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.

The Bay Leaf Boutique Hotel is nestling between the twin peaks of Meru and Kilimanjaro, in beautiful Arusha. The town clock is said to mark the exact halfway point between Cape Town and Cairo. This Boutique Hotel consists of three suites and three superior rooms which are unique in design and layout creating an enchanting atmosphere.

Overnight at Bay Leaf Boutique Hotel.

Day 2 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.

Your guide will drive you from Arusha to Lake Manyara Park. The trip takes an esimated 2 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.

Manyara Ranch Conservancy is situated within the wildlife corridor between Tarangire and Manyara National Parks in Tanzania. Within the 35,000 acre wildlife conservancy, Manyara Ranch offers 6 deluxe accommodation tents for visitors. Located 1 hour's drive from Arusha, the Conservancy is an ideal place to base day trips to Manyara, Tarangire, Ngorongo Crater, or for fly-in packages to Serengeti. There are also many opportunities for wildlife and cultural activities in and around the conservany area. Manyara Ranch Conservancy is well suited for the active Tanzania traveler.

Overnight at Manyara Ranch Conservancy Tented Camp.

Day 3 Manyara

This morning, head out on a full-day guided horseback riding safari through the Manyara Ranch Conservancy grounds and surrounding village areas. June through September, known as the ‘Dry Season’ is a period of great migratory animal activity at the Conservancy, and the short rains in November and December, heralding the beginning of the 'Wet Season' is when the Conservancy is lush and green, and teeming with wildlife. Expect to come across various different wildlife species on your ride, which can include elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras, antelope, wildebeast, and ostrich among others. Lunch will be held at a senic location on the ranch, and you will return back to camp in the evening. Please note: these rides are for confident riders only, and riders should be competent at walk, trot, canter and gallop.

On this morning game drive you will explore Lake Manyara National Park, which is best known for baboons. However your skilled guide will point out the numerous herbivores that make this park their home such as hippos, impalas, elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, warthogs and giraffes.

Overnight at Manyara Ranch Conservancy Tented Camp.

Day 4 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.

Dawn brings us to a very special day. In the morning we take a short drive to the bustling village of Mto Wa Mbu.  If time permits, we’ll also visit the local market. When we leave the village, we’ll drive about 45 minutes to Gibbs’ Farm, a picturesque organic farm with a coffee plantation. After a tour led by one of the workers, we’ll sit down to a gourmet lunch made from the produce of the farm. Before we leave, we may want to buy a bag or two of Gibbs’ Farm Coffee Beans; they brew excellent coffee for yourselve or friends back home. Then we will continue towards the crator and it will take approximately 1 hour to reach.

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.

Private Luxury Camping is the ultimate and most authentic form of safari. We have pitched private tented camps in hand selected wildlife areas and outfit them to suit guests’ individual tastes. A fully professional safari guide will design each day to suit the pace of guests, seeking out the big game and introducing the cultural and historical aspects of East Africa. Tents are large with en-suite bathrooms and each has a personal tent attendant. This type of safari camp allows for an intimate bush experience without leaving a lasting footprint on the environment.

Overnight at Private Mobile Camp.

Day 5 Ngorongoro

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.

Private transportation and guide in the Ngorongoro national park.

Overnight at Private Mobile Camp.

Day 6 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 transfer you between the hotel and the Manaya airstrip. This drive takes approx. 45mins to 1hr.

Catch your flight from Manyara to Serengeti today.

A representative from your lodge will pick you up and transfer you between the lodge and airstrip.

While at Singita, your luxurious all-suite accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner, daily, teas and coffees are all included. Along with this, you'll also enjoy two game drives per day in an open Land Rover, accompanied by an experienced game ranger. Other activities include mountain biking, walking, tennis and archery. Laundry and valet services are also included but subject to certain conditions and restrictions. Also included are all of your drinks while on the Land Rover safaris and all drinks, including premium wines, spirits and liqueurs (excluding vintage champagne and vintage wines on the connoisseurs wine list).

Sabora Plains Tented Camp is in a massive private reserve aside the Serengeti Park, on the Serengeti Plains. As the focus of much international and media acclaim, the 6 tents have surpassed all standards in luxury camping in 1920s style, with outdoor shower and air conditioning, and simply going beyond the comforts of home. Dining is set with elegant glassware, white porcelain, and crisp tablecloths. Champagne glasses clink in the background, while animals wander the property. Activities include archery and badminton for the whole luxury experience, though others prefer a little game-gazing.

Overnight at Singita Sabora Tented Camp.

Day 7 Serengeti

While at Singita, you'll have access to a wide range of activities, including: Game drives and walks with professional guides. Fun activities such as archery, lawn croquet, badminton, star-gazing safaris and mountain biking are all available. There are tennis courts at Sabora Tented Camp and Sasakwa Lodge with a choice of surfaces. Spa facilities are available at all three lodges.Yoga and gym facilities are available at Sasakwa Lodge and Faru Faru. Wireless internet access and satellite television at all three lodges.

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!

Overnight at Singita Sabora Tented Camp.

Day 8 Serengeti

The untouched wilderness of Singita Grumeti Reserves is located in northern Tanzania and forms part of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, on the western corridor of the Serengeti National Park – Africa’s No. 1 World Heritage Site. The word ‘Serengeti’ comes from the Masai word ‘Siringit’, which means ’the place where the land stretches to forever.” The famous Great Migration, an annual trek of 2 million animals through the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, bisects our reserve annually. Called The Greatest Wildlife Show on Earth it has, since time immemorial, been the dramatic backbone of this enormous wilderness. The successes of conservation as well as diverse habitats have ensured that, since its inception in 2003, Singita Grumeti Reserves has a well-established resident game population that inhabit the area throughout the year. In addition to the annual wildebeest migration some notable highlights include: large mixed herds of impala, zebra, topi, eland, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelle. Good numbers of reedbuck, waterbuck, dik dik, klipspinger, oribi and Coke’s hartebeest are to be found and large breeding herds of buffalo, up to 400 strong, compliment the abundant small bachelor groups of bulls. Herds of elephants number up to 450 – concentrations seldom seen elsewhere in Africa.

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!

Overnight at Singita Sabora Tented 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)

A representative from your lodge will pick you up and transfer you between the lodge and airstrip.

Private guide and driver.

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

 End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart .

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