Wildlife Encounters – 6 Days

from $4,000.00

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Vacation Style Holiday Type

Wildlife
Activity Level Leisurely
Group Size Small Group
8

All about the Wildlife Encounters – 6 Days.

A fascinating six-day adventure beginning in Arusha, Tanzania’s ‘safari capital,’ with Lake Manyara, Serengeti, and Ngorongoro providing the highlights. Accommodation is in comfortable safari lodges, and our English-speaking driver-guides will share with you their in-depth knowledge of the animals and their surroundings.

First, you’ll visit Lake Manyara, full of diverse wildlife and famous for its tremendous birdlife, elephants and tree-climbing lions. A village tour allows you to learn about the human inhabitants, too. For the following two days, we focus on the Serengeti, surely the world’s most famous protected area. Our guides will introduce you to a lion and cheetah, leopard, zebra, wildebeest, antelope.The adventure continues at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a unique venue for more game-viewing. The awe-inspiring circular crater, with a crater rim 7,500 feet above sea level, lets us observe lion, hyena, jackal, hippo, rhino and buffalo – and many more.

The tour package inclusions and exclusions at a glance

What is included in this tour?Items that are included in the cost of tour price.

Services of professional English speaking driver-guide
Park & Conservancy entrance fees
Full Board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)
Exclusive Safari transport in custom made Safari 4x4WD Land Cruiser
Daily Game Drives
Cultural village fees
Airport transfers per itinerary
1 pair of binoculars, maps and guide books

What is not included in this tour?Items that are not included in the cost of tour price.

Personal expenses
International and Visa entry charges to Tanzania
All items of personal use i.e. drinks, laundry, telephone calls, gratuities, personal travel insurances-, emergency evacuation, etc.

Day 1 KILIMANJARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO ARUSHA

Arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by one of our experienced driver guides, ready to greet and escort you to Arusha and your chosen hotel. He will introduce you to this beautiful city and country.!

After your long flight, you will be pleased to discover that Arusha – the undisputed ‘safari capital’ of East Africa- is perched at 1400 meters above sea level, keeping the temperatures and humidity relatively low. All around this important city are some of Tanzania’s greatest delights. Mount Meru towers above Arusha, while even distant Kilimanjaro can be seen on a clear day. Arusha provides the ideal starting-point for safari-lovers, within reach of Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

The city even has its own natural attraction, Arusha National Park, close by. Named after the Wa-Arusha residents of the town, this busy agricultural, administrative and tourist center is the perfect place to relax after a long journey… and before you set off on safari, the holiday of a lifetime. Welcome to Arusha and welcome to Tanzania!

Accommodation: African Tulip Hotel
Meal Plan: Dinner
Journey time and Distance: 1 hour, 55 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha
Day 2 ARUSHA TO LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

Today, your safari really begins as we start early from your Arusha hotel for our pleasant drive westwards to Lake Manyara National Park. First of all, we enjoy this morning with an introduction to northern Tanzanian culture, taking a visit to the fascinating Mto wa Mbu village. Incredibly, this ‘village’ is actually home to over eighteen thousand inhabitants, drawn from 120 different tribes. Today is a superb opportunity to find out about their everyday lives, visiting their farms, huts, artisan shops, and the local market, with your expert driver-guide taking good care of you and sharing his detailed knowledge of the tribal culture.

We enjoy lunch in the village, before exploring the stunning landscape of the park, looking for wildlife on the plains, in the acacia woodlands and by the shores of the shallow alkaline lake. Lake Manyara is rightly famous for its tree-climbing lions, but they’re far from the only highlight: by the end of an exhilarating afternoon, you could easily have spotted elephant, hippo, wildebeest, buffalo and giraffe, plus many other species. Pink-hued flamingos, one of 400 bird species recorded here, provide a splash of color. At the end of the afternoon, it’s back to your camp for some relaxation and a delicious dinner.

Accommodation: Lake Manyara Tortilis Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Picnic lunch box, and Dinner
Journey time and Distance: 2 hours, 130 km from Arusha to Lake Manyara National park
Day 3 LAKE MANYARA TO SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast, we collect our lunch boxes and leave Lake Manyara, National Park. Our journey takes us west and north, our exciting destination being a name familiar to everyone – the Serengeti! Along the way, the sheer scale of the territory and the raw beauty of the landscapes reveal themselves and your driver-guide will help you to spot animals and birds. This is just a preview of things to come, for the Serengeti is home to what is possibly the world’s greatest gathering of wildlife.

