African Splendour Tour: The Serengeti National Park, a Walking Safari, and Much More…

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  • 10 Days
  • All year round

A Wildlife Tour in Africa Like No Other!

Set off on an unforgettable 11-day African Splendour journey through northern Tanzania! This adventure-rich itinerary captures the essence of Tanzania’s famed landscapes and wildlife.

Explore Tarangire National Park, famous for its dense elephant populations and baobab trees, with game drives and a unique river walking safari. Engage with the Maasai community to learn about traditional practices and opt for either a village visit or a hike through the Great Rift Valley.

Discover Lake Manyara National Park, known for its tree-climbing lions and vibrant birdlife, including stunning flamingos. Over two days in the Ngorongoro Crater, enjoy panoramic views and close encounters with diverse wildlife, alongside options for leisurely or challenging hikes on the crater rim.

The journey culminates in a visit to the legendary Serengeti National Park, with four days of extensive game drives in search of the Great Wildebeest Migration and other spectacular wildlife scenes. (Consider enhancing your experience with an optional sunrise hot air balloon flight.)

Conclude your tour with a flight from the Serengeti to either Kilimanjaro Airport or Zanzibar, wrapping up a once-in-a-lifetime exploration of Tanzania’s natural treasures.

Have any questions about this tour? Please get in touch.

Pricing

2 pax:
Standard from $6,575
Mid-Range from $9,120
Luxury from $14,275

4 pax:
Standard from $5,430
Mid-Range from $7,970
Luxury from $13,130

Based on peak season pricing (June – March).

Price Includes

Price Excludes

  • 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)
  • 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.)

African Splendour Tour Itinerary

Arrival Day: Kilimanjaro Airport - Arusha

Welcome to Tanzania! Upon your arrival at the Kilimanjaro Airport, 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. Arrive by mid-morning for a half-day’s game drive in the park, 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. In the late afternoon, you will retreat to your lodge or tented camp for the evening.

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

Day 2: Tarangire National Park

Head out in the early morning on a walking safari along the river, followed by a day of game driving. Today you have the options of game driving all day, enjoying your lunch out in the bush, or lunch back at your lodge with game drives in the morning and afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Maasai Community & Great Rift Valley

Begin the day with an early morning visit to a local Maasai community, where you will have a grassroots cultural experience and a true look behind the scenes into Maasai culture. Take a walk to a nearby boma, the traditional home of the Maasai tribe. Following the boma visit, take a 1-hour medicine walk during which you will learn about the different root and plant extracts still being used by the Maasai on a daily basis.

In the afternoon you have a choice of activities. The first is a local village visit, on foot or in a tuktuk, visiting a school, farm, market and more. See how Tanzanians live their daily lives. The second is a moderately difficult hike down the Great Rift Valley, through a dense ground water forest, with the opportunity to see birds, monkeys and more. You will overnight in the Mto wa Mbu area.

Transfer Time: 30 mins – 1 hour
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Lake Manyara National Park

Today you will venture into Lake Manyara National Park, a small jewel that sits at the foot of the rift valley escarpment, 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 make your way back to your lodge or tented camp in Mto wa Mbu.

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

Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater

After a leisurely breakfast, you will drive to the Ngorongoro Crater, register at the gate, then continue on to the viewpoint for a panoramic view down into the crater floor. From there you will descend into the crater for a half-day 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.

Transfer Time: 45 mins
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater & Highlands

Wake and depart your lodge before sunrise, descending into the crater for an early morning game drive. Spend this afternoon on a walking safari of your choice, ranging from a relaxing stroll around the crater rim to a half-day, more strenuous hike. Spend your night in the crater highlands.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Serengeti National Park

Depart in the morning for the drive to Serengeti National Park for a day of game driving. 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.

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

Day 8: Serengeti National Park

The day begins with an optional sunrise hot air balloon flight over the expansive Serengeti plains. Enjoy the most spectacular bird’s eye view of the vistas and wildlife on the ground. Thereafter experience a full day’s game drive in the Serengeti driving across sun-kissed savannahs.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Days 9-10: Serengeti National Park

Experience full day game drives in the Serengeti, driving across vast plains, observing daily wildlife patterns or in search of the great migration. If you are interested in the migration, your Serengeti days will be located appropriately to view the herds.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11: Serengeti National Park - Kilimanjaro Airport or Zanzibar

Soak up your final morning game drive in the Serengeti, after which you will depart for the nearby airstrip for your flight back to Kilimanjaro Airport or onto the spice islands of Zanzibar.

Transfer Time: Varies
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodations

Below are sample accommodations in each location of your safari. It is also recommended that 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.

Tarangire
Maasai Community / Lake Manyara
Ngorongoro Crater
Serengeti

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: Meliá Ngorongoro Lodge

Standard: Acacia Collection Camps
Mid-Range: Siringit Migration Camp
Luxury: Nimali Mara

Approximate migration locations: 
December – March: South
April – May: Central
June – July: West
July – October: North
October – December: North to East

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