Tanzania Top Parks

Itinerary

• Tanzania

  Tanzania has a wealth of natural attractions. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, is situated in the northeast, near the tourist hub of Arusha. The nearby game parks of Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangire receive most of the visitor volume. Other notable game parks are Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park in the south, and Gombe National Park in the west. Further to the west are the Great Lakes, Lake Victoria (Africa's largest lake) and Lake Tanganyika (the world's deepest lake). The capital city of Dar Es Salaam is located on the eastern shore, but the main attraction is the exotic island of Zanzibar lying just offshore, with its Swahili architecture, spice plantations and white sand beaches.

• Arusha

  Arusha is a city of northern Tanzania surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks. Beautifully situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, it has a pleasant climate and is close to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as having its own Arusha National Park on Mount Meru. International flights arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, and regional flights use Arusha airport.

• Ngorongoro

  "The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World’. A massive extinct volcano, the sheet walls drop thousands of feet to a "Noah's Ark" of animals on the verdant floor below. Large herds of zebra, buffalo, antelope and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist.

• Serengeti

  Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, the Serengeti is massive in size, 14,763 sq km (5,700 sq miles). Famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers the most diverse game-viewing in Africa.

• Tarangire

  Tarangire National Park is probably one of the least visited of the northern Tanzanian game parks, and retains a real air of undiscovered Africa, particularly in the south of the park. Just a two hours drive away from Arusha, it lies a short distance to the south east of Lake Manyara and covers an area of approximately 2,850 square kilometres. It is named after the Tarangire River that flows through the park.

• • Arusha
  • Outside of the Serena Mountain Village

  Day 1: Arusha

  Airport transfer between your Arusha hotel and Kilimanjaro International airport with private vehicle and english speaking driver.

  In the event of serious illness, all travellers are covered by Flying Doctors Insurance. This covers the cost of emergency air evacuation service needed to fly back to Nairobi for treatment. This insurance does not cover the cost of medical treatment.

  Accommodation: Serena Mountain Village

  Serena Mountain Village is hidden on a coffee plantation, tucked away from the nurturing arms of Arusha. A calm escape from Arusha’s city atmosphere, the hotel is built of 42 guest rooms, each designed as members of a bona fide African village but with all the necessities of your own home. From the shores of Lake Duluti, mountain breath and clean breeze float through the hotel’s grounds, mingling with halos of rich emerald foliage that set the fairytale mystique of this hotel. Restaurants complete the tropical safari aim of the décor, with tasteful dishes marked by local tradition while retaining key dishes favored worldwide. Guests may develop a soft spot for Duluti waters and the natural surroundings; appreciating walks along the shore and hikes through the cliffs and woods.

• • Tarangire
  • Kikoti Room

  Day 2: Arusha - Tarangire

  From Arusha, your guide will drive you to the Tarangire National Park. This commute takes approximately 3 hours to complete.

  On this afternoon drive you will notice the unusually shaped baobab trees, also known as the “upside-down tree”. Look up and you might find the tree climbing African pythons. This is one of the world's largest species of snakes, but do not worry, it is also a non-venomous species. Tarangire's pythons climb trees, as do its lions and leopards, lounging in the branches.

  Accommodation: Kikoti

  Kikoti Camp is situated above one of the most highly populated wildlife arenas in Africa, Tarangire National Park, where privacy is guaranteed and guests are privy to 35 000 acres of unrefined living species. The dramatic landscape surrounding the camp’s 10 permanent en-suite tents makes for a stunning African experience full of discoveries and sights like no other. Dishes prepared at the camp feature local cuisine of the most tasteful sort, filled with adventurous spices and succulent meats. Vegetables and fruits are gathered from nearby farms, and there are no formalities around meals as it is meant to be a fulfilling, wholesome endeavor. Activities range from bush trekking and bush dining to cultural talks to add to your knowledge on the area.

• • Elephant
  • Yellow-collared Lovebird

  Day 3: Tarangire

  In the early morning hours, your skilled guide will pick you up and take you for a game viewing drive through Tarangire National Park. The main highlight here is elephant, which mass in enormous numbers during the dry season June to December. General game is also good, although predators tend to be quite difficult to find. From January to May the park is beautiful and offers a more private experience with very low visitor numbers. Year round this is a unique safari experience.
  
  

  On this game drive you might notice the swamps, tinged green year round, which are the focus for 550 bird varieties. This park boasts of having the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world. On drier ground you find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world's largest bird; and small parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys. More ardent bird-lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colourful yellow-collared lovebird and the somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling – all endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.

  Accommodation: Kikoti
• • Crater Floor
  • Cottage from Outside

  Day 4: Tarangire - Ngorongoro

  Your guide will pick you up from the Tarangire National Park and drive you to the massive Ngorongoro crater. This drive will take approximately 3 1/2 hours.

