safari in style Deeper Tanzania: Northern Migration

Transcription

1 Deeper Tanzania: Northern Migration DAY BY DAY ITINERARY safari in style OVERVIEW: DEEPER TANZANIA Jack Stein In the cool morning air, just after the sun has risen, the savanna lands of Tanzania come alive. Colorful lilac-breasted rollers sing their songs, as herds of zebra wake to graze on the green grasses. Lions survey the plains from rocky outcrops, while leopards lounge in the trees. Hyenas cackle. A herd of elephants, heading down to the watering hole for a drink, may cross right in front of your vehicle. Experience a richer taste of the quintessential Tanzanian safari as you travel through the three great national parks that make up Tanzania s world famous Northern Circuit. Begin in Tarangire National Park, known as the place of elephants, before making your way to Ngorongoro Crater where countless species are easily spotted in the caldera. Finally, conclude your journey in the Serengeti where big cats are king and wildebeest roam across the open plains. Embrace the majesty and excitement of the wilderness, while remaining comfortable in stylish camps and lodges. Safaris in Style with Deeper Africa Safaris in Style are a true African original. Camps set in remote and unique ecosystems where the wildlife is spectacular. Lodges where service standards are high, food is elegant, and the decor is unique. No humans for miles, just endless plains and meandering channels. Learn by going, seeing, and doing an expert guide by your side. Do it once; do it right. Be in the best camps, have the best guides. Returned transformed, having come face to face with some of the world s most captivating wildlife.

2 DAY 1 MACHWEO RETREAT ARUSHA Machweo Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport. A Deeper Africa driver will be waiting for you. Look for him holding a sign with your name on it after you clear customs. Enjoy the short drive to Arusha, Tanzania. If the weather is right, you may catch a glimpse of the legendary Mount Kilimanjaro on your way. You ll be overnighting at the Machweo on the outskirts of Arusha. Machweo is renowned for its stylish accommodations and great cuisine. In addition to serving top notch cuisine, the kitchen at Machweo serves as a training ground for local Tanzanian youth, many of whom lived on the streets before joining chef Axel Jansen s program. Over years of guidance and training, students learn skills inside and out of the kitchen in order to survive and thrive as independent adults. After completing their training at Machweo, the students have the skills to earn and retain jobs as chefs at top establishments in the safari industry. Wifi

3 DAY 2 LITTLE OLIVER S CAMP TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK Asilia Africa Asilia Africa at Machweo. Drive out after breakfast to Tarangire National Park. Search for wildlife and have a picnic lunch, as you travel into the wilds of Tarangire toward Little Oliver s Camp. This area of the park is an unspoiled wilderness far away from other lodges or camps. Off road game driving, walking safaris, and night game drives are allowed in this area. We ll make sure you experience all of them. Tarangire is famous for elephants. It boasts one of the largest and most conspicuous elephant populations in East Africa. Elephants live in close knit family groups. You ll observe unique elephant behavior along the Tarangire River where many elephant families come together. In Tarangire, you ll never go without seeing zebra, water buck, warthogs, giraffe, dik diks, Thompson s gazelle, buffalo, hartebeest, baboons, and vervet monkeys. The big cats, particularly lions and leopards, love the large spaces and hidden places created by the rolling savanna in this park. Alcohol & Beverages At the end of the day, you ll be introduced to a wonderful safari tradition: sundowners (drinks at sundown). Because you are close to the equator, sunsets are quick, but brilliant.

4 DAY 3 LITTLE OLIVER S CAMP TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK Today you ll have the unique opportunity to leave your Land Cruiser behind and share the earth with Tarangire s wildlife on a walking safari. Walking safaris are guided by experienced in-residence walking guides. An armed ranger also accompanies the walks. Animals are usually spotted on walking safaris, however the goal is not to get as close as possible to the wildlife, but rather to observe their natural undisturbed behavior. Walking guides are the bush equivalent of behavioral psychologists for large mammals. They monitor the atmospherics of each situation to make sure guests stay up-wind literally of any trouble. Tarangire contains a range of ecosystems: from grassland and woodlands in the north, to scrub and wetlands further south. After the rainy season when water is scarce, herds will concentrate around Tarangire s water sources. Large numbers of zebras make up the majority of the herds in Tarangire. Wildebeests, buffalo, and antelope are also found here. Alcohol & Beverages After dinner join your safari guide for a night game drive out into the bush to explore Tarangire s nocturnal world. Take your seat in the Land Cruiser as your guide breaks out the spotlight for viewing some nocturnal animals. This is a good opportunity for viewing leopard, civet, genet, and mongoose. Robert Wheeler

