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African Splendour

Ten days of wildlife and cultural discovery across pristine African savannahs, witnessing the majesty of hundreds of thousands of migrating wildebeest across the Serengeti.

 

Highlights include: Tarangire National Park, Maasai Culture, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Walking Safari, Serengeti National Park and the Great Wildebeest Migration

Detailed Itinerary

Arrival Day: Kilimanjaro Airport – Arusha

Welcome to Tanzania! Upon your arrival, you will be met by a Pristine Trails driver and transferred to your hotel in Arusha town. Enjoy the evening at your leisure.

Transfer Time: 1 hour

Day 1: Tarangire National Park

In the early morning you will meet your guide and pile into your very own 4×4 safari vehicle for the start of your adventure to Tarangire National Park. You will arrive in Tarangire, known for its bulbous baobab trees and savannah woodland habitat heavily populated with herds of elephants and a variety of migratory zebra, wildebeest, gazelle, impala, buffalo and more. The park’s annual perennial river serves as a water source for these migrating herds during the dry season, making the game viewing spectacular. As the sun dips below the horizon, you will retreat to your lodge or tented camp for the evening.

Transfer Time: 2-4 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Tarangire National Park – Maasai Community

Begin the day with an early morning game drive when the animals are typically active and sighting unique interaction between animals is likely. In the late morning you will depart for the short drive to a local Maasai community where you will have a true look behind the scenes into Maasai culture. Upon arrival at a nearby camp, nestled between Maasai homes in a rich and wild savannah, you will settle in and enjoy your lunch. Then take a medicine walk, learning about the different root and plant extracts still being used by the Maasai on a daily basis. Visit an Orpul area where young warriors learn an age-old tradition from the elders and the medicine man of the village. In the late afternoon, take a walk to a nearby Maasai boma, the traditional home of the Maasai tribe. Learn about social and family structure, marriage, roles and responsibilities, daily life and customs. Meet with the Maasai women and children. Thereafter, enjoy your dinner and overnight at the tented camp or take the short drive to a nearby lodge for overnight.

Transfer Time: 1 hour
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Lake Manyara National Park

The next stop is Lake Manyara National Park, set beneath the cliffs of the Manyara Escarpment, a jewel known for its primates, hippos and infamous tree-climbing lions. With its varied ecosystems, you will see forest creatures, large baboon troops in addition to other animals like giraffe and elephant. Vast flamingo populations dot the lakeshore and interact with an array of bird species. As the sun sets, you will ascend the escarpment for the night at your lodge or tented camp.

Transfer Time: 30 mins
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater

Wake and depart before sunrise for the short drive to the Ngorongoro Crater, descending 900 meters onto the crater floor for a day’s game drive. The Ngorongoro Crater, a small haven of 300 km², is bestowed with wildlife, an estimated 35,000 in number, comprising zebra, buffalo, lions, old bull elephants and so much more. It is also one of the best places to spot the rare black rhino. In the late afternoon you’ll ascend back up to the cool crater rim for the night.

Transfer Time: 1 hour
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Ngorongoro Highlands

Spend the day out of the car on a guided walking safari of your choice in the beautiful and lush Ngorongoro Highlands. You have options ranging from a relaxing 2-hour stroll around the crater rim to full-day, more strenuous hikes through the highlands. Overnight atop the crater rim.

Transfer Time: Varies
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Serengeti National Park

After breakfast you will head to Serengeti National Park, the largest park in Tanzania. The Serengeti, a world heritage site, is known for its famous migration during which six million hooves pound the plains as zebra and Thomson’s gazelle travel alongside millions of wildebeest looking for fresh grazing. Even when the migration is quiet, Serengeti offers unmatched game and predator versus prey viewing of the over 4 million animals that reside there. In the late afternoon you will retreat to your lodge or tented camp for the evening.

Transfer Time: 2-3 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Serengeti National Park

Experience a full day’s game drive in the Serengeti, driving across vast plains, observing daily wildlife patterns or in search of the great migration. For all full days in the Serengeti, you have the options of taking a full-day game drive with a packed lunch, or heading back to your camp/lodge for lunch and a rest, with game drives in the early morning and late afternoon when the animals are most active.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8-9: Serengeti National Park

Enjoy full day game drives across the sun-kissed savannahs of the Serengeti.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 10: Serengeti National Park – Kilimanjaro Airport or Zanzibar

Enjoy an early morning game drive, after which you will depart for the nearby airstrip for your charter flight back to the Kilimanjaro Airport or onto the spice islands of Zanzibar.

Transfer Time: Varies
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodations

Below is a sample of our accommodation recommendations in each location of your safari.

Tarangire

Maasai Community / Lake Manyara

Ngorongoro Crater

STANDARD Tarangire Safari Lodge
MID-RANGE Ndovu Tented Lodge
LUXURY Lemala Mpingo Ridge
STANDARD Kirurumu Manyara Lodge
MID-RANGE Escarpment Luxury Lodge
LUXURY Gibb’s Farm
STANDARD Ngorongoro Rhino Lodge
MID-RANGE Lion’s Paw Ngorongoro Camp
LUXURY Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

Serengeti

We recommend you spend some or all of your Serengeti days where the Great Migration is likely to be found at the time of year you are traveling. See below for the approximate location of the migration throughout the year.

Dec – Mar

South

April – May

Central

June – July

West

July – Oct

North

Oct- Dec

North to East

STANDARD South, Central & North Kenzan Tented Camps
MID-RANGE South Lake Masek Tented Lodge
Central Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge
West Cherero Camp
North Kaskaz Mara Camp
LUXURY South Sanctuary Kusini Camp
Central Four Seasons Safari Lodge
North Lemala Kuria Hills

Pricing

2 pax: From $6,000
4 pax: From $5,000

Per person peak season pricing
Based on standard tier accommodations

Inclusions / Exclusions

Price Inclusions:

  • Private 4×4 safari vehicle, unlimited mileage
  • English-speaking Driver Guide
  • National Park fees, concession fees and taxes
  • Accommodation – 10 nights
  • Meals specified (special diets can be accommodated)
  • Filtered drinking water in your vehicle
  • Airport transfers upon arrival and departure
  • Domestic airfare (Serengeti to Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar)

Price Exclusions:

  • Gratuities/tips
  • Soft drinks, beer, wine and liquor (included at exclusive level)
  • Tanzania entry visa
  • Travel insurance
  • International airfare
  • Additional airport transfers
  • Expenses of a personal nature (souvenirs, etc.)

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