On arrival, your friendly guide will welcome you and take you to your accommodation, and help you get settled in.  He or she will make sure you are all set for supper and will go over your planned itinerary with you to answer any questions you have.  He or she will also want to hear about any special dreams you may not yet have mentioned, as all our guides want your entire experience to be superb.  Once you are settled and comfortable, your guide will leave you to enjoy the evening and the sounds and smells of the Tanzanian night.

Enjoy a full day of game drives in Tarangire.  Watch elephants thundering down the hillside towards you, or Zebra kicking up the river water with their hooves.  Watch giraffe running through the acacia, and see if you can spot a lion, just waiting for someone to come near.  See how many different varieties of birds you can spot, as your guide is quick to point them out if you are interested.  Watch for leopards if you’re lucky.  With a full day to explore, you may choose to drive down to the Silale Swamp where you can watch elephants and hippos eating their fill in the reeds, and see more birdlife than you have probably even imagined.  Egrets, Egyptian Geese, storks, eagles, ducks, lilac-breasted rollers, and many more birds hang out near the swamp and enjoy the lush greenery and plentiful water.  Stop for your packed lunch whenever the mood suits, and let your guide show you all the natural wonders to be found in Tarangire.  Maybe spot the banded mongoose stretched out over termite mounds enjoying their afternoon naps.  Many guests have said that Tarangire is really their favorite of all the national parks they visit; you might just find yourself among them!

Today will be spectacular.  After breakfast, descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a full day of game drives and see the large numbers of animals living in this (relatively) small space, a World Heritage Site.  The Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact volcanic caldera formed when the Ngorongoro volcano exploded some 2 million years ago.  Some 25,000 animals live in the Crater, including Cape buffalo, hippopotamus, wildebeest, zebra, eland and many other species.  You may even have a chance to see the endangered black rhinoceros.  Visit the yellow fever tree groves, and ask your guide about them.  Watch for flamingos on the lake in the middle of the Crater, and keep your eyes peeled for all sorts of animals – large and small.  Then return to your accommodation on the Crater rim to download pictures, dream about your day, and eat a wonderful evening meal.

The Central area of the Serengeti is full of wildlife, especially in the July-October period.  You can expect to see the great cats; lions, cheetah and leopards, as well as many other animals:  elephants, zebras, giraffes, warthogs, hyenas…  The list doesn’t end there!  And the birdlife is also likely to be amazing.  Watch for francolins, red-necked spurfowl, raptors of various types, lovebirds – and again, the list could go on and on.  Colours and sounds will call for your attention from all around you.  Photographers will be in heaven with the amazing golden Serengeti light.  Simply immerse yourself in the experience and enjoy your first Serengeti day!

Depending on how you feel after the drive yesterday (and whether the wildebeest chewing near your tent or lions roaring in the distance kept you up in the night!), you may choose to relax a little this morning, or, you may be so excited you want to get up early and explore.  Either way, your guide and the camp will be happy to accommodate your wishes.  When you’re ready, you will head down towards the Mara river, seeking that first exciting crossing.  You may have seen National Geographic or other videos of the great herds of wildebeest crossing the Mara River.  They slowly make their way towards the river, and then a pathfinder will gradually test the waters and decide whether it is safe to cross.  Once he makes up his mind, thousands of wildebeest will follow in a great explosion of dust and thundering herds.  With the right timing, you may get to see this once-in-a-lifetime explosive crossing, with crocodiles and hippos lurking in the shadows.  Whether you see a crossing or not (or more than one!), your game drives through the Mara region will show you distinctive landscapes and an abundance of wild animals.  Watch for vultures circling to see where someone has eaten his lunch.  Watch hippos coming out of the water and walking across the grass – but stay out of their way as hippos are actually the most dangerous animals in Africa!  Look for hyrax or klipspringers in and around the kopjes, and smile at the banded mongoose who travel in groups and look like children’s toys.  Enjoy a full day of game drives in the Mara region, and return to your tent at night ready for a hot meal and sundowners around the fire.  Your second day can be a search for more crossings or you can head up the river exploring, or towards the triangle where Serengeti meets Kenya – either way, the sights and sounds will continue to fill your dreams at night!

This will be a travel day, but no less interesting for that.  An early morning start will see you travel Southwards through the Serengeti and out the Naabi Hill Gate.  Then you will pass along the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater (take a quick peek down!) and back to Arusha airport, where you will catch a flight to Zanzibar.  Flying towards Zanzibar, you pass right near Mount Kilimanjaro and may be able to get some great pictures from the air.  Then watch as the many islands of the Zanzibar archipelago come into view below you, and marvel at the deep blues and greens of the ocean, and how clear the water is!  You will spend your first night near Stone Town and have the opportunity to explore Stone Town and discover the unique Zanzibar carved doors and the busy markets.  Then…

Relaxing by the ocean (especially after a dusty safari) is wonderful, but it would be a shame to leave Zanzibar without a chance to explore Stone Town and the adventures nearby, so your final full day here is set aside for a few last adventures.  Pick from a variety of possible activities.  Visit a spice farm (nutmeg, cloves, vanilla!) or visit Changuu Island (an easy boat trip from Stone Town to see Giant Aldabra Tortoises) or take a guided walking tour of Stone Town and visit the Old Fort, the House of Wonders (as much as you can see; it partially collapsed in 2020), and the Hamamni Persian Baths.  Pause for a moment at the Slave Monument, and visit the Livingstone House (home of David Livingstone and now headquarters to the Zanzibar National Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture).  Watch for the architectural details, which reflect the influences of many different cultures over the years, and, in particular, check out the Zanzibari doors.  You will find food available throughout Stone Town (see where the locals are eating for a tasty meal), as well as artists selling their wares.  You can buy paintings, jewelry, carvings, cloth, spices, and almost anything you can imagine.  Bartering is expected, and part of the fun!