Tanzania Classic Safari is the perfect way to see Tanzania in a relatively short span of time, maximizing your time in its justly renowned game parks and reserves. Northern Tanzania is home to some of the most prolific wildlife found anywhere in the world, and its landscapes are remarkable. There is the Ngorongoro Crater, which has some 2,000-foot-high walls and protects large populations of wild animals.

We’ll also spend ample time in the Serengeti grasslands, quite possibly the greatest reservoir of plains game on Earth. At Lake Manyara we look for its hallmark sighting — tree-climbing lions. And Olduvai Gorge is renowned as the place where the Leakey family discovered hominid remains that have influenced our understanding of prehistory. Join us and you’ll see all this and more, in a style that contributes to your knowledge and understanding.

Day 1
U.S. / En Route

We depart the U.S. on a connecting flight to Tanzania. (Meals Aloft)

Day 2
Arusha

Connect with our flight to Africa. Arriving at Kilimanjaro Airport in Tanzania, we transfer to our hotel, Mountain Village Lodge, which has lovely gardens of bougainvillea and views of Kilimanjaro. (Meals Aloft)

Days 3 & 4
Serengeti National Park

This morning we transfer to the Arusha Airport for our flight to Grumeti airstrip in the Serengeti. We’ll travel to one of the most intimate and luxurious tented camps in Tanzania: Kirawira, set in the remote western Serengeti, in an area where the wildlife is just extraordinary. We’ll enjoy game drives each day. Along the Grumeti River, we’ll find hippos and crocodiles. Our camp has gourmet dining, a lounge and elegant furnishings, and our nights will be spent under canvas. (B,L,D Daily)

Day 5
Serengeti National Park

We descend to the Serengeti Plains, home to millions of large animals, including wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, impala and hartebeest. Predators include lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and wild dogs. You may also enjoy an optional hot-air balloon safari over the Serengeti. We overnight at the Serengeti Serena Lodge. (B,L,D)

Days 6 & 7
Ngorongoro Crater

Today, we head for Ngorongoro, en route visiting Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakey family unearthed thousands of fossil bones and stone tools. We then continue to Ngorongoro Crater. Twelve miles wide, the Ngorongoro Crater is home to rare rhino and has its own lake. The concentration of animals means that you are likely to see several lion in a short period of time. You descend 2,000 feet for a thrilling day among Africa’s “Big Five” (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard) before returning to our home for the next two nights, Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. The setting has a sublime beauty. Our lodge fits into the contours of the crater rim and is built of volcanic rock. It offers a spectacular view of the crater floor. (B,L,D Daily)

Day 8
Lake Manyara National Park

We drive across the Great Rift Valley, en route visiting Mto Wa Mbu and a village. On a leisurely stroll with a village guide we will visit local homes, farmlands and a school, meeting the residents along the way. We enjoy an afternoon game drive at Lake Manyara, famous for its large herds of elephant. Lake Manyara National Park has large baobab and acacia trees, and we’ll check the acacias to see if we can find the tree-climbing lions for which the park is known. We are likely to see buffalo, baboon, flamingos and prides of lion. Later we settle into Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, which is perched on the edge of the Rift Valley escarpment, with breathtaking views. (B,L,D)

Day 9
Lake Manyara / Arusha / En Route

We return to Arusha in time for lunch and a visit to Arusha Town with shopping opportunities. Dayrooms await us at Mountain Village. We enjoy dinner at the lodge before transferring to the airport for our connecting flight to the U.S. (B,L,D)

Day 10
U.S.
Connect with flights to the U.S. (Meals Aloft)

• East Africa’s wildlife is extraordinary. Over two million large animals inhabit the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, while other areas have many unusual species. You’ll see the daily drama of life on the plains.
  
• If there is a more beautiful part of the world, we don’t know where it might be. You see snow-capped Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya, dramatic 102-square-mile Ngorongoro Crater, rolling grasslands, desert rivers and springs, all filtered through East Africa’s rarefied air.
  
• Your accommodations are part of the pleasure of the safari. You stay close to nature but in complete comfort in some of Africa’s finest tented camps and lodges.
  
• East Africa’s people are exceptionally welcoming. You learn of the culture of the Maasai, who have retained many of their traditional ways, and also how people have adapted to changing times and the pressures of modernization.

12/09