safaris will visit two different locations – for example the Western Serengeti and the Northern Serengeti. But should you see a crossing in Western Serengeti, do not also expect to see one in the Northern Serengeti on the same safari. Nature and the rains will always dictate the whereabouts of the animals, and the migrating herds cannot be in two separate places at the same time!
Our aim is always to keep you safe and to give you the best experiences. We will only make changes to your chosen itinerary for one of those two reasons. Bear in mind that as accommodation is pre-booked, your itinerary will not change substantially. However, where visitors are spending multiple days in Serengeti National Park, the driver-guide may change the itinerary from day-to-day, according to conditions, travelling time and what is happening in the park. So, where – for example – the itinerary description indicates that you will go to the Visitor Centre on Day 4, your driver-guide may decide to visit it on Day 5 instead. If he does make a programme change, he will have a good reason for it and he will inform you.
We know that a day’s safari can make you hungry and we ensure that we always provide you with a balanced and nutritious lunch that will leave you satisfied. Generally, we provide you with either a picnic lunch box or a hamper lunch. You can read more about these here. On any particular day, we wish to remain flexible: after all, there may be times when the last thing you want to do is interrupt your wildlife-watching simply to watch your driver-guide set up a picnic table. On such occasions, it may be preferable to eat a lunchbox at the designated picnic sites, to ensure that you don’t miss any excitement! We will try to offer you something different each day, working with the hotels, camps and lodges to ensure that your midday meals are a pleasurable experience. Bon appetit!
Please note that all our itineraries begin at Kilimanjaro International Airport, with an overnight hotel stay in Arusha included in the price. This means that where an itinerary is entitled, for example, ‘The Ultimate Wildebeest Migration Safari – 6 Days,’ then the arrival day and Arusha overnight stay will count as Day 1. This is simply because our visitors come from all over the world and the flights can arrive at any time of day. If you are already in Arusha prior to the start of the safari and do not need the Arusha overnight stay that we provide, please inform your Easy Travel tour consultant and we will remove the cost of the Arusha hotel from the tour price.
Tanzania is located in East Africa and is bordered by the Indian Ocean on it eastern side, by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south.
Arrival in Tanzania is normally at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam (640km, or 2 hours’ flight from Arusha City), or at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (45 minutes’ drive from Arusha City.)
Of course, weather seasons can vary every year, so you have to be prepared for anything. The Tanzanian dry season usually starts at the start of June and continues through until the end of October. After that, the ‘short rains’ begin from late October/early November until mid- to end December. There is then a respite from late December to Mid of March, and then the ‘long rains’ start at the end of March and last until May.
Most visitors choose to visit the National Parks in Tanzania’s Northern Circuit. Because many of these are at altitude, the temperature is usually pleasant for a safari even at the hottest part of the day. The seasonal variations in temperature are perhaps less than you might expect. For example, in the popular Serengeti, the high in the warmer months (between October and March) is usually around 29C while in the other months a maximum of 26C can be expected. The respective lows would be 17C and 13C. One exception is up on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater (altitude 2, 200 metres) where the temperature can plummet below freezing at nighttime. Visitors to Ngorongoro are therefore advised to bring some warmer clothing.
Safety is always our first priority at Easy Travel. Our driver-guides are all trained in first aid and our vehicles are all equipped with a first aid kit. Nevertheless, we suggest that you bring your own first aid kit: your doctor can advise you on what your kit should contain. Of course, you should always bring any prescription medicines, sufficient to last your entire trip. Remember that we will be spending a lot of time in very remote locations, so you should be prepared for any eventuality.
