Eleven Days

Tarangire National Park  Lake Manyara National Park  Ngorongoro Crater  Olduvai Gorge  Serengeti National Park  Arusha Nairobi

 The classic African destination, Tanzania epitomizes the East African safari experience. The incomparable Ngorongoro Crater is a 100-square-mile "Garden of Eden" spread out inside the collapsed top of an extinct volcano. Teeming with wildlife, Ngorongoro is also host to numerous animal varieties that can be found nowhere else. And the plains of the Serengeti are home to countless millions of animals, including the "big five" and multitudes of other species, indeed the greatest gathering of wildlife on earth! Game viewing here is sure to include dramatic encounters that will satisfy your romantic nature as well as excite your senses. Experience Tanzania for an extraordinary and richly rewarding experience you'll always remember.

 Day 1: Thu Depart North America Your exciting safari to East Africa begins as you board a British Airways flight to Europe.

Day 2: Fri London / Nairobi Arrive in London today and enjoy time to relax and freshen up before connecting with your evening flight to Nairobi. A day room is provided for you at a nearby AIRPORT HOTEL

Day 3: Sat Arrive Nairobi On arrival in Kenya and its cosmopolitan capital city, Nairobi, you are met and escorted to your luxurious accommodations at NAIROBI SERENA HOTEL. This afternoon visit the Karen Blixen Museum, formerly her home, where the bygone era of the pioneering coffee farmer is preserved, and also Giraffe Manor for a view of the rare Rothschild giraffe. This evening enjoy a festive welcome dinner at the world-famous Carnivore Restaurant. D

Day 4: Sun Nairobi / Arusha / Tarangire National Park This morning fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, Tanzania. Now that you've arrived in the heart of Africa's dramatic Great Rift Valley and the land of the noble Masai, anticipation runs high for the start of your safari in this great, unspoiled land. After lunch, travel to Tarangire National Park, known for its vast baobab trees and open acacia woodlands. Centered on the Tarangire River, the park is home to elephant, wildebeest, lion, kudu, zebra, eland, giraffe, impala, gazelle and black rhinoceros. This area of great ecological diversity is a birdwatcher's paradise as well. Afternoon game viewing. TARANGIRE SOPA LODGE. B, L, D

Day 5: Mon Tarangire / Lake Manyara National Park After a morning of game viewing in Tarangire and a picnic lunch, continue to Lake Manyara National Park, spectacularly located at the base of the Great Rift Valley wall. The turquoise lake, fed from sources in the wall and having no outlet, was formed over two million years ago when the floor of the Rift Valley subsided. Arrive for an afternoon game drive. You'll find an abundance of wildlife here including hippo, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, leopard, impala, wildebeest, baboon and monkey. End the day by traveling to our lodge up on the edge of the Rift Valley wall. LAKE MANYARA SERENA LODGE. B, L, D

Day 6: Tue Lake Manyara / Ngorongoro Crater This morning enjoy one of the unusual activities offered at the lodge-cycling safari, village walk, forest hike and rock climbing/abseiling. There is also a Lake Manyara Canoe Safari available at additional cost. This afternoon, ascend through the highlands to the very rim of the Ngorongoro Crater-nearly 7,500 feet high and 10 miles across. Once an enormous volcano possibly twice the size of Mt. Everest, it collapsed into itself, creating a giant caldera. The crater floor of this World Heritage Site, nearly 2000 feet below, is home to swarms of exotic animals, including the "big five." The view from the lodge, located atop the crater rim, is magnificent. NGORONGORO SERENA LODGE B, L, D

Day 7: Wed Ngorongoro Crater Wildlife abounds both in and around the crater, where you will enjoy a full day game viewing. One of the most spectacular game-viewing areas in the African wild, the Ngorongoro Crater is often dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World!" Vast herds of wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, buffalo, and their predators, the big cats, roam the rich pastures of the crater floor. Elephant browse through the tall grass; rare rhino graze in and near the lakes. Some 30,000 mammals reside here. Birds in enormous numbers fill the brush and skies, the crater being home to over 100 species of birds that are never even seen in the nearby Serengeti! The combination of wildlife and the glorious quality of the light that fills the crater team-up to create a photographer's dream. B, L, D

Day 8: Thu Ngorongoro / Olduvai Gorge / Serengeti National Park Visit Olduvai Gorge, the archeological site extensively excavated by Mary and Louis Leakey. Their finds include some of man's earliest known ancestral remains (dating back 1,750,000 years), many of which are now displayed in the museum overlooking the gorge. Movements of the Great Rift Valley over the ages have given rise to a treasure trove of fossils in the area. Continue to Serengeti National Park, one of the finest game parks in all of Africa. Serengeti, in the Masai language, means "endless plains." Huge herds of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, antelope and zebra dominate the park and provide an unequalled wildlife spectacle as they move with the seasons. Such large concentrations naturally attract attendant predators such as lion, leopard, hyena, wild dog and cheetah. After settling in at the lodge, embark on an afternoon game drive. SERENGETI SERENA LODGE B, L, D

A fabulous balloon safari over the Serengeti is also available. Details available upon request.

Day 9: Fri Serengeti National Park You will marvel at the stunning landscapes and wide variety of environments found in the Serengeti. The morning may be spent along the river searching for leopard hiding in the branches of trees and the afternoon out on the plains, among the vast herds of migratory animals. Exploring some of the rocky kopjes, you may be lucky enough to spot lion or cheetah resting in the shade or preparing for the evening hunt. The Serengeti is also host to a wealth of bird life. B, L, D

Day 10: Sat Serengeti / Arusha / Nairobi / London This morning's pre-breakfast game drive is your final opportunity to bask in the unmatched grandeur of the African safari lands. Fly to Arusha, where you connect with your flight back to Nairobi. A day room is provided for you at NAIROBI SERENA HOTEL. The afternoon is at leisure, before boarding your evening homeward flight. B, L

Day 11: Sun Arrive North America Arrive home today with your mind and heart filled with many treasured sights and moments from fascinating Tanzania. Take with you a new appreciation of the African continent and its unique heritage.