13 Days Wildlife and Zanzibar Safari

DAY 1: A WARM WELCOME – KILIMANJARO AIRPORT

A warm welcome awaits you on arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, gateway to Tanzania’s famous northern safari highlights.

You will meet our tour driver and you will be transferred to the lodge in Arusha, the small frontier town with a big reputation as the safari capital of Tanzania. There are many attractions to lure you away from the Lodge’s delightful gardens and charming, personal service.

DAY 2-3: ARUSHA – LAKE MANYARA

After breakfast, your flight departs from Arusha Airport for Lake Manyara National Park. A road transfer from the local airstrip takes you to tented camp, the only accommodation located in the park itself, and provides an introductory game drive to an area Hemingway described as, “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”.

Lake Manyara National Park is a naturalist’s delight thanks to its diverse environments. Ranging from wetlands and woodlands to grasslands and hot springs, the park is simply packed with wildlife. Over 400 species of bird have been recorded including large flocks of flamingos and migratory water birds.

Explore this extraordinary park with a two-night stay in one of the Tented Camp. Elegantly furnished and very comfortable, the tree-houses are cradled in the boughs of an ancient mahogany forest. Colorful birds flit through camp and set the scene for what lies ahead: morning and afternoon game viewing expeditions led by expert guides, as well as night drives that offer fascinating insights into the rich nocturnal life of the park.

Finish your stay at Lake Manyara with a cold drink and the African sunset. Huge views unfold in front of you. Where the forest gives way to charming plains, the eye is drawn past clouds of flamingos on the lakeshore to a line of pale purple peaks – jagged towers standing guard over the Maasai Steppes, the great East African grasslands, and your next destination.

 DAY 4-5: EXPLORING – THE NGORONGORO CRATER

An early morning road transfer carries you from Lake Manyara to the dramatic Ngorongoro Crater.

This is a place of rare wonders as its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site confers. Formed by a massive volcanic eruption, the world’s largest intact and un-flooded caldera provides a year-round home to an astonishing 25,000 large mammals including black rhino, wildebeest, and zebra along with Africa’s densest concentrations of a lion.

The Crater’s forests shelter elephants and buffalo, its wetlands are home to hippos and flamingos while hyenas, wild dogs, leopards, and cheetah make up the full range of predators. Overlooking it all from its position right on the edge of the crater lies your spectacular accommodation: Tented Camp.

Your route descends through the lush rainforests of the rim, 610 meters down to the grasslands of the crater floor, an area of about 260 square kilometers. Despite its small size, the Crater is a Big 5 country and the openness of the terrain means easy and rewarding game viewing.

You will spend the day exploring the crater floor, stopping to picnic on the grasslands amidst the grazing herds. Return to the Lodge for sundowners on the crater’s rim and sumptuous feasts in the domed dining area.

 DAY 6-8: FULL GAME DRIVE – SERENGETI

After breakfast overlooking the Crater, a short flight takes you to the rolling grasslands known to the local Maasai as Siringitu – the place where the land moves on forever – and Tanzania’s first game reserve, the Serengeti National Park.

One of the oldest ecosystems on earth, the Serengeti is home to Africa’s greatest concentrations of large mammals. An excellent all-year-round game viewing destination, the Serengeti is of course the setting for the great wildebeest migration.

Sweeping across the Serengeti grasslands between November and July, the wildebeest herds create a spectacle that attracts predators from near and far. You are guaranteed heart-in-mouth game viewing, not least during the notorious June and July river crossings.

Your accommodation has been carefully chosen to deliver on expectations: set in remote locations that move with the rhythm of the migrating herds, Serengeti under Canvas offers exclusive tented accommodation with exceptional game viewing opportunities.

Spend three nights at Serengeti Under Canvas and immerse yourself in the drama of Africa’s greatest reserve. The emphasis is on simple luxury and a romantic, close-to-nature ambiance while activities focus on witnessing the migration spectacle on daily game drives or on much-celebrated early morning hot-air balloon rides. Guided nature walks and Maasai village visits add to the experience.

 DAY 9-12: MNEMBA ISLAND – ZANZIBAR

After a last morning game drive, you depart for Zanzibar International Airport where a boat transfer delivers you to a private marine conservation area, Mnemba Island.

Surrounded by an astonishing variety of marine life and magnificent coral reefs, Mnemba is a picture-perfect tropical idyll. Spend your day scuba diving or snorkeling in the crystal clear waters or lounging on the pristine beaches.

For more active travelers, Mnemba offers windsurfing, kayaking, fly-fishing, and diving courses. Warm hospitality, pampering massages and thoughtful touches make Mnemba a charming ‘paradise found’.

The chalets possess all the charm of rustic, Robinson Crusoe-style architecture without losing any of the comforts of a luxury hotel.

DAY 13: END THE ADVENTURE – DAR ES SALAAM

After a last tropical breakfast, transfer by boat to Zanzibar and fly to Dar es Salaam on mainland Tanzania and from where you return home.

Take a moment to reflect as you skim over the Indian Ocean: your journey has given you unforgettable memories – the warmth of the African sun on your skin, the scent of wild sage, the sound of lions greeting the dusk – and relive the extraordinary places, gentle people and thrilling wildlife spectacles you have witnessed.

End of our 13 days Tanzania Safaris and Zanzibar Escape