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Tanzania
Safaris Tours, Vacation
Wings
Over Serengeti
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival, East Africa. Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro
International airport, you will be met by our driver and assisted
through customs and immigration formalities. Thereafter, drive to
Arusha the nerve center of East Africa, and getaway to several
national parks in the north of the country.
Nestled between Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngurdoto Mountain
Lodge is located within a lush coffee plantation, 140 acres, with
natural streams flowing through the property, from Mt Meru.
The lush vegetation and the magnificent views of the snow capped Mt
Kilimanjaro and the looming Mount Meru, right in front of the lodge,
is an absolutely awesome sight. This lodge is ideally located
between Arusha town and Kilimanjaro International Airport, 27 km
either way. Dinner & Overnight at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge
Day 2: Fly Arusha - Serengeti National Park. This morning
after breakfast, you will be transferred to Arusha Airport where you
will board your scheduled flight to Serengeti National Park. Upon
arrival at Seronera airstrip you will be met by your guide. Game
viewing in the park, in the evening drive to Serengeti Serena Lodge
Established in 1951, and covering an area of almost 15,000 sq km,
Serengeti is one of the most spectacular game parks in East Africa.
From its short and long grass plains in the south, which give way to
Acacia Savannah in the central area, to the hilly more densely
wooded areas of the north, and the extensive woodland in the western
corridor, Serengeti offers great variations both geographically as
well as with the millions of animals, birds and plants that go to
make up this complex ecosystem. The name comes from the Masai
siringet, “endless plains”.
1.5 million wildebeest (gnu), 300,000 Thomson's gazelle, 250,000
zebras leave the Serengeti in Tanzania in May, lured to the northern
Maasai Mara in Kenya by rainfall and the promise of sprouting,
nutrient-rich grasses. Predators such as lion, hyena and cheetah
follow hot on their heels.
From January onwards, massive herds of wildebeest gather on the
plains of the Serengeti. This 22 000 square kilometer ecosystem of
grass- and wood-land is home to a staggering two million herbivores.
Here the wildebeest drop their calves (numbers estimated at 400
000). Predators like spotted hyena, lion, cheetah, leopard and
jackals flourish, feeding on the excessive glut of wildebeest veal.
Once the long rains cease in May, the plains dry up quickly and
become dry, harsh, and inhospitable. The calves are now strong
enough to begin their first journey, and it is then that the long
march north begins.
From the Simba and Moru Koppies (hills) in the north-west, the
wooded grassland plains of the Serengeti separate into two
corridors: to the west lie the Mbalageti and Grumeti Rivers and Lake
Victoria, while the other corridor extends north through woodland
and over hills towards the Masai Mara. The rutting season in June is
a noisy, dusty affair - with male wildebeest vociferously showing
off their genetic superiority. Soon, most of the 'ladies' are
pregnant. The herds then move on to Lake Victoria - the
second-largest lake in the world, which has its own micro-climate
and produces sufficient rainfall and pasture along its shores.
Many wildebeest move north-west and cross into the Masai Mara,
having to negotiate the Mara River from July onwards. The Mara River
crossing is extraordinary - optimistic vultures and Marabou storks
line the banks in anticipation as the wildebeest plunge into the
river, negotiating both the strong current and crocodiles in their
inexhaustible drive for fodder. The wildebeest remain in the Masai
Mara for two to three months, sustained by the short rains and
pasture. They head south between October and December, and move
along the eastern section of the Serengeti in time to give birth
during the life-giving long rains of the South. Dinner & overnight
at Serengeti Serena Lodge
Day 3: Serengeti National Park. At 5:00 am, Serengeti Balloon
Safaris will collect you from your central Serengeti Lodge, and
transfer you by Land rover to their launch site near Masai Kopjes.
Here you will meet your pilot, receive a briefing and watch the
inflation of your balloon.
