Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport in close proximity to Arusha, the gateway to the Northern Park Circuit with its many parks and attractions. Meet your driver outside of the arrival hall and transfer to your venue for the night. Check-in to your hotel for the next two nights and rest up from your journey.
Today you will be picked up by your guide to explore Arusha National Park for the day. You will bring a packed lunch to enjoy a picnic in the park.
Return to the airport today and board your plane whisking you off into the Northern Serengeti for your authentic safari experience. Your guide will welcome you at the airstrip and you will immediately start your game drive in the park. Search for the Great Migration as it congregates in this area at this time, and with a bit of luck, you will be able to witness a river crossing.
You will arrive at Serengeti River Camp just before sunset, check-in, freshen up for dinner. and rest up. This will be your home for the next 3 nights.
Spend two full days on safari in northern Serengeti. The endless grassy plains are the richest grazing grounds on the continent and home to some of the largest herds of plains game and the highest concentration of predators on the planet.
Today your travel party will safari in a southerly direction eventually ending up in the Central Serengeti, also referred to as ”Cat Central”, home to the big territorial cats. Some of the largest prides of resident lions and cheetahs are found in the central part of the Serengeti year round, lazing around the many clusters of Koppies or rocky outcrops.
Check-in to Kubu Kubu Tented Camp for the next two nights.
Spend a full day in the central Serengeti, in search of the predators and all other general wildlife here.
You also have the option of visiting the Retina Hippo Pool located in the area. The pool offers the best hippo viewing in the Serengeti. The most unique feature of the Retina Pool is that you are permitted to leave the vehicle and view the hippos on foot. The riverbank here is about 10 feet above the pool and it is possible to climb to only a few feet away from the approximately 200 hippos. Great photography opportunities abound here as the large groups of hippos huddle together, spouting and grunting in the water. Enjoy the rest of your day on safari in the fascinating central Serengeti.
Today, after some time on safari in the morning, you transfer from the central Serengeti heading in an easterly direction eventually entering into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where encounters with the local Masaai people are quite common. They are renowned for their bright dress, beadwork, and legendary ceremonies. En route, time permitting, you will have the option to visit the Olduvai Gorge. This historical sight and the Olduvai Information Centre are where Dr. Leakey discovered million-year-old hominid remains and where he and his family studied for more than 40 years.
You will spend 1 night at Ngorongoro Lions Paw Camp.
This morning early, you will transfer and descend over 600 meters into the Ngorongoro Crater, the eighth wonder of the World, and the centerpiece of the Ngorongoro Conservation area, an extension of the Serengeti National Park. The crater provides refuge to lion and hyena populations, and elephants and if you are lucky, you will see the endangered black rhino. You will transfer out of the Conservation Area in the early afternoon and to Karatu, where you have the option to stop at the African Galleria shop and Tanzanite exhibition. Afterward, transfer off the beaten path to Lake Eyasi. Although not really a game destination, Lake Eyasi, just south of the Serengeti, is a wild, scenically stunning area where you can get a real insight into the way of life of some of Tanzania's fascinating tribes.
Check-in at your venue for the night and rest up.
Overnight at Kisima Ngeda Camp.
Early this morning your travel party will enjoy Cultural Interactions. The Hadzabe and Datooga tribes are some of the few last remaining hunter-gatherers on this continent and are loyal to their indigenous way of life where little has changed from 10,000 years ago.
Afterward, you will transfer to Tarangire National Park. Tarangire National Park is one of Africa’s little-known gems. Renowned for the thousands of baobab trees that dot the open plains along with large herds of elephants with sightings reported upwards to 300 at a time. If you love elephants, this park is for you. Rest up and relax at camp.
Overnight at Tarangire Simba Lodge.
Spend the day on Safari in the Tarangire National Park. The park is named after the life-giving Tarangire River which provides the only permanent water for wildlife in the area. Tarangire's birdlife is very varied and over 500 species have been recorded here.
Today, you will be taken to an airstrip for your flight to Zanzibar Meet your drive outside of the arrival hall and transfer to your venue in the heart of the ancient Stone Town. Rest up, no activities are scheduled for this afternoon. Overnight Zanzibar Serena Hotel.
Meet your guide this morning for a walking tour of Stone Town. Meander through the old alleys and pathways and learn more about the fascinating history including the spice trade as well as slavery.
Afterward, return to the airport for your short flight over to Pemba Island. Here you will find barefoot luxury at its finest, unplug and relax for the remaining days of your tour.
Check-in at The Manta Resort, take your shoes off, and feel the warm welcome allowing you to relax and make yourself at home!
Feel the stress and exhaustion peel off you during your daily complimentary massage, enjoy a guided walk on the island, relax at the beach or go snorkeling or diving on the resort's reef.
Village visits are led by the staff here who are typically from the area and invite you to their home. Make new friends and rejuvenate your senses during your stay on the island.
Today it is time to say farewell to this little piece of paradise. You will be taken back to the airstrip to connect with your flight to Dar Es Salaam where you will connect with your flight onwards.
This is where your Authentic Africa Experience comes to an end, and we hope you had a fantastic adventure, making memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.