Detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: ARUSHA
You will be
received in Arusha and accommodated at the Willy's Guest Cottages. This 3 acre
property has ten private bungalows set in mature gardens and situated on the
edge of Arusha.
Overnight Willy's
Cottages
Dinner
Days 2, 3: TARANGIRE NATIONAL
PARK
After breakfast, depart to our private tented camp situated
within the Tarangire ecosystem. This camp is located just outside the National
Park, beautifully situated on a bluff overlooking the (usually) dry riverbed of
the Tarangire River and the main migration route for game traveling between
Lake Manyara and the Tarangire. You have many options here including walking
safaris and game drives.
Tarangire is the third biggest national
park in Tanzania. Majestic baobab trees are an interesting feature of the park,
dwarfing all but the elephants among the many animals that feed beneath the
trees.
During the dry season animals concentrate
along the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in
Maasai land. The area supports a great diversity of wildlife, including
giraffe, buffalo, lesser kudu, eland, oryx and zebra. Lion, leopard and cheetah
are also present in the area. Up to 6.000 elephants inhabit Tarangire in the
dry season.
Tribe visits & walking safaris are
options on the private land next to park.
Overnight Tarangire River
Camp
Breakfast, lunch and dinner - Fully Inclusive
Day 4, 5: TARANGIRE / LAKE
EYASI
After breakfast we'll drive across the floor of the Great Rift
Valley to Mto wa Mbu. After climbing the escarpment we will reach the small
town of Karatu where we'll stop and visit the local market and learn about the
culture of Mbulu people.
We'll overnight at the Ngorongoro Farm
House; a fabulous property located on the Ngorongoro Highlands just outside the
Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Early the next morning we will take a
rough road to Lake Eyasi, another soda lake in the Rift Valley. We will spend
full day exploring on foot this dry and rugged landscape, which is still
inhabited by a small group of Bushmen: The Hadzabe or Watindiga, who still live
in bands, hunting with bows and arrows; gathering roots, tubers and wild
fruits, as Humankind lived 10,000 years ago.
Another interesting tribe in this area is
the Datoga (also called the Barabaig or Mang'ati). Historically they competed
with the Maasai for grazing land but this is a thing of the past. An aspect of
elegance is to be seen in the way they go about their daily chores and their
traditional performances.
Overnight at Ngorongoro Farm
House
Breakfast, lunch and dinner - Fully Inclusive
Days 6, 7: NGORONGORO & OLMOTI
CRATERS
After breakfast we will proceed to Ngorongoro with picnic
lunch boxes and we will descend to the Crater floor. Here animals are found
throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water.
Ngorongoro is one of the most spectacular game haunts in Africa and has been
designated a World Heritage site. Nearly 12 miles wide, it contains an
impressive variety of wildlife including lions with black manes; the highly
endangered black rhino; herds of gnu, zebra, elephants, hippo, and hyena.
The birdlife is also prolific, with flocks
of flamingos on the soda lake, plus other species of water and plains birds. We
will also see the Maasai herdsmen, grazing their cattle around the Crater rim
or bringing their animals to drink from springs in the Crater.
During our stay here we'll also visit
Olmoti Crater (weather & roads permitting), an impressive caldera lying
northwards. Olmoti is specially suited to hiking. There are no roads to the
floor, but there are many cattle trails, which can be followed. Olmoti crater
is known for its spectacular scenery and the Munge waterfall that provides the
main stream into the Crater.
Two nights full board accommodation at
our private tented camp
Days 8, 9, 10, 11: SERENGETI
NATIONAL PARK
Our journey to Serengeti includes a visit to Oldupai
Gorge, the famous archaeological site where the Leakey's discovered the remains
of Australopithecus, Homo habilis and Homo erectus.
The Serengeti is likely the most famous
wildlife sanctuary in the world. These seemingly unending plains contain,
during the months of the migration, huge herds of herbivores, mainly wildebeest
and zebra. In February-March they concentrate at the Ndutu and Salei plains,
where the calving season takes place, attracting the attention of predators
like lion, cheetah and hyena.
Another interesting feature in Serengeti
are the "Kopjes", massive islands of granite standing in a sea of grass, which
provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive
leopard to the tiny dik-dik.
We will spend four nights of full board
accommodation at our private camp, set in wilderness areas, depending on the
season and movement of the animals.
On day 10, after a full game drive, we may
move the camp tour private area of Robanda - Ikoma, where we can do bush
walking and have a cultural insight on the local people.
Four nights full board accommodation at
our private camp
Day 12: SERENGETI-
ARUSHA
Early morning departure from our Serengeti Camp as we drive
back to Arusha. We will take a picnic lunch en-route. We arrive in Arusha in
the afternoon.
If you prefer, we can arrange for you to
fly back to Arusha from the Serengeti on the scheduled flight from Seronera.
There will be an extra charge for this.
Please contact us to answer any
questions you may have or to confirm your place:
Absolute Adventure Travel
9 Greenway
Plaza,
Houston, Texas 77027
To speak with an expert on travel in
Africa call:
Houston:
281-217-8111 or 713-203-0000
Or email
info@absoluteadventuretravel.com
