Tanzania | Wildlife Safari and Cultural Connections

Upon arrival to Kilimanjaro International Airport, a Holbrook representative will meet you and take you to your hotel in Arusha. The Gran Melia is located on 18 acres of beautiful landscaped coffee and tea plantations with views of Mount Meru. This is an arrival day and no meals are included.

After breakfast and group orientation, head to Tarangire National Park. As you enter the park your game drive will begin. Tarangire National Park is home to the greatest concentration of elephants in Africa. The Tarangire River snakes through the park, and as it's the area's only permanent river, wildlife travel long distances to reach it. The 1,096 square miles of protected lands are home to a large variety of game, such as wildebeests, elephants, zebras, gazelles, elands, gerenuks, lions and leopards. Extensive grasslands, dotted with the occasional acacia or baobab tree, provide the optimum conditions for viewing wild animals. Bird enthusiasts will have the opportunity to see more than 500 avian species, including Yellow-collared Lovebirds, Rufous-tailed Weavers, Ashy Starlings, Stocking-thighed Ostriches, and Kori Bustards. In the afternoon arrive at Tarangire Sopa and enjoy lunch. Built to blend in with the vastness of its surroundings, Tarangire Sopa Lodge lies hidden among the kopjes, ancient baobab. Many elephants can be seen around the lodge, allowing visitors a close encounter. After lunch, you will have time to relax before a late afternoon game drive.

After breakfast take one more game drive in Tarangire and then depart for Ngorongoro Crater and the Lions Paw Lodge. An amazing view of the cradled Lake Magadi awaits you at the Lion’s Paw tented suites east of Ngorongoro’s caldera. After lunch, descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a later afternoon wildlife drive.

This morning descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a wildlife drive among one of the most unique concentrations of wildlife on earth. Vast grasslands cover most of the crater floor and provide ample grazing for resident zebras, gazelles, wildebeest, elephants, warthogs, and rhinos. With a large number of prey species contained within the crater, it is not surprising that Ngorongoro is also home to a dense population of lions. Enjoy a bush lunch before heading back out for an afternoon wildlife drive inside the crater. Later check into the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge. The lodge is located on the on the crater rim and all rooms have a balcony offering beautiful views of the crater far below.

In the late morning, begin your journey to Serengeti National Park. Have a picnic-style lunch en route, as well as wildlife viewing as you travel to Mara Mara Camp.

Start the day with a wildlife drive in the park. Serengeti National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where over a million wildebeest famously migrate every year. It is known for having the Big Five (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and African buffalos) as well as cheetahs, wild dogs, giraffes, waterbucks, zebras, and gazelles. Return to camp for lunch and time to relax and then experience a late afternoon safari followed by a refreshing drink before dinner.

Early this morning an optional balloon safari will be available (at additional cost). This once-in-a-lifetime experience will allow you a stunning bird's-eye view of the Serengeti that cannot be replicated on the ground. In the afternoon depart on a wildlife drive.

Today fly back to Arusha. Collect stored luggage and freshen up in a day room at Arusha Coffee Farm before being taken to the Kilimanjaro Airport in time for your 5:20pm flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

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