  Just inside the Ngorongoro conservation area, a majestic waterfall beckons travelers to enjoy a light hike through the forest highlands. Along the way, experience the ‘elephant caves’: cave-like structures created by elephants digging up the earth to ingest the vitamin-rich soil. This soil also attracts other large animals like Buffalo, Bushbuck, Waterbuck, and Baboons.

  Accommodation: Gibb`s Farm

  Gibb's Farm, located on the lush slopes of the Ngorongoro Conservation Park, is a quaint reality check where one is exposed to an abundance of greenery, fresh air, and unhampered earth. Become enveloped by the 14 precious farm cottages, each oozing genuine character and recently renovated to perfection. 

• • Cheetah

  Day 5: Ngorongoro

  Private transportation and guide in the Ngorongoro national park.

  You'll be up early this morning as you drive approximately 20 minutes from your camp or lodge to the main gates of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. There are only three roads that connect the crater rim with the crater floor, one for driving down, one for driving up and another that goes both ways. The crater is roughly 20 km/12 mi wide and 600 m/2,000 ft deep, once you've reached the top of the caldera it takes about 45 minutes to descend to the crater floor. The floor is home to a rich and highly concentrated wildlife. Some 20,000 mammals of size live there, including about 20 black rhinoceros, making the crater the best place in Tanzania to see the rhino. The crater floor also has one of the highest carnivore densities in the world. Lions, cheetahs, hyenas and jackals are commonly seen, while leopards, servals and bat-eared foxes may be seen with some good luck. You'll spend most of the day in the crater.

  Accommodation: Gibb`s Farm
• • Serengeti
  • Olduvai Gorge
  • Lioness
  • Kensington Serengeti 1

  Day 6: Ngorongoro - Serengeti

  Your guide will pick you up from the Ngorongoro Conservation area and drive you to the famous plains of the Serengeti. On this drive you have the option of stopping at Olduvlai gorge, the Serengeti welcome centre and lookout point, or stop for lunch at a picnic spot. After entering Serengeti park you will have the chance to enjoy game viewing as you drive through the park to your next accommodation. This drive takes 5 to 6 hours depending on the number of stops you make and how much game viewing you enjoy along the way. Expect longer trip times during the rainy seasons.

  The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge is commonly referred to as "The Cradle of Mankind." It is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley, which stretches along eastern Africa. Olduvai is in the eastern Serengeti Plains in northern Tanzania and is about 30 miles (48 km) long. The gorge is named after the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant Sansevieria ehrenbergii, commonly called Oldupai.

  Today head out with your guide to explore the wide expanse of the Serengeti. The park is well known for its healthy stock of resident wildlife, particularly the "Big Five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters: lion, leopard, elephant, black rhinoceros, and African buffalo. Though there are now few black rhino in the park, you may still spot them. The Serengeti has the largest population of lion and giraffe in all of Africa and the largest concentration of topi and Coke's hartebeest (kongoni). Enjoy the challenge of spotting other game such as cheetah, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, eland, waterbuck, hyena, baboon, impala, African wild dog and giraffe. The park also boasts about 500 bird species, including ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, crowned crane and marabou stork.

  Accommodation: Naurei Serengeti Camp

  Naurei is a classic tented wilderness camp located just outside the Serengeti park gate. This camp offers an intimate connection to nature in this world famous park. With a maximum of 6-10 tents, staff are attentive to guests' needs and eager to please. Three main meals are served each day in the large canvas dining tent overlooking the plains. The classic safari tents feature campaign furniture and canvas wardrobe. Located in the Grumeti area, the camp is ideally situated for game drives along the river or head out into the park for the whole day and visit central Serengeti, known for its population of lion, leopard and cheetah. This is a rare opportunity to experience a classic tented camp experience. Fall asleep to the sound of animals outside; enjoy drinks by the fire as you watch the sun set over the plains.

• • Elephant
  • Impala

  Day 7: Serengeti

  Head out into the park early in the morning as animals are more active in the early morning and afternoon. Tanzania's oldest and most renowned national park, the Serengeti offers the most expansive game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle. Explore this amazing park with the help of your expert guide.

  Spend today searching out Impala, one of Africa's most beautiful and graceful animals. Previously thought to be part of the gazelle tribe, Impalas have been found to be so different that they are now classified as their own sub-family status. When frightened or startled the whole impala herd starts randomly leaping to confuse their predator. They can jump distances more than 10 meters (33 ft) and 3 meters (9 ft) high. Leopards, cheetah, lions and wild dogs prey on impala. Impala can reach running speeds of approximately 50 to 55 mph (80 to 90 km/h) to escape its predators. See if you can track these incredible animals!

