OVERVIEWThis 12-day safari tour starts and ends in Arusha, with touring the majestic Ngorongoro crater to the vast lands of Serengeti plains to the largest lake of East Africa, Lake Victoria, and then to Lake Tanganyika to participate in various lake activities
When you arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, your guide will welcome you and transfer you to a comfortable Arusha accommodation facility, where you will be briefed on the tour safari.
Meal Plan: Dinner
After an early breakfast, you will be transferred on a four-hour, 160-kilometer journey to the Ngorongoro Crater region. You arrive in time for lunch before descending two thousand feet to the crater bottom. On your descent into the crater, learn some fascinating facts regarding this exceptional natural wonder of Africa. Around 2.5 million years ago, an enormous volcano exploded and collapsed on itself, creating the Ngorongoro Crater. It is the world’s biggest unbroken volcanic caldera, and it has been designated as a World Heritage Site and a sealed ecosystem! The grasslands of the crater are home to 25,000 large mammals and are one of the finest places in East Africa to see the big five: lion, rhino, leopard, buffalo, and elephant. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.
Meal plan: Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner
This day will begin with a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, followed by a guided nature walk around the crater rim to catch dramatic crater photos. Hike through lush vegetation teeming with colourful birds, wildflowers, and trees. Learn about the conventional medicinal uses of various plants, as well as animal and scat tracks. After the treks, return to your lodge for relaxation and lunch. In the afternoon, visit a Masai village in the Ngorongoro Crater. Spend time with the residents, learn about their culture, and join in on their energetic singing and dancing. There is an opportunity to learn about some traditional skills, such as fire-making and beadwork. You will return to your lodge for dinner and overnight
Meal plan: All meals are included
After breakfast, drive northward for 2 to 3 hours to the Serengeti, one of Africa’s Seven Natural Wonders and home to the world’s longest terrestrial mammal migration, the wildebeest migration. Travel the scenic path through the Rift Valley and Maasai villages. Explore the Olduvai Gorge Museum in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is close to where archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the fossilized remnants of Homo habilis, one of the earliest members of the human species-genus, in the 1960s. When you reach Serengeti, settle into your hotel for lunch.
In the afternoon, go on a game drive to view the park’s diverse wildlife. The Seronera River Valley, which is associated with the Great Migration, constitutes one of the finest places in Africa to see Big Cats (lions, leopards, and cheetahs) on spectacular hunts. Proceed to the hotel in the evening for unwinding, supper, and overnight.
Meal plan: All meals are included
You’ll begin the day with a leisurely brunch. After breakfast, start on a full-day game drive through the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. You’ll have lunch and some downtime before going out on an afternoon game drive in search of more animals and birds. You’ll depart shortly before dawn for a sunrise Serengeti tour. Because few predators pursue during the day, the thrill of the chase is best witnessed early in the morning. It’s also a magical time in the Serengeti National Park, with gentle sunlight dappling the scenery, birds waking up, and a sense of adventure emerging. Spend the day looking for hippos, elephants, buffalos, giraffes, lions, hyenas, cheetahs, antelopes, hartebeest, and zebras. Return to the lodge for dinner and a night stay.
Meal plan: All meals are included
Spend another full day exploring the Serengeti’s Central Serengeti. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at the lodge. The Masai call the Serengeti which means “place where the land runs forever.” With long swaths of grassland punctuated by flat-topped Acacia trees, the Serengeti has a typical “Out of Africa” feel. The plains have the greatest concentration of plains animals in the globe. African Wild Dog packs, Lion pride, Cheetah, Leopard, and Spotted Hyaena pride can all be seen trailing bands of Buffalo, Wildebeest, Zebra, Gazelle, Topi, Elephant, and Impala.
In addition, the Serengeti National Park is home to approximately 500 bird species, including the ostrich, Kori Bustard, Ground Hornbill, Secretary bird, and others. After another exciting day in the Serengeti, you will return to the lodge for dinner before retiring to bed for a good night’s rest.
After waking up to a relaxed breakfast, you will embark on about a 6-hour drive and 210km long journey to Lake Victoria, on arrival check in at your lodge for lunch, and spend the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying your lodge, dinner, and overnight.
Meal Plan: All meals are included
After a leisurely breakfast, you can go to engage in many activities around and Lake Victoria, such as canoeing excursions in Lake Victoria, a fantastic boat tour with the traditional canoeing practised by local fishermen. See the city from the water, as well as the most incredible view of the blue lake that lies beneath, with slow-moving waves and a cool breeze that ruffles your chicks. Enjoy viewing the hippos, crocodiles, and different kinds of birds that inhabit this lake while canoeing. All you need to bring is a camera to capture the unforgettable memories of this journey. Enjoy lunch at the lodge, and relax or go on for more activities such, as biking, walking safaris, white rafting, sport fishing, and many more. Retire at your hotel for dinner and a night’s stay.
Ukerewe Island, situated in the Tanzanian part of Lake Victoria, is the biggest island in the lake, covering an area of 530 km2. It is readily accessible by ferry from Mwanza, the country’s second-biggest city. Ukerewe is well-known for being a haven for African albinos, who are sometimes hounded for their differences. They feel secure because they are encircled by water. The location of the island is very pleasant and provides a variety of perspectives on Lake Victoria and its islets. The Rutare hill and the Halwego viewpoint (which is the highest point of the island) are excellent places to observe not only the town but also the numerous fishing boats that operate on the lake’s crystal-clear waters.
Cultural activities such as seeing cultural performances or visiting traditional healers or local families, taking field trips to interact with local farmers, and cooking and eating local food are all examples of activities available at Ukewere. After a full day of exploring the island, you can retire to your lodge for dinner and a night’s rest.
Meal plan: All meals are included
Wake up to an early breakfast, you will be transferred to Lake Tanganyika through either road transport which is a journey of about 10 hours, or by flight. Upon arrival check-in at your hotel for dinner and a night’s rest.
Lake Tanganyika is the world’s second-deepest and second-biggest lake by volume. It is located in four countries: a small portion in Burundi and Zambia, and more than 40% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. Lake Tanganyika, which is part of the Great Rift Valley, is approximately three million years old and is fed by at least 50 streams and waterways. Its isolation and age have combined to make it one of the most biologically diverse and scientifically important places on the planet.
Meal Plan: All meals are included
After having early breakfast at your lodge, you will head out to tour the lake while on optional various activities that you can participate in throughout the day, lunch, and dinner at your lodge. The following are some of the optional activities one can embark on, Visiting fishing villages and learning about the people’s way of life, the overwhelming majority of Lake Tanganyika’s fishing communities are made up of nucleated settlements situated directly on or close to landing sites. Lake game viewing, there are many aquatic critters to see including otters, speckled eels, and freshwater crabs among others, enjoy sailing, swimming, wakeboarding, kite surfing, boat cruising and waterskiing, and sport fishing.
Meal plan: All meals included
After having a relaxed breakfast, you will be transferred to Arusha by flight or road means for your departure flight which brings this tour to an end.