Serengeti Wildlife Safari

Day 1: Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania

Late evening arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport near Arusha. Trip members arriving on Day 1 are met and transferred to our accommodation, the Serena Mountain Village, set outside of Arusha in the flowered gardens of a coffee planter’s farmhouse and surrounded by rolling groves of coffee plants. We have a light dinner and overnight at the lodge...D.

Day 2: Lake Manyara National Park / Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

After breakfast, we head out for a morning game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, nestled at the base of the dramatic wall of the Great Rift Valley escarpment. The park’s lush green vegetation and tall trees of the groundwater forest are home to troops of baboons and blue monkeys. The forest opens up into woodland, grassland, and swamps; beyond is the soda lake itself, a birdwatcher’s paradise where over 350 species of birds, including the lively flamingo, pelican, sacred ibis, grebe, and stork, can be viewed. The lake and its environs are also home to hippos and elephants. We then head into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, stopping at a viewpoint to admire a vista of Ngorongoro Crater some 2,000 feet below. Overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, set on the crater rim at a cool 6,000 feet…BLD.

Day 3: Ngorongoro Crater

We descend into the crater for a game drive. Ngorongoro’s extraordinary beauty and vastness must be seen to be believed: on the crater’s 105-square-mile grassy floor lives Africa’s largest permanent concentration of wildlife, a sort of mini-Serengeti in a phenomenally scenic setting. During our time exploring this famous crater, we’re likely to see elephant, zebra, wildebeest, and buffalo, and there’s hardly a better place on earth for observing lions than on the crater floor, where the lion prides are large. This is also one of the best places to see the endangered black rhino—about a dozen have been introduced into the crater environment and they are carefully monitored by biologists. Overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge…BLD.

Day 4: Alamana / Private Wilderness Travel Camp

As we drive across the eastern Serengeti, we enjoy a game drive and picnic lunch en route to the Alamana, a vast private concession on the edge of Serengeti National Park, where our private tented camp awaits us. The Alamana adjoins both Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the great herds of wildlife roam freely between the parks and Alamana’s fantastic unfenced grasslands, dramatic kopjes (rounded rock outcrops), acacia woodlands, and waterholes along the Alamana River. This is one of the few places in northern Tanzania where it is possible to experience the true essence of safari. Our camp is set in a lovely location against a kopje, with uninterrupted views out onto the plains where herds of plains game can be seen. Tents are large and airy, with king-sized double or two single beds, full width windows, and en suite bathrooms. African textiles complete the furnishings. A separate dining and lounge area is set under the shade of a towering kopje looking west toward the setting sun, providing an elegant place to relax at the end of each glorious safari day. Overnight at Alamana Private Wilderness Travel Camp…BLD.

Days 5-7: Alamana / Private Wilderness Travel Camp

The Alamana is a vast wilderness area where the Masai live a traditional existence, moving freely in harmony with their livestock and side by side with the wildlife. Due to our long-standing relationship with them, we have exclusive safari privileges in this idyllic ecosystem. During this time of year, we see huge migratory herds of zebra and wildebeest in search of good grazing lands. The main predator within the reserve is the cheetah, but there are also lion and leopard as well as serval and African wildcats. Being on private gamelands, we can enjoy very special wildlife viewing activities not allowed in a national park, including off-road travel and exploration in open vehicles with a 360-degree gameviewing panorama. Night drives with a spotlight are another treat, as are encounters with the Masai, a wonderful opportunity to combine wildlife experiences with authentic cultural interaction. We also take exciting bush walks with Masai moran (warriors) or with one of our specialist walking guides, who are qualified in all aspects of true game tracking. They have extensive knowledge of wild animal behavior and the ability to track any animal of interest that we encounter during the walk. This is the ultimate safari experience—the deep experience of the land and the fantastic sense of having Africa all to yourself is simply exhilarating! Overnights at Alamana Private Wilderness Travel Camp…BLD.

Days 8-11: Serengeti / Private Wilderness Travel Camp

With a picnic lunch, we leave for Serengeti National Park and enjoy a game drive en route to camp. Exclusive and remote, our private camps feature roomy walk-in tents with attached bathrooms and hot showers, and comfortable beds made up with linen and a duvet. You can also expect delicious, freshly cooked meals. During these four unforgettable days, we enjoy the privilege of exploring the Serengeti by 4WD vehicle from our own private camp in a secluded section of Serengeti National Park, far from the lodges and other park facilities. We have access to a rich mosaic of habitats crisscrossed by the rivers that run through this vast park. Dawn and late-afternoon game drives bring us into varied regions of the park, from the open plains and rock kopjes to river habitats, as game conditions dictate. The Masai, who have grazed their cattle on the vast grassy plains of Serengeti for millennia before it became a park, call it Siringitu, “the place where the land moves on forever.” Today, Serengeti National Park, along with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Masai Mara National Reserve across the border in Kenya, protects the greatest and most varied collection of terrestrial wildlife on earth as well as one of the world’s last great migratory systems. The park itself is 5,700 square miles, with open, grassy plains in the south, acacia-dotted savanna in the center, and black clay plains to the west.We should see vast numbers of migrating wildebeest and zebra, along with Serengeti’s resident wildlife, including giraffe, buffalo, topi, hartebeest, waterbuck, impala, reedbuck, bushbuck, dikdik, hippopotamus, crocodile, warthog and diverse birdlife. Large prides of lion reside here, as well as clans of spotted hyena. The river tracks offer the best chance to see a leopard, usually in the branches of acacia or sausage trees. Cheetah can also be seen here as well as serval and caracal, two smaller African cats. Overnights at Private Wilderness Travel Camp…BLD each day

Day 12: Plantation Lodge

A full morning’s drive brings us across the plains, with a picnic lunch. We continue up to the Ngorongoro Highlands and to the Plantation Lodge, a small, elegant lodge surrounded by coffee plantations near Karatu in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. With 16 unique rooms nestled in flowering gardens, Plantation Lodge offers a tranquil setting surrounded by coffee plantations. Overnight at the lodge…BLD.

Day 13: Depart Arusha

An afternoon drive takes us to Arusha, where lunch is arranged and day rooms are held for us at Kia Lodge, close to the airport. Depart Tanzania on the latenight group flight, connecting via Europe, or join one of our many optional trip extensions…BL