15-Day Tanzania Private Guided Safari

Overview

Tour highlights

• One private guide from arrival to departure
• Guided day hike on Mount Meru
• Silale Swamp and baobab country in Tarangire
• Full day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
• Five Serengeti nights, then the Mara River
• Two charter flights included

1. Day 1 Arrival at a Lodge on Mount Meru’s Slopes Stay Upscale lodge on the slopes of Mount Meru, near ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   You are met at Kilimanjaro International Airport and driven about 50 minutes to a lodge set among gardens and forest on the lower slopes of Mount Meru. Here you meet the private guide who will be with you for the whole trip, and you talk through the route, the pace you prefer and anything you particularly want to see. The rest of the day is free to rest and adjust to the time difference.

2. Day 2 A Day on Foot on Mount Meru Stay Upscale lodge on the slopes of Mount Meru, near ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Spend the day hiking on Mount Meru, the 4,566 m (14,980 ft) volcano at the center of Arusha National Park. A summit climb takes three to four days, so this is a guided day hike on the lower slopes, walking with an armed park ranger. Trails pass through fig tree forest and cross mountain streams, and black-and-white colobus monkeys are often seen in the canopy. Return to the lodge in the afternoon.

3. Day 3 Arusha Market, Then Tarangire Stay Luxury tented camp or lodge in the Tarangire areaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Set off after breakfast with a stop at a busy central market in Arusha to see local produce and everyday life. The drive on to Tarangire takes about two hours. After lunch, go out on your first game drive among the park’s elephants and ancient baobabs. Back at camp after dinner, your guide leads a talk on the night sky, pointing out stars and constellations above the bush.

4. Day 4 Tarangire’s Giants and the Silale Swamp Stay Luxury tented camp or lodge in the Tarangire areaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   A full day in Tarangire. Spend the morning with the park’s elephant herds and its huge baobab trees, and use the time for an introduction to wildlife photography from your guide: light, composition and how to work from a vehicle. In the afternoon, visit the Silale Swamp, which stays green when much of the park dries out and draws grazers, buffalo and the predators that follow them.

5. Day 5 Maasai Market and the Road to Karatu Stay Luxury farm lodge near KaratuMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Leave Tarangire after breakfast and drive toward Karatu, the farming town below the Ngorongoro highlands. On the way, stop at a local Maasai market, where traders and shoppers come in from the surrounding villages. It is colorful and lively, and your guide will help you take photographs respectfully. Arrive at your lodge in the afternoon for an introduction to the Ngorongoro area, its people and its wildlife.

6. Day 6 Black Rhino Country: The Ngorongoro Crater Stay Luxury farm lodge near KaratuMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Leave early for the crater rim, about 30 to 45 minutes from Karatu, and descend to the floor for a full day of game viewing. The crater is one of the best places in Tanzania to look for black rhino, and lions, elephants, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest are all here. Have a picnic lunch on the crater floor before driving back up the wall to your lodge for the evening.

7. Day 7 Karatu to the Central Serengeti Stay Luxury tented camp or lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Climb back over the highlands and descend onto the Serengeti plains, a long drive with game viewing as you go. Your base for the next three nights is in the central Serengeti, where lions, cheetahs and leopards are present all year. Far from town lights, the sky here is very dark, and after dinner your guide can point out the constellations rising over the plains.

8. Day 8 Seronera’s Big Cats Stay Luxury tented camp or lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Spend a full day on game drives in the central Serengeti. The Seronera River valley is a good area for leopards resting in the trees, and lions often lie up on the rocky kopjes. Depending on the season, migrating wildebeest and zebra may pass through or graze nearby. Your guide sets the pace to suit you, whether that means waiting patiently at a cheetah or covering more ground.

9. Day 9 Kopjes and Open Plains Stay Luxury tented camp or lodge in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   A second full day lets you explore farther. Your guide may head toward granite kopjes and open plains away from the busier tracks, looking for cheetahs on the grassland and elephants among the rocks. Take a picnic and stay out for the afternoon light, then return to camp for a quiet evening and another look at the stars if the sky is clear.

10. Day 10 A Short Move and a Talk on the Migration Stay Seasonal tented camp in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    After breakfast, make the short move to your second Serengeti camp, only about 20 minutes away. Spend the rest of the day on game drives around the new area. In the evening, the camp hosts a presentation on the migration: how the herds move through the year, why they travel, the predators that follow them and the conservation work that protects the whole system.

11. Day 11 Photography Day on the Plains Stay Seasonal tented camp in the central SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    Today is set aside for photography. With your guide, choose subjects and times that suit what you want to capture: early-morning backlight, animals against a wide horizon, or close portraits of lions and cheetahs. In the migration months the herds may be close by; at other times the resident wildlife keeps the plains busy. Review your images over lunch and plan the afternoon session.

12. Day 12 Fly North to the Mara River Stay Luxury mobile tented camp in the northern SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    Drive to the Seronera airstrip for a short charter flight to the northern Serengeti. Your next camp is a mobile tented camp near the Mara River. In the dry season, usually from about July to October, this is where the wildebeest gather to cross the river while crocodiles and hippos wait in the water. Spend the afternoon on a game drive along the riverbanks.

13. Day 13 Walking Safari in the North Stay Luxury mobile tented camp in the northern SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    Head out on foot with your guide and an armed ranger for a walking safari, a quieter way to learn about tracks, plants and the small creatures you miss from a vehicle. Return to camp for a late breakfast, then go back to the river in the afternoon. If the herds are present, stay as long as you like watching for a crossing, and end the day with a final evening in the bush.

14. Day 14 Fly to Arusha and a Farewell Evening Stay Upscale lodge on the slopes of Mount Meru, near ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

    Drive to the Kogatende airstrip for a flight of about an hour back to Arusha. On the way to your lodge, stop in town at a central market for a last look at local life, followed by lunch. Your final night is at the lodge where the trip began. After dinner, your guide shows a slideshow of the journey’s highlights, a fine way to relive the past two weeks.

15. Day 15 Departure from Kilimanjaro International Airport Meals Breakfast, Lunch

    Enjoy a slow breakfast in the lodge gardens, with Mount Meru above you if the clouds allow. Depending on your flight time, there may be a chance for a short walk in the grounds or a last look through your photographs. Your guide then drives you to Kilimanjaro International Airport, about 50 minutes away, for your flight home or your onward journey to the coast.

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