Category Archives: Tanzania

DAY 1: ARRIVAL /NAIROBI

JAMBO! Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, you will be met by Classic Journeys Africa Customer Care Representative who will assist you with the transfer to your hotel. Before checking in at hotel, he will brief you on your program ahead and introduce the Driver Guide who will be with you throughout the safari.

Accommodation: Tamarind Tree Hotel

Meals: Breakfast

DAY 2 : LAKE NAIVASHA

This morning, you will depart for lake Naivasha, derived from the Masai name “Nai’posha”, meaning “rough water” in reference to the sudden storms that may come up over the lake, Lake Naivasha covers nearly 139 km²and is surrounded by a marsh of 64 km². Spread around the lake are rich green plains supporting zebra, hartebeest, waterbuck, buffalo, impala, giraffes, monkeys and, at night, hippos. There is also an important bird population (over 300 species of birds) including African fish eagle, osprey, jacana and black rail.

Enjoy a guided walk on Crescent Island situated in the deepest part of Lake Naivasha. The shores of this beautiful piece of paradise host an abundance of bird life and have especially large numbers of pelicans, cormorant and fish eagles. While the island is secure and private it is connected to the mainland and this allows animals to roam freely. See hippos grazing in the cool afternoon air or resting under acacia trees in the heat of day, while giraffe who were born on the island come back to birth their own young. The scenic beauty and sense of freedom in this little park has seen many film makers alight on its shores to film herds of wildebeest, waterbuck and zebra passing through the grassy savannah. Arrive at your camp in time for check in and lunch. Spend your afternoon at leisure.

Accommodation: Naivasha Sopa

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 3 : MAASAI MARA NATIONAL GAME RESERVE

After breakfast, drive to the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve, backdrop to ‘The greatest wildlife spectacle on earth’, the annual migration of over one million wildebeest. Arrive in time for check in and lunch at Loyk Mara Camp.

Your afternoon drive will begin late in the day and conclude just before darkness falls. This is the best time of day to view nocturnal hunters who prepare for their nightly expeditions. Watering holes are also usually busy just before sunset as animals such as hippos return to their resting spots while others congregate to drink before retiring for the night. Keep your camera handy to capture everything from elephants to gazelles and crocodiles to lions.

Masai Mara reserve is in fact the extension in Kenyan territory of the vast Serengeti Park in Tanzania. Together, they constitute a huge ecosystem in which animals move freely. All large African animals are present. Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, impala, Kirk’s dik-dik, bushbuck, topi, buffalo, ellipsen waterbuck, eland and giraffe, all are there. Famous for its rich wildlife, the Masai Mara is home to not only the “Big 5” (elephant, lion, buffalo, rhino and leopard) but also many birds (over 500 species of birds have been recorded). Along the rivers, crocodiles and hippos lie in wait. Composed of vast rolling plains and hills, the Masai Mara is dotted with umbrella thorn acacias and thorny thickets. In the Maa language, Mara means “spotted” and may refer to the colorful landscapes. Alternatively, the name may refer to the arrival of over two million herbivores during the annual migration (wildebeest, gazelles and zebras).

Accommodation: Loyk Mara Camp

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 4 : FULL DAY EXPLORING MAASAI MARA NATIONAL GAME RESERVE

Enjoy a full day exploring morning safari in Masai Mara national park situated at an average altitude of 1650 m, its plains are an ideal landscape for the elegant and sprightly gazelles. Green in the rainy season, the high-growing grass is dry for the rest of the year, offering one a view of eternal Africa. Expect to spot gnu, zebra and their predators (hyena, lion, leopard, wild dog), especially during the migration period between August and September.

Accommodation: Loyk Mara Camp

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 5 : DRIVE TO NAIROBI

After breakfast at the Camp, bid farewell to the Masai Mara as you set on your journey back to Nairobi with picnic lunch boxes. Drive back down the Great Rift Valley to Nairobi, passing the dormant volcano, Mount Longonot, and lakes Elementeita and Naivasha on the way. Keep an eye out for herds of giraffe and gazelle and head up the escarpment. You will arrive in Kenya’s bustling capital city Nairobi in the late afternoon. Drop off at your hotel for late check in. Dinner will be at the Carnivore Restaurant famous for its mouthwatering charcoal grilled barbeque.

