21 Days Off the Beaten Track Safari

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  • from US$3,350 pp
  • 21 daysTour Summary

    This is 21 days off the beaten Track Camping Safari (northern part of Tanzania), visit to Lake Natron, you will also enjoy the canoeing trip to Lake Victoria , Visiting Hadzabe tribe (bushmen) at Lake Eyasi and Beach Extension Zanzibar. This tour gives good picture most Tanzania still looks like “Off the beaten Track”.
    • Serengeti
    • Ngorongoro
    • Lake Manyara
    • Tarangire
    • Lake Natron
    • Lake Victoria
    • Arusha
    • Lake Eyasi
    • Zanzibar
  • Day to Day Descriptions


    1
    Arrival

    Guest arrives at the airport and will be meet with the driver/our representative. We will take you to the Outpost Lodge or in Arusha, with your Safari starting tomorrow. Our safari manager will come to see you and provide you with a safari briefing.

    2
    Arusha -> Lake Manyara

    After breakfast you will drive to Lake Manyara National Park, which is across the floor of the Great Rift Valley for a game drive. This beautiful park with it’s lush vegetation and tropical forests of giant fig and mahogany trees, takes its name from the Maasai word for "euphorbia tirucalli", a bush which is used to make a thorny hedge to protect their cattle. You will also see birds like flamingoes, pelicans, hornbills and plenty of forest species. Overnight at a public campsite at Lake Manyara. All meals included.

    3
    Lake Manyara -> Lake Natron

    In the morning you drive via Engaruka Ruins towards Lake Natron on a partly bumpy and dusty road. En route you see many Masai villages, termite mounds, gazelle, giraffe, zebra, baboons, bee boxes, and birds such as vultures, ostrich, starlings, Cory Bustards, and kites. The transfer takes you some 4 hours on a partly dusty and bumpy road. In the afternoon you go 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 a Ngare Sero River which flows in the Lake Natron In contrast to the surrounding dry landscape, here you can find a small paradise. After a strenuous walk up the stream, we reach the source of the river, in cascading waterfalls the river gushes out of the mountains. It is an excellent swim in the river and under the waterfalls for a nice cool-down from the hot sun. There may be baboons or other wildlife in the gorge. Overnight at a public campsite at Lake Natron All meals included

    4
    Lake Natron -> Serengeti

    After breakfast start your way towards Serengeti with some wildlife and many Maasai 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. Picnic lunch on a kopje (rock outcropping) at Serengeti you will continue further into the park and go on a game drive. Overnight at a public campsite at Serengeti All meals included

    5
    Serengeti

    A 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 a public campsite at Serengeti All meals included

    6
    Serengeti -> Lake Victoria

    Game-drive 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, who grow cotton, ground nuts, sorghum and cassava as well as keeping livestock. Life carries on simply as it has done for centuries, but with a few poignant reminders of the 20th Century! See the local school and take a stroll to the top of a small kopje. Overnight at a public campsite at Lake Victoria. All meals included.

    7
    Lake Victoria

    Early morning 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 a mountain biking tour at the Masamba Hills can be arranged (at extra cost). In this area the only means of transportation is a bicycle, which is why there are numerous small tracks and no vehicles. It gives a good picture of what most of Tanzania still looks like ‘off the beaten track’. The guided trip takes about four hours and is to be made in the afternoon. Overnight at a public campsite at Lake Victoria. All meals included.

    8
    Lake Victoria -> Lake Ndutu / Southern Serengeti

    After breakfast you proceed to Lake Ndutu, Southern Serengeti by crossing the Western Corridor again. You explore the Southern Part of the great Serengeti up to Lake Ndutu. Overnight at a private campsite at Lake Ndutu. All meals included

    9
    Ngorongoro

    Proceed to Ngorongoro Conservation Area On the way you will stop at the Olduvai Gorge where anthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey made many significant discoveries, contributing to the theory that human life originated in Africa. After arrival into Ngorongoro you go on a nature walk at the Northern Crater Rim of Ngorongoro Crater inhabited by buffaloes, elephants, baboons, monkeys and different species of birds. Escorted by an armed ranger you follow animal paths through dense bush. Overnight at a public campsite at Ngorongoro. All meals included.

    10
    Ngorongoro

    After breakfast you will descend into the crater for a wonderful game drive (with a picnic lunch) inside the Ngorongoro Crater often described as one of the wonders of the world.It is the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera and a a natural sanctuary for some of Africa’s densest animal populations. It is one of the few places where the rare black rhino can be observed in their natural setting. As very few animals migrate in and out of the crater with its 2000 ft. high walls, you can expect to see lions, elephants, zebras, hippos, flamingos, jackals, rhinos, antelopes, many birds and other species. With a bit of luck the ‘Big Five’ can be spotted during one game drive only. Overnight at a public campsite at Ngorongoro. All meals included.

    11
    Lake Eyasi

    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. The day is filled with tours and game walks guided by bushmen taking you on their traditional hunting tracks. Overnight at a bush camp at Lake Eyasi. All meals included.

    12
    Lake Eyasi

    After breakfast 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, cheetah and up to six thousand elephant. Overnight at a public campsite at Tarangire.. All meals included.

    13
    Tarangire -> Arusha

    One final morning game drive before leaving. In the afternoon we will reach Arusha, were we overnight at Outpost Lodge. Breakfast and lunch included.

    14
    Arusha -> Zanzibar

    After breakfast we transfer you to Kilimanjaro Airport for your flight to Zanzibar.. Transfer to your Beach Resort Breakfast and dinner included

    15-18
    Beach Extension

    Relax and enjoy the beaches of Zanzibar. Breakfast and dinner included

    19
    Spice Tour

    After breakfast transfer to Stonetown. On the way we will do the famous Spice Tour. We have developed a special Spice Tour with in depth information not only about spices, but also organically grown herbs and a detailed description about their traditional uses in medicine cosmetics and cooking. After the tour we invite for an opulent lunch at our guides' home, where you can taste the spices and fruits. In the afternoon you have some time at leisure. Overnight Zanzibar Coffeehouse or Dhow Palace Hotel or other boutique hotel. Breakfast and lunch

    20
    Stone Town

    In the morning we will show you Stone Town on our Historical Stone Town Tour. This tour takes you through Stone Town, where history appears to stand still. With visits to the House of Wonders, the Palace Museum (People's Palace) and the Arab Fort amongst others, it is a fascinating look at the essence of Zanzibar. You will see Zanzibar's bustling market, winding alleyways, ornately carved and studded doors, two cathedrals and countless mosques!  Rest of the day at leisure and time for own discoveries. 2nd overnight Zanzibar Coffeehouse or Dhow Palace Hotel o Breakfast included

    21
    Departure

    Departure transfer to Zanzibar Airport for departure.


    NB – if you depart from another airport than Zanzibar we will arrange flight connections to your departure airport (to Dar Es Salaam also ferry boats possible)