12 Days Tanzania Adventure Safari Combined Zanzibar

12 Days Tanzania Adventure Safari Combined Zanzibar

Day 1:

Arrive anytime at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). There will be a private transfer arranged from the Airport to Arusha at Lake Duluti Lodge, where the rest of the day is at leisure. We stay at Lake Duluti Lodge, which is beautifully located on the slope of Mt. Meru and is a perfect place to prepare for your adventure. We will gather in the evening at the hotel for a pre-safari briefing and an equipment check. Dinner and overnight at Lake Duluti Lodge.

Day 2:

Today we drive to Tarangire National Park, for excellent game viewing. Tarangire is a small park which offers some excellent sights. Generally, in the dry seasons, Tarangire comes alive as wildlife and birdlife congregate on the Tarangire River, which is a permanent source of water. We spend the night in our lodge beautifully set outside the park with stunning views and a unique atmosphere. Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Escarpment Luxury Lodge. All meals included.

Day 3:

Start off early with your bushman guide to meet a group of resident Hadzabe people. Enjoy the Hadzabe Tour walking into the bush with the only hunter-gatherers remaining in the East African region. The Hadzabe speak a click-based language and move their encampments with the seasonal movements of the wildlife. Your guide is a member of the group and teaches you more about how they hunt, track wildlife, make fire and even take honey from bee’s nests before introducing you to his people and explaining a little more about the customs and the way of life. In the afternoon we travel to the Maasai market where you will have the opportunity to get the spectacular photos you want. Dinner and overnight at Lake Eyasi Luxury Safari Lodge. All meals included.

Day 4:

We head towards the Serengeti National Park. En route, there is an opportunity to visit Olduvai Gorge. It is within this steep-sided ravine that Louis and Mary Leakey made some of the world’s most important archaeological discoveries in the 1950s. Here is a small museum we are able to see evidence of our ancestors that have been dated back 2.5 million years. After lunch, we drive into the Serengeti itself and the rest of the afternoon is spent game viewing in the vast plains that are broken only by stands of acacia trees and the occasional kopje. In December, January and February we will normally meet the migration with large herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle. There are always plenty of resident animals, such as giraffe, buffalo, and elephant, and many large predators such as lion, cheetah, and leopard. We return to our special tented camp for the night. Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Bush Tented Camp. All meals included.

Day 5:

We have another full day in Serengeti National Park, rising early to make the most of our time. Our guides will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year; we can spend time at the Hippo pool watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water happily living alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, be in the middle of the migration, sometimes surrounded by wildebeest, sometimes by zebras, which travel with the wildebeest. We journey from the wide-open plains to the kopjes: these volcanic rocky outcrops provide protection and shelter for a wide variety of animals and from the top, we can look out across the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing, we will hopefully see all of the plain games; elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lions and if you are lucky the elusive leopard and cheetah, as well as huge amounts of interesting birdlife, from the elegant secretary birds to the flightless ostrich. We return to our special tented camp for the night. Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Bush Tented Camp. All meals included.

Day 6:

We start the day with an early morning game drive before heading to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ngorongoro is a special place in that it is a Conservation Area, not a National Park; this means that the whole area is managed for both the animals and the local Masai people who graze their cattle alongside the indigenous wildlife. During the drive-in Ngorongoro, we have a chance to glimpse something of the Masai way of life. After stopping at the entrance gate, where there is a chance to learn more about this fascinating volcanic landscape, we will drive around the rim of the Crater itself, and from here we can look down and see the herd of wildebeest or buffalos. Finally, we descend into the crater. The crater walls provide a natural sanctuary for the animals, which means there is plenty to see: lions, elephants, buffalo, rhino and leopard (if you are lucky). The only animal you won’t see in here is a giraffe, whose long legs are unable to cope with the steeps sides of the crater. In the late afternoon, we travel back to our special tented camp. Dinner and overnight at Lake Ndutu Luxury Lodge. All meals included.

Day 7:

Today we will descend 2000 feet (over 600 meters) to the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater for your crater tour. Here we will explore the forest areas inhabited by monkeys and elephants, the lake area, where we may see flamingos. We will also visit the open savannah where the lions hunt. Picnic lunch will be served in the crater. In the late afternoon, we make a short journey to Lake Manyara at Escarpment Luxury Lodge. Dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Escarpment Luxury Lodge. All meals included.

