Travel to Tanzania: Tanzania Luxury Walking Safari

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Tanzania Luxury Walking Safari

			DAYS: 10 GRADE: I-II, Active safari define PRICE: From $5395 per person (Includes Local Air) HIGHLIGHTS: Luxury Accommodations Walking Safaris Ngorongoro Crater Serengeti National Park Tarangire National Park Cultural activities Night game drives ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges Wilderness Camp Deluxe Camp MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

Feel Africa beneath your feet on this quintessential walking safari as we traverse across northern Tanzania through premier game parks and wildlife concessions. We stay in the only luxury camp in Tarangire with permission to go on bush walks inside the national park. Followed by a flight into a remote bush camp located on a private concession in the vast plains of the Serengeti ecosystem where we track game under the guidance of an expert ranger and naturalist guide. Depending on the season and location of the great migration, camp is set at the best vantage point to observe the spectacle of wildebeest and zebra herds and the predators that track them. We witness the rhythms of the bush and the constant struggle of survival on night drives outside the parks and enjoy personal encounters with native people, walking with Maasai warriors and visiting indigenous artisan workshops and markets. All accommodations offer private luxury amenities with distinctive character in superb locations that show sensitivity to the environment and value the neighboring indigenous communities.

DAY 1 :  ARRIVE ARUSHA
Receive a warm welcome on arrival at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, an hour outside the city of Arusha. Transfer to your luxurious guesthouse accommodations to recover from your travels. This peaceful African home is the perfect place to prepare for the adventures ahead. Enjoy delicious meals on the Maasai styled veranda, soak in the jacuzzi gazing out at Arusha, Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, browse the numerous coffee table books and guidebooks, play pool or sip a drink in the lounge area. Overnight Onsea House or similar. [D]

DAY 2 :  TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
A short early morning flight from Arusha brings you to the Kuro airstrip in the southern and less traveled portion of Tarangire National Park. Named after the Tarangire River that runs through it, this park is known for its large herds of elephants and migratory herds of wildebeest, zebra, and buffalo with lion, leopard, and other predators following in the footsteps of the herds. The elusive greater and lesser kudu are frequently spotted as well as eland and oryx. Get your first glimpse of the incredible wildlife viewing you can expect in Tarangire's unspoiled wilderness zone on a game drive traveling from the airstrip to your intimate safari camp. Settle into your spacious, deluxe safari tent complete with sitting area and attached, private, open air bathroom with a flushing eco-toilet and shower. An afternoon game drive allows you to continue to learn the rhythms of the bush under the tutelage of your knowledgeable ranger. The remoteness of this location makes it possible to not only travel in open vehicles but to travel off road to access hidden areas and rare wildlife. Overnight Oliver's Camp. [BLD]

Enjoy a walking safari in Tarangire where you'll look for larger game but also learn about other adaptations in this ecosystem, such as weaver birds who build false entries into their nests to thwart predators.

DAY 3 :  TARANGIRE WALKING SAFARI
Rise early to witness the morning wildlife activity on a guided walking safari through the endless acacia woodlands and open plains habitats. With its location in the wilderness zone of Tarangire National Park, Oliver's Camp is privileged to be the only camp in Tarangire to operate walks inside the Park boundaries. Walking with a guide and a professional park ranger, you learn to interpret the tracks, spoor, calls and other wildlife signatures and enjoy unique wildlife viewing. Roving the land with your senses heightened you become part of the landscape and feel Africa beneath your feet. Fitness level, interests, animal movement, season and the day's temperature will determine the length and route of your walk with the possibility of combining a morning on footwith an afternoon game drive or spending the day on a 6-7 hour walk through the Park. Sip sundowners watching the sun sink below the vast horizon and unwind around the evening fire recounting the days highlights. Overnight Oliver's Camp. [BLD]

DAY 4 :  TARANGIRE TO NGORONGORO
Greet the day with an early morning walking or driving safari exploring more of the Tarangire wilderness zone before bidding goodbye to your friendly camp staff. After driving northward through Tarangire National Park, we stop at the Eselelai Women's Cultural Boma to learn more about the traditional Maasai lifestyle, culture and handcrafts. This venture was established in 1999 with support from the African Wildlife Foundation in an effort to provide conservation based tourism opportunities for disadvantaged women. Today the women of the Boma successfully manage everything from making the handcrafts to running the enterprise. Travel on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Gibb's Farm, your home for the next few days. This historic farmstead brings together the indigenous culture and traditions of the surrounding communities, the beauty of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the history of the Farm itself. The grounds include a 10 acre organic fruit, vegetable and herb garden, numerous farm animals and extensive coffee fields. Stay in one of the newly constructed deluxe cottages with rich wooden floors, wrap around windows, and large soaking tubs. The farm's terraced gardens offer panoramic views toward the Great Rift Escarpment while the back of the property hugs the Ngorogoro Conservation Area. On arrival, leisurely wander through the lush flower and herb gardens with the resident horticulturist or visit with Charles Bies, a traditional third generation Makonde carver who has lived and worked on the Farm since 2002. The lodge's artist-in-residence program has recently expanded to offer other select artists from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda the opportunity to live and work on the farm. Enjoy fresh, healthy, delicious meals featuring many of the ingredients grown on the farm. Overnight Gibb's Farm. [BLD]

	One of many predators in the Ngorongoro Crater, a lioness carries her young cub.

