One way a Safari Lady journey can unfold, from the elephant plains of Tarangire to the Serengeti and the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater. Every trip is shaped around you, so think of this as a starting point.
You'll be met at the airport by our representative and whisked away to your Arusha-area hotel to recover from your flight and enjoy your first taste of African hospitality. Before dinner, raise a glass in the hotel's lounge to the adventure that begins tomorrow.
After breakfast, enjoy a scenic drive to Serval Wildlife Sanctuary. Here you can get close to lions, zebras, giraffes, elands, ostriches, and mischievous blue and vervet monkeys, with about two hours to feed, touch, and photograph the animals.
The sanctuary spans more than 1,000 acres and is built around ethical encounters. It takes in injured wildlife, rehabilitates animals for release into Tanzania's protected national parks, and helps reintroduce endangered species where their numbers have declined. Every interaction is monitored, and the animals are always free to walk away.
After enjoying a leisurely lunch at the wildlife sanctuary's cafe, you will return to your lodge for the evening.
After breakfast, set out for Tarangire National Park, arriving in time for lunch and an evening game drive. Across its 2,850 square kilometers, elephants dot the plains like cattle, and lion roars and zebra barks fill the night. Wildebeest, eland, gazelle, impala, kudu, hartebeest, and buffalo gather around the shrinking lagoons, along with dry-country antelope like the long-necked gerenuk and fringe-eared oryx. Mongoose colonies make their homes in abandoned termite mounds, while the thick vegetation hides predators that are always there but not always easy to spot.
After dinner, relax by the pool, or head out on a night game drive, when the bush comes alive with creatures rarely seen by day: leopards, bush babies, porcupines, genets, and more.
Optional Night game drive, at additional cost where available
With morning and evening game drives, this is a place where the wildlife tells only half the story. The park holds some of northern Tanzania's most varied landscapes: great stands of baobabs, the "Tree of Life," which can store up to 1,000 liters of water in their trunks and live for six hundred years; sun-blistered termite mounds; grassy savannah; and vast swamps. The Tarangire River cuts the park in two, and its winding course and steep banks draw animals in the dry season, which means plenty of stirring wildlife encounters.
After breakfast, head to Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world. Made famous by Louis and Mary Leakey, who excavated here in the mid-20th century, the gorge is known for the early human fossils found in its layers, including "Nutcracker Man," a previously unknown species of early human. Its sediment reveals a timeline stretching back millions of years, and it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The museum overlooks the gorge and tells the story of the site and its finds. For a small tip, you can drive down into the gorge itself to see where the Leakeys made their discoveries. Researchers often work here in the dry season, from June to October, so you may be able to visit an active dig and chat with the scientists.
After a box lunch, drive a short way to a curious sight: the shifting sand dune. Made of fine, iron-rich volcanic ash, it's magnetic enough to cling together and move as one across the landscape, about 10 meters a year.
On the way to camp, time allowing, stop at a Maasai village to learn about their traditional way of life, watch the young warriors' famous jumping contest, and shop for handmade jewelry and crafts.
Tonight's camp is built around a kopje, a huge granite outcrop rising above the plains. The tents blend into the rocks, the thatched bar and restaurant look out over the savannah, and sundowners are served in a small lounge high in the rocks. Each canvas tent has a private deck and an ensuite bath with a flush toilet and hot shower. The camp is remote, so there's no laundry service, and a spare battery pack will keep phones and cameras charged.
Optional Maasai village visit, with a craft purchase or small community donation
After breakfast, drive straight into the Serengeti, arriving at your lodge in time for lunch. Mbali Mbali Soroi Serengeti sits on a hill in the central Serengeti, built among the rocks with endless views over the Musabi plains. Its twenty-five thatched rooms are tucked among the acacias, each with a private balcony, and the three-tiered main building has a restaurant, lounge, and infinity pool.
In the afternoon, set out on your first game drive in Africa's most famous park. Renowned for the Great Migration of two million grazers and the predators that follow them, the Serengeti's endless grassy plains are among the richest grazing grounds in Africa, home to the largest herds and the highest concentrations of predators on the planet.
Morning and evening game drives each day. The Serengeti has a huge reputation and still manages to surpass it. The predator viewing is exceptional, with some 3,000 to 4,000 lions and large numbers of cheetah, leopard, and hyena, alongside topi, eland, hartebeest, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, caracal, serval, bat-eared fox, aardvark, baboons, colobus monkeys, and more than 500 species of bird. After a day full of wildlife, freshen up for dinner under the stars.
After a very early pickup, drive through the bush to the launch site, catching the last of the night's movements (hippos heading back to their pools, hyenas out for an early snack) while the balloons fill over coffee or tea. Then climb into the basket and rise gently over the savannah for about an hour. From above, you finally see how vast the Serengeti really is. After touchdown, celebrate with the traditional champagne toast and a full English breakfast cooked in the bush.
Optional Hot air balloon safari, at additional cost
After breakfast, set out for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area with a picnic lunch. The crater is the world's largest intact, unflooded caldera. You'll descend through the rainforest on its rim, 610 meters (2,000 feet) down to the grasslands of the crater floor, about 260 square kilometers (100 square miles) in all. It's a natural sanctuary for more than 25,000 animals, including the black rhino and Africa's densest population of lions. Wildebeest, zebra, eland, and gazelle live here year-round, while the forests shelter elephant, buffalo, leopard, and more.
After your game drives, stop at the crater viewpoint for one last look before continuing to Country Lodge Karatu, set on five landscaped acres among rolling hills and coffee estates. Its twelve garden cottages sit among lawns, bougainvillea, and tropical trees, where birds and butterflies feel right at home, and so will you.
After breakfast, drive to Arusha for lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge. If time allows, visit Shanga, right on the lodge grounds. This social enterprise trains and employs people with disabilities to make beautiful things from recycled materials, from beadwork and weaving to glass blowing. Its shop is your last chance for authentic African souvenirs, and every purchase supports the project. Then it's on to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home.
Pricing depends on your dates, group size, and choice of lodges. Ask Nancy for a quote.
Dates, pace, lodges, extra days on the beach: every part of this trip can change. Tell Nancy what you have in mind.
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