5 DAY 4 GIBB S FARM NGORONGORO CRATER Asilia Africa Spend one last morning in Tarangire catching a final glimpse of one of its resident elephants or zebra before beginning the drive to the Ngorongoro Crater area. You ll take a picnic lunch from Little Oliver s Camp. Note the changes in vegetation as you begin the climb up the slopes towards the Ngorongoro Crater area. The savannas disappear into lush, tropical vegetation. Ngorongoro is an extinct volcano whose slopes are lined with coffee plantations and flora which thrive on volcanic soil. By mid-afternoon, you ll arrive at Gibb s Farm where you will spend the next two nights. After you get settled, staff will be ready to take you on a guided walk through Gibb s Farm s expansive gardens and out into some of the coffee fields. Develop a better understanding of what s involved with coffee farming, village life, and tending to Gibb s Farm s vegetable gardens. Gibb s Farm grows its own vegetables and herbs which are used in its kitchens. Other ingredients are sourced from local suppliers. Fresh variety is the kitchen s motto. Alcohol & Beverages Tonight, enjoy the special farm to table dinner planned for you by the chefs at Gibb s Farm.

6 DAY 5 GIBB S FARM NGORONGORO CRATER After breakfast, drive to the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. As you enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, you will begin to see Maasai enkangs. The Maasai are the only people allowed to live in the Conservation Area. They enjoy special tribal rights to the land, which allows them to live a pastoral lifestyle which coexists amongst the wildlife. Morning is a special time in the natural world, with dawn bringing a wave of activity. The Crater ecosystem showcases an astonishing microcosm of East African wildlife environments: grasslands, wetlands, acacia forest, and soda lake environments. At the right time of day, beautiful flocks of flamingos can be seen wading in the soda lake. Alcohol & Beverages Have a picnic lunch in the vast Ngorongoro Crater, which is an expansive environment inside an extinct volcano. The Crater floor is mostly grasslands, providing excellent wildlife visibility and a wonderful opportunity for photography. Zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and gazelle mingle together, while herds of buffalo graze the long grass areas. Bull elephants and rhino are often seen feeding in green marshes, as are plentiful hyena. The lakes and marshes are home to exotic waterfowl. Hippos lounge in the water holes, and it is not uncommon to see lions. You may have your first cheetah sighting in the Crater, as the mini savanna supports these predators.

7 DAY 6 NAMIRI PLAINS CAMP SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK Asilia Africa Today you will make your way from Tanzania s Crater highlands to the world famous Serengeti. You ll first journey across the savannas of the Ngorongoro Conservation area and onto the plains that the wildebeest herds traverse in migration season. On the way, you ll stop for lunch to visit the famous Leakey digs at Oldupai Gorge. Here, the Leakey family successfully excavated some of the oldest humanoid skeletons ever discovered. Once you enter the Serengeti, you will begin wildlife viewing, traveling the distance to Namiri Plains Camp. It won t take long to get to the eastern Serengeti -- a section of the Serengeti closed to the world for over 20 years. The Frankfurt Zoological Society has been tending this area, working to create a safe haven for cheetah. Their efforts have not only significantly increased habitat for cheetah, but also for all predators. Sundowners Alcohol and Beverages This is big cat country with the highest density of cheetah in East Africa. Namiri means big cats in Swahili, and the name fits this beautiful region of the Serengeti. Namiri Plains Camp is the only camp in this region for miles, so you ll have the unique experience of having the Serengeti virtually to yourself. This is a world where cheetahs fly across the plains in pursuit of prey, leopards hunt beyond the sight of human eyes, and lions rule the grasslands. While the big cats own it, the little cats, including caracals, servals, and African wild cats, definitely make their presence known.

