Itinerary

Day 1 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.

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

Kensington Tours donates a portion of proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities.

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.

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.

Overnight at Serena Mountain Village.

Day 2 Arusha

Includes a guided hike on the slopes of Mount Meru amongst the wildlife. This hike is at moderate altitude and is suitable for people who are leisurely fit - it is also a good hike for acclimatization prior to a Kilimanjaro climb. Meru's lower slopes are covered in dense highland forest, where colobus monkeys play and buffalo graze concealed beneath the thick foliage. The extinct volcano's extensive base gives way to a perfectly formed crater, and another internal crater whose walls are sharp, sheer cliffs. An ash cone forms a subsidiary peak, and the Momela Lakes and Ngurdoto Crater are visible from Meru's slopes. Along the lower slopes, paths to rivers and waterfalls make a relaxing day hike.

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

In the afternoon, enjoy some time on your own to relax.

Overnight at Serena Mountain Village.

Day 3 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.

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.

Oliver’s Camp is located near the lower end of the Tarangire National Park, not far from the Silale Swamp and featuring a decent population of wildlife. It offers 8 tents, and preserves an intimate feeling as guests and hosts mingle without pressure. The camp provides meals around a large dining table, where all guests again interact and enjoy the individualized care of each dish served. Besides using the surrounding plains as a venue for learning and experiencing the untamed, the camp’s naturalist guides offer a wealth of information and are willing to converse on such subjects of interest.

Overnight at Olivers Tented Camp.

Day 4 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.

Overnight at Olivers Tented Camp.

Day 5 Manyara

Lake Manyara National Park is a national park two hours west of Arusha. The majority of the land area of the park is a narrow strip running between the Gregory Rift wall to the west and Lake Manyara, an alkaline or soda-lake, to the east. It is famous for its population of flamingos. Manyara is used as an alternate or extension to Ngorongoro, located just outside the conservation area gate. Guests can sightsee in two completely different temperate zones only 90 minutes apart. Park fees are less expensive than Ngorongoro.

From Tarangire National Park, your guide will drive you to the picturesque Lake Manyara. This drive will take approximately 3 hours.

On todays game drive you will have to keep your eyes peeled in order to spot some of this area's beautiful and elusive big cats. It will take a keen eye to take notice of the tree climbing lions, or the camouflaged spotted leopards. You should try to look around shaded area during the hotter hours of the day, as the wildlife will be looking for a cool area to relax.

From soaring groundwater forests and a tranquil lake, to the mountain escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Manyara National Park boasts an incredible wealth of habitats and diverse African wildlife. Guests are offered an exciting, interpretive safari experience in game-rich surrounds which include large herds of elephant and buffalo. The Lodge, which was designed to exert minimal impact on the environment, is situated in the remote southwestern region of the Park. Cradled in the boughs of mahogany trees, 10 stilted tree house suites are a sophisticated blend of intimacy and romance, offering privacy and exclusivity in cool, leafy surrounds.

Overnight at Lake Manyara Tree Lodge.

Day 6 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.

Private transportation and guide in the Ngorongoro national park.

Descend into the Ngorongoro caldera to view the wildlife on the crater floor. 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.

Time permitting, there are many optional activities. Depending on which lodge you're staying at, activities include: nature walks, cultural village visits, hike to Endoro waterfalls, bike tours, coffee plantation tours and more. Some of these can be prebooked through your destination specialist while others can be booked directly with the lodge upon arrival.

The Manor at Ngorongoro is reminiscent of an elegant, up country farm home in the Cape Dutch style of architecture. The Manor at Ngorongoro, with its 20 luxurious guest cottage suites, is a luxury safari experience fusing East African safari hospitality with old world Afro-European architecture, and decor. The Manor is located adjacent to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area within the 1500 acre, Shangri-La Estate.

Overnight at The Manor.

Day 7 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.

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.

Spend the day taking in the spectacle of the famous wildebeest migration. This annual migration through the Serengeti and Masai Mara is one of the safari highlights of Africa. The wildebeest migration moves in a basic clockwise direction throughout the year in Serengeti eco-system and move north into Masai Mara, Kenya from June/July through to Sep/October. Sightings cannot be guaranteed as the herds move according to availability of food source and migration movements can be erratic. The herds are accompanied by zebra and Thomson's gazelle and are stealthily hunted by local predators such as leopard, lion and hyena.

Kusini Camp is placed in the centre of a group of kopjes in the Serengeti, a short drive away from the game-rich wilderness that dominates the Great Migration and which otherwise wander around the plains. It features 12 en-suite tents with showers and private, furnished verandas. Dining is taken privately as a bush meal or under candlelight in the dining tent, where one may mingle with other guests. Meals are gourmet specialties from the camp’s chefs. After indulging sit back and sip on a cocktail while reading at the camp library.

Overnight at Kusini Camp.

Day 8 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.

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.

Overnight at Kusini Camp.

Day 9 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.

Depart from Kilimanjaro international airport - end of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart.

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