Day 1: Kilimanjaro Airport / Arumeru River Lodge
Welcome to Tanzania, the land of plenty! In anticipation of eight fantastic days ahead, you will be greeted by your safari guide who will take you by private transfer to your accommodation. The drive to Arumeru River Lodge takes approximately 40 minutes. Sit back and enjoy the journey into the seven hectare game reserve where the lodge is situated. Start your holiday by relaxing in the lodge's tropical garden. Have a snack on the sundeck or cool off with a swim in the pool. If you are lucky, you may get a close up look at the small dik-diks (dwarf antelopes). If the weather is good, you can climb up to the viewing platform for a view of the mighty Kilimanjaro. Your day will be rounded off with a culinary experience as you dine before lights out at Arumeru River Lodge.
Day 2: Tarangire Nationalpark
At around 2,600km², Tarangire NP is one of the five largest parks in Tanzania and provides enough food for its inhabitants all year round. It is home to rare species such as gerenuk, lesser kudu and oryx, and the largest wildlife population outside the Serengeti ecosystem. The park is best known for its huge elephant herds. Game drives in late summer and autumn are particularly good for seeing a variety of animals. However, big cats, giraffes, buffalos and elephants can be seen all year round. Arrive at Maweninga Camp just before sunset and enjoy your first sundowner on the rocky plateau in the middle of the bush. After this exciting spectacle, round off your day with a delicious dinner.
Day 3: Karatu
Today a new safari adventure awaits the family. Before the morning game drive in Tarangire NP, the guide collects the latest reports on wildlife and locations. The start time of the safari can accordingly be brought forward.
Lunch is served at Tarangire Safari Lodge, in the heart of the park, and then you set off towards the Ngorongoro Crater. The route is very scenic and takes you past Manyara National Park, up the Great Rift Escarpment and finally ends in Karatu at the foot of the crater. With unique memories in your luggage, you will head to your next accommodation, the Bashay Rift Lodge. After check-in, there are various activities to choose from to spend the late afternoon.
A refreshment in the swimming pool, a massage, a mountain bike tour (for a fee) or a guided hike through the adjacent plantations.
Day 4: Karatu
After breakfast it is time to explore the surroundings of Karatu. You will meet the local gardeners, teachers and children. Bashay Primary School: This is one of the biggest schools in the area. You will spend some time at the school, visit the premises and experience the daily school life in the classroom with the students and teachers. Bashay Organic Farm: Bashay Rift Lodge is self-sufficient and has been growing its own organic vegetables for years. At the farm you will spend some time in the organic garden. One of our local staff will explain everything about the garden. Local tree nursery: Here you will learn all about the tree nursery that Tanganyika has been supporting for years and get the chance to plant your own family tree. After you have had a chance to get to know the unfamiliar surroundings of Karatu, it is back to your "own" four walls at Bashay Rift Lodge. A delicious lunch awaits you. The afternoon is at leisure.
Day 5: Ngorongoro Krater
After a hearty breakfast, depart early in the morning for the Ngorongoro Crater. A fantastic game drive and picnic await you in the 20km wide caldera, which has its own ecosystem due to its 600m high natural wall. Ngorongoro Crater:
The crater is a unique place and home to hundreds of animals. All the big African mammals can be found here: Lion, leopard and hyena as well as herds of wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, hippo and rhino. In the afternoon you arrive at Olduvai Camp where you will be met by local Maasai warriors. Together you will take a short walk (about 20 minutes) to one of the nearby kopjes. The walk is well worth it! The sunset over the southern plains of the Serengeti is spectacular and a moment not to be missed.
Day 6: Grumeti Game Reserve
Today - a real adventure. In the morning you will be guided by a Maasai through a nearby Maasai village, visit a typical Maasai hut and experience the tribe's way of life first hand. Then drive to the nearby Olduvai Gorge, where fossilised bones and stone tools of our ancestors have been found. Visit the museum to learn more about these million-year-old finds. Also interesting is our walk on the bizarre "Shifting Sands" - a magnetic dune of black sand. Visits finish in the late morning and then the Serengeti National Park calls. During the first game drive you will enjoy a picnic lunch.The Serengeti is undoubtedly the most famous national park in the world and covers an area of 14,000 km². The Serengeti has the largest concentration of big cats in the world, including cheetah, lion and leopard. The variety of landscapes is exciting. As well as the beautiful savannah with wide plains, you will find hills and as well as kopjes and dense bush. In the late afternoon we drive to the Grumeti Concession, which borders the Serengeti National Park.
Day 7: Grumeti Game Reserve
An early morning game drive and bush walk. Accompanied by a local guide and an armed ranger, you will leave the lodge on foot to observe the wildlife of this area from a different perspective. The guide will point out the various plants and small animals that often remain hidden when travelling in a safari vehicle. After about 1.5 hours, a delicious bush breakfast is served on the banks of the Grumeti River. With a bit of luck you may see small antelopes or zebras foraging for fresh grass in the early morning hours. After a short break and the return drive to Grumeti Hills Lodge, a light lunch will be served. The afternoon is "à la carte" with the option of another game drive in the concession and/or a refreshing dip in the pool and massage.
Day 8: Arusha
Depending on your departure time, you will enjoy an early morning game drive and transfer to Ikoma Airstrip after breakfast. The guide will assist you with check-in and boarding for the scheduled flight to Arusha. On arrival in Arusha you will be greeted by your local guide. Guests flying on to Zanzibar will receive a picnic lunch and check in directly for their onward flight. Those flying home will be transferred to the Arusha Coffee Lodge. A light lunch will be served and you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro Airport for your return flight.
