9 DAYS TANZANIA AND SAFARI – MATANDU

Leave Tarangire and drive to Lake Manyara National Park, an unspoiled paradise of ground water forest fed by underground springs and teeming with wildlife. Arrive and embark on a game viewing drive. Lying in a shallow depression at the base of the western wall of the eastern arm of the Rift Valley, Lake Manyara typically shimmers in a lilac and gold heat haze, sometimes streaked pink with thousands of flamingos. The Park is famous for its spectacular tree-climbing lions and also offers; monkey, jackal, mongoose, hyena, hyrax, elephant, rhino, leopard, zebra, hippo, warthog, buffalo, Masai giraffe, duiker, waterbuck and impala as well as 487 recorded bird species.

After lunch, depart for Ngorongoro Conservation Area a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. You will be transferred to your hotel inside the Conservation Area or to the colourful bustling town of Karatu; the gateway to the Ngorongoro Highlands.

Overnight - Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Meals Included – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Other Inclusions - Game viewing, park fees, private transport (4x4 Landcruiser), bottled water

After breakfast, descend the crater for an enchanting game-viewing drive. Known as ‘The Eighth Wonder of the World' the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's best-known wildlife arenas. The site offers a unique biosphere, which has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. If you are after the ‘The Big Five’, it is all here waiting for you. Black rhino, Tusker elephants, lion, leopard, and hyena along with healthy herds of wildebeest, buffalo, and zebra. Other wildlife includes serval cat, cheetahs, jackals, Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelle, bat-eared foxes, and approximately 400 species of colorful birds.

Lunch will be at a picnic site on the crater floor. Continue with your exploration before driving up to the crater rim. You will be transferred to your hotel.

Overnight - Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Other Inclusions - Game viewing, park fees, private transport (4x4 Landcruiser), bottled water

Your safari takes you north today as you leave Ngorongoro and depart for Serengeti. The park is undoubtedly one of the best known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for its natural beauty and scientific value. En route, stop at Olduvai Gorge. As you progress well into the Serengeti, you will see why the name means, in local language, "endless plains".  Here, tens of thousands of hoofed animals roam in a constant and unremitting search for the fresh grasslands upon which their survival depends. Arrive for lunch followed by afternoon game viewing drive until dusk.

It is the home of the Great Migration and to 2 million wildebeests, hundreds of thousands of zebras and all kinds of antelopes including the abundant impalas and Thomson's gazelles. As for Big Cats and large predators, it's the place of choice to look out for lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, with many television scenes like the famous river crossings having been filmed in this park. Smaller animals like foxes, mongoose, honey badgers, jackals, monkeys, baboons, rock hyrax and African hares, together with more than 500 species of birds, also inhabit this park.

Overnight - Serengeti National Park

Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Other Inclusions - Game viewing, park fees, private transport (4x4 Landcruiser), bottled water

Start the day with an early morning game drive at 06:30am. As the mornings are cool, many of the animals who are most active at night will still be out and about. Cheetah and lion will be hunting, along with the rarer African wild cat, bat-eared fox and honey badger. Follow up this with a mid-morning and afternoon game drives as the animals tend to be more active in the cooler hours of the day. Return to your hotel during the hotter hours in the middle of the day for lunch, relaxation and take a swim in the camp’s pool providing uninterrupted views of the majestic African bush. However, depending on wildlife movements and opportunities for sightings, the drive may continue and last all day. In this case, return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

Overnight – Serengeti National Park

Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Other Inclusions - Game viewing, park fees, private transport (4x4 Landcruiser), bottled water

Depart Serengeti and and proceed to the Kenya – Tanzania border. Clear with customs and immigration and drive to the South-Eastern bay of Lake Victoria. Arrive at your lodge in the afternoon. Relax on the shores of this lake which is rich in history. The breeze is refreshing. Visit a nearby Fishing Village in the company of a local guide. Among other things, you will learn lots about traditional Fishing techniques, selling mode of fresh Fish and the general rural life.

Overnight – Serenity on the Lake

Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Other Inclusions – Visit a nearby Fishing Village, private transport (4x4 Landcruiser), bottled water

Depart Victoria and drive to Kenya / Tanzania border town. Meet Kenyan vehicle and driver guide at the Isebania border after clearing with the Immigration & Customs procedures. Continue to Masai Mara, Kenya’s most famous wildlife reserve and the setting for much of the film Out of Africa.  It is a classic savannah grassland, where animals are plentiful and the vistas spectacular. Arrive and embark on a game-viewing drive en route to your lodge or tented camp for lunch.

Relax at leisure this afternoon before venturing to the reserve for a game-viewing drive. Masai Mara, also known as the “Jewel of Africa,” is inhabited by many of Africa's most popular wild animals, including lions, elephants, cape buffalo, and rhinoceros, as well as giraffes, hippos, hyenas, Nile crocodiles, wildebeest, zebra, gazelles, antelopes, and more.

Overnight - Masai Mara National Reserve

Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Other Inclusions - Game viewing, park fees, private transport (4x4 land cruiser), bottled water

Spend the day exploring Masai Mara. During the game drive, our knowledgeable safari guide will introduce you to life in the savanna and share their infinite knowledge about African wildlife. The wildlife viewing is superb throughout the year. Observe massive crocodiles basking in the sun, see the graceful hippos wallowing in muddy water, and catch the antics of mischievous monkeys overhead. Watch, too, as the African savannah elephants roam along the forest edge and spot cheetahs in the open savannah eyeing off their next meal. The yearly wildebeest migration (July to September) coming through the park is one of the world’s most amazing wildlife spectacles.

Overnight - Masai Mara National Reserve

Meals Included - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Other Inclusions - Game viewing, park fees, private transport (4x4 land cruiser), bottled water

After breakfast, check out from your safari lodge and bid farewell to Masai Mara. Drive back to Nairobi. Lunch at a city restaurant. If time permits, visit a souvenir shop to view and buy different art designs by Kenya’s finest designers. Our safari guide will transfer you to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or back to your city hotel.

Drop off - Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Wilson Airport, or Nairobi Hotel    

Meals Included - Breakfast and Lunch.