BOOK THIS TOUR
Day 1
Arrival at Kilimanjaro airport overnight in Arusha (New Arusha Hotel, Lake Duluti Serena Hotel, Mt. Meru Hotel, Planet Lodge).
Day 2
Full day in Arusha sightseeing Museum, local market , visit coffee farms these are small scale farmers who own small pieces of land and locally process the coffee, Green vegetable gardens at Ilkidinga these are full day activities in Arusha . Have picnic lunch on one of the sites, dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Day 3
Depart from Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park. The compact game-viewing circuit through Manyara offers a virtual microcosm of the Tanzanian safari experience. Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzanian’s birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded; even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day, including thousands of pink-hued flamingos, Pelicans, and Stokes. The park famous for tree climbing Lions depending on the season of the year, Migratory Elephants between Manyara and Tarangire, Cape Buffaloes, Hippos, apes such as ,Baboons, Blue monkeys, and vervet monkeys, Giraffe , Impala. Afternoon drive to Shangrila coffee plantation, this is a big coffee plantation with modern machines for coffee processing.
Size: 330 sq km (127 sq miles) of which up to (77 sq miles) is a lake when water levels are high.
Location: In northern Tanzania, the entrance gate lies 1hr 30min (126km/80miles) west of Arusha close to the ethnically diverse market town of MtowaMbu.
To do: Game drives, canoeing when the water levels is sufficiently high. Walking along paddy (Rice) farm these are small scale farmers using irrigation scheme, Cultural tours, mountain bike tours, abseiling and forest walks on the escarpment outside the park.
Best time: Dry season (July-October) for large mammals; wet season (November-June) for bird watching, visit the waterfalls and canoeing.
Accommodation: Lodge Serena Manyara, Kirurumu Tented lodge, Gibbs Farm or Kitela lodge.
Day 4: After breakfast drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority
Ngorongoro is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, and its 304 sq km floor is the ultimate ‘Big Five’ destination, home of elephant, lion, leopard ,Black rhino, buffalo and others, the caldera holds over 25000 different species of animals, two main geological rifts through the area, Oldupai Gorge &Laitoli Foot Prints. Nine volcanoes in the Ngorongoro highlands were formed during the past 4 million years. One of these, OldoinyoLengai, is still active.
Size: 8288 sq km (3,200 sq miles)
Location: 180 km (112 miles) west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania.
Getting there: The road from Arusha to the eastern entrance gate of the NCA via Makuyuni, MtowaMbu and Karatu is tarmacked and the trip can be covered comfortably in less than three hours, with another 30-60 minutes required to get to any of the lodges.
To do: Game viewing (and photography) enhanced by the striking backdrop of 600m-high crater wall, Cultural tours, visit to Oldupai Gorge, this is a historical site where the fossils of Hominid where found by Dr. Leakey in 1959. It is believed that the first upright man lived in this place.
Despite the fossils, the museum has a lot to see such as foot prints of upright man discovered at Laitoli, Stone Age tools, old animal bones and horns.
Accommodation: In Karatu a town before the entrance gate– Gibbs Farm, Bougainvillea, Tloma, Ngorongoro Farm House, Ollea Africana, or Mobile Camp. In the conservation area world-class game lodges perch grandly on the south-western crater rim such as Serena Ngorongoro, SopaNgorongoro, Ngorongoro Wildlife lodge, Ngorongoro Crater lodge, Ngorongoro Farm House, Valley Farm House and a public campsite- Simba.
Day 5
Depart after breakfast to OldupaiGorge, this is a historical site where the fossils of Hominid sapiens where found by Dr. Leakey in 1959. It is believed that the first upright man lived in this place. The museum at the site has a lot to see such as foot prints of the upright man discovered at Laitoli, Stone Age tools, old animal bones and horns.
Accommodation: in Karatu – Gibbs Farm,Bougainvillea, Tloma, Ngorongoro Farm House or Kitela lodge.
Day 6
Depart after breakfast to Lake Eyasi the land of Click speaking people the Bushmen. This tribe still Hunts withbows and arrow and collect honey from Baobab trees and caves, women collect(gather) fruits, and dig up for tubers
Visit of the Datoga Black smiths who make tools from old copper, silver, iron, and aluminum. They use local air compressor made out of animal skin and local air pipes made out of clay soil Things made out are such as Spear, arrow, Bracelet and many more interested clients can buy to support the local community economy. Afternoon walking along the Onion Farms owned by Large and small scale farmers.Onions are used domestically and for export to neighboring countries.Evening drive to the Lake shore for sundowners, Meals and overnight at Kisimangeda lodge or LakeEyasi Lodge.
Day 7
Early cup of coffee/Tea with biscuits take breakfast Basket go for Early Hunting with the Bushmen after these activities clients will test the hunt /meat in a barbeque while being entertained with traditional dance and songs Clients can also practice aiming with bow and arrow at baobab tree.
After Breakfast Depart for MaasaiBoma/Laiboni, This is a medicine man who uses herbs from trees, grass, flowers to treat different diseases on adults and Children, Maasai people are Nilotic, Pastoralists/Nomads who migrated from Egypt following the Nile River basin with their animals. Maasai believe that all domestic animals belong to them.
This tribe practice norms, traditions and culture such as circumcision for boys age 10 to 14 without anesthesia neither stitches. Meat eating ceremonies whereby after slaughtering a big bull blood mixed with fresh milk and local alcohol will be taken by the elders –Men while fresh. Maasai men are polygamist, the more cattle, sheep and goats a man owns the more wives he can marry, clients will have a chance to see their life style, original maasai huts, dancing, live slaughtering and a test of barbequed goat.
Afternoon drive to Tarangire National Park, accommodation atTarangire Safari lodge, Sopa Tarangire ,Roika or Maramboi Tented lodge.
Day 8: TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It’s the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem – a smorgasbord for predators-and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope are observed ,decorated by over 250 years old Gigantic Baobab Trees
Size: 2,600 sq km (1,005 sq miles)
Location: 118km (75miles) southwest of Arusha
Best time: Year round but dry season (June – September) for sheer numbers of animals.
Afternoon drive to Arusha, shopping en-route, dinner and overnight hotel Arusha as day 1.