All Easy Travel’s safari tours are inclusive of Emergency Evacuation Service in conjunction with AMREF Flying Doctors (http://www.flydoc.org). This service provides immediate evacuation for guests from the nearest airstrip to the nearest hospital (usually in Nairobi, sometimes Arusha). This service operates in daylight hours only. When you are ill, but the symptoms and severity do not require immediate evacuation, there are other hospitals and clinics in Serengeti and Karatu. Our guests are strongly advised to buy comprehensive travel insurance. Without this, you cannot use the Emergency Evacuation Services provided by AMREF Flying Doctors. If you wish to purchase the AMREF service (cost US $20 per person), you will need to provide us with a copy of your current insurance, the issuer details and policy number. We will include the cost of this in your safari trip invoice and provide you with your tickets for the service, during your safari briefing.
The tsetse fly is present in woodland areas of Tarangire and in certain parts of Serengeti. They are most active during daylight hours. You can help to avoid these biting flies by choosing to wear neutral-coloured clothing (khali, beige, green, olive, light brown) as the flies are attracted to bright colours. Most people suffer no adverse reactions to the bites of these flies, but a few suffer from itchiness and swelling.
The price agreed for your safari package includes all lodging and meals throughout your trip as detailed on your itinerary, all park entrance fees, the services of an expert driver-guide, game drives in a 4×4 safari vehicle, 1ltr of bottled water per person, per day during game drives only.
Any international flights, any domestic flights (unless specified and agreed as part of your package), any travel and medical insurance, entry visa to Tanzania, (you should obtain this before you arrive; you can get a visa on entry to Tanzania, but this involves standing in long lines between 30-45 minutes or sometimes more), soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, gratuities for your driver-guides or any other Easy Travel staff, gratuities for any camp/lodge staff, Maasai Village visit, any extra activities not pre-booked and paid for, emergency evacuation service (unless pre-booked and pre- paid) and any other items not mentioned in this list.
Once we have agreed your safari trip itinerary with you, you will be required to make an initial deposit of 30% to us. This allows us to be able to confirm your booking. The full balance must then be paid 30 days before the start of your safari trip. For any last-minute booking made less than 30 days prior to your proposed arrival date, we require payment of the full amount to be made when booking.
We accept payment either by credit card, or by direct wire transfer.
We accept Visa, Master Card and American Express. This is the fastest and easiest method of payment as it avoids the necessity of complying with numerous banking procedures. You will need to allow for 3.5% on top of the trip cost, this being bank charges for use of the credit card. This 3.5% charge stays with the bank, not Easy Travel (Tanzania Bank Policy).
If paying by this method, any bank charges incurred will be at your cost. Beneficiary bank charges are approximately $45 and they will be added by us on to your invoice. It usually takes a minimum of 5 to 7 working days for the funds to arrive into our account. At that point, we are able to issue your booking confirmation.
Easy Travel can organize domestic flights for Zanzibar and to the Northern and Southern National
Parks of Tanzania. Visitors should be aware that the aircraft employed are light aircraft which land
and takeoff from small airstrips either inside or close to the relevant National Park.
Yes. The luggage limit, including hand luggage, is 15kgs. The only exception is where an airline uses ATR aircraft on flights between Arusha or Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam: on such flights there is a 20kg weight limit. On internal flights, the weight limits are strictly enforced and any excess weight will be subject to a charge of $5 per kg. You should also be aware that there is no guarantee that excess weight will be accepted, especially in peak season. Safety will always be the pilot’s top priority. Passengers are advised never to check in high-value items such as cash, jewellery, cameras, laptops etc.
Easy Travel are happy to look after your luggage, free of charge, if you leave it with us at our Arusha offices. This can be particularly convenient for those visitors who are climbing Kilimanjaro and then following it with a safari or beach holiday.
All visitors must obtain adequate travel insurance before they depart for Tanzania. Insurance policies must be comprehensive, covering for any reason, medical evacuation, cancellation, curtailment of arrangements and loss of baggage.
Easy Travel safaris are available with four different choices of accommodation styles to suit your taste and budget. We offer Basic, Comfort, Comfort Plus and Luxury style accommodation options.
