8-DAY SOUL OF TANZANIA ITINERARY - LUXURY

Overview

This is our most iconic itinerary as it represents what our company is all about. During this tour you will have the chance of, not only visiting all the parks of the Northern Safari Circuit of Tanzania (including 3 nights in the Serengeti which is, for us, the ideal timeframe), but also have fascinating cultural experiences in lake Eyasi with the Hadzabe tribe.

MAPPING AFRICA SAFARIS are the leading experts in safaris and tours across Tanzania. With our dedicated office in Tanzania, extensive experience, and a team of multi-lingual staff on the ground, we guarantee a seamless and unforgettable adventure tailored just for you.

ITINERARY

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DAY 0: ARRIVAL - Fly to KILIMANJARO AIRPORT

You will be picked up from the airport by a Mapping Africa representative and transferred to your accommodations in Arusha, where you will stay overnight, you will have a short briefing of the program relax, and prepare for your adventures to come. 

Our Recommendations Stay at:

  • TULIA LODGE 
  • AFRICAN TULIP LODGE
  • RIVER TREES LODGE
  • KIBO PALACE HOTEL
  • GRAND MELIA LODGE
  • MOUNTAIN VILLAGE LODGE
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DAY 1: START OF WILDLIFE SAFARI- TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

It’s time to head to Tarangire! During the 2.5 hour drive, you will enjoy the view of the beautiful nature, landscapes and local communities. We’ll do a full-day game drive in Tarangire which is famous for its large numbers of elephants, baobab trees. The park is particularly known for the abundance of Ancient Baobab trees (the largest trees in the continent) which fill the landscape and dwarf the animals next to them. The river of the park is full of wildlife ranging from a large variety of birds to lions, leopards, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, antelopes and, of course, elephants. In fact, the park has the largest concentration of elephants in the whole country and provides unique chances to observe the interaction between elephant families. The lunch area is fascinating, boasting an observatory with amazing views to the river and wildlife (with good chances of seeing a hunt while having your picnic). In the afternoon we will still do a game drive before continuing to your accommodation.

IN FACT, THE PARK HAS THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION OF ELEPHANTS IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY IN COMPARISON TO ITS SIZE AND PROVIDES UNIQUE CHANCES TO OBSERVE THE INTERACTION BETWEEN ELEPHANT FAMILIES.

Our Recommendations Stay at:

  • SANGAIWE LODGE
  • BURUNGE TENTED LODGE
  • MARAMBOI TENTED LODGE 
  • OLIVER’S CAMP
  • AMARULA SAFARI VIEW
Lake-Manyara

DAY 2: LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

Feel free to replace this day with a visit to Tarangire National park instead or add an extra day and visit both)

Pickup from your hotel at 8am and start a beautiful journey across the Great Rift Valley until Lake Manyara National Park for a full day game drive. Although small in dimension (205 sq. miles), the park has breathtaking scenery and well famous for its lush acacia forest, giant figs and mahogany trees, as well as to a growing population of baboons and blue monkeys. Permanent residents of this park also include giraffes, elephants, impalas and a huge amount of buffaloes. The lake is also home to a large number of hippos. Some unique facts about this park include the tree climbing lions, flamingos in the lake shore, as well as the Ground Hornbill and the Crested Eagle. The landscapes of Lake Manyara are something that cannot be described with words, and the game drives along the lake provide stunning photo opportunities of giraffes and buffaloes in the foreground and the lake (and its flamingos) in the background. During this day, some extra tours are possible, including a bike tour or a boat excursion. In the afternoon, transfer to the lodge for dinner and overnight stay

SOME UNIQUE FACTS ABOUT THIS PARK INCLUDE THE TREE CLIMBING LIONS, FLAMINGOS IN THE LAKE SHORE, AS WELL AS THE GROUND HORNBILL AND THE CRESTED EAGLE.

Our Recommendations Stay at:

  • MANYARA SERENA LODGE
  • ESCARPMENT LUXURY LODGE
  • GIBB’S FARM
  • MARERA VALLEY LODGE
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DAY 3: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK (CENTRAL)

After an early breakfast, depart towards the most famous National park in the World, the Serengeti. The driving itself, although long, is spectacular. You will drive up the crater highlands, making a quick stop at the rim for an out of this world view of Ngorongoro Crater. This will be an unforgettable moment for anyone seeing it for the first time. After a long but spectacular journey, you will arrive in the park in time for a fantastic afternoon game drive. As you progress well into the Serengeti, you will understand what the name means, in local language, “endless plains”. The park has 6,900 sq. mile (18,000 sq. km) and for most of it, the plains will stretch to the horizon defying your senses and perception of distances. It is the home of the Great Migration and to 2 million wildebeests, hundreds of thousands of zebras and all kinds of antelopes including the abundant impalas and Thomson’s gazelles. As for Big Cats and large predators, it’s the place of choice to look out for lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, with many television scenes like the famous river crossings having been filmed in this park. Smaller animals like foxes, mongoose, honey badgers, jackals, monkeys, baboons, rock hyrax and African hares, together with more than 500 species of birds, also inhabit this park. 

