Day 1: Arusha, Tanzania
Arrive Kilimanjaro International Airport. Upon clearing Customs and Immigration, you are met by an iExplore Representative and transferred to your hotel. Since jumbo jets started landing at Kilimanjaro Airport, Arusha has become a most accessible gateway to the wildlife parks (Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Tarangire, as well as the Ngorongoro Crater). The city (pop. 150,000) doesn't have many attractions of its own, but it sits in a pleasant, lush valley. Divided by the Naura River and set near the base of 15,000-ft Mt. Meru, Arusha is also in sight of Mt. Kilimanjaro (both mountains are frequently hidden by clouds, especially late in the day). Arusha Coffee Lodge lies in one of Tanzania’s largest coffee plantations surrounding by endless acres of berry laden coffee bushes. Tonight you will stay in a split –level Plantation House with a fireplace and private veranda. Dinner Arusha Coffee Lodge Days 2 & 3: Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area
This morning you will have a 4x4 land transfer to Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area via a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. 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.
Lunch will be at Gibb’s Farm before continuing your drive to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. Nature walks at Gibb’s Farm (extra cost) conducted by a qualified environmentalist provide interesting facts about nature, birds, geology, insects and medicinal uses of local plants.
Ngorongoro Crater, located at the eastern edge of the Serengeti in northern Tanzania, is the largest unbroken caldera in the world. The floor of the crater is only 100 square miles but is home to 3,000 animals with a high concentration of predators.
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is perched on the edge of the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater, within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which covers more than 3,100 square miles of pristine African wilderness. Inspired in design by the Masai mud-and-stick manyatta (homestead), Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is without doubt one of the most architecturally spectacular safari lodges in Africa.
Two overnights at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in a luxury double suite with en suite hand basins, bath, shower and private toilet.
Next morning descend into the crater for a shared game drive. After a picnic lunch in the Crater, you return to the lodge. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Ngorongoro Crater LodgeDays 4 & 5: Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, drive to Serengeti National Park via the Olduvai Gorge where you will enjoy a picnic lunch before continuing with an afternoon game drive en route to your lodge.
The word "Serengeti" comes from the Masai word siringet, which literally means "endless plains." Because Serengeti National Park covers 5,000 sq mi/12,950 sq km of grassland (broken by rock outcroppings and stands of acacia trees), it's an excellent place to observe animal migrations.
During the migrations, the wildebeests move first, then the zebras. Lions, hyenas and scavenger birds follow and feast on the sick, young, old or weary. More than 3 million animals move south from mid November to January, then north again from the end of May to June - though there is some variation in the dates, depending on the level of rainfall during a given year.
Two overnights at the Kusini Camp set in a natural curve of a group of Kopjes (rock outcrop) in a remote area of the Park, close to the path of the annual wildebeest migration. Luxury tents with en suite bathroom and elevated terraces overlooking the plains blend seamlessly into the wilderness.Or two overnights at the Migration Camp, set in absolute isolation among wide, flat rocks and spreading acacia, above the Grumeti River. Footprints in the mud in front of the tents indicate the nightly grass-mowing activities of the local hippos. Luxury safari tents with en-suite bathroom and westward balconies are ideal for the spectacular Serengeti sunset.
Activities include morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti National Park. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Grumeti River, Kusini or Migration CampDay 6: Serengeti /Depart
After breakfast, transfer to the Serengeti airstrip for your scheduled flight back to Kilimanjaro with a picnic lunch to connect to your onward flight. Breakfast, Lunch
