The Tanzania Spectacular Safari: Exploring Exotic Wilds in Style

Day 1: United States - Europe

Our safari begins today as we fly to Europe.

Day 2: Europe - Arusha

Welcome to Arusha, Tanzania—gateway to the treasures of Tanzania. Our friendly Safari Director accompanies us to the five-star Arusha Coffee Lodge—an idyllic escape tucked away in a verdant coffee plantation. Designed around the original plantation house, the lodge emanates the romance of bygone days. We stay in the plush Plantation Suites, and can take advantage of the many amenities on offer here: swimming in the pool, cozying up to the fireplace or simply enjoying a view of majestic Mt. Meru from our private balcony.

Day 3: Arusha - Tarangire National Park

This morning we savour a leisurely breakfast—with the freshest coffee imaginable!—before meeting our Safari Director for a briefing. Then, we explore the lush, technicolor-green grounds of the coffee plantation. After an al fresco lunch, we take to the air over East Africa’s golden landscape to Tarangire, a reserve of dramatic landscapes and excellent game-viewing. And our home here is exalted… quite literally, in fact. We retire to supreme luxury at Tarangire Treetops—including private balcony with views to Lake Manyara and the Rift Valley wall—atop an age-old Baobab or Marula tree. Our own deluxe treehouse overlooking the savannah: it’s a thoroughly African experience.

Day 4: Tarangire

At the first break of day, we take to an Africa that is slowly awakening. The ecosystem varies between dry and dusty, and green and swampy, and each different landscape has its own cast of creatures. On top of our game drive, a full slate of activities is available from tracking game on foot to visiting the local Maasai people. And for those who did not have their fill of animals during the day, a night game drive draws out Tarangire’s nocturnal creatures as we ply the rugged landscape under a blanket of stars. We return for a nightcap at the split-level lounge, a relaxed setting with uninterrupted view of the landscape.

Day 5: Tarangire - Ngorongoro Crater

The sun rises over Tarangire, and we’re up for an early breakfast and a last glimpse of the park’s voluminous game. After a gourmet lunch, we fly to Lake Manyara and begin the scenic ascent through a wildlife wonderland: Ngorongoro Conservancy. Unofficially the “eighth wonder of the natural world,” this ancient amphitheatre forms a unique haven for wildlife with over 20,000 animals thriving in its near perfect conditions. We stay at the serene and solitary Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, perfectly perched on the eastern rim of the crater. Here we can enjoy dinner and eventually our delightful room with striking views of the crater below.

Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater

Today we descend 2,000 feet into this ancient collapsed volcano, passing lush rainforest and thick vegetation, and then we see it: the largest concentration of animals in Africa. A variety of environments—grassland, swamps, forests and lakes—yield a staggering variety of animals: lions, zebras, buffaloes, rhinos, elephants, gazelles and wildebeests just to name a few. And because the grasses are short, it is infinitely easy to spot the remarkable creatures here…each turn of the head brings an exciting new vista. We return to the Ngorongoro Sopa in time for evening cocktails and to recall the dizzying array of wildlife we saw that day.

Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater - Serengeti National Park

After a delicious breakfast, we depart for Lake Manyara and our onward flight to the legendary Serengeti. This is archetypal Africa: the wide-open spaces, bright blue skies and magnificent wildlife of our imagination. The Serengeti’s terrain is quite varied: savannah dotted with acacia trees, magnificent rock outcroppings called kopjes, and dense bush as well as streams and rivers. Our base here is Migration Camp, alluringly set on a kopje overlooking the rolling Serengeti hills. Spacious tents are superbly secluded and blend into their natural environment above the Grumeti River. Richly furnished throughout, the camp exudes a decadence reminiscent of the Africa of yore.

Day 8: Serengeti National Park

In the famed Serengeti, we discover a land brimming with wildlife. Lion, leopard, cheetah, elephants. Wildebeest grazing, giraffes loping across the plains, monkeys playing in the trees. We can opt for a game drive, or choose to explore the area on a guided game walk. Or perhaps we wish to lounge beside the swimming pool back at camp—the perfect spot from which to observe the abiding drama of the bush (while also getting a tan!).

Day 9 - Day 10: Serengeti National Park – Departure - USA

We awake, and piping hot coffee is already waiting for us. We may wish to take one last game drive, or to explore the area on foot before returning to the camp for breakfast. Finally, we bid adieu to the Serengeti as we wing our way back to Arusha. A dayroom is available at the Arusha Coffee Lodge, where we can rest before we begin the journey back home that night, arriving stateside on Day 10.