Gems of Tanzania Safari classic safari DAY 1 TRAVEL DAY INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT DAY 2 KARAMA LODGE ARUSHA It's All about the Wildlife Wilderness, great guides, great wildlife, no humans. We ll get you to the right places in the right seasons. That s what a great safari is all about. Learn animal identification, wildlife tracking, and spotting wildlife in the landscape. Accomodations are comfortable and the food is good. Pickup at Kilimanjaro Airport by Deeper Africa guide after clearing customs. He will have a sign with your name on it. Your guide will transport you to Karama Lodge for an overnight. Overnight at Karama Lodge. Adjust to the rhythms of life in Africa and life in the natural world. Arise with the birds or when you wish. We ll make sure the wildlife is always ready. Come with us. Discover the brilliance and serenity of Africa in the company of experts who can give you a closer look, a richer taste, and a deeper understanding of an astonishing landscape. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 1
DAY 3 TARANGIRE RIVER LODGE TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK Breakfast at Karama Lodge. Drive out after breakfast for Tarangire National Park, arriving at the park before lunch. Check in at Tarangire River Lodge with lunch served in camp. Full afternoon for wildlife viewing in Tarangire. Your next nine days include in-depth opportunities to learn animal identification, wildlife tracking, and spotting wildlife in the landscape in the company of a Deeper Africa naturalist. As well, your Deeper Africa guide will begin to introduce you to East Africa conservation issues including: human wildlife conflicts, poaching conflicts and controls, as well as communityinvolvement in wildlife conservation. Tarangire is famous for elephants. It boasts one of the largest and most conspicuous elephant populations in Africa. Between the Tarangire River and the southern swamps there is ample water yar round to grow food for these huge creatures. Elephants eat 220 to 440 pounds (100 to 200 kgs) a day, depending on their size. There are large family groups with many calves being born each year. You will see herds of elephants, and gain up-close contacts with matriarchs, babies, teenagers, and bulls. Spend several hours surrounded by the herds, and you cannot help but feel their wisdom. While wildlife viewing you ll have a cool box in your Land Cruiser stocked with water and your favorite sodas. Dinner and overnight at Tarangire River Lodge. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 2
DAY 4 TARANGIRE RIVER LODGE TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK Breakfast at Tarangire River Lodge. Full day of wildlife viewing as scheduled with your guide. Plan your day with your guide, but consider getting a picnic lunch from the lodge and spending a full day out in the park. Tarangire contains a range of ecosystems: from grassland and woodlands in the north, to scrub and wetlands further south. This mix of habitat is incredibly diverse and not found anywhere else in northern Tanzania. This means a great deal of different species of animals for viewing. Tarangire is Tanzania's sixth largest park. The Tarangire River cuts through the park and empties into Lake Burunge in the west. As water sources dry up in the park after the end of the rainy season, animals migrate to the only permanent water available - the Tarangire River and the Silale Swamp system. So in Tarangire you'll never go without seeing zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, warthogs, giraffee, did 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 savannah. But, this is not the best habitat for cheetah veiwing as they can not get up enough speed on the rolling savannah. Just wait until you get to the Serengeti. Tarangire is famous for its giant baobab trees They have massive trunks with crooked branches that give them otherworldly appearances. Baobabs lives at least 600 years with carbon dating suggesting some can live at least 3,000 years. Local people subscribe mystical qualities to baobabs because they have such a long life. Dinner and overnight at Tarangire River Lodge. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 3
DAY 5 KIRURUMU MANYARA LODGE LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK Breakfast at Tarangire River Lodge and then head out for the drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Setting against the Rift escarpment is Manyara s evergreen groundwater forest. While it looks like a rainforest, not enough rainfall occurs to sustain this forest. Rather, mineral springs seeping through porous volcanic soil provide most of the water for the huge mahogany, tamarind, wild date palms, croton, sausage trees, and strangling figs In additional to the evergreen groundwater forest, the park also contains a variety of ecosystems including acacia woodland, grassy plains, a swampy fan delta, and, of course, the lake. This variety attracts a wide variety of mammal, bird, and wildlife species. Manyara is home to tree climbing lions. This adapation is unusual for these big cats. Flocks of flamingos are attracted to the large amounts of algae in the lake s soda environment while the forest areas attract large flocks of pelicans, storks, herons, ibis, and egrets. Bird watching is spectacular at Manyara, with over 380 bird species recorded. As well, the primate viewing which includes blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, and very active baboon troops is quite enjoyable. Buffalo, impala, giraffe, bushbuck, waterbuck, hippos, and lots of elephants roam near the lake. There are sightings of klipspringers on the rocky escarpments on the southern side of the rift wall. Dinner and overnight at Kirurumu Manyara Lodge. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 4
