Summary

TANZANIA

Special 2012 pricing:

Starting at $6880 per person based on double occupancy

Price dependent on dates of travel and number of passengers. Itinerary available year round EXCEPT April & May 2012.

10 nights in country included in price
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East Africa’s Great Migration is one of the most spectacular natural events on Earth. This itinerary takes you through the majestic Great Rift Valley, following the herds of the great migration as they traverse the Serengeti on their annual cycle in search of fresh grasses brought to life by the seasonal rains.

• Visit Lake Manyara (known for its tree climbing lions) and Tarangire National Parks- two of the Great Rift’s most scenic areas
• Visit famed Ngorongoro Crater- an immense and beautiful caldera which is home to an astounding array of wildlife, including white and black rhino, lion, leopard, buffalo, a plentitude of elephant, hippo, and incredible birdlife
• Hike amongst Masai villages to the Olmoti crater where ancient Africa remains intact
• Journey to the Serengeti where vast savannah plains provide ample food for the great herds, followed closely by the magnificent predators

Accommodations throughout is in luxury tented camps, offering privacy, comfort, and an unforgettable safari of a lifetime.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1

ARUSHA

ARUSHA HOTEL

Arrive in Arusha (Kilimanjaro International Airport), Tanzania, and overnight at the Arusha Hotel. The hotel is set in beautifully landscaped gardens with all the amenities and luxury for the discerning traveler. The tropical gardens are home to many birds and exotic plants. Afternoon at leisure.

Day 2 & 3

TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK | LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

LEMALA MANYARA CAMP

Transfer by private vehicle to Lake Manyara National Park (3.5 hours excluding stops). Along the way you take a game drive in Tarangire National Park located only 74 miles from Arusha. Tarangire National Park derives its name from the river that threads its way through the length of the park and provides the permanent water for wildlife in the area famous for its dense wildlife population. Between June and October, migratory wildlife species come back to the permanent waters of Tarangire River by the thousands. Huge herds of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, eland and oryx gather to stay in Tarangire until the onset of the rains when they migrate again to good grazing areas.

With baobab and acacia trees, much like the Serengeti, Tarangire has large herds of elephant as well as rhino, buffalo, eland, warthog, the fringe-eared oryx, lesser and greater kudu, gerenuk and a large number of impala. The swamps, tinged green year round, are the focus for 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world. On drier ground you find Koori bustard, ostrich, and ground hornbills that bluster like turkeys. Tarangire pythons climb trees as do the lions and leopards.

After the game drive you continue on to Lake Manyara National Park and the exclusive Lemala Manyara Camp. Deep inside the park and far from the crowds, Lemala Manyara has an incredibly beautiful location on the edge of acacia woodland overlooking the lake. Guests are treated to beautiful sunrises and sundowners on the lakeshore as the sun sets in the evening. The area is frequented by elephants, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, abundant birdlife and even lions are attracted by the seasonal waterhole. Manyara hot springs are easily accessible from the camp and is often the hangout for buffalo and tree-climbing lions.

This traditional seasonal safari camp is supremely comfortable and blends into the surroundings. Each spacious tent faces the lake and is fitted with large single or king-size beds, wooden flooring with rugs, 24-hour solar lighting, and en-suite bathrooms with a dressing area, flush toilet and safari shower.

Activities at Lemala Manyara Camp include:

Day 4 - 6

NGORONGORO CRATER AREA

LEMALA NGORONGORO CAMP

Transfer by road (3.5 hours) to the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area and the Lemala Ngorongoro Crater Camp. This beautiful camp is of similar design and same standards as the camp in Manyara, but is set in an ancient acacia forest on the rim of the crater.

The first day at camp you visit a Masai Boma which is about a 10 minute drive from camp. The Masai villages around Tanzania are proud of their strong and mighty Masai warriors. While visiting a village you are rewarded with the Masai in traditional dress and dance and will be given a lecture by the local chief’s son.

The following day you have a full day tour (picnic lunch provided) of Tanzania's famous Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater was once a gigantic volcano, perhaps taller than Kilimanjaro, that collapsed forming a vast bowl (caldera) measuring about 11 miles across. It is one of the most perfectly formed – and certainly the most spectacular – calderas on the planet.  The Crater, a designated World Heritage Site, is the permanent home of up to 30,000 larger animals, almost half of them being zebra and wildebeest. Animals resident within this vast intact ecosystem include lion, elephant, black rhino, warthog, hippo, buffalo and many plains animals such as wildebeest, Thomson's gazelle, zebra, eland and reedbuck. If you wish to see the fierce cats of Africa the crater is a dream come true: an abundance of predators are drawn by the vast herds of antelope. The golden jackal is frequently seen during the day while the black-backed jackal and bat-eared fox are most active after dark.

Day 6 includes a spectacular hike to Olmoti crater which offers solitude, beautiful landscapes and scenery. Olmoti Craters's floor is shallow and covered with tussocks of grass. Besides the Masai and their livestock you may see eland, buffalo and reedbuck. The Munge River crosses the caldera and plummets down over cliffs in spectacular cascades of falling water. Walk from camp into the forest and along the crater rim together with an armed ranger and a Masai guide. Enjoy spectacular panoramas of the crater and an insight into the forest dwelling animals. A picnic lunch is provided.