There is accommodation for all budgets and styles in the Serengeti.

Our Recommendations Stay at:

  • SAFARI VIEW LUXURY CAMP
  • SERENGETI SERENA LODGE
  • KUBUKUBU TENTED LODGE
  • LAHIA TENTED LODGE
  • FOUR SEASONS SERENGETI
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DAY 4&5: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

You’ll enjoy full days in the Serengeti National Park. We are completely flexible with your preferences and these days will be organized according to your wishes. On every day of the safari, your guide will discuss with you the best timings for you, including the game drives and the wake-up time. For example, on this day, you could do a morning game drive, return to the camp for lunch and relaxation and finish with an afternoon game drive. Alternatively, you could do a full day game drive with a picnic lunch.

There is the possibility to downgrade or upgrade your accommodation level.

Our Recommendations Stay at:

  • INTO WILD AFRICA LUXURY TENTED CAMPS
  • SAFARI VIEW LUXURY CAMP
  • SERENGETI SERENA LODGE
  • KUBUKUBU TENTED LODGE
  • LAHIA TENTED LODGE
  • FOUR SEASONS SERENGETI
  • SAFARI VIEW MIGRATION CAMP
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DAY 6: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK TO NGORONGORO

On this day we suggest a very early wake up in order to do an early morning game drive (when the animals are more active) and see one of the best sunrises you’ll ever witness. After the game drive, we return to the camp for a rewarding brunch and then we’ll proceed to Ngorongoro, the 8th Wonder of the Natural World. The crater spreads for 102 sq. miles and has 2,000 ft. high walls, making it virtually Noah’s ark. It inhabits almost every species of wildlife that is indigenous to East Africa. It’s one of the very rare locations in the whole continent where you can witness the black rhino. The crater has a river, several swamps, and a soda lake with a great concentration of flamingos, a forest and open plains. It’s also famous for its elephants which are the largest in the world and have huge tusks. Ngorongoro Crater is truly a Wonder of the Natural World.

You will reach Ngorongoro in time for a sundowner. There is the possibility to downgrade or upgrade your accommodation level.

Our Recommendations Stay at:

  • INTO WILD AFRICA LUXURY TENTED CAMPS
  •  SAFARI VIEW LUXURY CAMP
  • SERENGETI SERENA LODGE
  • KUBUKUBU TENTED LODGE
  • LAHIA TENTED LODGE
  • FOUR SEASONS SERENGETI
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DAY 7: NGORONGORO CRATER

Possibility to add a walking safari in the afternoon, after the game drive in the Crater.

There are very few accommodation options in Lake Eyasi.

We will start the day very early and descend into the crater floor for an incredible morning of wildlife in one of the most stunning places on Earth. After the game drive, there will be time for a picnic lunch near the beautiful Hippo Lake. After lunch, we will have time for a short game drive and then ascend the crater and exit Ngorongoro Conservation Area towards Lake Eyasi, where you will have a unique and fascinating cultural experience on the next day.

Our Recommendations Stay at:

  •  ZIWANI LODGE
  • FARM HOUSE LODGE
  • NGORONGORO MOUNTAIN LODGE
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DAY 8: LAKE EYASI AND THE HADZABE TRIBE

Today will be a very special and different day. You will wake up very early, just before sunrise, and follow your guide until he finds the Hadzabe tribe, one of the last true nomadic tribes in Africa. After some explanations about the tribe, you will join them in their daily morning activities. This experience is out of the beaten track and does not feel touristic by any means. The photographic opportunities are out of this world. This tour will definitely be a highlight of your safari. The experiences you have with the tribe can either be joining the men in their daily hunting or the women in their fruit-gathering session. In either of them, you will learn about many aspects of the Hadzabe way of living.

After finishing the activities with the tribe, we will visit the beautiful Lake Eyasi, a seasonal shallow salt lake on the floor of the Great Rift Valley. Then we will return to Arusha. You’ll be dropped off at the airport.

INCLUSIONS

THIS TOUR INCLUDES

THIS TOUR EXCLUDES