Private safari to the best known wildlife sanctuary in the world, the Serengeti. Experience a Hot Air balloon ride over the plains of Africa. Choice of Lodge or Camping accommodation
Trip Information Serengeti National Park is Tanzania’s oldest and second largest and most famous national park in the world. It covers an area of 14,763 sq km. It lies between the shores of Lake Victoria in the West, Lake Eyasi in the south, and the Great Rift to the East. As such it offers the most complex and least disturbed ecosystem on earth.
This safari will take you through the vast plains of open woodlands and ultimately wildlife. As enduring as the game-viewing is the liberating sense of space that characterizes the Serengeti Plains, stretching across sun burnt savannah to a shimmering golden horizon at the end of the earth. Yet, after the rains, this golden expanse of grass is transformed into an endless green carpet flecked with wildflowers. And there are also wooded hills and towering termite mounds, rivers lined with fig trees and acacia woodland stained orange by dust.
Day 00: Arrival day Meet and greet at Kilimanjaro International Airport and then transfer to Arusha for dinner and overnight at Karama Lodge & Spa HB
Day 1: Ngorongoro Crater After early breakfast check out form your hotel, with packed lunch drive to Ngorongoro Crater conservation Area for a full day game drive. Ngorongoro crater is located west of the Great Rift Valley which runs from the Red Sea to Lake Nyasa in southern Tanzania. It is the largest unbroken caldera in the world, the second largest extinct crater in the world, and today shelters the most beautiful wildlife haven left on earth with a spectacular concentration of wildlife and stunning views. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge/ Simba Campsite FB.
The Crater is oval in shape, 300Sq. Km in area, 610m deep. There are 25,000 larger animals within the crater itself. This is undoubtedly the best place to see black rhino in Tanzania as well as prides of lion that include the magnificent black-maned males. All of the big five are seen - elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo. Other game includes: cheetah, hyena, zebra, warthog, impala, hartebeest, eland and lots of other members of the antelope family and smaller mammals of sorts.
Birdlife includes: - Kori bustard, secretary bird, crested crane, marabou stock, goliath, heron, beautiful fish eagles, and thousands of colorful flamingoes. More than a 100 species of bird not found in the Serengeti have been found in the crater.
Day 2: Ngorongoro-Serengeti National Park After breakfast and check out, with packed lunch, proceed to Serengeti via Olduvai Gorge. Here lie signs of the earliest man that date to two million years ago. Visitors will be given the most fascinating on-site interpretation of the gorge. Break off for picnic lunch after which you will proceed to the great plains of Serengeti, game viewing enroute. Dinner and overnight stay at Serengeti Sopa Lodge/ Seronera Campsite.
Day 3: Serengeti (Northern Corridor) In the north and along the western corridor are mountain ranges of mainly volcanic origin. Two rivers flowing west usually contain water and there are a number of lakes, marshes, and waterholes. This area is known as the Northern Corridor, since it is the route by which the migration passes. Dinner and overnight stay at Serengeti Nasikia Tented Camp/ Seronera Campsite.
Large herds of antelope of all sorts including: Patterson's eland, Klipspringer, Dikdik, impala, Zebra, gazelles, water, bush and reed buck, topi, kongoni, cotton's oribi, grey bush duiker, roan antelope buffalo, and wildebeest. Plus: lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, bat eared fox, hunting dog and jackal. Smaller mammals: spring hare, porcupine, warthog, hyraxes, baboon, vervet monkey, colobus monkey, patas monkey, and mongooses. The most scenic and productive safari areas are generally around Lobo,
Day 4: Serengeti (Central and South After breakfast go for a mid morning game drive and viewing in the Seronera valley. The presence of permanent water in the central Seronera valley ensures year round game-viewing. As well as good resident game, during the dry season and cheetahs are forced to come in off the plains and congregate in extremely high numbers as there is enough prey. Lunch break at you hotel/lodge/ campsite, then late afternoon head south where you will see endless plains as the name suggest in the native language and various game scattered all over. Larger mammals: giraffe, rhino, elephant, hippopotamus. Nearly 500 species of bird, including vultures, storks, ostrich. Reptiles: crocodiles, a number of species of snakes and lizards.Dinner and overnight stay at Serengeti Nasikia Tented Camp/ Seronera Campsite.
Day 5: Balloon flight Very early in the morning at 0630hrs, fly in a hot air balloon over the vast plains of the Serengeti. See the endless lines of wildebeest as they migrate across this huge expanse of wilderness. Watch the hippos scatter as the balloon drifts over the edge of the riverbank. You will have breath taking views form above as the game below scatter at the sight of the intruder. Break off for breakfast after which you will drive back to Arusha with game enroute for relaxation at hotel/lodge of your choice or transfer to Kilimanjaro International airport to catch your flight back home
Price: USD 1,910 per person – Camping Accommodation USD 2,699 per person – Lodge Accommodation
Please note: The price above is valid up to June 2013 for July up to December 2013 price is subject to change.
Price Includes - All Park entrance fees - accommodation based on 3 meals a day -Complementary accommodation on arrival day - Airport transfers - Transport, Safari 4WD L/Cruiser/rover or Minibus. - Driver guide, cook, allowances and salaries - Hot air balloon
Price Excludes: - International Flights - Hot and cold drinks - Cigarettes, Tips and Sleeping bags (if camping) - And all not mentioned on the plan
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This is a fantastic tour and a "must do" for any first time visitor to Dar, as I was.
