Classic Tanzania Brief Itinerary Day 1 Day 2 Day 5 Day 6 Day 10 Day 11 Day 15 Fly Kilimanjaro, Tanzania Manyara Ranch, 3 nights, full-board Ngorongoro Serena, 1 night, full-board Kirurumu Serengeti, 4 nights, full-board Fly Zanzibar, Zanzibar palace, 1 night, B&B Unguja Lodge, 4 nights, half-board Fly home
Day 1 Today you will take the international flight to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Day 2 On arrival in Kilimanjaro you will be met by your private driver guide who will stay with you for the rest of your northern safari and transferred to Lake Manyara to stay at Manyara Ranch for the next 3 nights. Manyara Ranch Conservancy is a little and often overlooked gem in the wildlife corridor between Tarangire and Manyara National Parks. Working with the local Masai communities to protect the migration corridors between Lake Natron, Ngorongoro, Manyara, Tarangire and the Masai lands to the south, this former cattle ranch is a small but rich wilderness area where you can enjoy game drives, walks and horse-riding. Manyara Tented Camp is a traditional camp with six spacious raised safari tents, each with en-suite bathrooms with flush loos and hot and cold running water. They are nicely furnished with large wooden beds and other traditionally made furniture. The dining tent has inside and outside dining areas, as well as a bar and a library where you can relax. You will spend 3 nights at Manyara Ranch Tented Camp on a full-board basis. Day 5 This morning you will drive up into the Ngorongoro Highlands, driving through villages and tea plantations until you reach the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, where you will have lunch. You will then drive into the crater for an afternoon game drive before returning to the crater rim to stay at the Ngorongoro Serena for the night. One of the great wonders of the world, the Ngorongoro Crater is a majestic sight, and a phenomenal natural amphitheatre enclosing some 250km of plains and lakes and an estimated 30,000 animals. It is a popular destination, but ideal for seeing plenty of game and photographing wildlife up close.
The Ngorongoro Serena Lodge is designed to fit discretely into the landscape. Built into the rim of the dormant volcano, the plant- and ivy-covered native stone is gradually blending in with its surroundings, and it s barely visible from the crater floor during game drives. Most of the seventy-five guest rooms - which all face east to welcome the sunrise over the crater - have their own rockenclosed terraces with uninterrupted views of the crater floor. You will spend 1 night at the Ngorongoro Serena on a full-board basis. Day 6 This morning you will drive out of the Ngorongoro Highlands down to the short grass plains of the Serengeti. You will stop for a picnic lunch at the Olduvai Gorge Museum then continue to Kirurumu Serengeti to stay for the next 4 nights. The Serengeti is a remote and wild paradise offering undisturbed wildlife watching that stuns even the most experienced Africa travellers. It is Tanzania's largest National Park and indisputably one of the finest wildlife areas anywhere in Africa with a huge variety of mammals and nearly 500 species of birds. Among the seemingly endless and almost treeless plains, there are a few lodges but the best way of getting the feel of the Serengeti is staying in a mobile camp and exploring the different areas with your own personal guide. The best way to get the real feeling of Africa and the bush is to camp under canvas. The Kirurumu tented camp moves around the Serengeti to areas where the game is most prolific. The small, luxury camp gives you the feel of being right in the heart of it, with all the comforts of a proper bed and being looked after by friendly and professional staff. The tents are tastefully furnished with comfortable, wooden twin beds with thick soft mattresses, pillows, blankets and crisp white sheets. All the lights in the tents work off solar-charged batteries so there is no noisy generator and the hot water for the
bucket safari style shower is heated over the fire. The en suite bathroom also has a chemical flush toilet, a jug of water for washing and bottled mineral water for teeth brushing and drinking. You will spend 4 nights at Kirurumu Serengeti on a full-board basis. Day 10 This morning you will fly to Arusha then onto Zanzibar where you will stay in Stone Town at Zanzibar Palace for the night. Stone Town is a muddle of tiny streets, intricately carved woodwork, huge brass studded doors and overhanging balconies. Wandering through these winding back streets you will come face to face with the daily hubbub of Stone Town life, passing spice sellers, tailors and mosques. Many of the older buildings have become quite dilapidated, although efforts are now being made to restore them, but this only adds to the atmosphere. Zanzibar Palace Hotel is a small hotel in the heart of Stone Town. The once fire-gutted ruin has been lovingly restored to a home worthy of a spice-trading sultan with lots of character, and tasteful authentic Arabian, English and Indian decor. The tall thin building wraps around an atrium, and has just three rooms on each of the three floors (nine in total). Each of the spacious bedrooms, two of which are suites, are decorated in true Zanzibari style with colourful silks and Persian rugs, majestic beds and lattice work shutters, and each has a well-equipped bathroom. You will spend 1 night at Zanzibar Palace on a B&B basis.
Day 11 This morning you will be transferred to the south west coast to stay at Unguja lodge for the next 4 nights. 'Unguja' is the traditional Swahili name for Zanzibar Island and Unguja Lodge lies on the remote south-west coast, near the fishing village of Kizimkazi, wonderful for sunsets being on the west coast, and personal and friendly. The lodge is set up on a small cliff with steps down to the tidal beach. It's a great area for dolphins which at the right time of year you may see from your deck, and you may also see monkeys. There are 11 huge open villas, unusual in design with large white walls built in sweeping curves with makuti (thatched) roofs. Nearly all the materials have been locally sourced and the fittings and furniture are nearly all made with the lovely coconut wood. The large swimming pool is central with the rooms and a simple bar and restaurant set around it. It's the ideal place to get away from the world, and relax and unwind, though there are various activities on offer to keep total idleness in check. There is a small water sports centre and you can go scuba diving, snorkelling and dhow cruises You will spend 4 nights at Unguja on a half-board basis. Day 15 Today you will fly to Dar es Salaam where you will check in for your flight home. ***********