Day 1. ARUSHA
Arrive to Arusha where you will meet other trip participants and begin your Wildlife & Wilderness Medium Camping Safari with a short briefing.
Days 2-3 TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Depart with your naturalist guide for Tarangire, Tarangire is Tanzania’s third largest national park and sanctuary for an unusually large elephant population. Majestic baobab trees are an interesting feature of the park, dwarfing the animals that feed beneath them. Animals concentrate along the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. There is a great diversity of wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah, and up to six thousand elephant. A bush walk and a cultural visit with the semi-nomadic tribes are also included.
Day 4. LAKE EYASI
Early morning walk at Tarangire before departing for Karatu on the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater. Cross the floor of the Great Rift Valley close to Lake Manyara. Then, mingle with villagers at local markets such as Mto Wa Mbu or Karatu. Shopping and bargaining for bolts of cloth, crafts, and local produce immerse you in a daily ritual of African life. Afternoon visit to a school then drive up the escarpment to Lake Eyasi to arrive at your camp and relax in the evening.
Day 5. LAKE EYASI
Early morning walking and hunting-gathering with Bushmen (Wa hadzabe) hunters or spend time participating in the morning routine of the settlement. Your local guide will interpret for you and discuss hunting techniques still used by the tribes. This dry and rugged landscape is inhabited by Bushmen who live in nomadic groups hunting with bows and arrows and gathering roots, tubers and wild fruits. Be prepared for an extraordinary cross-cultural experience as you join these nomadic Bushmen in their daily life.
In the afternoon you can also visit the Datoga, a tribe of semi-nomadic pastoralists who migrated into this area looking for good grazing land many decades ago. They have so far resisted neighbouring tribes’ cultural infiltrations. The women, still wearing locally fat treated goatskin gowns, cut patterns on their faces and bodies to look prettier. Learning about their history is truly fascinating.
Days 6- EYASI – KARATU
Morning visit some fee Village around the area and on the way to Karatu. Afternoon walking either on the rim or walking on the coffee farm at Ngorongoro Farm House.
Day 7. NGORONGORO CRATER AND HIGHLAND WALKING
Morning depart to Ngorongoro Crater with picnic lunch. Descend into the 100-square-mile Ngorongoro Crater to view game on the vast grasslands of the crater floor. Spectacular animal life can be found throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water. Ngorongoro is one of the most impressive game haunts in Africa and has been designated a World Heritage Site. Local wildlife includes black manned lion, the highly endangered black rhino, wildebeest, zebra, elephant, hippo, jackal, and hyena, the most important predator within the crater. The bird life is also prolific with flocks of flamingoes on the soda lake as well as other species of water and plains birds.
Depending on the season and weather permitting, the half day hike options include the Empakai Crater, Olmoti Crater or the surrounding highlands on day 6. Impressive views of the landscape abound. Walking is not strenuous, but do expect some sloping terrain and at times, muddy paths. Afternoon visit to a Maasai village where herdsmen are often grazing their cattle around the crater rim. Overnight Ngorongoro Farm House OR SIMILAR
Ngorongoro Farm House is an exclusive lodge facing the Oldeani Volcano, in Ololdukan, a 500 acre coffee farm located only 4 kms from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Lolduare gate. The Farm House provides an original experience reminiscent of the atmosphere of old days. Three separate and intimate camps of 52 comfortable bungalows, each attractively built on the style of an old colonial farm and rustically decorated with local materials, full of details of good taste, with the purpose of offering guests an imaginary journey to days of the past. The huge main building, covered with an elegant thatched roof, contains the reception, bar, dining area, library and lounge with a fireplace where guests can enjoy a rest during the cool evenings in the highlands. Guest areas are completed by a swimming pool with superb views of Oldeani Volcano and a craft shop. There is an organic vegetable and flower garden that covers several acres.
Days 8-11. SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Morning drive to the Serengeti plains, stopping en route at the Olduvai Gorge where Mary Leakey discovered the remains of Australopithecus Homo habilis and Homo erectus. Serengeti is perhaps the most impressive wildlife sanctuary in the world. These vast, seemingly unending plains are inhabited during the migration by enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra. The herds attract the attention of predators such as lion, cheetah and hyena. Another interesting feature of the Serengeti is the massive granite kopjes, islands of rock standing in a sea of grass. The kopjes provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik dik. Exploration of the legendary park is mostly by vehicle.
Day 12. SERENGETI – ARUSHA
Enjoy one last game drive in the Serengeti before departing back to Arusha by road. Lunch enroute. Arrive Arusha in the afternoon (approximately 5 PM) in time for your evening departure. End of the services.