Tanzania Family Vacation

Tripoto
31st Mar 2020
Photo of Tanzania Family Vacation by Africa Nature Photography

Day 1 – Arrival day

Arrive in the evening on KLM airlines, into Kilimanjaro International Airport. You will be met by Africa Nature Photography & Safaris team and transferred to Ngarasero Mountain Lodge for a late dinner and overnight stay.

Day 1

Meals & Overnight at Ngarasero Mountain Lodge or similar

Day 2 – Arusha - Tarangire National Park

Day 2

You will have a leisure Breakfast at the lodge, which will be followed by a short safari briefing from your guide thereafter load the luggage to the safari car and Drive south through Arusha to prehistoric-looking Tarangire National Park. It’s a two and half-hours drive from Arusha to the gate of Tarangire National Park. Upon arriving at the park gate, your guide will do paper works to obtains permits and thereafter drive to the lodge and arrive for lunch. After lunch, you will have a late afternoon game viewing into a landscape dotted with baobab trees and umbrella-thorn acacias, visiting the Silalei Swamp and Tarangire River are the centerpiece of this park which is famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. In the dry season large numbers of animals congregate along the lifeblood of the river. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, lesser kudu, buffalo, Oryx, eland, giraffe and zebra. In addition to the animal species, the park is famous for its century-old baobab trees and over 300 species of birds.

Meals and Overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge or similar

Day 3

Day 3 – Exploring Tarangire National Park

You will have a full day of game viewing at Tarangire national park and you have an option to break the day into two by having a morning and Afternoon game viewing, visiting the Silalei Swamp and Tarangire River which is the centerpiece of this park famous for some of the largest herds of elephants in Africa. In the dry season large numbers of animals congregate along the lifeblood of the river. Here you may see lion, leopard, cheetah, Greater and lesser kudu, buffalo, Oryx, eland, giraffe and zebra. In addition to the animal species, the park is famous for its century-old baobab trees and over 300 species of birds.

Meals and overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge or similar

Day 4

Day 4 – - Maasai Village-Mto Wa Mbu Cultural Tour-Ngorongoro Highlands.

After breakfast you will experience a day in the life of a Maasai village where you will meet with the Maasai and witness some of their long-standing traditions such as building a mud hut and intricate beadwork. Depart the village and then drive and Stop at the culturally-diverse village of Mto wa Mbu for a guided tour visiting the village for an in-depth look at tribal life, where more than 100 different Tanzanian tribes make their homes. Local lunch will be saved at the village before proceeding with the drive to Ngorongoro highland for dinner and overnight.

Meals and Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa lodge or similar

Day 5

Day 5 – Exploring the Ngorongoro Crater

You will have a very early start and you will Collect breakfast and lunch boxes, at around 05:45 and descend into the crater for an in-depth exploration of this distinctive eco-system. Enjoy abundant wildlife viewing set against the impressive backdrop of the Ngorongoro Crater, the heart of the conservation area. These drives provide one of the best opportunities in Africa to view black rhino, which tend to spend their time on the crater floor. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles; its magical setting and abundant wildlife never fail to enthrall visitors. Another big draw card to this picturesque Caldera, is it's dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, and if Lucky enough you will have chance to see the small cats like the Rare Caracal, Seval cat as well as the African wild cat which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. Picnic breakfast will be served at one of the picnic site at the crater floor, Followed by another game viewing visiting the hippo pool near the Mandusi Swamp, Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner which is one of the main features of the crater, the lerai forest as well as other parts of the crater.

Meals & Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa lodge or similar

Day 6

Day 6 - Ngorongoro Crater - Southern Plain of Serengeti

Depart Ngorongoro sopa Lodge after an early breakfast and descend into the crater for an in-depth exploration of this distinctive eco-system. Enjoy abundant wildlife viewing set against the impressive backdrop of the Ngorongoro Crater, the heart of the conservation area. These drives provide one of the best opportunities in Africa to view black rhino, which tend to spend their time on the crater floor. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles; its magical setting and abundant wildlife never fail to enthrall visitors. Another big draw card to this picturesque Caldera, is it's dense population of predators, which include lions, hyenas, jackals, and if Lucky enough you will have chance to see the small cats like the Rare Caracal, Seval cat as well as the African wild cat which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. Picnic breakfast will be served at one of the picnic site at the crater floor, Followed by another game viewing visiting the hippo pool near the Mandusi Swamp, Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner which is one of the main features of the crater, the lerai forest as well as other parts of the crater searching for different wildlife interactions at the area, and late in the afternoon drive to Lake Masek Tented Camp. You will spend your next three nights exploring the southern Serengeti plains and the Ndutu forest, which is home to the enormous migratory herds of wildebeest and zebras during the wet season. The wildebeest migrations will mostly likely be spread across the green plains of Ngorongoro conservation area and the southern Serengeti from December to May and You can anticipate exploring lake masek, lake ndutu, the hidden valley, kusini valley and the kakesio plains during your game drives. In addition to the large migratory herds, predators will be abundant and easily seen. Cheetah densities will be at the highest as many have followed the migratory Thomson’s gazelles onto the southern and eastern plains. Lions should be easily visible, both resident prides and the nomads which have followed the wildebeest and zebras onto the plains.

