Arrive Kilimanjaro International Airport (flight booked by agent), where you are met and transferred to your hotel located a short distance from Arusha Town Centre.
Overnight Lake Duluti Serena Hotel on bed and breakfast basis
Lake Duluti Serena Hotel
(Formerly Serena Mountain Village) Nestled at the foot of the wooded slopes of Mount Meru, this unique hotel stands amid coffee plantations on the shores of tranquil Lake Duluti. Designed to echo the traditional style of the colonial coffee farm, which originally stood on this site, Lake Duluti Serena Hotel offers a range of tastefully presented cottage-styled rooms set amid extensive landscaped grounds.
Standing at the gateway to the famous Tanzanian ‘Northern Safari Circuit', the hotel offers a broad range of attractions, which include: walking, mountain biking, canoeing on the lake, and trips to the nearby Arusha and Mount Meru national parks (all at additional costs).
The hotel features a stone-built reception with an adjoining lounge, library, restaurant, boutique and business centre. Imposing in stature and spacious in concept, the design of the new building echoes the hotel's original incarnation as a working coffee farm dating back to colonial times.
Morning at leisure with safari briefing followed by lunch. Afternoon join seat in vehicle safari and you depart Arusha passing through the Masai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. At the town of Makuyuni you turn North West and continue the journey up through a scenic escarpment that brings you to your lodge, perched on the edge of the Rift Valley with stunning views over the distant Lake Manyara.
Overnight at Lake Manyara Serena on full board basis
Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
Standing high on the edge of a towering terracotta escarpment with panoramic views over the glittering alkaline waters of Lake Manyara, Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge offers a unique blend of tranquillity, wildlife discovery, and ornithological richness. The unprecedented range of high-adventure sports, meanwhile, include mountain biking, canoeing and forest walks, while cultural choices include tours of the neighbouring villages and dance displays by the local Iraqw and sukuma people (all at additional costs).
Grouped around central ‘vanishing horizon' pool, this highly unusual lodge features a simple timbered reception area, built in traditional African style, which is accessed via a bridge over a small stream. Beyond reception, lies the central dining room, bar and veranda, below which lies the pool. Perched on the very edge of the cliffs, with stunning views over the lake is the pool bar and observation point. Dotted around the grounds, all with views over the lake, are a series of circular two-story ‘rondavels', which house the rooms.
Designed to reflect the brilliance of Lake Manyara's unique birdlife, the architectural motif melds swooping avian curves with the gentle concentric patterns of traditional Maasai ‘Bomas' , while the vibrantly coloured wall frescoes depict the colourful intricacy of bird migratory patterns.
After breakfast there is a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park that returns to the lodge for lunch. Leaving Lake Manyara behind, the journey continues North West across the stunning hilly countryside of the highlands which is filled with wheat and coffee plantations, and then into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. From here lie the vast plains of the Serengeti, where you’ll hopefully start spotting game well before you get into the park.
Overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge on a full board basis
Serengeti Serena Lodge
Set high on the saddle of a tree-clad ridge, commanding panoramic views across the Serengeti, this lodge is the ultimate fusion of traditional African architecture and world-class style. Winner of numerous awards from the world travel press, it is perhaps the finest venue the Serengeti has to offer.
Centrally located adjacent to the famous Western Corridor and Grumeti River, the lodge has been designed to blend completely into the living landscape. A series of traditional domed ‘rondavels' are widely spaced throughout the grounds, which are cooled by groves of acacia trees and watered by sparkling streams. On the very edge of the ridge is a ‘vanishing horizon' pool, which looks out over the ‘endless plains' after which the Serengeti is named.
Situated close to the world-famous 2-million-year-old Palaeolithic site of Ol Duvai, ‘birthplace of mankind', the lodge has been styled to offer a showcase of cultural performance, heritage and traditional art, which is best illustrated by the lavish Makonde carvings which decorate both the rooms and the stunning domed dining room.
