On this tour, two of the greatest safari experiences in Africa await you. We’ve minimised the transportation time, so you get to enjoy as much safari time as possible, but you still get to experience both Serengeti AND the Ngorongoro Crater.
From Kilimanjaro Airport, you fly to Serengeti, where you spend three nights at a wild camp. The camp is located in the midst of the Serengeti plain, and you almost don’t need to leave the comfort of your tent to experience the nature and wildlife.
It goes without saying that you do leave your tent! In the days to come, you will be going on safari on the vast plain, where wonderful animal and nature experiences await.
From Serengeti, the tour heads to the Ngorongoro Crater. You travel there by car, so it’s almost like one long game drive all day.
Both Serengeti and Ngorongoro are UNESCO World Heritage Sites – though they differ greatly! Look forward to the sight that greets you as you leave Serengeti’s flat grasslands and drive in towards the Ngorongoro Crater. The contrast is almost overwhelming. At Ngorongoro, you will also spend the night at a wild camp, where the giraffes often come right up close to the tents.
You become acquainted with the local culture on a visit to the village of Mto Wa Mbu, before Zanzibar entices you with its beautiful, white sandy beaches, turquoise sea and the option of excursions.
Today, you leave home and head for Tanzania. There will be stopovers on the way.
You arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania In clear weather, you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Africa’s highest mountain from the air.
Our local representative is waiting for you at the airport, and will help you through immigration. You are driven from the airport to Arusha, where you spend the night before continuing by plane to Serengeti the next morning.
You have an early breakfast in Arusha before you depart for the airport just outside of town. You fly to Serengeti, sparing you a long drive. By lunchtime, you’ll have checked in to your camp where you’ll be staying for the next three nights. In the afternoon, you can enjoy the tour’s first game drive.
Read more about what a “wild camp” actually is here.
The next few days are devoted to game drives in Serengeti National Park.
The ecosystem here in the park is considered to be one of the oldest in the world, and you’d be hard pressed not to feel both humbled and astonished when sitting in your land cruiser, taking in all that you see before you.
The large treeless plains are dominated by wildebeest, zebras and antelopes – not to mention the predators there to help themselves from this well-stocked pantry. In the western corridor, you will find crocodiles and hippos, and from May to July the great migration proceeds through this area of Serengeti.
It’s almost impossible to say what you’ll see. It’s nature that decides. However, we guarantee there’ll be animals galore! Perhaps you’ll take a packed lunch with you on the game drive to give you more time to get around – perhaps you’ll break the day up with lunch back at the camp. It’s all planned together with the guide and depends on the weather and Mother Nature. The guides are experts and impressively know Serengeti like the back of their hand. They’ll make sure you enjoy some wonderful experiences!
You are back at the camp before it gets dark. It almost doesn’t get better than sitting around the campfire, looking up at the stars and thinking about the fact that you’ll be sleeping right where the animals live! However, they are neither fed nor enclosed. You, on the other hand, must be enclosed in your comfortable and completely safe tent during the night while the animals are out hunting!
It’s time to say goodbye to Serengeti, but fortunately, amazing new adventures are in sight. A formidable drive awaits you through the Serengeti grasslands to the Ngorongoro Crater. There are animals wherever you look, so although it might look like a long way on the map, it’s almost as if you are on one long game drive en route to Ngorongoro. Enjoy the view of the plains from the hilltop at Naabi Hill and bid farewell to Serengeti in style. Outside the national park itself, you will meet the Masai in their colourful clothing. Although many of them still live as semi-nomads, they have embraced some modern things. It’s not uncommon to see a Masai watching his cattle with a shepherd’s staff in one hand and a mobile phone in the other!
The Ngorongoro Crater is, like Serengeti, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s not difficult to understand why. It is fascinating to see the landscape change as you approach the crater. From the crater’s edge, the road winds 600 metres down on the inside of the extinct volcano to the lush, 260 km² crater floor. Inside the crater, there are savannah, swamps, lakes, small rivers, acacia groves and a saltwater lake. The crater is home to 25,000–30,000 animals. Many people compare the experience on the crater floor to “a drive in Jurassic Park” because there are animals everywhere. There are five lion prides in the relatively small area, large buffalo herds, flamingos, and even the black rhino has found its way into the crater. The only animal you won’t find here is the giraffe, which has never made its way down into the crater – presumably because the steep slopes are not suitable for its very long, thin legs.
After completing the safari in the crater, you drive to the night’s accommodation, where, with a little luck, you’ll meet some of the local residents – the giraffes, which often come close to the camp.
From Ngorongoro, you head to the village of Mto Wa Mbu, where you go for a guided walk through the small community and meet the local people right up close.
They’re more than happy to tell you all about their everyday lives and their crops. Did you know, for example, that there are more than 1,000 different kinds of bananas in the world? Taste banana beer, watch the artisans making their beautiful wood carvings and meet the local artists who paint the most beautiful paintings in the famous tinga-tinga style.
Some 120 different tribes live in the area, and this excursion is a great opportunity for you to get a little closer to everyday life as it is lived by most people in Tanzania.
The visit ends with the most delicious lunch prepared by the best chefs in the village, giving you the opportunity to taste as many as 14 different regional dishes from different areas in Tanzania. Cooked over an open fire, the food is incredibly tasty! One of the fundamental ideas behind the project is to give the women in the village the opportunity to become educated, and the women cooking for you have all been on courses in food safety, for example. So, even though it might look primitive, they know what they’re doing! Sit back and look forward to tasting makande, ugali, rice pilaf, kachumbari and countless other delicacies!
After this exciting experience, you’ll be driven to the airport, where you’ll catch a plane to the exotic island of Zanzibar.
The days are spent at your leisure.
Located in the Indian Ocean, Zanzibar consists of the main islands of Unguja (unofficially known as Zanzibar) and Pemba, as well as myriad small islands. When it comes to nature and culture, the island of Zanzibar is truly spoilt: white sandy beaches, azure sea and a stunning coral reef. A hot, sunny climate all year round is conducive to relaxation and a beach holiday.
The island’s dramatic history includes Arab sultans, Portuguese seafarers, slave trade and European explorers, all of which have left their mark on the island. And it is also here that you will find one of Africa’s most exciting cities, Stone Town, which is packed with beautiful Arabic architecture. Not forgetting the delicious Swahili cuisine and the friendly people.
You will be picked up from the hotel and driven to the airport, where your journey home starts.
You will arrive at your chosen airport after a wonderful holiday.
From £189 pp including flights
Children under 12 years from £89
Single room supplement from £99
If you love Marrakesh, you’ll love Stone Town too. Narrow, winding streets without pavements, constant swarms of children and adults, bicycles, donkeys and merchants peddling everything in small shops sitting right out into the road. At the square’s “barazas” (built-in benches) in the middle of the labyrinth, men sit and talk over cups of strong coffee while children play ball and a cat stretches lazily in the sun.
At first sight, the city looks quite ramshackle, but just take a look at the doors! The big, heavy, elaborately decorated wooden doors are in many ways synonymous with Zanzibar's biggest city.
There are markets and museums here, plenty of excursion opportunities and a vibrant waterfront. During the day, the waterfront is well-frequented by locals taking strolls, young men making trips from the quay as well as fishing and tourist boats both arriving and setting off. In the evening, there is a local market here.
Stone Town is in many ways practically an experience of the senses. Here you will find smells and sounds, flavours, colours, history and culture – Stone Town has it all. It is no mystery that the town is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Children under 12 years from £2679
Single room supplement from £1179
Catriona is passionate about helping other people fulfill their travel dreams, as she knows how much travel has only improved her life for the better!
