14 DAYS CULTURAL TOUR AND NORTHERN CIRCUIT SAFARI

You will be met at the International Airport of Kilimanjaro by Zagas Explorer driver guide. Who will take you to the River trees Country Inn. This charming lodge is situated at the banks of picturesque Usa River on an old German coffee estate and offers stunning views towards Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Alternative accommodation is at Mount Meru Game Lodge with an animal sanctuary attached. Where our Manager will come to meet you and to provide you with a safari briefing. Dinner

After breakfast you start your journey with a drive across the floor of the Great Rift Valley to Lake Manyara National Park for a game drive. This beautiful park with its lush vegetation and tropical forests of giant fig and mahogany trees, takes its name from the Masai word for “euphorbia tirucalli”, a bush which is used to make a thorny hedge to protect their cattle. Elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra and a variety of antelope inhabit the park as well as a variety of monkeys and a large population of hippos. If you are lucky you may see the Manyara lions, well known for their tree climbing habits, lazily resting on the branches of an “Acacia tortilis” tree. The birdlife is also abundant, with flamingoes, pelicans, hornbills and plenty of forest species. Driving time without game viewing 3 hours. Overnight at Kirurumu Manyara Lodge (LX) located on a plateau with breathtaking views over the Great Maasai Plains. Full board.

In the morning you drive via Engaruka Town towards Lake Natron on a partly bumpy and dusty road. En route you see many Masai villages, gazelle, giraffe, zebra, baboons, bee boxes, and birds such as vultures, ostrich, starlings, Cory Bustards, and kites. The transfer takes you some 4 hours. After checking in at your lodge and some lunch you go in the afternoon on a guided walk around Lake Natron, the lowest point of the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania (600m / 2000 ft) and famous for a vast numbers of flamingos and other water birds due to a high concentrate of in sodium carbonate, algae, and zooplankton. You can go for a hike up the Ngare Sero River which flows in the Lake. Driving time without game viewing approx. 5 hours.
2 Nights at a Masai Giraffe Eco Lodge. (AD) Full board.

After breakfast you visit Lake Natron to see the flamingos Lake Natron is famous for. If you wish, you can walk at the lake shore in salty water. Afterwards you start your way towards Serengeti National Park with some wildlife and many Masai villages to see along the way. You cross Loliondo Area, a concession bordering Serengeti National Park and drive further towards the Western Corridor where the Great Migration is expected to pass through in June/July. After stopping for your picnic lunch on a kopje (rock outcropping) at Serengeti you will continue further into the park and go on a game drive on your way to Central Serengeti. Driving time without game viewing approx.-5 hours. Overnight at Serengeti Wilderness Camp (LX) or Thorn Tree Camp (AD) at Serengeti. Full board

Early morning game drive to see also nocturnal predators returning from hunting and animals waking up in early morning light followed by full day of game drives around Serengeti. Depending on the time of year and the migration of the herds you can expect to see wildebeest, lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, baboons, hippos, rhinos, antelopes and many birds and other species. Your Driver Guide will be in contact with other safari drivers and will amaze you with his skill at locating the hidden animals. Overnight at Serengeti Wilderness Camp (LX) or Thorn Tree Camp (AD). Full board

In the morning proceed with Game-drives at Serengeti on the way to Lake Victoria. In the afternoon drive into the nearby hills to take a look at rural Africa, passing through the small villages of the Sukuma people. In the mornings you go on a traditional fishing canoe trip to a fishing village. Local fishermen will paddle the canoes and, on the way, the scene is typical of the lakeshore with women toiling in the fields and men fishing. The paddlers sing as they work taking one back in time as they sing traditional songs of home, of cattle and of life. In the distance can be seen the white lateen sails of fishing boats or dhows, returning from a night of fishing far out on the Lake. In the afternoon you proceed with village visits around Lake Victoria. Driving time without game viewing approx. 5 hours. Overnight at Malaika Beach Resort (LX)) at Lake Victoria. Full board.

After breakfast you start on your way to Southern Serengeti by crossing Central Serengeti until reaching Ndutu Area for game driving around Lake Ndutu where the ‘Great Migration’ gathers during the month of January / February for their foaling and calving season. Driving time without game viewing approx. 3, 5 – 4 hours. Overnight at Ndutu Safari Lodge (AD). Full board

After breakfast you travel through Serengeti again and drive towards Ngorongoro. You reach Ngorongoro Conservation Area home of the world famous Ngorongoro Crater. It is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and a natural sanctuary for some of Africa’s densest animal populations and one of the few places where the rare black rhino can be observed in its natural habitat. Driving time without game viewing approx. 11/2 – 2 hours. Overnight at Rhino Lodge (AD) or The Manor (PR). Full board.

From Ngorongoro you proceed to Lake Eyasi home to the hunter-gathers ethnic group of the Hadzabe Bushmen bearing similar characteristics to those of Bushmen at Southern Africa. The small people of this indigenous tribe are probably the last living in true harmony with nature and have a wealth of Fauna and Flora knowledge to share with us. Around Lake Eyasi you will also visit the remotely living Datoga Tribe famous for their colorful leather dresses. The day is filled with visits and cultural encounters around Lake Eyasi until you enjoy a beautiful sunset at the banks of Lake Eyasi. Driving time without game viewing approx. 2 – 2, 5 hours. Ziwani Lodge (LX) or Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge (AD) Full board.

Early morning you go on a game walk guided by Bushmen taking you on their traditional hunting tracks. Afterwards we depart for Tarangire, Tanzania’s third largest national park and sanctuary for an unusually large elephant population. Majestic baobab trees are an interesting feature of the park, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. Animals concentrate along the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. There is a great diversity of wildlife including lion, leopard and cheetah and up to six thousand elephant. Driving time without game viewing approx. 3 hours. Overnight at Sangaiwe Tented Lodge (AD) or Maramboi Tented (LX).Full board.

One final morning game drives before leaving. In the afternoon we will reach Arusha for a good lunch in a nice restaurant. Then your guide will take you to Kilimanjaro airport for departure (a dayroom will be provided). Driving time without game viewing approx. 3 hours. Breakfast and lunch included.