After enjoying a picnic lunch, you’ll be eager to pursue some greater wildlife-spotting opportunities in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set in the grasslands, savannahs, woods and mountain scenery, which creature will show itself next? These ‘endless plains’ are home to elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, cheetah, hippo, and crocodile… the adventure has truly begun. At the end of the afternoon, exhausted and exhilarated, it’s back to your chosen accommodation for dinner and to talk about the many fantastic experiences you’ve had today.

Accommodation: Serengeti Tortilis Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Picnic lunch box, and Dinner
Journey time and Distance: 4.5 hours, 205 km from Lake Manyara to Serengeti National Park
Day 4 SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Waking up in the Serengeti is something really special. Sights, sounds and smells of Africa are all around us, and ahead is a full day of adventure in the world’s most famous national park. After breakfast, we start today with the morning section of our game drive in Serengeti National Park, marveling at the stunning scenery, ever-changing light and always entertaining wildlife, all explained to you by your expert driver-guide.

After our picnic lunch, we set off again, searching for wildlife in this awe-inspiring park. Serengeti’s wonders evolve subtly as the day progresses. The myriad animals and birds are the ‘stars of the show’ and Nature’s dramas can unfold at any time. Of course, the animals don’t work on any schedule, so we may find a lion or leopard, elephant, and zebra, cheetah, and antelope at any time on our drives. At the end of the afternoon, we return to the camp for dinner and some much-needed rest.

Note: For those who have booked the Balloon Safari for today, you will be picked up from the camp at 05.00 hours for a 06.00 hours departure. If you wish to book balloon safari, please let us know in advance, The price is $545 per person. After your 60 – 90 minute (depending on wind condition) aerial adventure, experience bush breakfast, and champagne, thereafter your driver-guide will pick you up for your full-day game drive.

Accommodation: Serengeti Tortilis Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Picnic lunch box, and Dinner
Day 5 SERENGETI TO NGORONGORO CRATER TOUR

The exciting sounds of Africa will rouse you from your sleep. We make the most of the day with a 08:00 start, heading off on our morning game-drive. Later, the adventure will continue when we travel up to Ngorongoro, another African icon.

It’s almost impossible to spend too much time in Serengeti and with more than 1.6 million herbivores – plus thousands of predators – there’s always something new and interesting to see. The changing seasons and natural light simply add to the diversity. This morning your driver-guide will help you spot some more of the many species at Serengeti, teaching you about their fascinating habits and habitats.

After a pleasant picnic lunch, it’s time to drive eastwards to visit another spectacular setting for Tanzania’s wildlife, the famous Ngorongoro Crater. On arrival, settle in at the camp while a tasty, hot dinner is prepared for you. Tomorrow, the wonders of the crater await us.

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Tortilis Camp
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Picnic lunch box and Dinner
Journey time and Distance: 3.5 hours, 145 km from Serengeti to Ngorongoro Crater Tour
Day 6 NGORONGORO CRATER TOUR TO AIRPORT

Today may be ‘departure day’, but there will be plenty of time to enjoy another true spectacle, before your thoughts turn to home. Ngorongoro Crater is often referred to as a wonder of the world and your early morning game drive shows you why.

First, there’s the volcanic caldera (the world’s largest), full of grassland, forest and swamp, a setting of jaw-dropping beauty. Secondly, the permanent water of the crater floor supports a resident population of more than 25,000 large mammals. Here you’ll find many of the reasons you chose to come on safari: elephant, lion, leopard, hyena, jackal, wallowing hippo, waterbuck, baboons… even the rare black rhino finds shelter here.

Sharing this awesome space with the animals are the Maasai, grazing their cattle in an area which has been a separate conservation area since 1956 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. This harmonious co-habitation of man and beast makes Ngorongoro unique in Tanzania and your driver guide will be pleased to explain this incredible co-existence to you.

After your early morning game drive, we have our picnic lunch in the crater before we return to the airport for your flight home. You will drive for 5 hours from Ngorongoro Crater floor to Kilimanjaro International Airport, Read Departure Instructions below

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Picnic lunch box
Journey time and Distance: 5 hours, 245 km from Ngorongoro Crater Tour to Airport