As for wildlife, the Serengeti National Park offers not only all the members of ‘The Big Five' (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo), but also the annual ‘migration' of over one million wildebeest and their attendant cast of predators.
Morning and afternoon game drives in Serengeti National Park.
Overnight at Serengeti Serena Lodge on a full board basis.
After breakfast you depart for Ngorongoro with a picnic lunch viewing game across the vast Serengeti plains, stopping en route for a picnic lunch. You then continue to your lodge, set high on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater.
Overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge on a full board basis
Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Regularly voted one of the best hotels in the world, this unique lodge clings to the rim of the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, the largest and most perfect volcanic crater on Earth. Long and low, the lodge is built from local river stone and camouflaged with indigenous vines. Designed to blend completely into the landscape, it is entirely invisible from the floor of the Crater 600 metres below.
Known as ‘The eighth wonder of the world' the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's best-known wildlife arenas. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it offers a unique biosphere, which has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. Deep within the Crater, enclosed by towering walls, some 25,000 large mammals wander the plains, lakes and forests of ‘The land that time forgot', dominated by enormous bull elephants, rhinos and lions.
Hugging the contours of the jagged Crater rim, the lodge takes its inspiration from the so-called ‘Cradle of Mankind', the prehistoric site of Olduvai Gorge, which lies close by. Linked by arched stone passages and timbered decks, its walls are decorated with stylised prehistoric cave paintings and lit by flaring torches. At the stone heart of the lodge burns a glowing fire, which is kept constantly alight. Decorated with cave paintings, the rooms are strung around the Crater rim. Each has its own rock- enclosed balcony, and all enjoy completely uninterrupted views of the volcanic amphitheatre far below.
A highlight awaits you this morning as you depart to explore what is commonly referred to as the World’s largest wildlife zoo. After breakfast, you descend with a picnic lunch through the early morning mists and 2,000 feet into the crater. Ngorongoro Crater is the World’s largest intact volcanic caldera. Due to its size and diversity, the crater floor is comprised of several distinct areas, ranging from forest, swamps, lakes and springs, to open grassland and some sandy dunes. It’s an awesome wildlife experience. A picnic lunch is served overlooking a small lake populated with hippos. You return to the lodge in the late afternoon.
Overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge on a full board basis.
Departing Ngorongoro Crater after breakfast, head south east past Lake Manyara and Mto wa Mbu village. Through the highlands and the Karatu district, you’ll view the scenic wheat plains and coffee plantations here before journeying down the spectacular escarpment where you turn south on to the main Arusha – Dodoma road and into the park. From here to the lodge, you’ll enjoy a game drive en route. After lunch and perhaps a swim, the remainder of the afternoon will be spent on a game drive.
Overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge on a full board basis
Tarangire Sopa Lodge
Hidden among the kopjes, lies Tarangire Sopa Lodge, surrounded by ancient baobab trees. It is the home of the greatest concentration of elephants in Africa, and other game including the elusive leopard. Over 400 bird species can be spotted here as well. With water constantly available in the area, the greenery is lush providing a wonderful contrast to the burnt ground.
Spacious and airy with marble floors, the lobby has glass sliding doors that open out to a veranda where one can relax and enjoy the view. The ceiling has a wooden finishing, and the décor with plants in strategic places, gives it a feeling of total relaxation, much needed after the long and dusty drive to the lodge. There is also a swimming pool for those that want to take a refreshing dip.
The lodge boasts 75 spacious rooms, all with a private lounge on entering with a mini bar. Each room is carpeted, has 2 queen size beds with a mosquito net around them. Ceiling fans keep the rooms cool and glass sliding doors that open out on to a balcony, with a great view of the landscape beyond, and wildlife can sometimes be spotted.
Depart after breakfast and head north east to Arusha. The journey will pass through the Masai Steppe filled with many picturesque African villages as well as maize, coffee and banana plantations. On arrival in Arusha you will be provided lunch followed by transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport to connect international departure flight (booked by agent).