8 DAY 7 NAMIRI PLAINS CAMP SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK Rob Wheeler In this Namiri sector of the Serengeti, the Ngare Nanyuki underground river creates pockets of permanent water that support year round concentrations of wildlife. That means easy prey available throughout the year. Wildlife in this area is some of the densest on the African continent and includes substantial populations of plains game such as buffalo, giraffe, and warthog, as well as a wide range of antelope species, including dik dik, bushbuck, waterbuck, eland, impala, and topi. Of course, where there s prey there are also predators, particularly big cats. Alcohol and Beverages

9 DAY 8 SAYARI SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK You ll be moving north today where you ll enter the range of the great Serengeti migration. The annual migration is what makes the Serengeti famous. The word Serengeti comes from the Maasai language. It means endless plains. This is land as it was in the beginning: no fences, no settlements just a perennial migration of wildlife that stretches over a thousand miles. This protected area includes territory in both Tanzania and Kenya, and forms one of the world s largest wildlife refuges. The herds gather on the Tanzanian side of the ecosystem from sometime in November or December through July. The migration includes vast herds of wildebeest, but also zebra and Thomson s gazelle. Wildebeest are well-suited to harvest the short grasses that cover the semi-arid plains of the Serengeti. The soils of this region have an underlying hard pan covered by a fertile layer of volcanic soil. Grass growing in this soil is highly nutritious, taking up nutrients trapped by the hard pan. We ll have you there for the greatest wildlife show on the planet. Sundowners Tanganyika Wilderness Camps DEEPER TANZANIA

10 DAY 9 SAYARI SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK Asilia Africa You ll head out onto the endless Serengeti plains today to give you time among the vast herds. Alone on the Serengeti, surrounded by more animals than your spirit has ever encountered. The experience is truly sublime. Sundowners Alcohol and Beverages

11 DAY 10 MACHWEO RETREAT INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT There s time this morning for your last game drive, if you choose. Be ready to depart for the bush strip by mid-morning. Say goodbye to your Deeper Africa guide at the Serengeti bush strip. He ll be driving the Land Cruiser back to Arusha. There will be a day room waiting for you at Machweo. You ll have time to relax and eat dinner before transferring to Kilimanjaro Airport for your international flight home. International Flight #1 Departs: Kilimanjaro, Tanzania Arrives: TBD DAY 11 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT Intentional Flight #2 Depart: TBD Arrives: TBD

12 ADDITIONAL SAFARI INFORMATION IN YOUR SAFARI Full board accommodations in all lodges and tented camps All meals as specified in itinerary All park and entrance fees Wildlife viewing in private 4x4 safari Land Cruisers 2018 Pricing $8,799 - $12,799 Experienced and professional safari naturalist guides Natural Learning Program All in-country transportation, including bush flights Enrollment with Flying Doctors Evacuation Service - available at some camps and lodges Alcohol and certain beverages in some camps Beverages in 4x4 vehicles Bottled water available at all times Extensive pre-departure briefing and materials including health information, reading list, and map EXCLUDED IN YOUR SAFARI Gratuities Alcohol and certain beverages in some camps 2017 CUSTOM PRICING & DEPARTURES Northern Serengeti June 6 guests: $9,399 USD per person 4 guests: $9,799 USD per person 2 guests: $11,199 USD per person Single supplement: $2,449 USD July 6 guests: $10,999 USD per person 4 guests: $11,399 USD per person 2 guests: $12,799 USD per person Single supplement: $3,499 USD We plan your wildlife adventures in areas where wildlife habitats are known to exist for the season and time you are traveling. Still, animals in the areas you are viewing are not in a zoo. They run freely, and we cannot always anticipate their movements. October 6 guests: $10,699 USD per person 4 guests: $11,099 USD per person 2 guests: $12,499 USD per person Single supplement: $3,399 USD Also, Deeper Africa uses best efforts to provide the lodging set out in this itinerary, but occasionally there are circumstances that occur in East Africa that require lodging substitutions. We reserve the right to make comparable lodging substitutions whenever necessary. November Best Value 6 guests: $8,799 USD per person 4 guests: $9,099 USD per person 2 guests: $10,499 USD per person Single supplement: $1,999 USD All pricing is in US dollars. All arrivals and departures are through Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania. Prices do not include international airfare. safaris in style 5353 Manhattan Circle, Suite 202 Boulder, Colorado fx