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SAFARI-GIRL

AFRICAN SAFARIS

Classic Tanzania

12 Days air inclusive -- $6,856 per person sharing

An air inclusive Lodge Safari with extensions to Selous and/or Zanzibar

Supplement for departures from Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco $110.00

Tanzania, the largest country in East Africa, is the country of legends.  From the Great White Hunters to the fearless explorers of the past, Tanzania is home to some of Africa’s most renowned wildlife reserves.  From the breathtaking beauty of Ngorongoro Crater, sometimes called “The World’s Largest Zoo” to the totally wild savannahs of the world-famous Serengeti, this safari has everything for the safari traveler.

Highlights of “Classic Tanzania” include the following:

• Two nights at Tarangire National Park, one of the most beautiful protected areas in Northern Tanzania.  It has the highest concentration of wildlife during the dry season, and is the only park in the area where one can find a large concentration of elephants year round.

• Two nights on the eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater where you will not only have easy access into the crater, but spectacular views as well!  The crater floor contains alkaline and fresh water lakes and teems with large carnivores, herbivores, primates and birds.  It also boasts one of the last viable populations of the nearly extinct black rhinoceros.

• Full day crater tour with picnic lunch.

• Three nights at the “World-famous” Serengeti, Tanzania’s most famous game park. The Serengeti encompasses nearly 15,000 sq. kms and is unrivaled anywhere for its seasonally shifting concentrations of herbivores.  Nearly 1.5 million wildebeest, 500,000 gazelle, and 250,000 zebra completes a cyclical annual migration within the ecosystem between November and June.

• A visit to Olduvai Gorge, also called “The Cradle of Mankind”, home to the excavation work pioneered by Louis and Mary Leakey.  Olduvai Gorge continues to yield a remarkable record of human evolution beginning some 2 million years ago.

• A game drive through Lake Manyara National Park.  It was on the shores of Lake Manyara that Ernest Hemingway wrote his book Green Hills of Africa.  During the months of July through April, the lake waters are tinged pink from the hundreds of greater and lesser flamingos who feed there.  Other features of the park include its stable herds of elephants and buffalos, enormous troops of baboons, and its famous tree-climbing lions.

Waking up to the sounds of the Serengeti - the distant echoes of hooves across its vast plains, or the loud trumpet calls of the Tarangire elephants as they make their way across the Tarangire River, or descending down the access road into the ethereal blue-green vistas of the Ngorongoro Crater and spending the day surrounded by more wildlife than you ever imagined, are all memories that will stay with you forever!  

ITINERARY

Day 1                                                           Depart New York City (or other Gateway City)

Depart New York (J.F. Kennedy) in the late evening on Emirates Airlines, flying non-stop to Dubai, on their double-deck “super jumbo” Airbus A380.  Collect your complimentary overnight hotel accommodation voucher at check-in.

Day 2

Dubai

Arrive at Dubai International Airport in early evening.  Overnight at hotel near airport.

Day 3                                                                                           Dubai/ Nairobi/ Kilimanjaro

Depart Dubai on Emirates Airlines in the mid-morning, transiting Nairobi and arriving at Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania, in the early evening.  Transfer to Arusha Coffee Lodge for dinner and overnight.  Check in and freshen up in your bungalow before dinner and drinks in the cozy dining room.  

Cradled in the endless acres of Tanzania’s largest coffee plantation is the lovely Arusha Coffee Lodge.  This exclusive lodge has been designed around the farm’s original plantation, radiating the warmth and invitation of the old colonial plantation homes historically distinctive to the coffee plantation.

Accommodations consist of beautifully furnished bungalows with large four poster beds, split level lounge areas, and your very own private deck overlooking the berry laden coffee bushes.  It is the place to relax and rejuvenate before and after your Tanzania safari.

ARUSHA COFFEE LODGE                   (D)

Arusha Coffee Lodge, Tanzania

Arusha Coffee Lodge, Tanzania

Day 4

Arusha/Tarangire National Park

Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

After a leisurely breakfast, you will board your four wheel drive safari vehicle with your private driver/guide and head west to Tarangire, arriving in time for lunch at Tarangire Sopa Lodge followed by an afternoon game drive. 