Easy Travel selects the best available accommodations in each category. Basic style accommodation is on public campsites, with shared bathroom facilities. In the other three categories, accommodations include private bathroom facilities. The rooms in these three categories are spacious, furnished with either twin beds or king-size beds, a dressing table and a wardrobe where you can store your luggage. Lodges and tented camps located within the National Parks use generators for power. Please note that although some accommodations have hot showers available 24 hours per day, others only have hot showers at set times in both morning and evening.
One of the great things about a private safari is the flexibility it offers you. When it comes to food, you can make the daily choice of whether to enjoy your breakfast and lunch in the comfort of your tented camp or lodge, or enjoy a picnic box out in the bush. In the morning, you may want to enjoy the stunning sunrises by taking an early game drive and then return to your accommodation for breakfast, or prefer to have breakfast at your lodging first and then set off on your day’s game drive with no need to return to your accommodation at mealtimes.
For breakfast, a picnic box will typically include coffee, bread, pastries, juice, a banana, apple, hardboiled-egg, bacon or sausages. A lunchtime picnic box might contain chicken, bread, sandwiches, banana, apple, juice, muffin and chocolate. Any special dietary requirements can be accommodated – just let us know in advance.
We ask that our guests give us advance notice of any special dietary needs when planning the safari trip. We when pass this information to your accommodation choices, to ensure that your requirements are met at each place you visit.
Please note that all our itineraries begin at Kilimanjaro International Airport, with an overnight hotel stay in Arusha included in the price. This means that where an itinerary is entitled, for example, ‘The Great Wildebeest Migration Safari – 9 Days,’ then the arrival day and Arusha overnight stay will count as Day 1. This is simply because our visitors come from all over the world and the flights can arrive at any time of day. If you are already in Arusha prior to the start of the safari and do not need the Arusha overnight stay that we provide, please inform your Easy Travel tour consultant and we will remove the cost of the Arusha hotel from the tour price.
This itinerary is based on transportation by vehicle. Our reliable, comfortable 4 x 4 vehicles will pick you up at the airport at the start of your safari and take you back to the airport at the end. Our Tanzanian roads are very rough in places and distances between the national parks are not insignificant. On this safari, there may be the option to reduce the time spent in your vehicle, by flying to your first safari destination at the start of your safari, or by flying back at the end of your safari, or both. These options of taking an internal flight or flights do attract an extra cost. If this is of interest to you, please ask your Easy Travel tour consultant at the time of booking your safari and they will be happy to advise you.
All visitors will spend some significant time in our comfortable vehicles on the rather rough roads of Tanzania. Anyone who is liable to back pain may experience severe discomfort and should satisfy themselves as to the suitability of a safari (and take medical advice if appropriate) before booking.
Please note that our itineraries are not suitable for those with limited mobility or who are physically disabled. Our vehicles are not capable of being adapted to accommodate those people, unfortunately.
Please note that we cannot guarantee the sighting of any particular animal or bird during our safaris. In our itinerary descriptions, we make reference to many of the animals you may see, but these references are for illustrative purposes only. For example, your driver-guide will do all he can to find you a black rhino if you are visiting Ngorongoro, but such animals are rare. While no sightings of any particular animal can be guaranteed, a quick read of our visitor reviews on Tripadvisor will show you what incredible wildlife experiences our visitors enjoy. And remember: the more days you book, the more wildlife encounters you will have.
All of our Migration Safari itineraries are designed to give visitors the best possible opportunities of seeing The Great Migration, and our driver-guides are passionate and experienced in finding you the best wildlife experiences. Visitors should be aware, however, that the wildlife act according to the availability of water, not to the schedule of any safari operator. When booking a Migration Safari, you may have an expectation of witnessing a ‘river crossing’ but there can be no guarantee that this will take place on any particular day. If the wildebeest don’t want to cross, then no crossing will take place. Many of our Migration Safaris will visit two different locations – for example the Western Serengeti and the Northern Serengeti. But should you see a crossing in Western Serengeti, do not also expect to see one in the Northern Serengeti on the same safari. Nature and the rains will always dictate the whereabouts of the animals, and the migrating herds cannot be in two separate places at the same time!
