9 Days Arusha Tarangire Serengeti Ngorongoro and Zanzibar
Day 01: Departure from Home Arrival Arusha Overnight at Arusha
Depart from home and take your preferred airline to Tanzania, Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO).
Meet upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport with our professional driver guide who will warmly welcome you to our beautiful country.
Our professional Driver Guide will transfer you to Arusha (a one-hour drive). Check-in at the Hotel/Lodge for dinner and overnight.
Arusha city (The Geneva of Africa) is the capital of the Arusha region situated in northern Tanzania. It boasts a population of 617,631, and the Arusha Region, with a population of 2,356,255 (2022 census). with a majority of the African population, large Arab and Indian minorities, and many European and American experts, engaged in diplomatic affairs and the fast-growing local tourist industry. Arusha is a major international diplomatic hub, as, since 1994, it has been hosting the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Capital of the East African Community since its inauguration. It also hosts the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, the East African Court of Justice, the African Union Advisory Board on Corruption, and many other international agencies.
Despite its proximity to the equator, Arusha’s elevation of 1,400 meters (4,600ft) on the southern slopes of Mount Meru (fifth highest in Africa) keeps temperatures relatively low and alleviates humidity. Cool and dry air is prevalent for much of the year. The temperature ranges between 13 and 30 degrees Celsius with an average of around 25 degrees. Arusha has distinct wet and dry seasons and experiences an eastern prevailing wind from the Indian Ocean, a couple of hundred miles from the East.
Optional Activities
Arusha City Tour
Tanzanite Experience
Accommodation: Arusha Serena Lodge/ Tulia Boutique
Meal Plan: Full-Board
Day 2: Arusha-Tarangire National Park
Relaxed Breakfast in the morning at the Lodge.
With picnic lunches, depart driving to Tarangire National Park for a game drive.
The vast number of baobab trees and a large herd of Elephants will catch your attention as you enter the Tarangire gates.
Tarangire is far from being the biggest of the Tanzanian parks, but its unrivaled landscape of open plains, dotted with thousands of baobabs, is unforgettable. About 120 km south of Arusha, Tarangire is known for its very big herds of buffalo. This is one of Africa’s little-known gems and should be on the itinerary of all lovers of wilderness and solitude. The game numbers are staggering: 30,000 zebra, 25,000 wildebeest, 5,000 buffalo, 3,000 elephants, 2,500 Maasai giraffes, and over 1,000 fringe-are oryx (gemsbok). Predators include lion, cheetah, and leopard and birders will want to look out for the endemic ashy starling, rufous-tailed weaver, and black-collared lovebird.
Optional Activities
Balloon Safari (with adventure aloft)
Visit Masai Community Visit
Check-in at Hando Coffee Lodge /Ngorongoro Neptune Lodge
Dinner and overnight at Hando Coffee Lodge /Ngorongoro Neptune Lodge
Day 3: Drive from Tarangire to Serengeti
Enjoy your spontaneous buffet breakfast at the lodge.
Depart driving to Serengeti National Park via Ngorongoro Conservation Area for a game drive.
With a game drive en-route drive in the endless plains of Serengeti proceed to the camp/lodge for a hot lunch.
Serengeti National Park is one of the best-known wildlife sanctuaries in the world. It covers an area of about 14763sq km, with various vegetation, grassy plains, savannah acacia lands, wooden hills, and mountains which are the backdrops for an extraordinary concentration of animals that reaches its peak during the wildebeest migration. It is said to be around 2 million wildebeests in Serengeti that migrate every year from Massai Mara plains. The best time to see the wildebeest migration is from December to July, and the best time to see predators is from June to October. Serengeti is among the world’s remaining natural wildlife refugees. The name comes from the Maasai ‘Siringet’, meaning endless plains, and is equal in size to Northern Ireland. The Park contains an estimated three million large animals, most of which take part in seasonal migration which makes it one of nature’s wonders.
Optional Activities:
Olduvai Gorge Museum Visit
Visit to the local Maasai village and a lecture on the Maasai presented by a Maasai naturalist
Nature walk
Empakai Crater visit.
Late afternoon returns to lodge/camp for dinner and overnight
Accommodation at Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge/Central Serengeti Bush Camp
Day 4: Full-day game viewing in Serengeti National Park
Wakeup call and get up early for coffee/tea at the lodge and depart for the balloon ride. Probably the most beautiful balloon flight in the world and the ultimate Safari Experience! The Balloon ride is offered as an optional activity.