Day 8:

We depart from your lodge and proceed to Lake Manyara National Park. Although small in size, this park is one of the most diverse reserves in the country. Lake Manyara covers two-thirds of the park. At the backdrop is the wall of the Great Rift Valley, before which lies the groundwater forest, areas of open grassland near the lake foreshore, and the Soda Lake. We enjoy a picnic lunch in this area, which consists of open grassy areas, hot springs, dense woodlands, and steep mountainsides. Lake Manyara National Park is a birding paradise that has more than 350 species of bird. The park is also famed for its unique and elusive tree-climbing lions. After lunch, we drive straight to Kilimanjaro International Airport for the afternoon flight to Zanzibar. On arrival at Zanzibar Airport, you will meet us at the arrival point of the airport and there will be a pick up private transfer to Fumba Beach. Dinner and overnight at Fumba Beach Lodge.

Day 9:

Your program starts with a morning visit by the walk on our Historical Stone Town Tour. This tour takes you through fabled Stone Town, where history appears to stand still. With visits to the House of Wonders, the Palace Museum (People’s Palace) and the Arab Fort amongst others, it is a fascinating look at the essence of Zanzibar. You will see Zanzibar’s bustling market, winding alleyways, ornately carved and studded doors, two cathedrals and countless mosques! Dinner and overnight at Fumba Beach Lodge.

Day 10:

Today you go on an excursion to the Spice and Fruit Plantations close to Stone town for the famous Spice Tour. We have developed a special Spice Tour with in-depth information not only about spices but also organically grown herbs and a detailed description of their traditional uses in medicine cosmetics and cooking. After the tour, we invite for an opulent lunch at our guides’ home, where you can taste the spices and fruits. After lunch, we take you to your beach resort. On the way, you pass Jozani Forest, the last habitat of the rare endemic Red Colobus Monkey. With a local guide, you stroll through Jozani Chwaka National Park and look at the rare monkeys. If you wish you can even wander down the boardwalk to the fascinating Mangrove Ecosystem. Dinner and overnight at Fumba Beach Lodge.

Day 11:

One day you go to an excursion to Kizimkazi for Swimming with Dolphins. Situated on the southern point of the island, Kizimkazi fishing village is home to several schools of bottle-nosed dolphins and Humpback dolphins, which can often be sighted following a short boat trip from the village. If you are lucky, you may be able to swim quite close to the dolphins, which can be a very rewarding experience. We are doing this trip in the afternoon to avoid the crowds of tourists in the morning, which in big numbers disturbing the dolphins. Dinner and overnight at Fumba Beach Lodge.

Day 12:

Depending on your flight schedule and departure point you will be transferred to the Zanzibar Airport to take a flight back home. If you are flying out of Dar es Salaam or Nairobi, we will arrange a connection flight for you to catch your flight back home.

Price:

USD 3,650 per person (at least 2 persons), contact us for Single Supplement and extra nights extension.

Discounted rates are used for persons under 16 years (will be calculated after your request).

Price includes:

Full board accommodation whilst on safari in the above mentioned en suite tented camps and lodges

Private safari guide

Private 4 x 4 safari jeep with pop up roof for game viewing

Transfers in both directions between the International Airport

Park & Crater fees

All meals whilst on safari

Flight tickets from Kilimanjaro Airport to Zanzibar

Airport Arrival/Departure Meet and Greets at the airport

On safari – Vehicles equipped with ice chest with mineral water, wildlife guidebooks.

Government taxes, VAT and service charges relating to accommodation and included meals

Pick up and drop off from any hotel in Arusha

Lodging during the nights of the safari (double occupancy)

Safari vehicle and personal driver/guide

All Transfers in Arusha & Zanzibar

Airfare from Zanzibar (ZNZ) back to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK)

Price excludes:

All items of a personal nature

Gratuities for safari guide and lodge staff ( please tip separately)

Any domestic connection flights on arrival or departure

Travel insurance if needed

Visa fee ( 50 US$ /100 US$ for American or Irish Passport holders – to be paid upon arrival)

Drinks and beverages in lodges

Increase in park fees or other charges beyond our control

NOTE:

Depending on your budget and requirements, the itinerary can be altered to make use of a different standard of accommodation

There are various Kenya safari options that can be booked in conjunction with this itinerary as an add-on package