Your adventure mapped
– 2 Night’s in Ngorongoro – The Highlands
– 3 Night’s in Serengeti – Kimondo Migration Camp
– 3 Night’s in Lake Victoria – Rubondo Island
8 nights in total - from USD 7690 PP(Contact for live rates)
This is a thrilling safari combining some of Tanzania’s most rewarding national parks with the unique opportunity to be part of a chimpanzee habituation programme on an island in Lake Victoria.
Start your adventure at the Ngorongoro Crater, game driving on the floor of this dormant volcano before you set off via air to the Serengeti, staying in a mobile tented camp that follows the pattern of
the Great Migration.
Conclude your adventure on Rubondo Island, home to a chimpanzee population as well as other wildlife, including forest elephant, hippo, sitatunga and flocks of African grey parrot.
START AND END: Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania
INCLUSIONS: All logistics starting and ending at Kilimanjaro International Airport, all light-aircraft flights within Tanzania, all park fees and taxes including one chimpanzee permit for Rubondo Island, shared safari activities, all meals and house drinks on safari and medical evacuation insurance.
EXCLUSIONS: International flights to Tanzania, Tanzania entry visa, vaccinations, gratuities, additional activities (e.g. hot-air ballooning in Serengeti), additional meals and drinks.
Your journey begins
2 x night’s in Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most unique safari destinations in Africa, where wildlife lives on the floor of a dormant volcano
Wildlife: Lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest
Visit authentic Maasai communities, Walk on or around the other lesser-known craters nearby
2 night’s at The Highlands
a unique safari experience....
DAY 1: On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will proceed to the Coastal Aviation desk for your light aircraft flight to the Manyara airstrip. A guide from The Highlands will drive you through coffee plantations towards the Ngorongoro Crater, a journey of 3 hours to reach the property, enjoying a packed lunch on the way. Stop at the viewpoint overlooking the crater to soak in the spectacular landscape and continue your drive around the Ngorongoro crater rim until you reach the Olmoti Crater, where you will stay at The Highlands for the next two nights. If you feel like stretching your legs, you can opt for a guided walk from the camp up to the rim of Olmoti Crater, passing through dense forest and waterfalls on the way.
DAY 2: This morning will start with an early breakfast and then head out with your guide for the Ngorongoro Crater, a drive of around an hour until you reach the descent road. The morning will be spent game driving on the crater floor, exploring in search of the varied wildlife that lives here. Later you will enjoy a picnic lunch during the heat of the day in a shady spot before driving back to The Highlands, where you can relax and enjoy the views from your veranda. Later in the afternoon you have the option to visit one of the nearby Maasai villages with a guide, where you can learn more about this rich culture and take part in their afternoon activities, which often include rounding up cattle into the boma for the night. (This is an optional activity which can be paid for in camp at an additional cost of US$30 per person)
Your adventure continues
3 x night's in Serengeti National Park
15,000 km2 of vast savannah plains. One of Africa’s most wildlife-rich and iconic national parks. Part of the larger Masai Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, where the 2-million-strong herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle make their Great Migration year-round
Wildlife: Lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, hyena, hippo. More than 300 bird species
Safari activities: Game drives and hot-air ballooning (additional cost)
3 night’s at Kimondo Migration Camp (15 Jun to 31 Oct)
Impressive wildlife sightings...
DAY 3: Today you head out by road for the Manyara airstrip which is an approximate 3 hour drive. Here you will catch your flight to the Serengeti, a journey of 45-minutes. From July to October, your journey takes you to the northern Serengeti and to Kimondo Migration Camp. From December to March, you head to Olakira Migration Camp, on the border between the southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. A guide will meet you at the airstrip and game drive you back to camp, stopping at any wildlife sightings along the way. After an enjoyable and leisurely lunch you will have the opportunity to settle into your tent before going on an afternoon game drive to fully explore your new surroundings. The Serengeti is impressive in terms of both the diversity and density of wildlife found here, so there is plenty to discover each day. Return to camp in the early evening for drinks around the campfire, followed by dinner.
DAYS 4 AND 5: Safari activities at Kimondo and Olakira Migration Camps take place in the early morning and late afternoon when the wildlife is most active (cooler times of the day). You will head out with expert guides on game drives, looking for the big cats that have made the Serengeti famous, as well as elephants gently rumbling to each other and giraffe browsing the fresh shoots of acacia trees. During the day you will return to camp for a delicious lunch and a siesta or catch up on a good book. Evenings are spent sharing stories of your day’s adventures with other guests around the dinner table.
YOUR ADVENTURE CONTINUES
3 x night's in Lake Victoria
an Indian Ocean island with warm tropical seas to swim in. Snorkelling and diving on reefs – enjoy abundant marine life including turtles and dolphins. Other water sports include kayaking, kitesurfing and stand-up paddle-boarding. Also home to Stonetown, a UNESCO world Heritage site with a mix of African and Arabic culture and history
3 nights at Rubondo Island
African sunset at it's best
DAY 6: Start the day by enjoying breakfast in camp, before heading to the airstrip for your morning flight to Rubondo Island on Lake Victoria. A guide will drive you through the dense tropical forest to the camp, which will be your base for this final stage of your safari. Once settled in, and after lunch, you have the option to head out onto the water for some fishing or to witness the variety of birdlife around the lakeshore, then take in the sunset views across the water.
DAYS 7 AND 8: Activities on Rubondo Island take place in the morning and afternoon, with time during the heat of the day to relax in the shade at the lodge or by the pool. One morning you will set out with a guide, researcher and ranger to search for chimpanzees, generally travelling by boat to a different part of the island and then walking through the thick forest. The researcher will explain the habituation process along the way. Sightings are not guaranteed as this habituation programme is still a work in progress, but it offers you a unique opportunity to be part of the conservation story of Rubondo and to be some of the first travellers to meet the island’s chimpanzee. Other activities available include boating on the lake, fishing for Nile perch, found in good numbers here; birding for some unusual species, such as the African grey parrot, and forest drives, during which you may encounter sitatunga or a forest elephant.
DAY 9: Enjoy a final breakfast of your travel adventure overlooking Lake Victoria before a short drive to the airstrip for your morning flight back to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, taking a picnic lunch with you. The flight will stop a few times on the way in the Serengeti and other airstrips to drop off/pick up passengers, and the total journey will be approximately 4 hours. You will land at the international airport so you can simply collect your luggage and check-in for your international flight home.
The END OF THE ROAD….for now