DAY 1: PALACE HOTEL ARUSHA, ARUSHA
Arusha
Resting at the foot of Mount Meru, the sprawling city of Arusha is known as the safari capital of northern Tanzania. It serves as an excellent base from which to explore the remarkably scenic surrounding area which includes majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as the Manyara, Tarangire and Ngorongoro National Parks. Arusha is a good spot to take a day or two off from the safari circuit as it features a temperate climate and lush surrounds. Visitors can look forward to exploring the wildlife-abundant Serengeti National Park; the magnificent Arusha National Park; and taking on the challenge of climbing Mount Meru, Africa’s fifth highest mountain.
Day Itinerary
On arrival at Arusha Airport, you will be met by a AMA Safaris Tanzania representative. After introduction you will be transferred to your hotel arriving for check-in, overnight at Palace Hotel Arusha – BB
Overnight: Palace Hotel Arusha
The elegant and conspicuous Palace Hotel Arusha stands out against the backdrop of Mount Meru and amidst gardens located between the hotel and the magnificent historical buildings of Regional Commissioner Offices and the AICC, seat of the United Nations in Tanzania. Located in Arusha’s central business district, 45 minutes from Kilimanjaro International Airport and 15 minutes from Arusha airport Kisongo the hotel is easily accessible.
Basis
Bed and Breakfast
DAY 2: TARANGIRE SOPA LODGE, TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park, situated within Tanzania’s spectacular Manyara Region, is an awe-inspiring national park comprising of granite ridges, river valleys, mixed vegetative landscapes, and free-roaming wildlife. During the annual dry season the Tarangire River is a magnet for thirsty wildlife. Large herds of elephants and migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland gather and not surprisingly the predators follow. With lion being among the most commonly spotted animal, it is a rare day that a visitor does not spot this majestic animal prowling or grazing. Tarangire is also the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as oryx and gerenuk are seen regularly. This expansive area is also known for its spectacular baobab trees, its breathtaking views of the Masaai Steppe and the wondrous mountains to the south.
Day Itinerary
After breakfast at the hotel followed by check out, 0800hrs: Depart Arusha and drive to the Tarangire National Park, game drive enroute. Arrive at your lodge well in time for lunch and check in. Afternoon game drives in Tarangire National Park. Meals and overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge – LDBB
Overnight: Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Tarangire Sopa Lodge has 75 large and airy rooms, accommodating 150 guests. Built to blend with the vastness of its surroundings, the Lodge nestles amongst the rocky outcrops in the north-east of the park. As the Lodge is one of only a handful in this park, visitors are often rewarded with an exclusive feel to their safari. Each of the suites has its own private lounge with mini-bar, en-suite bathroom, large bedroom with 2 queen size beds and a balcony. The Lodge has telephone facilities, satellite TV, a conference room and a uniquely-designed swimming pool with a central island.
Tarangire National Park is one of Tanzania’s best-kept secrets. Close to the town of Arusha and hosting Tanzania’s highest concentration of elephant population in Africa, perhaps than anywhere else in the world. It has a horizon dominated by the magnificent baobab trees, Legend says that baobab tree once angered God and it was thrown to earth and planted upside down. The trees are known to live for hundreds of year, some say thousands of years.
Basis
Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
DAY 3: MARERA VALLEY LODGE, KARATU
Karatu
Travellers heading for the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater will inevitably pass through the town of Karatu in the green hills of Tanzania’s northern highlands. Presided over by the towering Ol Deani Volcano, this small, colourful town serves as a popular overnight stop for visitors exploring the area’s many game parks. The town offers a variety of activities including browsing the bustling marketplace, sampling beer at a local brewery, visiting a traditional Iraqw homestead, or taking a guided walk through the Ngorongoro Forest in search of waterfalls and elephants caves. Whether you are looking for cultural tours, hiking and biking opportunities, a chance to enjoy an authentic rural Tanzania experience, or simply a break between safari game drives, this underrated town has plenty to offer.