DAY 5 :  NGORONGORO CRATER
Arise early to descend the 2000 foot walls of the Ngorongoro Crater for a day of incredible game viewing inside this World Heritage site. The caldera offers stunning scenery, close viewing opportunities, and high concentrations of wildlife with more than 20,000 animals spread throughout a variety of ecosystems. Under the guidance of your expert ranger look for the rare black rhinoceros, elephant bulls with enormous tusks, and black-maned lions among the wildebeest, Thomson's gazelles, zebra, reedbucks, monkeys, and baboons. Despite the crater's steepness there is a surprising amount of movement of the animals as they seek out the crater's permanent water supply and grazing plains. You may also see local Maasai clad in their traditional red clothing tending their cattle. Savor the awe and beauty of this memorable scene as you enjoy a picnic lunch on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater. (Depending on current park rules you may spend 6 hours or the entire day in the Crater.) Overnight Gibb's Farm. [BLD]

DAY 6 :  ELEPHANT CAVES AND LOCAL MARKET
Take the chance to sleep a bit later or linger over breakfast before hiking through the forest highlands just inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to a majestic 500 foot waterfall. Check out the cave like structures created by elephants when they dig up the earth to ingest the minerals in the soil. Return to the Farm for lunch before going to a local market to mingle with the natives and wander along stalls filled with colorful fabrics, unusual fruits, and daily staples such as rice, beans, and flour. Visit a Karatu school (when in session) and learn about education in a rural Tanzanian village. Consider taking a bit of the afternoon off and indulging in one of the African spa treatments offered at Gibb's Farm (not included). Drawing on Maasai traditions developed over the centuries, these experiences are designed to restore energy and relieve stress. Overnight Gibb's Farm. [BLD]

Days at Suyan Camp often end with a sundowner overlooking the stunning plains of the Serengeti.

DAY 7 :  THE SERENGETI
Restored from a stay at Gibb's Farm, leave the crater highlands behind as your scheduled flight takes you to one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries in the world, the Serengeti National Park. From June to October, we land in a concession bordering the Park and drive to Suyan Camp, located in the Soit Sambu concession bordering the Serengeti. During the months of the migration these seemingly unending plains contain huge numbers of wildebeest and zebra. The area is also famous for its lion, cheetah and hyena which are particularly active during the calving season. In addition, you can expect to see Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, elands, impalas, klipspringers and warthogs. Upon reaching our intimate safari camp, settle into your spacious tent complete with deluxe bedding and en suite bathroom. Enjoy sundowners and a night drive before a delicious dinner under the star studded sky. Note: During the months of December-March Suyan is located near thesoutheastern border of the Serengeti in the Piaya concession, where the herds gather to calve. Historically the Piaya concession has been a fantastic area to spot wild dog, which are extremely rare in Tanzania. During this period you will land in the Serengeti National Park and game drive in the park before heading to Suyan. Overnight at Suyan Camp. [BLD]

	Interact with Maasai warriors on bush walks at Suyan Camp.

DAYS 8-9 :  SUYAN CAMP
Relishing the solitude of the camp's location and the ability to let wildlife activity dictate your schedule, explore the bush by open vehicle and on foot continuing to learn more about the struggle between predator and prey and the habits of lesser known wildlife. We'll drive in both the Soit Sambu concession and in neighboring Serengeti National Park. Unlike a demonstration staged for tourist groups, enjoy personal interaction with the Maasai people as you walk the land with Maasai warriors learning about their way of life or enjoy a spontaneous spear throwing lesson. For those wishing to become even more attuned to the environment, consider a day's walk to a remote area for a night of fly camping. (Must be arranged in advance.) Each evening gather for sundowners overlooking the magnificent Serengeti, and on at least one night, explore the bush in a vehicle armed with a spotlight looking for nocturnal creatures such as bush babies and scrub hares. During December-March game drives will be in the Piaya Concession. Overnights at Suyan Camp. [BLD]

DAY 10 :  DEPARTURE
With enough memories to last a lifetime, board a light aircraft for a spectacular flight over the Serengeti and back to Arusha. Shake off the safari dust, walk in the spacious gardens, take a dip in the pool or simply relax in your day room before transferring to the Kilimanjaro International Airport for your journey home or on to another African destination. Dayroom at Rivertrees Country Inn or similar. [BLD]

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

. C o n t a c t Lyndsay Harshman 1(800)345-4453