Arrive at any time. Arrival transfer is included. Our trips throughout Kenya and Tanzania have a maximum group size of six travellers in addition to a CEO and a driver who are both trained safari guides. That means everyone gets a window seat and twice the insight about the astounding wildlife all around you.
This morning, make your way to Mto wa Mbu village, a vibrant settlement of Tanzania's diverse tribal groups. Take a guided walk through the village, visiting the local market and meeting artisans in their workshops; then sit down for a traditional lunch with a local family. Continue to the Rift Valley escarpment and settle into our safari camp, located at the edge of Lake Manyara National Park. Set out on our first safari drive to discover East Africa's legendary wildlife, searching for lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, and more. This western wall of the Rift Valley escarpment is truly stunning. It provides a backdrop for your search of the park's bird life, tree-climbing lions, elephants, hippos, and baboons. The afternoon is spent viewing wildlife along the main road that winds through a lush, cool forest that's dominated by large ficus trees covered in bromeliads and ferns.
Travel through the breathtaking Rift Valley to a Maasai village. Here, we learn about the G Adventures–supported Clean Cookstoves Project, dedicated to providing clean-burning cookstoves to Maasai communities throughout Tanzania. Enjoy a presentation by a Masaai woman on the impact of the project, and take a guided tour of the village, visiting traditional homes or bomas and helping build a new stove. Continue to our safari camp in Serengeti National Park, stopping en route at the Olduvai Gorge Museum and Visitor's Centre??located near the site where National Geographic archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey discovered early hominid fossils and stone tools in 1960.
Immerse yourself in the splendor of the Serengeti, one of Africa's most celebrated wildlife reserves. Discover the park's iconic creatures when you set out in a 4x4 on morning and afternoon safaris through the golden grasslands. With luck, spot all of Africa's "big five"??lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo. Later, visit the Serengeti Wildlife Research Centre, and enjoy a talk by one of the visiting researchers.
Depart the Serengeti this morning, looking out for the park's wild denizens along the drive. Check in to our comfortable tented camp near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and enjoy a fiery African sunset from the deck.
Spanning more than 20 kilometres in diameter, the Ngorongoro Crater is the largest non-flooded caldera in the world and is inhabited by some 25,000 animals. Descend into this green-walled paradise early in the morning on safari. As you ride past herds of zebra and flocks of flamingo, keep your eyes peeled for a pride of lions or a lone leopard. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the floor of the crater; then drive to Arusha.
