8 DAYS TANZANIA ADVENTURE BIG CATS SAFARI-OTS The Safari can vary depending on your inclinations and interests, and we specialize in helping you experience the finest, most comfortable and picturesque locations, sites, and areas.
DAY 01: ARRIVE IN TANZANIA.
Arrive anytime at Kilimanjaro International airport and transfer by Outstanding Tanzania Safari private vehicle to Arusha at Masailand Safari Lodge.
The rest of the day is free to relax and recover from your flight, laze by the pool or explore the town.
Dinner and overnight at Masailand Safari Lodge: Bed, dinner and breakfast.
DAY 02: ARUSHA TO TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK:
Today we drive to Tarangire National Park, for excellent game viewing. Tarangire is a small park that offers some excellent sights. Generally, in the dry seasons, Tarangire comes alive as the wildlife and birdlife congregate on the Tarangire River, which is a permanent source of water.
We spend the night in our lodge beautifully set outside the park with stunning views and a unique atmosphere.
Dinner and overnight at Eileen’s Trees Inn Lodge: Full board.
DAY 03: GAME DRIVE TO SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK:
We head towards the Serengeti National Park. En route, there is an opportunity to visit Olduvai Gorge. It is within this steep-sided ravine that Louis and Mary Leakey made some of the world’s most important archaeological discoveries in the 1950s. Here is a small museum, we are able to see evidence of our ancestors that have been dated back 2.5 million years. After lunch, we drive into the Serengeti itself and the rest of the afternoon is spent game viewing in the vast plains that are broken only by stands of acacia trees and the occasional kopje. In December, January and February we will normally meet the migration with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffes, buffalo, and elephants, and many large predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards. We return to our special tented camp for the night.
Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Tanzania Bush Tented Camp: Full board.
DAY 04: GAME DRIVE TO SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK:
After breakfast, we will take the packed lunch with us and proceed with the game drive in the Serengeti National Park. The migration can be seen on a long chain approximately 40 Km heading in the south western direction. Around 1230 and 1300 break for your lunch. After having our lunch, we will proceed with our game viewing following the move of the migrants on the southwest of the park. Approximately 1.3 million wildebeest, 250,000 gazelles, and 200,000 Zebras have been recorded sharing the short grass.
DAY 05: GAME DRIVE TO SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK:
We have another full day in this wonderful park, rising early to make the most of our time. Our guides will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year; we can spend time at the Hippo pool watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water happily living alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, be in the middle of the migration, sometimes surrounded by wildebeest, sometimes by zebras, which travel with the wildebeest. We journey from the wide-open plains to the kopjes: these volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals and from the top, we can look out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing, we will hopefully see all of the plain games; elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lions and if you are lucky the elusive leopard and cheetah, as well as huge amounts of the interesting birdlife, from the elegant secretary birds to the flightless ostrich. We return to our special tented camp for the night.
DAY 06: SERENGETI TO NGORONGORO CRATER:
We start the day with an early morning game drive before heading to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro is a special place in that it is a Conservation Area, not a National Park; this means that the whole area is managed for both the animals and the local Masai people who graze their cattle alongside the indigenous wildlife. During the drive-in Ngorongoro, we have a chance to glimpse something of the Masai way of life. After stopping at the entrance gate, where there is a chance to learn more about this fascinating volcanic landscape, we will drive around the rim of the Crater itself, and from here we can look down and see the herd of wildebeest or buffalos.
Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Ndutu Safari Lodge: Full board.
DAY 07: A FULL DAY GAME DRIVE IN NGORONGORO CRATER:
Today we will descend 2000 feet (over 600 meters) to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater for your crater tour. Here you will explore the forest areas inhabited by monkeys and elephants, the lake area, where we may see flamingos. We will also visit the open savannah where the lions hunt. Picnic lunch will be served in the crater. In the late afternoon, we make a short journey to Karatu.
DAY 08: GAME DRIVE IN LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK:
We depart from your lodge in Karatu and proceed to Lake Manyara National Park. Although small in size, this park is one of the most diverse reserves in the country. Lake Manyara covers two-thirds of the park. At the backdrop is the wall of the Great Rift Valley, before which lies the ground water forest, areas of open grassland near the lake foreshore, and the Soda Lake. We enjoy a picnic lunch in this area, which consists of open grassy areas, hot springs, dense woodlands, and steep mountainsides. Lake Manyara National Park is a birding paradise that has more than 350 species of bird. The park is also famed for its unique and elusive tree-climbing lions.
In the afternoon we drive back to Arusha.
8 DAYS TANZANIA ADVENTURE BIG CATS SAFARI-OTS INCLUDES:
1. Full board accommodation whilst on safari in the above mentioned en suite tented camps and lodges
2. Private safari guide
3. Private 4 x 4 safari jeep with pop up roof for game viewing
4. Transfers in both directions between the International Airport
5. Park fees
6. Crater fees
7. All meals while on safari
8. Bushmen cultural tourism
9. Airport Arrival/Departure Meet and Greets at the airport
10. On safari – Vehicles equipped with ice chest with mineral water, wildlife guidebook, Karibuni welcome packet with useful information for all guests
11. Government taxes, VAT and service charges relating to accommodation and included meals
8 DAYS TANZANIA ADVENTURE BIG CATS SAFARI-OTS EXCLUDES:
1. Tanzania Visa: $50 per person on arrival, USA and Canada passport holders USD.100
2. Personal Expenses (e.g. laundry, telephone, beverages, etc.)
3. Meals not listed above
4. Optional Tours (balloon rides USD. 500 per person, etc)
5. Tips and any items of personal nature