Meals and Overnight at Lake Masek Tented Camp or similar

Day 7

Day 7 – Exploring the southern Plain of Serengeti and Ndutu Forest

You will have a full day of game viewing exploring the southern Serengeti plains and the Ndutu forest, which is home to the enormous migratory herds of wildebeest and zebras during the wet season. The wildebeest migrations will mostly likely be spread across the green plains of Ngorongoro conservation area and the southern Serengeti from December to May and You can anticipate exploring lake masek, lake ndutu, the hidden valley, kusini valley and the kakesio plains during your game drives. In addition to the large migratory herds, predators will be abundant and easily seen. Cheetah densities will be at their highest as many have followed the migratory Thomson’s gazelles onto the southern and eastern plains. Lions should be easily visible, both resident prides and the nomads which have followed the wildebeest and zebras onto the plains.

Meals and Overnight at Lake Masek Tented Camp or similar

Day 8

Day 8 – Exploring the southern Plain of Serengeti and Ndutu Forest

You will have another full day of game viewing exploring the southern Serengeti plains and the Ndutu forest, which is home to the enormous migratory herds of wildebeest and zebras during the wet season. The wildebeest migrations will mostly likely be spread across the green plains of Ngorongoro conservation area and the southern Serengeti from December to May and You can anticipate exploring lake masek, lake ndutu, the hidden valley, kusini valley and the kakesio plains during your game drives. In addition to the large migratory herds, predators will be abundant and easily seen. Cheetah densities will be at their highest as many have followed the migratory Thomson’s gazelles onto the southern and eastern plains. Lions should be easily visible, both resident prides and the nomads which have followed the wildebeest and zebras onto the plains.

Meals and Overnight at Lake Masek Tented Camp or similar

Day 9

Day 9 – Exploring the Eastern plain of Serengeti

Depart Lake Masek Tented Camp after early breakfast and drive to the Central east plain of Serengeti via the Gol Kopjes. This area linking the Southern plain of Serengeti and Central Serengeti is a fragile habitat consisting of ethereal kopjes and short grass plains. Driving through the Gol kopjes is always a breathtaking experience with a vision of vast open plains and amazing wildlife. This is gazelle country and where there are gazelles there are always cheetahs. Continue game viewing through the gol kopjes searching for different wildlife interactions at the area and late in the afternoon drive to Sametu Tented Camp where you will spend your next two nights. You have an options of breaking the days into two by doing Early morning and late afternoon game viewing, drive through the central serengeti in the golden light of dawn looking for special wildlife interactions and photographic opportunities, whereby, You will depart the Lodge at first light with a picnic breakfast for a big day in searching for different animal interactions at the Central Eastern part of the Serengeti Plains. Areas that will be visited are the Gol Kopjes, maasai and sametu kopjes and plains as well as Moru and Simba kopjes. The Central eastern Serengeti and seronera river valley is home to a great diversity of wildlife due to its unique ecological niches as a transition zone where two distinctly different habitats, the plain and the woodlands merge and various species of wildlife from both habitats can coexist. Due to this unique ecological features, Central Serengeti supports a much greater diversity wildlife including Elephants, Giraffes’, Impala, waterbuck, hippo, topi, reedbuck, buffalo, baboon and vervet monkey, while the attendant predators such as lion, leopard and cheetah are to be found amongst the many kopjes scattered across the plain.

Meals and overnight at Sametu Tented Camp or similar

Day 10

Day 10 - Exploring the Serengeti Plain and Kopjes

A game viewing around Central Serengeti plains and You have an options of breaking the days into two by doing Early morning and late afternoon game viewing, drive through the central serengeti in the golden light of dawn looking for special wildlife interactions and photographic opportunities, whereby, You will depart the Lodge at first light with a picnic breakfast for a big day in search for different mammals at the Serengeti plain. Areas that will be visited are the Retima Hippo pool, maasai and sametu kopjes and plains as well as Moru and Gol Kopjes. The Central Serengeti and seronera river valley is home to a great diversity of wildlife due to its unique ecological niches as a transition zone where two distinctly different habitats, the plain and the woodlands merge and various species of wildlife from both habitats can coexist.

Meals and Overnight at Sametu tented Camp or similar

Day 11

Day 11 – Bush Flight

Early breakfast at the camp and then leave the camp for Seronera Airstrip with game viewing enroute. Domestic Flight from Serengeti to Arusha. Stop at cultural heritage for lunch and an optional shopping; thereafter drive to Ngarasero Mountain lodge for a Day use room, followed by an early dinner at before driving to Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight back home.

Photo of Tanzania Family Vacation by Africa Nature Photography
Photo of Tanzania Family Vacation by Africa Nature Photography