journey of the the wildebeest
- 7 Days journey of the the wildebeest
- DAY 1
Feel free to replace this day with a visit to Tarangire National park instead (or add an extra day and visit both)
There is plenty of accommodation that serves this park. All our recommendations (except for AndBeyond Manyara Tree Lodge) are outside the park, in Manyara and Mto Wa Mbu Region.
Our recommendations are:
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- Manyara Wildlife Safari Camp
- Escarpment Luxury Lodge
- Gibb’s Farm
- Manyara Tree Lodge
LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
Pickup from your hotel at 8am and start a beautiful journey across the Great Rift Valley until Lake Manyara National Park for a full day game drive. Although small in dimension (205 sq. miles), the park has breathtaking scenery and well famous for its lush acacia forest, giant figs and mahogany trees, as well as to a growing population of baboons and blue monkeys. Permanent residents of this park also include giraffes, elephants, impalas and a huge amount of buffaloes. The lake is also home to a large number of hippos. Some unique facts about this park include the tree climbing lions, flamingos in the lake shore, as well as the Ground Hornbill and the Crested Eagle. The landscapes of Lake Manyara are something that can not be described with words, and the game drives along the lake provide stunning photo opportunities of giraffes and buffaloes in the foreground and the lake (and its flamingos) in the background. During this day, some extra tours are possible, including a bike tour or a boat excursion. In the afternoon, transfer to the camp for dinner.
SOME UNIQUE FACTS ABOUT THIS PARK INCLUDE THE TREE CLIMBING LIONS, FLAMINGOS IN THE LAKE SHORE, AS WELL AS THE GROUND HORNBILL AND THE CRESTED EAGLE.
- DAY 2
If you prefer not to fly from Serengeti at the end of your tour, you may choose to leave Ngorongoro to the end and do the whole tour by land
Most accommodation options for Ngorongoro are outside Ngorongoro Conservation Area. However, there are some amazing options inside the park and those are the ones we usually recommend.
Our recommendations are:
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- Rhino Lodge
- Sopa Ngorongoro
- Sanctuary Ngorongoro Camp
- Andbeyond Crater Lodge
NGORONGORO CRATER
Ngorongoro Crater is considered one the wonders of the Natural World. The crater spreads for 102 sq. miles and has 2.000 ft high walls, making it virtually a Noah’s ark and inhabiting almost every species of wildlife that is indigenous to East Africa. It’s one of the very rare locations in the whole continent where you can witness the black Rhino. The concentration of African wildlife if the greatest in the continent. The crater has a river, several swamps, a soda lake with a great concentration of flamingos, a forest and open plains. It’s also famous for its elephants which are the largest in the world and have huge tusks. This is due to the rich mineral content of the volcanic soil and its grasses. Ngorongoro Crater is truly a Wonder of the Natural World.
We will start the day very early with a transfer from Manyara region to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and descend into the crater floor for an incredible morning of wildlife in one of the most stunning places on Earth. After the game drive, there will be time for a picnic lunch near the beautiful hippo Lake. After lunch, you will have the opportunity for a fantastic afternoon game drive and then ascend the crater and transfer to your accommodation.
- DAY 3
After a long but spectacular journey, you will arrive in the park in time for a fantastic afternoon game drive
There is accommodation for all budgets and styles in the Serengeti.
Our recommendations are:
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- Mbugani Camps
- Serengeti Sopa Lodge
- Chaka Camps
- Four Seasons Serengeti
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK (CENTRAL)
After an early breakfast, depart towards the most famous National park in the World, the Serengeti. The driving itself, although long, is spectacular. You will drive up the crater highlands, making a quick stop at the rim for an out of this world view of Ngorongoro Crater. This will be an unforgettable moment for anyone seeing it for the first time. As you progress well into the Serengeti, you will see why the name means, in local language, “endless plains”. The park has 6,900 sq. mile (18,000 sq. km) and for most of it, the plains will stretch to the horizon defying your senses and perception of distances. 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.
- DAY 4
Extra tour recommended: The wonderful balloon flight over the Serengeti plains.
We recommend sleeping in the same camp/lodge as the night before.
Our recommendations are:
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- Pumzika Serengeti Camps
- Acacia Migration Camp
- Chaka Camps
- Four Seasons Serengeti
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK (CENTRAL)
Full day in the Serengeti National Park. We are completely flexible with your preferences and this day will be organized according to your wishes. On every day of the safari, your guide will discuss with you the best timings for you, including the game drives and the wake up time. For example, on this day, you could do a morning game drive, return to the camp for lunch and relaxation and finish with an afternoon game drive, or you could do a full day game drive with picnic lunch.
- DAY 5 AND 6
Depending on the time of the year, these 2 days will be spent in a different location of the park (South, North or West)
If you prefer, we can book you a flight between the two areas of the Serengeti so you have the experience of flying over the park and reduce the transfer time
We recommend sleeping in the same camp/lodge as the night before.
Our recommendations are:
-
- Mbugani Camps
- Serengeti Sopa Lodge
- Chaka Camps
- Four Seasons Serengeti
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK (FOLLOWING THE GREAT MIGRATION)
On these two incredible days, you will be driven across remote locations within the vast Serengeti plains in pursue of the Great Migration. The areas you visit depend on the time of the year and could be as far as the remote North of the Serengeti near the border with Kenya, or could be in the South (Ndutu Area) or even in the Western part of the park.
- DAY 7
If you wish, you can do the tour without the flight from Serengeti. We just redesign it so that we leave Ngorongoro to the end and the whole journey is done by 4WD.
FLYING OUT OF THE SERENGETI
On this day we suggest a very early wake up in order to do an early morning game drive (when the animals are more active) and see one of the best sunrises you’ll ever witness. It’s really one of the most beautiful experiences to have. After the game drive, we return to the camp for a rewarding brunch and then we’ll proceed to the airstrip for your flight back to Arusha, or whatever your next amazing destination might be (i.e. Zanzibar). Alternatively, instead of this early morning game drive, you may choose to stay at the camp for a bit of relaxation.
- OPTIONAL DAY
With a program that includes cultural visits to local villages, your safari experience will be richer and rewarding and the local community would also be benefiting from the country tourism. We take this component of our work very seriously.
ADD ONE EXTRA DAY TO VISIT THE HADZABE TRIBE IN LAKE EYASI OR OLDONYO SAMBU MAASAI VILLAGE.
For a more genuine and out of the beaten track experience, we recommend adding a day to visit Lake Eyasi, in order to visit the fascinating Hadzabe tribe in the next morning. This is one of the last true nomadic tribes in Africa and a truly fascinating experience where you will join the members of the village in their local morning activities. Alternatively, you can still finish the safari in Arusha and, on the next day, visit a traditional Maasai Village., where you will be guided by a Maasai Chief, who will explain you their habits, how they live, their cooking techniques, how they take care of livestock, their songs and dances. You will also have the opportunity to watch the village women perform a local traditional dance. Both experiences provides fantastic photo opportunities.
