The Experience

Explore Tanzania’s varied, vibrant wildlife during a safari adventure in beatific parks and the Ngorongoro Crater, enhancing your stay with private visits to Olduvai Gorge, a Maasai village and, perhaps, a primary school. Day 1: ARRIVE IN ARUSHA, TANZANIA
Arrive in Arusha by overnight flight and transfer to your accommodations, tucked onto nine lush acres with gorgeous, wildlife-filled vistas from its fertile slopes.

Mount Meru Hotel
Day 2: TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK / Wondrous Wildlife
Continue to Tarangire National Park and on to your lodge. After settling in, observe local wildlife perhaps hartebeests, buffalos or impalas on a short afternoon game drive. Tarangire has an exceptional elephant population and the highest recorded number of breeding bird species the world over. Peer through binoculars and glimpse vibrantly colored Fischer’s lovebirds and ashy starlings. This evening, attend a welcome dinner, an opportunity to exchange stories with your fellow guests.

Make a Neighborhood Connection with an optional visit to a primary school for deaf and special needs children, supported by A&K Philanthropy.

Tarangire Sopa Lodge | Meals: B L D
Day 3: TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK / Varied Ecosystems
Traverse the eight varied landscapes of Tarangire, from its baobab forest to its swamps and acacia-dotted plains, all populated by wondrous species. Be on the lookout for giraffes, waterbucks, wildebeests and zebras not to mention elands, fringe-eared oryx, greater kudu and the elusive wild dog, a prized sighting for any safari-goer. The Tarangire River runs through the center of the park, providing the thirsty animals with a year-round supply of water.

Tarangire Sopa Lodge | Meals: B L D
Day 4: NGORONGORO CRATER / Animal-Filled Caldera
Travel overland to the small but wildlife-rich Lake Manyara National Park home to diverse habitats punctuated by acacia trees and filled with resident lions and elephant herds. Enjoy a unique Market Connection on a visit to Mto Wa Mbu, a local market filled with fresh-plucked produce. Then, stop for lunch at the verdant Gibb’s Farm. If time allows, explore its lovely gardens, or walk to the nearby waterfall. Continue to Ngorongoro Crater, created by the collapsed cone of a volcano and containing a virtual lost world of wildlife. Get acquainted with your lodge, which offers spectacular views of this natural amphitheater.

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge | Meals: B L D
Day 5: NGORONGORO CRATER / Inspiring Animals
Descend to the short grass prairies of Ngorongoro Crater, a haven for lions, elephants, hyenas, wildebeests and gazelles. Watch for pink flamingos as they flock to the crater-lake. Even the rare and elusive black rhinoceros, one of Africa’s most endangered species, is a resident here. After a picnic lunch, visit a Maasai village and meet with a village elder, gaining insight into the culture and traditions of these nomadic cattle herders.

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge | Meals: B L D
Days 6-7: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK / Postcard Plains
Continue to arid, ruggedly beautiful Serengeti National Park, stopping en route for a privately guided tour of steep-sided Olduvai Gorge. Explore the small on-site museum and excavations that revealed ancient footprints and the skull of a 1.8 million- year-old man. Check in to your lodge, and survey the landscape from your private veranda overlooking the escarpment with sweeping views. Spend the next two days on game drives, keeping eyes peeled for lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, giraffes and topis. This is also the site of the annual Great Migration of wildebeests and zebras. On your final evening, attend a farewell dinner.

Serengeti Sopa Lodge | Meals: B L D
Day 8: DEPART ARUSHA
Fly to Arusha and board your homebound flight.

Mount Meru Hotel (dayroom) | Meals: B