Accommodation: Tamarind Tree Hotel

Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 6 : DRIVE TO TSAVO NATIONLA PARK

After breakfast, you will depart for Tsavo West National Park. You will drive through the Nairobi-Mombasa.  Discover the Tsavo West National Park, located about 240 km from Nairobi. Tsavo West is one of the two entities comprising the Tsavo National Park (the largest park in Kenya [20,812 km2] and one of the largest in Africa). Divided into two parts (Tsavo East and Tsavo West) by the railway linking Mombasa to Nairobi, the animals move freely from one part of the park to another. At the heart of this hilly region composed of thick woods and deep forests, abundant wildlife, although often well hidden, can be observed. Over 400 species are present including many water birds such as the knob-billed duck, pied kingfisher and African skimmer. During your safari, you may also encounter many mammals including cheetahs, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, Maasai giraffes and spotted hyenas as well as rarer species such as caracal, kudu and Hunter’s hartebeest. A particular -feature of Tsavo West is undoubtedly the “black-maned lions”, alas very difficult to locate.

Arrive at your camp in time for check in and lunch. Turn up the heat on an afternoon game drive in the Tsavo West National Park. Besides a good selection of wildlife, Tsavo West is also notable for its striking and ancient natural scenery, such as the Mzima Springs where millions of gallons of crystal-clear water gushes out from under parched lava rocks. Rugged and beautiful, the park offers better grazing than its Tsavo East, with belts of riverine vegetation and plains of grassy savannahs

During the game drive, you have a break at spots such as Poacher’s Lookout where you can admire the plains below teeming with wildlife that include the Big Five and many grazing species. Breathe in the fresh African air and admire the views of the sinking sun as day turns to night and the bushland comes alive with the roar of lions as they prepare to hunt out their evening meal. Drive back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 7 : DRIVE TO AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast you will drive through the North-west road via Chyulu hills to Amboseli National Park. Discover the Amboseli National Park, the park derives its name from the Masai word “Empusel”, meaning salty, dusty place. A particular feature of Amboseli is the possibility to take picture postcard photos of elephants against the backdrop of Kilimanjaro. Covering an area of 392 km2 the park is, in addition to elephants, home to numerous animals (giraffe, wildebeest, antelope, buffalo, lion, cheetah, leopard and hyena …) as well as 400 species of birds (pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hamerkop and 47 types of raptor).

Arrive at your lodge in time for check in and lunch. Before leaving for an afternoon game drive in the Amboseli National Park. The park is most famous for its large elephant populations, with the bulls having some of the biggest tusks in the world. From Observation Hill you will have a view of the entire park and especially the swamp areas where buffalo, elephants, hippos and a diversity of water birds come to cool off and refresh themselves. Look out for the shy porcupine who only dares to emerge at sunset. Return back to your lodge for dinner and overnight.

Accommodation: Amboseli Sopa Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 8 : AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK

After you breakfast, you will depart for a morning game drive through Amboseli National Park. This scenic national park lies close to the Tanzanian border at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and is a photographic paradise. Its name comes from the Masai word ‘Empusel’ meaning salty, dusty place as its vast rolling plains are dry and dotted with thorny acacia trees. The Big Five, plains game, crocodiles, giraffe and waterbuck can all be spotted here as well as the famed Amboseli elephants. This is one of the most iconic wildlife reserves in Africa and a must-see on most travelers lists. It is also one of the few places in the world where you will have the privilege of getting up close to free-roaming elephants.

Enjoy an afternoon Maasai visit and get to learn about the traditions and beliefs of an ancient and proud tribe with a visit to a traditional Masai Village. Expect to be warmly greeted and entertained by Masai warriors, resplendent in traditional red robes and beads, as they perform a welcome dance for you.

Accommodation: Amboseli Sopa Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 9 : DRIVE TO LAKE MANYARA

After breakfast, you will drive from Amboseli to Lake Manyara, you will have a stopover Namanga border for immigration process before proceeding with your journey to Arusha Town for hot lunch. Afterwards, continue with your journey to Lake Manyara, set between the cliffs of the Rift Valley and the alkaline lake. If you are lucky you might even spot lions in the trees. Perched in the acacias to better see their prey, the park is famous for these tree climbing lions. It is believed that the lions developed this habit in order to avoid pesky biting flies, but whatever the reason it is a unique sight to behold as well as a likely one on your afternoon game drive as these late night predators take to trees for an afternoon nap. Traverse through the savannahs, marshes and evergreen forests as you seek out elephant, hippo, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and so much more.