It helps you understand more about the people who live in Dar and makes what can seem like a complex and intimidating place, accessible, friendly and understandable.
My customized 13-day trip in Tanzania was absolutely amazing!
From breathtaking Ngorongoro hiking to a taste of Kilimanjaro and local village visits, it was truly a life-changing experience.
My driver and tour manager went out of their way to accommodate my whims and made sure that my stay in Tanzania was a pleasant one. Unfortunately I fractured my ankle during one of the hikes I took, but I was taken to the hospital immediately, and taken a great care of.
I would definitely recommend this operator to anyone who's looking for a tour that's much more than just game drives.'
We went on a two day walking – canoeing trip in Arusha National Park. The tour operator also made hotel arrangements for the first three days we were in Arusha.
They stayed in contact for 11 months via email. The person I was in contact with Elifasi and our guide, Apolo Kihwil, meet us at the airport took us to our hotel. On our rest day we visited a school at our request and not part of the paid itinerary this was on their time.
Our guide Apolo was the best we had on our entire trip. He was informative, friendly and had a great sense of humor, we were rewarded with a dream trip my favorite giraffe and several at a time the last bunch we counted eleven, baboons, wart hogs, black and white monkeys, hundreds of thousand of lesser and greater flamingos on big Momella Lake he provide delicious lunches and was infinitely patient while we took photographs.
I would not hesitate to use them on my next trip to Tanzania and would request Apolo as our guide.
We had a most wonderful holiday in Kenya and Tanzania.
They looked after us very well and we were very satisfied with their service. The service provided value for money. The only comment we would make is that the email from them gave us the impression that we would be staying in a lodge but when we arrived we were in a tent. We were satisfied with the tented accomodation, however it could have been made clearer in the original email that it was tented accomodation.
The staff were very kind and helpful.
Tour Operators Reply:
Thank you for the client's feedback and contructive comment/suggestion. We are glad that they were very satisfied with the service we provided to them, despite their impression that they would be staying in a lodge instead of tent.
As per the first enquiry which the clients sent into our company, she stated that she will prefer to stay in Camping “Accommodation Preference: Camping” and the price given to them was based on Camping accommodation, and these was stated in the itinerary that “Dinner and overnight at the camp”
However, there was typing error at the end of the itinerary which indicates Lodge accommodation instead of Camping accommodation.
We will try our level best to make sure that this mistake will not happen again.
After having a wonderful safari in southern Africa organised through your webiste, we decided to return again to Tanzania after 45 years.
We booked a 19 day safari to visit six game parks...Selous, Mikumi, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Tarangari.
Our guide/driver, Hurumu, met us at the Dar airport and drove us to a hotel for our day of jet lag recovery. We drove to Selous first. We're not strangers to East Africa, having first arrived in 1963. By far, Hurumu is the best guide that we've ever had. He was extremely knowledgeable of wildlife, has great game eyes, a good conversationalist, and was very caring for all our needs. He understood our physical age limitations (74) but was not at all solicitous. Cool water was always available. Hurumu had the ability to always get the Toyota into position for the best photograph.
We made our initial contact the operator in 2009. Elifasi, in the office, worked with me to create the itinerary. He also was most helpful. While at Selous we requested an itinerary change. Elifasi made the changes without a problem.
The entire safari was most enjoyable and problem free.
The best of Kenya & Tanzania and they made that experience a reality. They were always on time, concerned about our well being and would without any reservations recommend them! The scenery and game viewing were all memorable and expectations met. Organizing the tour was also without any hassle
I went solo, a 50 something white woman, and me and _______ (I forget his name), rode around for 5 hours. It was a unbelievable experience.
He was a wonderful guide, I called him the "Mayor" because everybody knew him! He was so popular everywhere we went that I felt completely comfortable, safe, and like an invited family friend.
He showed me 3 or 4 neighborhoods, I met coffee makers, chapati breakfast cooks (had breakfast there with a Masaai family who stopped by!), a traditional herbalist (where I learned the treatment for meconium aspiration, I'm a perinatal pathologist!), herbal pharmacist (where I saw that fenugreek seed is used to facilitate delivery with prolonged labor), local market, fabric seller, and had a delicious lunch at an outside Swahili restaurant. I played with kids, talked with everyone, and really got a great sense of the community.
My guide also is very active in local projects and inspired me to help with a bridge rebuilding project he is spear heading. The bicycle riding was easy and really the only way to get around in these neighborhoods. It was by far the best experience I had in Dar, and one of the best I have had in my many travels in East Africa!
We could not have asked for abetter way to end our incredible adventures in Tanzania. We saw everything and did everything we could have ever imagined. From the big game watching in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, and Lake Manyara, to ascending the highly active volcano next to Lake Natron, it was all so unbelievably incredible. A total dream come true!
Our guide Huruma had he most expansive breadth of knowledge of the natural environment, he was a pleasure to talk to. He was also extremely flexible with us as lans often changed for various reasons, but ALWAYS for the better. Huruma made us feel safe and comfortable the whole time. Alex our cook as wonderful as well making sure we had the best quality meals possiblemade from the freshest ingredients.
Choosing a safari operator is tough, but I will just say that I will always recommend these guys. They are very professional and will do everything to make sure you have the best trip possible. Thanks again for our lifetime memories. We will be back, so you will hear from us again.
Thanks Elfasi for all your time, flexibility and support in orchestrating this dream trip.
