Arrive at Dar es Salaam International airport where you will be met and assisted with your onward flight. Fly from Dar es Salaam to the remote Selous Game Reserve. Upon arrival you are met by a camp representative and transferred to your camp to settle in. This afternoon explore the Selous either by foot on a walking safari, by boat on the Rufiji and Lake Tagala, or in open 4WD vehicles. All excursions are escorted by an experienced armed guide.
Selous Sand Rivers is situated on the banks of the Rufiji River, offering a unique combination of adventure, comfort and exclusivity. This small luxury lodge, crafted out of local materials, comprises six individually designed cottages with en-suite bathrooms. Spaced along the river bank, each has its own private view of the wide sand-banked river with its hippos, crocodiles and birdlife. Near the dining area a large baobab tree shades the swimming pool in which guests can escape the heat of the sun or cool off after a game walk.
Today enjoy morning and afternoon game activities in the bush where your game sightings will rarely be interrupted by other vehicles. Enjoy the solitude whilst observing elephants, lions, buffalo, hippos and crocodiles. Game drives are conducted by 4WD vehicles or from your river boat, the more adventurous of you may like to stretch your legs with a walking safari.
The Selous Game Reserve is the largest game reserve in the world and has some of the finest virgin bush left in Africa, where the last of the really big-tusked elephants and large-maned lions roam. The Selous supports around one million game animals, is bigger than Switzerland and is a World Heritage site. From March to May floods sweep the valley, forcing the game on to the ‘islands’ of higher ground, where elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, crocodile, puku, buck, eland, sable and others concentrate.
Enjoy another day at leisure to be as active as you like. You may like to explore the Selous overland by 4WD vehicle or on a bush walk, or take to the river on a boat trip. Alternatively you may like to relax at your camp with a book on your private verandah or cool off in the camp’s pool.
The Selous is Africa’s largest wildlife sanctuary and one of its least known treasures. Covering 21,000 square miles of completely undeveloped land, the Selous is one of the last great tracts of true wilderness left in Africa.
Wake up early this morning as you prepare for a long day of travel to Ngorongoro. Transfer to the airstrip for your flight from the Selous to Arusha. Upon arrival at Arusha airport you will be met by your private driver/guide who will escort you for the duration of your safari in Tanzania. Transfer from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge located on the rim with spectacular views across the crater. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken caldera in the world and the first sight of it is breathtaking.
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is situated on the edge of the ancient crater rim above the cool, swirling mists. The lodge is a return to the noble elegance of the travelling colonials. Inspired in design by the Maasai Manyatta, three separate camps of 6 to 12 suites each remember a bygone era when characters such as Lord Delamere adorned the stilted, handcrafted structures with graceful antiques, grand chandeliers and treasures collected from travels through Africa.
Enjoy an early breakfast before venturing out on your game drive. From your lodge on the crater rim descend to the crater floor by 4WD safari vehicle for a morning unlike any other you will experience in Africa. Spot some of the rarer species in Africa like the black rhino against the spectacular backdrop of the crater’s forest covered walls. Enjoy a picnic lunch amongst the hippos and birds before visiting a Maasai village this afternoon.
The floor of the crater is only 100 sq miles but is home to around 30,000 animals with a high concentration of predators and some of the finest black-maned lions in Africa. Rhinos can often be seen with calves at heel. Eland and waterbuck appear not to notice the human visitors, enabling photographers to shoot at ease. On the lake in the middle of the crater you may see thousands of flamingos fluttering and shimmering like a pink heat haze. Zebra and wildebeest account for almost half the animals. Gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest and wart hog can also be seen.
Following breakfast this morning transfer to Olduvai Gorge, the cradle of mankind, made famous by Dr Leaky’s discovery of fossil fragments dating back some 3.5 million years. After a picnic lunch continue to your camp located in the southern reaches of Serengeti National Park.
Kusini Camp is built in and around a large kopje. The camp offers spectacular views across Tortillis woodland situated on the edge of the short grass plains. The camp is comprised of nine double tents scattered around the kopje with the mess tent and common area as the central feature. Privacy between tents is guaranteed as they are at a substantial distance from each other and are generally concealed by a tree or kopje.
This morning awake to a steaming hot cup of tea or coffee served on the decking of your tent before enjoying breakfast at the main tent. Enjoy a full day exploring the Serengeti by 4WD vehicle with thrilling morning and afternoon game drives. Whether this is your first time on safari or a return trip the Serengeti will not disappoint.
The Serengeti National Park is arguably the most famous national park in the world. The Serengeti perhaps defines the safari experience as surely as the wildlife that inhabits it. Established in 1951, and covering an area of almost 15,000 sq km, an area comparable to the state of Connecticut or Northern Ireland, the Serengeti hosts a fantastically diverse ecosystem. The principal attraction of the Serengeti is the passing of the wildebeest migration, where 1.5 million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of zebra, gazelle and other plains game that follow close behind, make their way across the plains, stalked by the inevitable predators who make the most of the feast close at hand.
Today enjoy another full day discovering the spirit of the Serengeti by 4WD vehicle with exciting morning and afternoon game drives.
The Serengeti National Park lies between the Ngorongoro Highlands, Lake Victoria and Tanzania’s northern border with Kenya. The name comes from the Maasai meaning “endless plains”. The Serengeti contains about three million large animals, most taking part in seasonal migrations, unparalleled in nature. Be sure to have your camera constantly at hand as life in the Serengeti is always action packed.
Today leave the Serengeti behind as you transfer to the airstrip for your flight to Arusha. On arrival you will be met and transferred to Arusha Coffee Lodge where a room is available for use until your onward flight later this evening. Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure.