DAY 6 SERENGETI SOPA SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK Breakfast at Kirurumu Manyara Lodge. Head out after breakfast for the drive to Serengeti National Park. Picnic lunch at Olduvai Gorge while you stop to visit the famous Leakey digs. The Rift Valley was home to the first humans, and the Leakey family has successfully excavated some of the oldest humanoid skeletons ever discovered. Many people believe that Olduvai is the birth place of humanity. You ll visit the onsite museum and hear a short lecture about the gorge from the resident anthropologist. Once you enter the Serengeti you will begin wildlife viewing traveling the distance to Serengeti Sopa. The word Serengeti is derived from the Maasai language, meaning endless plain. This vast savannah grass land extends northward into the Maasai Mara in Kenya for over five thousand square miles of land, forming one of the world s largest wildlife refuges. This is land as it was in the beginning: no fences, no settlements, just a perennial migration of wildlife. In a journey that reaches back through time, these herds of animals follow the seasonal rains, traveling from the Serengeti into the Mara instinctually moving with the seasonal rainfalls. The annual migration is what makes the Serengeti famous. The herds gather on the Tanzanian side of the ecosystem from sometime in November or December through early July. The migration includes vast herds of wildebeest, but also zebra and Thomson s gazelle. The herds steadily move southward through April or May when the seasonal rains cause them to turn and begin the journey back northward toward the Maasai Mara. Wildebeest are well suited to harvest the short grasses that cover the semiarid plans 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. Arrive at Serengeti Sopa in the afternoon for dinner, and overnight. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 5
DAY 7 SERENGETI SOPA SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK Set your wildlife viewing schedule for the day as you choose with your guide. Park permits allow you wildlife viewing from 6 am to 6 pm. You'll be wildlife viewing in the central Serengeti around the famous Seronera River. Seronera is actually a network of perennial rivers that merge into the valley, so there is year round water. The river marks the boundary between the sweet grass plains of the southern Serengeti and the wooded hills of the north. That means there are plant, animal, and bird species from both different habitats in this area. Many animals congregate around the permanent water source, living their whole lifetime in this large valley. Seronera is one of the richest ecosystems in the Serengeti with good wildlife viewing throughout the year. The Serengeti always ranks as the #1 place on the planet to view wildlife with Seronera being the best of the best. Seronera has phenomenal concentrations of game all year round. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Serengeti Sopa. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 6
DAY 8 SERENGETI SOPA SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK Full day of wildlife viewing as scheduled with your guide. Wildlife populations double during the migration season, but that still means that resident wildlife populations are some of the densest on the African continent. They include substantial populations of plain s game including buffalo, giraffe, and warthog; as well as a wide range of antelope species including dik dik, bushbuck, waterbuck, eland, impala, and topi. With so many prey animals available all year round, predators can manage smaller territories. This really is the best area of the Serengeti to view all of the big cats including lion, leopard, and cheetah. Unlike the migration herds, predators are territorial, remaining in their home territory all year long. There are actually twelve different lion prides living within 4 wheel driving distance of the river. Not to be forgotten, the smaller cats such as caracals, servals, and African wild cats, definitely make their presence known. Seronera or siron means bat eared fox in local language, another small predator that roams in this large valley area. The Serengeti is primate cheetah country, generally accepted as the best place on earth to view these predators. Cheetah do not live in prides, being much more solitary. You usually see cheetah hunting alone, but you can frequently see brothers hunting together or a mother training cubs how to hunt. There have been many cheetah births within the last few years. A cheetah mother usually has between 3 and 5 cubs, with only 2 to 3 of them reaching maturity. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Serengeti Sopa GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 7