You will be picked up at 5:00 am and transferred to the balloon launch site. Here you will meet your pilot, receive a briefing and watch the inflation of your balloon. At dawn it takes off, rising as the sun rises and floats whichever direction the winds of the morning take it. Your pilot can precisely control the altitude of your balloon: sometimes flying at treetop height, sometimes lower, offering a unique perspective and great photographic opportunities of the wildlife below. At other times our pilot may ascend to 1000 ft or more to see the enormity and wonderful panorama of the Serengeti. From time to time the pilot must put more heat into the balloon with the powerful whisper burners. In between these burns, there is silence apart from the natural sounds below.
The flight is for about one hour depending on conditions, and eventually, you must land. You celebrate in the traditional manner with champagne (well, an excellent sparkling wine) before sitting down to a full English breakfast prepared and served in the bush in “Out of Africa” style with bone china, linen table cloth, King’s silver, etc. After breakfast, you receive your Serengeti Balloon certificate and later meet up with your safari drivers ready to continue your day’s activities.
Early morning game drives are usually given a chance of seeing predators hunting.
Lunch at mid-day. Lunch can either be a hot lunch at the lodge or a picnic lunch at a picnic site in the plains of Serengeti.
Late afternoon check-in at Camp/Lodge for dinner and overnight
Accommodation at Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge/Central Serengeti Bush Camp in a Full Board Basis
Day 5: Serengeti -Ngorongoro Conservation Area Crater
Breakfast at the Lodge.
Depart to Ngorongoro Conservation Area for a Crater tour.
you will descend 2000 feet (over 600 meters) to the floor of the crater for a day tour with picnic lunches. The stunning spectacle of the Ngorongoro is undoubtedly one of the highlights of a safari tour in Tanzania. “There is nothing with which to compare. It is one of the wonders of the world”, once wrote Professor Bernard Grzimek. On this day, you will explore the forest areas that are inhabited by monkeys and elephants, the lake area, where you may see the flamingos and the open savannah where the lions hunt for food.
Enjoy your lunch on one of the finest picnic sites in the crater with free Wi-Fi facilities and reasonable washroom facilities.
Picnic lunches are taken instead of hot lunches to give clients more time in the crater, and avoid double payments, as crater tours are conducted on a single-entry basis.
In the evening ascend the crater floor and proceed to the lodge for a dinner and overnight.
The Ngorongoro Crater is 2,286m above sea level and is the largest unbroken caldera in the world. Ngorongoro is surrounded by very steep walls rising 600 meters from the crater floor. The crater was been declared a World Heritage Site. The views at the rim are sensational. On the crater floor, grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers, woodland, and mountains – all a heaven for wildlife, including the densest predator population in Africa. The crater is home to up to 25,000 large mammals, mainly grazers – gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest, and warthog. You will not find giraffes as there is not much to eat at tree level, or topi, because the competition with wildebeest is too fierce, nor will you find impala. The crater elephants are strangely, mainly bulls. There are a small number of black rhinos here too. The birdlife is largely seasonal and is also affected by the ratio of soda to fresh water in Lake Magadi on the crater floor.
In the evening ascend the crater and proceed to Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge/Hando Lodge.
Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge/Hando Lodge.
Day 6: Ngorongoro -Arusha-Zanzibar
Pleasant breakfast at the lodge.
Drive to Arusha coffee lodge in Arusha Region for a hot lunch.
Late afternoon transfer to Arusha Airport for your onward scheduled flight to Zanzibar.
On arrival at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, you will be met by our team who will warmly welcome you to our beautiful country. Our professional Driver Guide will transfer you to your Resort. Check-in at the resort/Villa.
Zanzibar is an archipelago of historic Indian Ocean islands, awash with atmosphere, intrigue, and idyllic beach experiences. There are masses of accommodation options across the price spectrum and plenty to see, do, and discover. As the birthplace of the Swahili, the site of Sultans’ Palaces, and renowned for its spice plantations, the little island republic of Zanzibar features larger-than-life on the world map and is a must-see at the end of any trip to Tanzania.
Check-in at Karafuu Beach Resort or Bahati Villa for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation at Karafuu Beach Resort/Bahati Villa on a Half Board Basis.
Day 7 & 8: Days of Leisure in Zanzibar
Pleasant breakfast at the resort/Villa.
Enjoy days of Leisure in Zanzibar enjoying the sea breeze or participating on optional activities conducted in Zanzibar
Below are some other optional activities that you opt to take during your free time.
