Experience an unforgettable African Safari on this spectacular vacation to Tanzania. You'll arrive in Arusha, where you spend the night before heading off to the Tarangire National Park to spot the strange “upside-down” baobab trees, stately eland antelopes, and huge tuskers. Next, learn about coffee growing during your stay on a working coffee plantation, and then head up to the 7,500-foot-high Ngorongoro Crater, where you descend into the caldera in a four-wheel-drive Land Rover to view the abundance of game. Follow in the footsteps of paleontologists Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey as you view the Olduvai Canyon and learn about the most important archaeological finds relating to the evolution of mankind. Marvel at the beauty of the Lake Manyara National Park, with its dense rain forest populated by baboons, impalas, elephants, and giraffes, before returning to Arusha, a city that recently gained fame as a seat of the international criminal court of justice.

Itinerary

Day 1

Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arusha, Tanzania

Welcome to Africa! Look forward to a journey through majestic, unspoiled landscapes to fabulous game reserves where the Dark Continent’s incomparable wildlife is protected in its natural habitat. Arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport. Arusha Town is located exactly halfway between Cairo and Cape Town and your hotel tonight is the Arusha Coffee Lodge situated in the midst of one of the coffee plantations. (D)

Day 3 Arusha-Ngorongoro

Drive to GIBBS FARM to learn how coffee is grown, processed and roasted, and marvel at the beautiful gardens. Visit the AXWESSO IRAQW CULTURAL HOME, followed by lunch. Dinner and overnight at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. (FB,L,D)

Day 4 Ngorongoro

The NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA, part of the Serengeti ecosystem, is certainly one of the most famous natural splendors in the world. The caldera, 2,000 feet below the rim and covering 102 square miles, hosts an unbelievable variety and density of wildlife. Especially exciting is the fact you are nearly guaranteed to observe the rare and threatened rhino. Enjoy a half-day crater tour, returning to the lodge for lunch, then an afternoon visit to a Maasai village. (FB,L,D)

Day 5 Ngorongoro-Serengeti

Excursion to OLDUVAI GORGE where, in the earlier part of the 20th century, archaeologists Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey made one of the most important finds relating to the evolution of mankind. Lunch at Serengeti Sopa Lodge then enjoy an afternoon game drive. Return to Serengeti Sopa Lodge for dinner and overnight. (FB,L,D)

Day 6 Serengeti

Another day in fabulous SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK. Morning game drive. Return to your lodge for lunch and relaxation. Late afternoon game drive. (FB,L,D)

Day 7 Serengeti-Lake Manyara

This morning, drive to Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, perched on the edge of the Rift Valley with fantastic views of LAKE MANYARA below. After lunch, take an afternoon game drive in this small but attractive park, squeezed between the lake and the steep rim of the Rift Valley. Its most striking feature is a dense forest populated by baboons, impalas, giraffes, elephants, and a myriad of other creatures. With luck you will shoot a picture of a tree-climbing lion, then view the Simba River, populated by hippos and bird life. (FB,L,D)

Day 8 Lake Manyara-Tarangire

After breakfast depart for Tarangire National Park in time for lunch at your lodge. Afternoon game drive. Return to Tarangire Sopa Lodge for dinner and overnight. (FB,L,D)

Day 9 Tarangire

Start the day with a morning game drive in TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK. Return to the lodge for lunch and relaxation. In the late afternoon, embark on another game drive. (FB,L,D)

Day 10 Tarangire-Arusha. Homebound Flight

Arrive in Arusha in time for lunch. Afternoon tour of ARUSHA TOWN. You will have a day room at the Arusha Coffee Lodge until 6 p.m. After dinner transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for your homebound flight. (FB,L,D)

Day 11

Your homebound flight arrives today.

• Lake Manyara:
  Game viewing in the national park
• Serengeti:
  Game viewing in the Serengeti
• Olduvai Gorge:
  See the archaeological site and visit the museum Lecture by local expert
• Ngorongoro Conservation Area:
  Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for game viewing
• Gibbs Farm:
  Visit the coffee plantation and Axwesso Iraqw Cultural Home
• Tarangire:
  Game viewing in Tarangire National Park
• Arusha:
  City sightseeing