Tarangire is located in northern Tanzania and is named after the Tarangire River that runs through the center of the park from south to northwest and drains into Lake Burungi.  Herds of up to 300 elephants can be seen around the river, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest, and eland crowd around the lagoons.  It has the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem and is a smorgasbord for predators.

Hidden among the kopjes and surrounded by ancient baobab trees is Tarangire Sopa Lodge. This beautiful lodge has scenic views and offers excellent game viewing.  It is located on the eastern side of the Tarangire River.  The lobby of the lodge is spacious and airy with incredible views of the African bush.  Located between the lobby and dining room is the bar with comfortable seating to relax and talk about your day’s adventures.  The large dining room has inside seating and outside seating on the verandah for special evening barbecues.  All of the suites have private lounges, two queen size beds, en-suite bathrooms, and private balconies that open up to exquisite views of the landscape and wildlife.

TARANGIRE SOPA LODGE             (B,L,D)

Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Day 5

Tarangire National Park

Morning and afternoon game drives are scheduled but since there is no limit on the driving, you may elect to take a picnic lunch and stay out all day.  Since Tarangire National Park is literally teeming with wildlife throughout the year, you will never be disappointed!  In the dry season, large numbers of animals congregate along the Tarangire River.  Here you might see lion, leopard, lesser and greater kudu, buffalo, oryx, giraffe, impala and zebra.

TARANGIRE SOPA LODGE           (B,L,D)

Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Tarangire Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Day 6                                                              Tarangire/Lake Manyara/Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Depart after breakfast, viewing game along the way, and head towards Lake Manyara National Park for a morning game drive.  Arrive at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge in time for a late lunch.  The remainder of the afternoon is free to relax by the pool or in your accommodations with majestic views across the Crater.

 Stretching along the base of the 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I have seen in Africa.”  From the entrance gate of the Park, the road winds through an expanse of lush jungle-like groundwater forests where baboon troops lounge nonchalantly along the roadside, blue monkeys scamper nimbly between the ancient mahogany trees, and dainty bushbuck tread warily through the shadows.   Contrasting with the intimacy of the forest is the grassy floodplain and its expansive views eastward, across the alkaline lake, to the jagged blue volcanic peaks that rise from the endless Maasai Steppes.  Buffalo, wildebeest and zebra herds congregate on these grassy plains, as do giraffes.  This area is famous for its legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants.

 Perched on the rim of a collapsed volcano, is the Ngorongoro Crater, a World Heritage site and often referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”  The Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge has the most magnificent views of the crater floor, home to vast herds of buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, as well as the rare and endangered black rhino, elephant, cheetah, leopard, and lion.  Because of the lodge’s position on the eastern rim, you will have the most spectacular uninterrupted views of the sunset.

 The accommodations include a reception area, lobby, bar and dining area, all with breathtaking views of the crater.  The lower lobby area has large glass doors which open up to the verandah.  Tea and coffee are always available in the Coffee Bar area and the dining area is in the shape of a rondvale with a high roof and large glass windows in which to view the crater floor.   The bedroom suites are spacious with two queen sized beds, en-suite bathrooms, and separate dressing areas.  Each room has a glass-fronted verandah where you can enjoy your own, private view of the crater.

NGORONGORO SOPA LODGE       (B,L,D)

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Day 7

Ngorongoro Crater

Full day crater tour with picnic lunch.   After breakfast, you will make your way to the Crater floor.  Game drives in the crater, the heart of the 3,200-square mile Ngorongoro Conservation Area, provide an excellent opportunity to view black rhino, elephant, cheetah, antelope, lion, zebra, flamingos, wildebeest, zebra and many other species at close quarters, including birds.  The enormous crater functions as an ecosystem unto itself.  The 2,000 foot high perimeter of the crater and plentiful water liberate the over 25,000 wildebeest and zebra from the migration that their cousins from the Serengeti endure.

