Tanzania - A Safari in the Great Serengeti Savannah

Fly into Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airports in Tanzania. Our representative will meet you at the airport, guide you through arrivals, and drive you to your hotel, the Gran Melia Arusha, where you can relax for the afternoon.

In the evening, we will meet in the lounge for cocktails and toast the start of an exciting African adventure. 

We will dine at George’s Tavern, a short drive from the hotel. The family-run restaurant, created by chef and owner George Mavromoustakis, combines traditional Greek flavors with some of his favorite dishes from around the world with locally available ingredients. The restaurant is a favourite with local Arusha residents giving you a chance to mingle before calling it a night.

Today, the adventure begins. 

It’s an early start to the day. After a hearty breakfast, we'll drive to the Great Rift Valley. The planet’s longest land valley stretches 6,000km from Lebanon in the Middle East to Mozambique in south-eastern Africa. Our destination is the best-kept secret on this side of the equator. The Tarangire boasts ancient baobabs, mighty elephants, big cats, and stunning vistas. The Baobab is the world’s largest succulent. 

We're off to Tarangire Baobab Camp with a game drive en route. The rustic glam camp is at the heart of the Tarangire National Park, on the edge of an open wetland. 

The park boasts large herds of elephants and migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest, and eland. Not surprisingly, predators like lions, leopards, and cheetahs follow.  

After you've checked in, relax and enjoy an exquisite lunch before leaving for an afternoon game drive. 

In the evening, we will enjoy a lovely dinner and lively exchanges and talks with the resident naturalist about the terrific Tarangire.

Today, we'll depart for an early morning optional hot air balloon safari followed by breakfast on the plains.  Wildlife is best seen at sunrise. This optional hot air balloon safari is a breathtaking experience! This exhilarating morning venture comes at an additional charge. If you choose not to partake, you'll have the morning to unwind around camp and enjoy breakfast. 

For the rest of the morning and early afternoon you can enjoy the scenery and nature or take a walk with the naturalist. We'll enjoy a delicious al-fresco lunch at the camp. 

In the early afternoon, our resident guide Martha will give us a photography lesson so we can put our new skills to use on our afternoon game drive. 

After we return we will enjoy a sunset dinner and share our photos from the day. 

After breakfast, we'll drive to Karatu in the green hills of Tanzania’s northern highlands. Presided over by the towering Ol Donyo Lengai Volcano, this small, colorful town is a popular overnight stop for visitors exploring the area’s many game parks. 

Karatu Acacia Farm Lodge is located on virgin bush in the Ngorongoro volcanic landscape, 20 minutes from the rim of the crater. Ngorongoro Crater has the highest concentration of wildlife in Africa.  

In the afternoon we will have an optional visit to Lake Eyasi, located in northern Tanzania's Great Rift Valley. The region is a tranquil oasis away from the usual safari routes. One of its unique attractions is the Hadzabe village, home to one of Africa's last hunter-gatherer communities. Visitors to the village can witness the Hadzabe's age-old traditions, from hunting with bows and arrows to crafting tools. This rare experience offers insight into a deeply rooted connection with nature and the significance of preserving ancient cultures.

If you choose to stay at the lodge why not indulge in a spa treatment or enjoy one of their fantastic activities like the the Bird & Butterfly Walk or a Coffee Farm Tour. 

This evening we will feast at the lodge and share stories of our adventurous day. 

After breakfast, we'll take an exciting early morning drive to the crater’s floor to find black rhinos, lions, leopards, and more. You will enjoy the day in the crater. It’s 610 meters (2,000 feet) deep and 260 square kilometers -100 square miles – in area.

In route to the crater floor, we will stop at a Maasai Village. The Maasai have co-existed for centuries with African wildlife because the wildlife, like the large cattle herds owned by the Maasai, need wide spaces to survive.

Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera. It formed when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself two to three million years ago. We've prepared lunchboxes for all our guests and we will enjoy a picnic lunch on the crater floor.

We'll return for a sunset dinner later this evening. Enjoy a nightcap at the campfire before a peaceful slumber.