- Stone Town City Tour & Spice Plantations Tour (Minimum 4 Pax US$ 68 per person)
Explore the oldest and most attractive part of Zanzibar town built on a 95 acres peninsula and consisting of about 2500 buildings made of coral stone, lime, and clay, thus the stones giving the name to this beautiful town. The Stone Town’s major interesting parts are its narrow lanes, with its markets, mosques, Christian churches, Hindu temples, and two baobab trees.
Spice Plantation Tour is a guided tour in the countryside of the Island. A sightseeing trip that reveals the wonderful nature with frequent stops on small live farms of cash crops, food crops, spices, flowering trees, and plants, medical trees, and varieties of mints. While visiting the spice farms you will put to work all your senses, will see, test, guess, smell, and eat some of the local products and fruits.
- Safari Blue (Minimum 4 Pax US$ 103 per person)
“Safari Blue” is like but more than a day-out adventure and the classic Dolphin Tour. This excursion ideally permits the clients to explore the natural environment of explicitly Menai Bay. The mangrove, Baobab tree, and white sand banks. The clients enjoy the tranquillity of cruising by sailing in one of the traditionally hands-built wooden dhows. This is a peaceful way to end your memorable day. You will have your seafood served at a small private island only for you and in style (Transportation excluded)
The client may do the following activities during this excursion: –
- Explore the mangrove lagoon hidden inside Kwale Island.
- A swim through the protected mangrove forest at high tide is an unforgettable experience. sandbank
- Relax under the shade and enjoy fresh coconuts and local snacks in paradise. Baobab Tree.
- Climb our unique and ancient baobab tree and get a great view from the top
Late afternoon drive back to the hotel
- Zanzibar fishing: (Minimum 4 Pax US$ 156 per person)
The event will start with a pick up from your Hotel in Zanzibar and transfer to Nungwi a fishing village on the north-western tip of Zanzibar Island. There we shall organize a contest to last between 4 to 8 hours, depending on your available time. The participants will be separated in smaller teams of 4-10 persons and be asked to go out fishing with specially equipped boats accompanied by professional fishermen to help them catch the nicest and biggest fish. The Boats are well-equipped and catered for sports fishing boats and have experienced crews to ensure safety and absolute enjoyment out on the water. The teams will fish by trolling a combination of artificial lures, natural dead baits (Ballyhoo or strips), or by live baiting. The skippers and crew are all very experienced and will teach the guests to all fishing disciplines like spinning, fly fishing, jigging, power chumming, or drifting with baits. The participants can be actively fishing or just wash the other team members doing it. In any case, they will enjoy an amazing day in the fishing grounds of Zanzibar. If you opt for a full-day fishing contest, we could organize onboard catering (sandwiches, soft drinks, beers, etc.)
This activity can be offed either as a simple sport activity or as a team competition. The winners can be judged on which team got the biggest fish, or the most kilos of fish, or a combination of both. The activity costing includes: Fishing boats, captain and fuel, Fishing equipment and material, Photography of the event, Event Guide, and Prizes for the winning Team or Person or Winning boat as a side activity if the fishing parties stay in a nearby hotel can we arrange in the evening a beach party dinner with the catch of the day.
- Prison Island (Minimum 4 Pax US$ 56 per person)
Changuu Island also known as Prison Island lies about 30 min by boat from Stone Town. The island was formerly owned by an Arab and saw use for the confinement of refractory slaves but no prisoners were ever housed here instead the island became a quarantine station for yellow fever epidemics. It was bought by General Lloyd Mathews and the jail (goal) still stands was built in 1893, hence the name “PRISON ISLAND”. The Aldabra Giant Tortoise Sanctuary is a major tourist lure and the oldest tortoise is 192 years old. The turtles are not indigenous and are magisterial creatures, weighing in at an average of 200 kg some are as old as over 100 years (4 turtles are 150 years). You can feed them at a fee paid at the Island, but watch out for their snapping beaks
- Jozani forest Tour: (Minimum 4 Pax US$ 64 per person)
A short drive to the Jozani Natural Forest reserve which is home to the red Colobus monkey that is endemic to Zanzibar. These Monkeys are very charming, friendly, and easy to take pictures of while you can watch them feeding and playing in the trees. You will have the opportunity to take a short walk into the forest to see different types of plants and tree species that still exist in this forest.
All the above tours are optional that’s are available at extra cost: Happy to quote them based on the number of confirmed pax
Accommodation at Karafuu Beach Resort/Bahati Villa on a Half Board Basis
Day 9 Depart Zanzibar
Breakfast at the Resort
Check out and transfer to Zanzibar Airport for your onward flight to your next destination
End of 9 Days Arusha Tarangire Serengeti Ngorongoro and Zanzibar