Our aim is always to keep you safe and to give you the best experiences. We will only make changes to your chosen itinerary for one of those two reasons. Bear in mind that as accommodation is pre-booked, your itinerary will not change substantially. However, where visitors are spending multiple days in Serengeti National Park, the driver-guide may change the itinerary from day-to-day, according to conditions, travelling time and what is happening in the park. So, where – for example – the itinerary description indicates that you will go to the Visitor Centre on Day 4, your driver-guide may decide to visit it on Day 5 instead. If he does make a programme change, he will have a good reason for it and he will inform you.
We know that a day’s safari can make you hungry and we ensure that we always provide you with a balanced and nutritious lunch that will leave you satisfied. Generally, we provide you with either a picnic lunch box or a hamper lunch. You can read more about these here. On any particular day, we wish to remain flexible: after all, there may be times when the last thing you want to do is interrupt your wildlife-watching simply to watch your driver-guide set up a picnic table. On such occasions, it may be preferable to eat a lunchbox at the designated picnic sites, to ensure that you don’t miss any excitement! We will try to offer you something different each day, working with the hotels, camps and lodges to ensure that your midday meals are a pleasurable experience. Bon appetit!
Of course, Easy Travel are happy to organize either a Private or Public Shuttle transfer to Arusha from Nairobi City or JKIA.
Please note that the cost of this transfer is not included in your trip cost, nor is the return transfer back to either Nairobi City or JKIA at the end of your trip. For Easy Travel to arrange transfers for you from/to Nairobi City or JKIA. All you have to do is let us know your flight number and arrival time and make the appropriate payment to us in addition to the price of your trip.
Two daily public shuttles operate from JKIA to Arusha, with one departing at 08.00 hours and the other at 14.00 hours. The price for a single ticket is $40 per person and the journey time is between 6 and 7 hours. The price for a private shuttle is $400 per vehicle, one way, so will usually only be suitable if you are arriving in a group. Whichever airport you arrive at, we strongly advise that when you approach the driver (who will be waiting outside the baggage reclaim area) that you ask him who he has come to collect, rather than giving him your name. (Our driver will display your name on an Easy Travel signboard.) By following this advice, you will be sure that you are picked up by the correct driver, rather than by an airport taxi driver who is just looking for business.
Easy Travel use Toyota Land Cruiser 4 x4s, which are recognized by many as the best and most reliable vehicles for the rough terrain of Tanzania. Each of the maximum 6 passengers enjoys the benefit of a window seat. The Land Cruisers are fully equipped, featuring: a pop-up roof for excellent game viewing; a radio call facility for optimal communications; a mini cooler box for keeping drinks cool (while the vehicle engine is running); a UK-Type socket for charging your mobile phone, camera battery or laptop; guidebooks and binoculars.
Due to restrictions of space, all passengers are limited to one softshell, duffel-style bag and one carry-on bag. Please note that hardshell suitcases are not advisable on safari, as they take up too much space.
It’s always nice to forget about the developed world when you are enjoying your ‘wilderness experience’ out on safari, but a few modern devices will maximize your enjoyment and ensure that you can take home some special memories.
First of all, you will need to bring a converter plug for any devices you bring. Note that electricity in Tanzania is 220 to 240 volts (50 hertz) and our Tanzanian sockets are of the British-type with three rectangular blade pins. You will no doubt want to take loads of photos, so a lightweight camera with a good zoom or suitable mobile phone, plus extra memory cards, batteries and/or charger are essential. You may also want to bring a small, powerful flashlight as some camps have little lighting. You can share the binoculars provided by us in the safari vehicle, though many visitors choose to bring their own to make sure they don’t miss anything.