Accommodation: Lake Manyara Best View Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 10 : Drive to SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

This morning, you will depart with picnic lunch boxes and drive to the Serengeti via Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Discover the Serengeti National Park. Created in 1951, the Serengeti (from Siringet, meaning “endless plain” in maa, the language of the Maasai) is one of the largest parks in Africa. The Serengeti National Park is home to a considerable wildlife population in all seasons: gazelles, antelopes, giraffes, buffalos, zebras, jackals, warthogs, monkeys all are gathered here. Elephants, hippos, crocodiles are also among the main residents of the park. Over 500 species of birds have been identified including ostriches, bustards and secretary birds. The park is also famous for its many predators: more than a thousand lions, hundreds of cheetahs, many hyenas and some leopards have been recorded. If the lions are more visible near the rivers (especially near the Seronera River), cheetahs and hyenas are more at home in the plains.

Arrive at your camp in time for late check in, dinner and overnight at your camp.

Accommodation: Serengeti Serena Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 11 : SERENGETI SERONERA AREA

Morning safari in the Serengeti National Park. Covered with uninterrupted columns of zebra and gnu during the May migration, the savanna is the permanent home of the spotted hyena and the jackals, which would probably be the first animals you would meet. The spotted hyenas have the habit of digging their territory along the sides of the pathways and the jackals occupy the holes left vacant by the just as powerful vultures.

Unleash your wild side on an afternoon game viewing in the Seronera region of the Serengeti National Park. This area of the Serengeti offers a fantastic abundance of game viewing where it is not difficult to find all of the Big Five on one game drive and waterholes attract animals like magnets. Lion, giraffe and antelope roam freely across the open savannahs, while rhino stay close to the safety of the forest bush, and leopard and cheetah can be caught napping in the branches of acacia trees. As your game drive moves into the early hours of the evening, these predators begin to stalk the plains and large mammals such as buffalo take shelter in riverine vegetation. Fulfil your African safari dreams on the plains of the immense Serengeti while watching vultures feast off carcass remains and beautiful crowned cranes moving regally through the grasslands.

Accommodation: Serengeti Serena Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 12: DRIVE TO NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA

Drive from the Serengeti to Ngorongoro. the sun sparkles on the lush plains of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. This pristine and protected region is simply stunning in the morning as the freshness of a new day brings life to the Ngorongoro Crater, and the immense plethora of animals that take shelter there begin to stir and graze. Within the crater itself there are over 25,000 large animal species and herbivores such as zebra, eland and Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelle can be found in huge herds. The area is also rife with buffalo while elephant and reedbuck roam higher up near the rim of the crater. Bird varieties are extensive and your guide will point out the many varieties that you will come across during your morning game drive while white pelican and greater and lesser flamingo can be admired on Lake Magadi within the crater.

Discover the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Initially incorporated into the Serengeti National Park, the Area is not a National Park. The crater itself covers about 260 km2. A World Heritage Site, it is in fact a caldera, caused by the collapse of a massive volcano nearly 2.5 million years ago. During the descent into the crater you will enjoy a spectacularly panoramic view of the interior of the crater. Even from the top of the crater wall you’ll notice the first large herds as dark spots on the landscape. The crater boasts the largest animal density in Africa with some 20 000 animals including around 55 species of mammals, ostriches, Kori bustards, dwarf flamingos, crowned cranes, zebras, gazelles, warthogs, wildebeest, hartebeest … all are present. Eland, jackal, black rhino and some servals are also among the principal inhabitants. The Ngorongoro Crater is further home to many predators such as hyenas, lions and leopards. Cheetahs, giraffes, hartebeest and impala, however are missing.

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge

Meal Plan: Full Board

DAY 13 : DEPARTURE

This morning, you will bid farewell to the Ngorongoro as you set on your journey back to Arusha. Have a stop-over at Mto Wa Mbu Village for a traditional hot lunch. This enticing little village is situated in the heart of Tanzania’s northern safari circuit where a fusion of cultures, religions, languages and traditions await to be explored. It is the ideal place to learn about Tanzania in a nutshell and offers a variety of experiences to enjoy. Continue with your journey to Arusha. Spend your last minute doing shopping before being dropped off at Kilimanjaro Airport to catch your flight back home.

Say good bye to the wonderful country and promise to join us on another expedition!