DAY 9 NGORONGORO FARM HOUSE NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA Breakfast at Serengeti Sopa. Pack up and begin the drive into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with your wildlife viewing continuing as you leave the Serengeti. Picnic lunch along the way. As you enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area you will begin to see Maasai enkangs ( homesteads ). The Maasai enjoy special land use in the Conservation Area which allows them to live their traditional pastoral lifestyle, coexisting amongst the wildlife. There is substantial wildlife in the Conservation Area so your cultural views will be mixed with wildlife observation. Note the changes in vegetation as you begin the climb up the slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater. The savannahs disappear into lush, more tropical vegetation, including vast coffee plantations. Ngorongoro National Park begins on the Crater Rim and the vast exploded caldera is at the bottom of the Crater. Even though it is parkland the Maasai are still allowed to graze their cattle in the Crater. You will often see young herders and their cattle moving in the morning and evening hours. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Farm House. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 8
DAY 10 NGORONGORO FARM HOUSE NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA Breakfast at Ngorongoro Farm House. The Crater is an expansive wildlife environment inside an extinct volcano. The view from the Crater Rim is spectacular so stop at one of the view points after you reach the Crater rim at 7,500 feet (2286 meters). The Crater floor contains five different ecosystems. There are grasslands, pools and marshes, a soda lake, and forest. This is what makes the Crater such a special place for wildlife lovers, as there is a tremendous species diversity. Many of these animals live their whole life at the bottom of this intact caldera. Visibility is excellent as much of the Crater is made up of grasslands. Zebra, wildebeest, and gazelle mingle together, while herds of buffalo graze the long grass areas. Bull elephants and rhino are often seen feeding in green marshes, and there are plenty of hyenas. Hippos lounge in the water holes and it is not uncommon to see lions. Flamingos settle on the soda lake at certain times of the day. The Crater is one of the few places in Tanzanai that there are rhino. It is the most endangered animal in Tanzania. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Farm House. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 9
DAY 11 KIA LODGE ARUSHA Breakfast at Ngorongoro Farm House. Begin your journey back to Arusha after breakfast. You'll arrive in the early afternoon for lunch at the Shanga River House. Learn more about the great work being done by Shanga Project @ www.shanga.org. Shopping for craft items or sightseeing in Arusha town after lunch. All of the glass beads used for crafts by Shanga come from recycling wine bottles from the safari camps and lodges. Check in for a day room at Kia Lodge by mid-afternoon. The afternoon is for packing, showering, and relaxing. Early dinner at Kia Lodge. Pickup for transport to the Kiliminjaro Airport for your international flight. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 10
A D D IT IO N A L SAFARI INFORMAT IO N INCLUDED IN YO UR SAF AR I Full board accommodations in all lodges and tented camps All meals included in itinerary Unlimited game drives in private 4x4 safari Land Cruisers All park and entrance fees Experienced and professional safari naturalist guides Natural Learning program Enrollment with Flying Doctors Evacuation Service All in-country transportation Laundry available at some lodges and camps Beverages in your 4x4 safari vehicle Bottled water available at all times Extensive pre-departure briefing and materials including health information, reading list and map EXCLUDED FROM YOUR SAFARI Alcohol and some beverages in some camps and lodges Gratuities 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. 2016 & 2017 GROUP DEPARTURE DATES November 1-12, 2016 March 22 - April 4, 2017 2016 GROUP DEPARTURE PRICIN G 2-6 persons $5,499 USD per person Single supplement $499 USD 2016 CUSTOM DEP ARTURE D ATES Schedule as you wish January through March and June through December. 2016 CUSTOM DEPARTURE PRICIN G 6 persons $5,299 USD per person 2-4 persons $6,299 USD per person Single supplement $799 USD *Pricing based on peak season pricing. Call us for green season and shoulder season pricing. Arrivals and departures out of Kilimanjaro International Airport. Prices do not include international air travel. 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. GEMS OF TANZANIA 888.658.7102 12