Tanzania Wildlife Week

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN ARUSHA

Arrive into the Kilimanjaro International airport where youll be met after passing through customs. Transfer to overnight at the Dik Dik Hotel. Overnight at Dik Dik Hotel.

DAY 2: LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

Depart Arusha this morning with your professional naturalist guide on the two and a half hour drive to the Lake Manyara National Park. This park is situated in the Great Rift Valley and encompasses many habitats including ground water forest, acacia woodlands, bushy areas and a soda lake. Look for pink flamingoes on the lake, see one of the many elephant families, and watch the antics of the resident baboons. Continue on to the Ngorongoro Highlands where we visit Daniel, a member of the Irawq tribe. The Irawq are an agricultural people who settled the land around Ngorongoro hundreds of years ago. The roots of their language are tied to tribes in Northern Kenya and Ethiopia, and with Daniel well learn about how the traditional Irawq houses were built partially underground so that people and cattle could sleep in the same place, allowing the men to protect the cattle from raiding Maasai. Overnight at the Ngorongoro Farmhouse. [BLD]

DAYS 3-4: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Approximately 6 hours driving with stops and game driving along the way, depending on the location of the mobile camp. Continue on your scenic drive this morning through the Ngorongoro Highlands and into to the great plains of the Serengeti. En route enjoy a picnic lunch and a visit the Oldupai Gorge Museum, near where Mary and Louis Leakey found footprints of Australopithecus afarensis, an early Hominid which dated back to 3.6 million years ago. Well also stop to visit Oledrop and his family. Oledrop is a local Maasai who will share with us stories of the Maasai while introducing us to his family in their communal home. The Serengeti National Park is perhaps the most impressive wildlife sanctuary in the world. These vast, seemingly unending plains, are inhabited during the migration by enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra. The herds attract the attention of predators like lion, cheetah and hyena year round. Another interesting feature of the Serengeti is the massive granite kopjes, islands of rock standing in a sea of grass. The kopjes provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik dik. These days activities are left up to the guides suggestion in order to take full advantage of the movements of the wildlife. Overnights at our luxury mobile camp, set up exclusively for our group in a location that maximizes wildlife movements. [BLD]

DAY 5: NGORONGORO CRATER

Approximately 4 hours driving time to the Crater. We say goodbye to the Serengeti this morning enroute to the Ngorongoro Crater. Ngorongoro is one of the most spectacular game haunts in Africa and has been designated a World Heritage site. Here animals are found throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water. Nearly 100 square miles, it contains an impressive variety of wildlife including black-maned lions, the highly endangered black rhino, herds of wildebeest, zebra, elephants, hippo and hyena, the most important predator within the crater. Bird life is also prolific, with flocks of flamingoes on the soda lake, plus other species of water and plains birds. Overnight back in the Ngorongoro Highlands at the Ngorongoro Farmhouse. [BLD]

DAY 6: TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

Set out this morning on a 2 hour drive to Tarangire National Park, the Baobab Capital of the World. Known for its elephants, wild landscapes, and diverse habitats, the Tarangire River is the lifeline of this Park. The area supports a great diversity of wildlife, including giraffe, buffalo, eland, oryx and zebra. Lion, leopard and cheetah are also present. Up to 6,000 elephants inhabit Tarangire in the dry season. Overnight at Tarangire River Camp. [BLD]

DAY 7: ARUSHA

Early morning game drive and then depart for Arusha (approximate driving time 2 hours). If time permits, you may stop at some local shops to browse local crafts. Bid farewell to your guide and then enjoy a farewell lunch in downtown Arusha. Following lunch transfer to the Dik Dik Hotel where you'll have a dayroom in anticipation of your evening departure. [BL]