Activities at Lemala Ngorongoro Camp include:

Day 7 & 8

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

LEMALA EWANJAN CENTRAL SERENGETI

On Day 7, you are transferred by road (approximately 5 hours with game viewing along the way) to the edge of the famed Serengeti National Park. Along the way, you stop at the Olduvai Museum for an interesting exhibit on the areas paleoanthropological findings. This area is home to ancient human fossil sites and the museum is dedicated to preserving fossils which span 5 million years of human evolution.

Continue on to Lemala Ewanjan Camp located on the edge of the Serengeti in its own private concession.  Accommodation here is in tented accommodation similar to that at Ngorongoro and Manyara. With a wonderful location in the Western/Central Serengeti corridor along the Grumeti River, Lemala E-Wanjan is a new, deluxe seasonal camp with seven luxury tents set in a spectacular private concession only 20 minutes from Serengeti National Park. The camp is surrounded by granite hills and fronted by the Grumeti River, which attracts abundant resident wildlife and birdlife. Between June and July the area is home to the spectacular migration which can be viewed on off-road day and night game drives and during exciting game walks; for the rest of the year, there is still plentiful wildlife resident in the area to make game viewing worthwhile.

Activities at Lemala Ewanjan Central Serengeti include:

Day 9 & 10

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

LEMALA MARA or LEMALA NDUTU (depending on dates and migration location)

On Day 9, you are transferred by road (approximately 4-5 hours with game viewing along the way) to your next Lemala camp, located either the northern edge of the Serengeti or the southern edge (depending on migration location during dates of travel).

Lemala Mara Camp: From June to October each year, Lemala Mara’s eight semi-permanent luxury tents and one family tent are located at the foot of a magnificent kopje, overlooking the expanse of the classic Serengeti wilderness with sausage and fig trees dotting the landscape. The camp’s location commands a prime position in the northern Serengeti with easy access to areas the annual Great Migration passes through. The stylishly decorated tents are erected on wooden platforms and each tent has either two large single beds or one king-sized double bed. All tents have a private bathroom with dressing area, flush toilet, shower and basin with running water. The main tented area has a cozy sitting room with large, comfy sofas and a dining area.

Here, in this immense remote wilderness, almost double the size of the Masai Mara, guests can enjoy fabulous landscapes and terrific off-road game viewing with practically no crowds. Resident wildlife numbers are exceptionally high with prides of lion up to 30 strong but when the migration starts arriving from June onwards, the area turns into a wildlife paradise par excellence. Through June, July and August the wildebeest continue moving through the area, crossing the Mara River and then heading north towards Masai Mara, but several herds remain behind and weather changes could easily bring the vast herds flooding back into the area. Migration and predator action lasts up to end October assuring this area’s reputation as one of the finest in Africa.

Lemala Ndutu Camp: Perched on the edge of a permanent marsh, Lemala Ndutu is the ultimate amphitheater for the wildebeest migration between December and April. The camp is situated inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area along the border of Southern Serengeti in what is perhaps the finest location in the whole of Ndutu. Tucked away under huge umbrella thorn acacias, Lemala Ndutu offers fantastic views of the marsh which attracts a large number of plains game and predators alike. The camp enjoys regular visits from the resident wildlife ranging from lions, leopards, cheetah and hyena to elephant and giraffe. Lion hunts close to the camp are not uncommon.

A major advantage of the area is the ability to do off-road game viewing. Lemala's open 4x4 vehicles are specially designed with charging units and a large refrigerator so that guests can enjoy full day game drives with great picnic breakfasts and lunches organized by the kitchen as well as chilled refreshments. The camp also offer optional walks along the marsh with an armed ranger for closer encounters with the wildlife.

Day 11

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK | ARUSHA

Depart

After breakfast and your morning game activity on Day 11, you are transferred to the nearest airstrip for your scheduled charter flight to Arusha. You have a day room at the Arusha Hotel and you are transfrerred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your intermational departure homeward.

General Information

Special 2012 pricing:

Starting at $6880 per person based on double occupancy

Price dependent on dates of travel and number of passengers. Itinerary available year round EXCEPT April & May 2012.

INCLUSIONS

All ground transportation upon landing in Arusha, Tanzania; flight to Kilimanjaro on Day 11 after the program; all accommodation as stated in itinerary; guides and vehicle throughout; tourism taxes; meals, beverages, and activities stated below.

• Arusha Hotel: Airport transfers and breakfast
• Lemala Camps: All meals, local beverages, and laundry. Activities included at Lemala Camps: game walks at Lemala Manyara; night game drive at Lake Manyara; Ngorongoro Crater tour; hike to Olmoti at the Ngorongoro crater; game drive at Tarangire National Park; morning and afternoon game drives in Serengeti.

EXCLUSIONS

U.S. domestic and international airfare; internal commercial flights; medical immunizations; passport fees; park fees; visa fee for Tanzania; accident/baggage/ medevac & cancellation insurance; individual transfers; excursions deviating from the scheduled tour; excess baggage charges; medical expenses; airport departure fees and taxes; spa treatments; telephone or fax charges; room service; gratuities to guides and staff; and other items of a purely personal nature.

• Arusha Hotel: Lunch, dinner, all beverages, activities
• Lemala Camps: Premium wines and imported spirits; additional activities

Contact Us

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