Arusha/Lake Eyasi/NgorongoroCCA/Empakaai/Serengeti/Lake Natron/Oldionyo Lengi/Arusha
Includes: full board basis and all in-country transport and fees.
Not included: Drinks, gratuities, International Flights and additional activities.
Day 1
Depart from the UK.
Day 2
Arriving into Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), where you will be met and driven to the warm hospitality of Karama Lodge, set on the edge of the forest on the outskirts of Arusha. Auger buzzards soar over the individual wooden cabins in which you stay. ‘Karama’ is the Swahili word for an honour, a blessing and something to share; it is an ideal place to begin your journey.
Day 3
After breakfast, you will drive through the morning to Lake Eyasi, a salt lake situated between the Eyasi Escarpment and the Kidero Mountains. The expanse of salt flats and the multitude of birds they support combine to make a memorable environment. After a picnic lunch, you will explore the area and preparations will be made with the local indigenous population, the Hadzabe, to join one of their early morning hunting parties. The Hadzabe used to populate a much greater area of northern Tanzania, but were superceded over the last two hundred years by the stronger Masaai people. Their hunter gather lifestyle is fascinating living history, an echo of the lifestyle of early man in Africa that may not survive for much longer. You will camp alongside the lake and absorb the African night.
Day 4
This morning you will run with the Hadzabe. There is no better way to really explore the bush and there are no better guides to this area. This will not be an easy morning, but you will emerge from it with a great respect for the Hadzabe and an unforgettable experience. Once the hunt is over, it is likely that you will be invited to observe a session of archery practice, your chance to judge who is the African Robin Hood! After lunch, you will return to the vehicle and transfer to Lake Manyara National Park, staying at Popo Campsite. Here, a place Hemingway rated as one of the loveliest he ever saw, the lions climb trees and flamingos mass in pink in the shallow waters.
Day 5
Rising early enables you to explore the park with a morning game drive; greeting the wildlife before the heat of the day makes everything lethargic. Early rises always makes you hungry for lunch and this will be provided on a high bluff overlooking the lake. There are few better spots. Once ready to leave, you will drive into the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area to the Simba Campsite perched on the rim of the actual crater.
Day 6
After breakfast you will proceed into the crater, another natural wonder of remarkable geology and stunning wildlife. The crater rim is heavily forested and the bottom is grassland that supports vast populations of elephant, rhino, antelope and lion. After spending half the day in the crater, you will drive east towards the Empakaai Crater. Relaxing in your campsite, the setting sun will steal from you the beautiful views over the Rift Valley, looking towards Lake Natron.
Day 7
Stretching your legs once more, this morning you will walk to the rim of the Empakaai Crater, in the company of local Masaai guides and a wildlife ranger as buffalo can be nearby. The caldera is about 35 sq km and it is possible to walk down to the soda lake, Lake Emakat, which partially fills the interior – or maybe you will be content with just looking over the edge. After a picnic lunch, you will leave the crater and move onto Serengeti National Park, the home of the Migration
Day 8 to 11
You will stay in the park for four full days, making camp wherever is best situated to place you close to the herds, moving when necessary. Nature is often unpredicatable, but you are with the very best local guides to whom the rhythms of the grasslands are second nature. Enjoy the place and revel in the spectacle.
Day 12
Today you will make one of the most scenic drives in Tanzania, the route down the Escarpment to Lake Natron Masaai Campsite. The Masaai are one of East Africa’s most distinct and charismatic ethnic groups and they welcome you into their heartland. Should you wish to climb, with a Masaai guide, the sacred mountain of Oldionyo Lengi you will have an early dinner and a restful afternoon, because you will be woken at midnight. We recommend that you do; it is not often that you get the chance to climb an active volcano.
Day 13
Awoken as the day turns, you will reach the summit of the volcano as the sun rises. The caldera is there to be explored; part of you will not want to come down. Return to the camp about midmorning. Again, should you wish, it is also possible to walk through a neighbouring steep gorge until to reach a waterfall that creates a natural jacuzzi, seemingly flowing just for your refreshment. There is also the option to take a game drive and a walk around the lake shore.
Day 14
Today you return to Arusha, completing a final drive through this spectacular landscape and remembering the sights and sounds of the last two weeks. Karama Lodge welcomes you again.
Day 15
Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your return flight to the UK.
