Great Rift Valley (trip)

Great Rift Valley

  • Arusha Airport, Arusha, Tanzania
  • Active & Adventure
Tanzania, Africa

from $5,030* per person10 DaysYear-round
Comfort accommodations Exertion level: 3
Operator: African Portfolio 12 people max
Imagine Tanzania, where you can rediscover the wild, romantic Africa of your dreams, where you can relive all the enchantment of an ageless continent while still enjoying all the comforts and luxuries of modern life. The complete African safari experience is truly represented on this safari incorporating many of Tanzania’s treasures, including game reserves and national parks such as the Serengeti, the annual setting of the wondrous wildebeest migration; Ngorongoro Crater, the unique, biodiverse amphitheatre; Tarangire Game Reserve, with an amazing array of birdlife. Your safari circuit begins with a visit to Tarangire Treetops, definitely one of the most breathtaking camps in East Africa. Built into the branches of huge Baobab and Mopani trees, the giant tree houses offer luxury en suite facilities, overlooking the waterhole of the resident elephant herd. Your safari then follows the route of the wildebeest southwards to the Seronera Plains, and onto the Ngorongoro Crater, where you stay at a Manor House in the Ngorongoro conservation area. From here the next stop is the luxury Migration Camp, which overlooks the Grumeti River in the Northern Serengeti. The camp is sited right on the migratory trail of the Serengeti wildebeest, perfect for fantastic game viewing.

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Locations visited/nearby

Tanzania, Africa

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Special information

  • This is a custom departure, meaning this trip is offered on dates that you arrange privately with the provider. Additionally, you need to form your own private group for this trip. The itinerary and price here is just a sample. Contact the provider for detailed pricing, minimum group size, and scheduling information. For most providers, the larger the group you are traveling with, the lower the per-person cost will be.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Day 2
Meet our local representative on arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport
Transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha Coffee Lodge
Arusha Coffee Lodge lies in a tranquil coffee plantation, close to the Arusha airport and makes it an ideal stay for the start or end of a safari to Ngorongoro and Serengeti. Situated on the Burka Coffee Estate – a coffee plantation spanning 2100 acres – this is the first small luxury lodge in Arusha. As it is a working farm, you are able to observe the roasting process, taste the aromatic coffee blends and purchase fresh coffee beans. The lodge offers 20 private chalets, each with en suite shower, bath and separate toilets. The chalets are built on raised wooden platforms with multi-level bedrooms; log fireplaces, private lounges and huge balconies overlooking Mount Meru and the plantation. In addition, each chalet features a mini-bar, tea and coffee making facilities, ceiling fans, safes and hairdryers; each chalet also has its own coffee grinder and percolator in the spirit of a true coffee estate experience. Meals are served at Redds African Grillhouse or outside in the gardens, where the extensive menu features an exciting array of traditional Tanzanian cuisine as well as variety of other African specialties. Shades of red and autumnal hues in the restaurant creates a warm, cozy atmosphere and on cool evenings, log fires are lit in the dining room with campfires outside for those wishing to dine alfresco. The lodge also boasts boutique shops set around the swimming pool, a bar and bar terrace.

You stay at Arusha Coffee Lodge     

Day 2 - Day 4
Travel overland from Arusha to Tarangire National Park (approximately 1 hour 15 minutes)
Tarangire National Park is known for its elephant population and gigantic baobab trees, and is also a bird watcher’s paradise. During the dry season there are vast amounts of animals that migrate from the dry Masai steppe to the Tarangire River. After a full day in the park you are transferred to Tarangire Treetops for a relaxing evening and dinner. Tarangire Treetops is situated in the Tarangire Conservation Area, a wildlife management area of 57,000 acres, and a mere 98kms from Arusha. The camp is situated just outside Tarangire National Park, which allows you to embark on activities such as foot safaris, mobile camping, night drives and mountain bike trails that cannot be conducted inside the National Park bourndary. Tarangire Treetops is an innovative and stunningly original property consisting of giant tree houses built upon platforms amongst a cluster of baobab, mopani and wild fig trees. Each en suite unit has a private veranda and lounge area, with sweeping views over the Conservation Area. The 'Baobab Bar' is built around a gracious old baobab where you can enjoy cocktails, or watch the incredible Tarangire sunsets and the elephant watering hole far below, game viewing from yet another angle. On your second day in camp, you have a choice of either an early morning game walk before breakfast or enjoy breakfast first and then venture out on a morning game walk in the Conservation Area, conducted by your qualified guide and Masai 'askari'. There are various trails to choose from and your guide will be more than happy to explain the fauna and flora of the Tarangire Conservation Area. The remainder of the morning is at your leisure to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the area. An afternoon visit to the local Masai community, where you will be introduced to the life and daily activities in a Masai Boma, is a wonderful experience and you have the opportunity of being entertained with song and dance by the locals. You return to camp in the evening for dinner with an optional night game drive.

You stay at Tarangire Treetops     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4 - Day 6
Proceed by road from Tarangire to The Manor at Ngorongoro (approximately 2 hours 30 minutes)
Game Drive at Lake Manyara National Park
Full day (6 hour) Game Drive at Ngorongoro Crater
Located adjacent to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area within the 1500 acre, Shangri-La Estate, 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. Each cottage has a private courtyard and deck with fantastic views of the landscape, surrounded by fragrant flowering gardens and age-old trees. The careful positioning of the cottages ensures that every guest experiences the natural beauty of the estate as well as the privacy and intimacy characteristic of an old world manor home. Fireplaces and comfortable seating areas feature throughout the indoor living areas as well as a library and pool. There is a communal guest area with Lounge and bar area, access to outdoor decks and fire pits as well as a choice of formal or casual dining areas. Families or groups can enjoy the two bedroom cottage which has a private pool & deck, private dining area and home entertainment center.

You stay at The Manor at Ngorongoro     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 - Day 9
Proceed by road from Ngorongoro Crater to Serengeti National Park (approximately 4 hours)
Excursion to Olduvai Gorge to view the famous footprints of early man
Migration Camp is a luxury-tented camp situated in the Northern Serengeti, overlooking the Grumeti River and the migratory route of the Serengeti wildebeest. All Migration Camp’s en suite tents are positioned on raised platforms, with sweeping views of the Grumeti River from their private balconies. The central dining area, bar and library are all positioned atop a series of cantilevered decks, maximizing the views of the game plains below. The very special honeymoon tent has an open-air spa bath, and is nestled privately behind a wild fig tree into the surrounding hills. The legendary bush cuisine offers an amazing variety of local tastes and dishes, with al fresco picnic lunches or special campfire barbeques. Enjoy a relaxing evening and dinner at the camp. The next two days are spent on full day game drives in the Serengeti, taking along packed lunches or you can return to the camp for lunch and go out on an afternoon game drive thereafter. Serengeti National Park is arguably the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world. It is a natural paradise and home to one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth, the annual migration of millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle. It is also the home to the “Big Five”– elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo. Each evening you return to camp in time to freshen up before dinner, when you will enjoy the imaginative bush cuisine, and after dinner sit by the fire under the African sky and socialize with your fellow guests and safari guides.

You stay at Migration Camp     Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9
Road transfer from Migration Camp to Lobo Airstrip
Regional Air flight Lobo Airstrip – Arusha Airport
Road transfer from Arusha Airport to Kilimanjaro International Airport


    Breakfast

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