For lunch, enjoy a picnic next to one of the hippo pools on the crater floor.  Afterwards, continue with the game drive throughout the various ecosystems of the crater, including woodlands filled with zebra and baboon, plains that support scavenging hyena, and a lake that is sometimes tinted pink with greater and lesser flamingos.  In the evening, before dinner, warm up by the fireplace and share stories with your fellow travelers about your day’s adventures.

NGORONGORO SOPA LODGE     (B,L,D)

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Day 8                                                                       Ngorongoro/Olduvai Gorge/Serengeti

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

After breakfast, say your goodbyes and board your safari vehicle where you will descend from the crater rim and drive to Olduvai Gorge which is commonly referred to as “The Cradle of Mankind.”  This steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley stretches along Eastern Africa.  It is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world and has been instrumental in furthering understanding of human evolution.  Excavation work there was pioneered by Louis and Mary Leakey.  After a short stop at its small museum, continue driving north across the Serengeti plains to Serengeti Sopa Lodge, arriving in time for lunch and an afternoon game drive.

Established in 1951, Serengeti National Park is Tanzania’s largest and most famous park.  Boasting a huge lion population, it has the largest concentration of migratory game in the world.

Serengeti is derived from the Maasai word “Siringit” which means “endless plains.”  The park’s eco-system includes the Ngorongoro Conservation area, the Maswa Game Reserve and the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

SERENGETI SOPA LODGE            (B,L,D)

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Day 9

Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti, originally formed by volcanic activity, has been sculptured by the ever changing climate and now varies from open grass plains in the south, savannah grasslands with scattered acacia trees in the center, hilly wooden grasslands in the north, to extensive woodlands to the east. 

The Serengeti Sopa Lodge, a tranquil oasis set in Serengeti National Park, is set in Nyarboro Hills, in the southwest overlooking the Serengeti Plains.  Accommodations include the cozy lobby area which is furnished with large, comfortable chairs with huge cushions and throw pillows.  The low wood-beamed ceiling gives the lobby a warm and intimate feel.  The dining room has superb bay windows which overlook the spectacular views of the park.

The bedroom suites all have a private lounge, an en-suite bathroom, and a private verandah with two comfortable chairs, a coffee table, and stunning views of the vast Serengeti plains which extend as far as the naked eye can see.

Activities include morning and afternoon game drives, perhaps with breakfast or a picnic lunch out in the bush, and Serengeti Sundowners.

SERENGETI SOPA LODGE           (B,L,D)

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Day 10

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Morning and afternoon game drives with the option to stay out all day if you wish to take along a picnic lunch.  

SERENGETI SOPA LODGE           (B,L,D)

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Tanzania

Day 11

Serengeti/Arusha/Nairobi/Dubai

After breakfast, drive south to the Seronera airstrip, bid farewell to your guide and fly to Arusha where you will be met and transferred to the Arusha Coffee Lodge for lunch.  A day room is reserved until your departure in the late afternoon to Kilimanjaro Airport for your short flight to Nairobi connecting with your Emirates Airlines departure to Dubai.

ARUSHA COFFEE LODGE                                                                                          (B,L)

Day 12

Dubai/New York

Arrive in New York in the early morning or other Gateway City in the late morning or afternoon.

The Cost Includes:

• Scheduled Economy class air transportation – New York/Dubai/Nairobi/Kilimanjaro/Nairobi/Dubai/New York

• Internal flight – Seronera (Serengeti) to Arusha

• Hotel and lodge accommodations based on two persons sharing room with private facilities

• Table d’hote meals as listed in the itinerary – B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

• Services of a highly qualified private driver/guide

• Safari transportation in your private four wheel drive Land Rover safari vehicles

• All park entry fees and special Ngorongoro Crater permit

• Unlimited mileage on game drives, within the reasonable and safe limits of your driver/guide

• All transfers between airports and lodges in Tanzania

• Lodge service charges and taxes

Cost Does Not Include:

• Anything not already mentioned in the “Cost Includes” section.  Laundry, alcoholic and other beverages, communications charges and other items of personal nature, as well as gratuities to porters and driver/guides.