Day Itinerary
After breakfast at the lodge. Check out, morning game drive enroute, drive to Karatu to arrive for lunch and check in at your lodge. Afternoon will be at leisure with a vehicle at your disposal. Meals and overnight at Marera Valley Lodge – LDBB
Overnight: Marera Valley Lodge
Marera Valley Lodge is located between Karatu Town and Rohia Village and to the main road to Ngorongoro and Serengeti. There are 18 lodges with private decks that provide guests with beautiful views of the surrounding areas. The lodge provides free Wi-Fi access to all guests. There is also an outdoor swimming pool, in the lounge area, bar or dining room. As the lodge is situated near the main road to Ngorongoro and Serengeti, visitors can easily explore the area.
Basis
Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
DAY 4: MARERA VALLEY LODGE, KARATU
Day Itinerary
After breakfast, depart with picnic lunch boxes for Ngorongoro Crater. Descend into the crater floor in your 4×4 vehicle for a crater tour. The central bowl, the caldera, has sides roughly 1,950 feet high and a flattish center with a diameter of about ten miles.
The crater walls are forested but four-wheel drive vehicles will take you down into this primeval paradise of woodland, lake, river, swamp and plain that shelters around 20,000 animals. Return to the lodge later in the afternoon.
Meals and overnight at Marera Valley Lodge – LDBB
Basis
Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
DAY 5: SERENGETI SOPA LODGE, CENTRAL SERENGETI
Central Serengeti
Situated in the heart of Tanzania, the Central Serengeti encompasses the world-famous Seronera Valley which is known for its prime wildlife-viewing opportunities. This picture-perfect landscape is characterised by endless stretches of savannah-covered open plains, interspersed by rocky outcrops of granite, scattered with acacia woodlands and covered in a network of rivers and streams.
The Central Serengeti forms part of the great wildebeest and zebra migration and provides an ideal habitat for a variety of wildlife such as giraffe, impala, waterbuck, hippo, elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, hyena, jackal, serval and much more. Popular activities include: game viewing, cultural tours, horse riding safaris, and hot air ballooning over the spectacularly scenic terrain.
Day Itinerary
0800hrs: After breakfast, check out and drive to Serengeti National Park. Serengeti National is undoubtedly the most famous wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for its natural beauty and the greatest concentration of plains game anywhere. Arrive in time for lunch and settle in. Later proceed for an afternoon game drive returning to the lodge later this evening. Meals and overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge – LDBB
Overnight: Serengeti Sopa Lodge
Offering arguably the best wildlife to be seen anywhere in Africa, the Serengeti National Park provides the perfect backdrop for the Serengeti Sopa Lodge. Located in the Nyarboro Hills in the south-west of this world-famous park, the lodge has panoramic views over the savannah. An almost constant southerly breeze keeps the temperature at a comfortable level. The lodge now accommodates 146 guests in 73 rooms and four luxury two-storey suites, all overlooking the eastern plains of the Serengeti. Each room has a private lounge with mini-bar, en-suite bathroom and private verandah. The Lodge has telephone facilities, satellite TV, a conference room and a swimming pool.
Basis
Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
DAY 6: SERENGETI SOPA LODGE, CENTRAL SERENGETI
Day Itinerary
After breakfast at your lodge, you will enjoy a full day game drive or have a morning and afternoon game drive in Serengeti National Park depending on client’s preferences.
Meals and overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge – LDBB
OR
Morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti. Meals and overnight at the lodge.
Departure: 0630hrs. (Coffee / tea at 0615hrs.)
Breakfast: 0900hrs.
During the first hours of the morning, the savannah is filled with a special animation. This is when the larger predators hunt for their food, before the temperature becomes too hot for any excessive physical activity. This is the time we have the highest chances of watching a hunt in action (also likely in the early evening). The colours of the landscape are also more accentuated, and help us to take great photographs.
Basis
Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
DAY 7: SERENGETI SOPA LODGE, CENTRAL SERENGETI
Day Itinerary
After breakfast at your lodge, you will enjoy a full day game drive or have a morning and afternoon game drive in Serengeti National Park depending on client’s preferences.
Meals and overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge – LDBB
Morning and afternoon game drives in the Serengeti. Meals and overnight at the lodge.
Departure: 0630hrs. (Coffee / tea at 0615hrs.)
Breakfast: 0900hrs.
During the first hours of the morning, the savannah is filled with a special animation. This is when the larger predators hunt for their food, before the temperature becomes too hot for any excessive physical activity. This is the time we have the highest chances of watching a hunt in action (also likely in the early evening). The colours of the landscape are also more accentuated, and help us to take great photographs.