At dawn we take off, rising as the sun rises and float in whichever
direction the winds of the morning take us. Your pilot can precisely
control the altitude of your balloon: sometimes flying at treetop
height, sometimes lower, offering a unique perspective and great
photographic opportunities of the wildlife below.
At other times he will ascend to 1000 ft. (300m) or more to see the
enormity and wonderful panorama of the Serengeti. From time to time
the pilot increases more heat into the balloon with the powerful
whisper burners. In between these burns, there is silence apart from
the natural sounds below.
The flight is for about one hour depending on conditions, on landing
you celebrate in the traditional manner with champagne (well, an
excellent sparkling wine), before sitting down to a full English
breakfast prepared and served in the bush in 'Out of Africa' style
with bone china, linen table cloths, King's silver etc. After
breakfast you receive your Serengeti Balloon certificate, drive
south of the park with picnic lunch, game viewing en route to Ndutu
area, in the evening drive to Ndutu Lodge.
Ndutu Safari Lodge is situated in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
in the Southern Serengeti ecosystem. The Lodge nestles unobtrusively
under a canopy of giant acacias overlooking a soda lake, Lake Ndutu.
The lodge offers a superb base in which to explore the range of
habitats that lie within easy reach, this include swamps, woodlands,
soda lakes and the world famous Serengeti short grass plains. Ndutu
Safari Lodge has been a favorite with professional wildlife
photographers and film-makers for the past four decades, because
it’s simply one of the places to watch wildlife. Dinner & overnight
at Ndutu Lodge
Day 4: Ndutu – Ngorongoro Conservation Area. After breakfast
game drive in Ndutu area before driving to Ngorongoro conservation
area arriving in the evening at your located at the crater rim.
Dinner & overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 5: Ngorongoro Conservation Area. After breakfast descend
into the crater floor with a picnic lunch for a full day game
viewing. The crater supports up to 25,000 large mammals. Grazers
dominate: zebra, wildebeest – accounting for almost half the animals
– gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest and wart hog. Giraffe, for
example, stay away because there is insufficient food at tree level;
topi because they compete directly with wildebeest. An odd feature
of the crater elephants is that they are almost exclusively bulls.
Breeding herds – comprising large numbers of females and young with
a few attendant older males – are probably unable to find sufficient
quality food in the crater.
Ngorongoro has carnivores in quantity, drawn by the large herds of
prey animals. It has the most dense population of large predators,
mainly lion – about 100 – and more than 400 spotted hyena, living in
eight clans of up to eighty individuals. Both lions and hyenas will
scavenge from each other, depending on weight of numbers and of
course, hunger. In the early evening drive back to your lodge.
Nestled onto the rim of the Crater, all in stone and wood
construction and overgrown with natural vegetation, the 75 rooms of
the lodge become almost unseen among the natural surroundings. They
are breathtaking views of the crater from all the rooms.
Dinner & overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 6: Arusha - Depart. After breakfast drive to Manyara
National Park with a picnic lunch. The park is situated at the edge
of the Great Rift Valley; Lake Manyara is some 38miles long. This
stretch of water is a favorite place for pink flamingo and wading
birds in general, further south where the forest gives way to the
Savannah, keep looking up, for here the lions have habit of perching
on the trees.
Later drive to Arusha, go on shopping before you drive to
Kilimanjaro International Airport, where you will board your KLM
flight.(For international flights check in time is 2 hrs before
departure)
Included:
- Full board accommodation on safari
- Transfers as indicated on itinerary
- Private safari vehicle throughout the safari driven by experienced
English speaking driver-guide
- Park entrance fees
- Government taxes and levies.
Not Included:
- International and domestic air fares
- Drinks
- The cost of obtaining Entry Visa fee (currently $50 USD)
- International airport departure tax (currently $30 USD in
Tanzania)
- All expenses of a personal nature such as, telephone calls, tips &
gratuities, etc
- All optional activities which have not been shown above
- Travel and medical insurance
- Any extras not mentioned above.
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