  Accommodation: Naurei Serengeti Camp
• • Lioness

  Day 8: Serengeti - Arusha

  If time allows, your expert guide will squeeze in one more game drive before dropping you off at the airstrip. It will be your last chance to see the park's diverse range of animals.

  Take your flight from Serengeti to Arusha today. The flight will do more than one stop on the way. The flight duration is approximately 2hrs. (10h30 - 12h35)

  Stop for lunch at the Arusha Hotel in this tourism capital of Tanzania. Shop the local souvenir market.

  Includes opportunity to visit local handicrafts market to stock up on souvenirs.

  Airport transfer between your Arusha hotel and Kilimanjaro International airport with private vehicle and english speaking driver.

  Accommodation: Depart

  Depart from Kilimanjaro international airport - end of itinerary.

Accommodation

• Fun Facts

  Did you know? The Serengeti covers approximately 14,763 sq kilometres, making it Tanzania's largest national park. It is home to the world's largest concentrations of wildebeest and gazelle (which number over 1,000,000 each), as well as large numbers of zebras (200,000) and lions, elephants, and rhinoceros (3,000 each). Each year huge herds migrate across the virtually treeless Serengeti in search of grazing land.

• Culinary Moments

  Swahili Translations (a few basics!)
  
  Hello – Jambo / Habari
  Goodbye – Kwaheri
  Please - Tafadhali
  Thank you – Asante
  I’m pleased to meet you – Nimefurahi kukutana na wewe.
  I am traveling – Ninasafiri

• Wildlife Encounters

  Tree climbing lions are quite the attraction In Lake Manyara National Park – while most lions don’t climb trees, it is said that here lions are often spotted sprawled out on the stout branches of acacia trees – likely to avoid the biting flies and herds of buffalo and elephant. Keep your eyes peeled!

• • Outside of the Serena Mountain Village
  • Outside Rooms at the Serena Mountain Village

  Serena Mountain Village

  Serena Mountain Village is hidden on a coffee plantation, tucked away from the nurturing arms of Arusha. A calm escape from Arusha’s city atmosphere, the hotel is built of 42 guest rooms, each designed as members of a bona fide African village but with all the necessities of your own home. From the shores of Lake Duluti, mountain breath and clean breeze float through the hotel’s grounds, mingling with halos of rich emerald foliage that set the fairytale mystique of this hotel. Restaurants complete the tropical safari aim of the décor, with tasteful dishes marked by local tradition while retaining key dishes favored worldwide. Guests may develop a soft spot for Duluti waters and the natural surroundings; appreciating walks along the shore and hikes through the cliffs and woods.

  • More information
• • Kikoti Room
  • Dining

  Kikoti

  Kikoti Camp is situated above one of the most highly populated wildlife arenas in Africa, Tarangire National Park, where privacy is guaranteed and guests are privy to 35 000 acres of unrefined living species. The dramatic landscape surrounding the camp’s 10 permanent en-suite tents makes for a stunning African experience full of discoveries and sights like no other. Dishes prepared at the camp feature local cuisine of the most tasteful sort, filled with adventurous spices and succulent meats. Vegetables and fruits are gathered from nearby farms, and there are no formalities around meals as it is meant to be a fulfilling, wholesome endeavor. Activities range from bush trekking and bush dining to cultural talks to add to your knowledge on the area.

  • More information
• • Cottage from Outside

  Gibb's Farm

  Gibb's Farm, located on the lush slopes of the Ngorongoro Conservation Park, is a quaint reality check where one is exposed to an abundance of greenery, fresh air, and unhampered earth. Become enveloped by the 14 precious farm cottages, each oozing genuine character and recently renovated to perfection. 

  • More information
• • Kensington Serengeti Exterior
  • Kensington Serengeti tent

  Naurei Serengeti Camp

  Naurei is a classic tented wilderness camp located just outside the Serengeti park gate. This camp offers an intimate connection to nature in this world famous park. With a maximum of 6-10 tents, staff are attentive to guests' needs and eager to please. Three main meals are served each day in the large canvas dining tent overlooking the plains. The classic safari tents feature campaign furniture and canvas wardrobe. Located in the Grumeti area, the camp is ideally situated for game drives along the river or head out into the park for the whole day and visit central Serengeti, known for its population of lion, leopard and cheetah. This is a rare opportunity to experience a classic tented camp experience. Fall asleep to the sound of animals outside; enjoy drinks by the fire as you watch the sun set over the plains.

  • More information

The Fine Print

• Trip Operator

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• Contact Information

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• What's not Included:

  • Tips - Laundry - Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages unless explicitly noted - Optional activities/extras – Visas (unless noted) - Vacation insurance

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