Basis
Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
DAY 8: KIRURUMU MANYARA LODGE, LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
Lake Manyara National Park
Situated in Tanzania’s central-northern region with the Lake Manyara on its east and the Manyara Escarpment to its west, the Lake Manyara National Park offers breathtaking views and a large variety of habitats supporting an array of wildlife. This small park is home to surprising biodiversity and features a magnificent landscape of acacia woodlands, water forests, baobab strewn cliffs, algae-streaked hot springs, swamps and the lake itself. The park supports 400 species of bird, and the largest concentration of baboons anywhere in the world. Other species include giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck, warthog, the Cape clawless otter, and Egyptian mongoose. Don’t miss the opportunity to see thousands of flamingos on the lake, the renowned tree-climbing lions, and large families of elephants strolling through the forest.
Day Itinerary
0800hrs: After breakfast and check out, you will drive with game drive enroute to Lake Manyara National Park. Arrive for lunch. Afternoon game drives until sunset. Meals and overnight at Kirurumu Manyara Lodge – LDBB
Overnight: Kirurumu Manyara Lodge
Kirurumu Manyara Lodge is set high on the edge of the Great Rift Valley, enjoying a marvellous, uplifting and panoramic view eastward over Lake Manyara, the Rift floor and Mt. Losimingori. Behind Kirurumu, the Ngorongoro Highlands rise in green and fertile splendour and form the gateway to Ngorongoro Crater and Olduvai Gorge, the Serengeti.
Manyara Lodge offers 27 tented rooms, 2 honeymoon suites, 2 family cottages, fully en suite bathrooms, hot and cold running water, electricity, bar complete with sun-deck and panoramic views of the rift valley and dining room with waiter service. The lodge offers activities including Maasai guided ethno botanical walks, mountain biking available on request, half-day treks / hikes and fly camping in forests on special request.
Basis
Full Board – Dinner, Bed, Breakfast and Lunch
DAYS 9 – 12: GOLD ZANZIBAR BEACH HOUSE & SPA, KENDWA
Kendwa
Situated on the tropical island of Unguja, just off the Tanzanian coast, Kendwa is a village along the northwest coast of this beautiful island. It is renowned for its powder-fine white-sand beaches lapped by crystal-clear turquoise waters boasting an untouched underwater wonderland and fringed by an array of tourist resorts. Visitors can enjoy snorkelling excursions to explore the abundant marine life living in these azure waters or jumping on a local wooden dhow boat for a picturesque sunset trip.
For those looking for some evening entertainment, the full moon party is a definite must. Don’t miss the opportunity to give back to the community and learn about local Zanzibari culture on a fascinating village tour, great for those looking to go beyond the usual resort activities. Other popular activities include: parasailing, banana boating, scuba diving, and jet skiing.
Day Itinerary
After breakfast at the lodge, you will check out and depart with picnic lunch boxes, drive for drop off at Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight departing at 1940hrs to Zanzibar. Up on arrival in Zanzibar at approximately 2040hrs, you will be met by a AMA Safaris representative and transferred to your beach resort where you will spend the next 4nights. Meals and accommodation at Gold Zanzibar Beach House & Spa, All-Inclusive basis
Overnight: Gold Zanzibar Beach House & Spa
The Gold Zanzibar Beach House & Spa offers an oasis of luxury and elegance, where guests can regenerate body and spirit. The hotel is located on the beach of Kendwa, about a 50 minute drive away from the international airport. Accommodation options include elegant rooms, suites and lavish villas, as well as deluxe retreats. Guests can indulge in pure pleasure at the wellness and health club, House of harmony. Be pampered with an incredible array of personalized treatments in a relaxing ambiance. Discover stunning locations and historical sights departing from the beach house resort. The hotel’s excursion desk offers a variety of tours and water sport activities.
Basis
All Inclusive – Bed and All Meals
DAY 13: END OF ITINERARY
Day Itinerary
After breakfast at the resort followed by check out, 1800hrs: Pick up from your hotel and transferred to Zanzibar Airport for your flight departing at 2100hrs back home. End our services
Basis
Breakfast