After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for a short flight over the vast expanse of the Serengeti and enjoy a game drive to the stunning wildlife en route. November is the ideal time to watch the annual wildebeest migration from the camp, which boasts a large, open-floor lounge and bar. Bear witness to the migration with your favorite tipple or a Vodka Martini - shaken, not stirred! 

After a sumptuous lunch followed by a siesta, you'll embark on the late afternoon game drive in our custom-made safari cruisers driven by expert driver guides. 

The Serengeti lies in the greater 30,000-square-kilometer ecosystem the Maasai call ‘the endless plains.' The park is spectacular, boasting amazing wildlife and a tapestry of sun-sculpted stone kopjes, vast grassland, and forest. 

At sundown, we'll meet for a cocktail in the Nyota Luxury Camp and then dine on delicious foods, reliving the day’s magical moments. We may be entertained by the local Maasai performing traditional dances with their signature high leaps and throaty chants celebrating love, lion hunts, war, and happiness. You may want to join in. 

Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with biscuits before you set out for an early morning game drive. This, and the late afternoon before the sun goes down, is the best time to find wildlife as the animals are most active before the sun becomes too hot and lethargy sets in. The lionesses would rather hunt when it’s cooler, but for these opportunistic animals, if the quarry is easy, the hunt is on. Lions do not have sweat glands, so you’ll hear them panting a lot. 

We'll be back at the lodge for a scrumptious breakfast mid-morning. 

Take time to relax, meditate, and enjoy the grounds. You can enjoy this time to enjoy the hotel's spa facilities

We'll meet for lunch and, after some ‘me’ time, leave for the afternoon game drive. 

Serengeti is where Elsa’s cubs – the lioness of the epic Born Free fame - were released. Her lineage continues to roam this great wilderness.

You'll sip sundowners in the bush and meet for another gourmet feast, ending the day with a nightcap at the fire pit. 

After a sumptuous breakfast in the Serengeti, we’ll fly back to Arusha for your return flights that night or the next day. You'll take home many memories of your amazing African safari with new friends. 

In the words of Dr. Bernhard Grizmek of the ‘Serengeti Shall Not Die’ fame: “Large cities continue to proliferate. In the coming decades and centuries, men will not travel to view marvels of engineering, but they will leave the dusty towns to behold the last places on earth where God’s creatures are peacefully living. Palaces can be rebuilt if they are destroyed in wartime, but once the wild animals of the Serengeti are exterminated, no power on earth can bring them back.” 

We will return for dinner to enjoy lively exchanges and talks with the resident naturalist about the terrific Tarangire. 

You will be welcomed back. 

Take a flight to Zanzibar. The ‘Spice Island’ is rich in the history of the Sultans of Oman who made the tropical island their capital. 

You're off to an all-inclusive holiday at the seaside resort on the Michamvi Peninsula, on the Southeast Coast of Zanzibar. This is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Rejuvenate in this stunning ocean resort with energizing sun-filled days and barefoot walks on the beach. 

Enjoy your lunch and ‘me time’ in paradise. 

This evening, we will meet for sundowners and dinner before you retire to your tropical suite at the Rui Palace.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast. 

This morning, we'll take a short drive to the fabled Stone Town, the capital of international diplomacy and commerce during the 18th century. 

Pop into the old Sultan's palaces filled with intrigue, scandal, and betrayal. A local guide will take you on a walking tour, introducing you to the history of this iconic town and characters like Princess Salme. 

We'll return to the hotel for lunch and then embark on an exploration of the spice island. You'll have time for a stroll on the beach when we return.

We'll enjoy dinner together at the hotel in the evening. 

After a spicy breakfast, we'll set sail into the Indian Ocean to find dolphins. There are three species in the archipelago – the bottlenose, spinner, and humpback – if you’re lucky, you'll see all three species.

Return for lunch. The rest of the afternoon is yours to relax until we meet for our farewell dinner and the last night on the island.

After breakfast, you'll leave for the airport to catch your connecting flight home. 

It's been a holiday well spent. We look forward to welcoming you back to the fabled Spice Island.