Tanzania Photo Safari

It is necessary to connect with a Delta/KLM flight from Amsterdam to Arusha, Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO), landing the evening of November 11. On arrival, you will be met at the airport, assisted through customs, and the group will then be taken to the hotel. OVERNIGHT ARUSHA (meals on plane)

You will need to obtain a travel visa to Tanzania, instructions for ordering online will be sent in your packet of pre-departure materials or electronically as the tour approaches.

You have an extra evening today at your Arusha accommodations to get over jet lag before beginning your wildlife safari. Relax at the hotel this morning, after lunch your driver guides will take you to the lovely Arusha National Park on the outskirts of Arusha (if anyone needs the entire day at rest, you can rejoin the group for dinner at the hotel).

The driver guides will let you know what time to have your luggage separated today. They will be taking the majority of your luggage to the Western Corridor accommodations, where you will retrieve them. You will want to keep with you your camera gear, clothes for tomorrow, important documents, and medications etc. for your flight in the morning. OVERNIGHT ARUSHA (all meals)

The group domestic flight (included in tour) this morning will allow for more time dedicated to game drives. You will be transferred early this morning to the Arusha Domestic Airport and fly to the Grumeti Airstrip in the Western Corridor. You will be met by your driver guides and vehicles to begin your game drives. At this time of the year the big herds are following the smell of rain, moving from the north to the west and into the central and southern Serengeti. Your new lodge is in the Soroi Valley, not deep into the Western Corridor  but close to the area of the Mbalageti and Grumeti rivers. The camp is of the traditional style with canvas tents.

Enjoy another two days with game drives in the region. One of your afternoons (weather permitting) enjoy a hot catered lunch in the bush. There have been changes in the migration, with fewer sections of the big herds going into Kenya. For a November safari it should be wonderful because this is a popular area for the wildebeest to move into and through as the pregnant females migrate to their preferred calving location in the southern Serengeti. There are a lot of cats in the area as well.  OVERNIGHT WESTERN CORRIDOR (all meals)

After an early breakfast drive through the Western Corridor traveling south to the Central Serengeti. Your game drives for the next two days will be concentrating on the big cats and exploring the beautiful kopjes which offer shade, small caves for hiding and provide tall vantage points to look for prey. Enjoy a dinner under the stars at your luxury tented camp. Another focus of your time here will be on savannah bird species.

The Serengeti is one of the most famous wildlife areas in the world. Animal herds follow the rains and feed on the new grass so what we will actually see depends upon the weather pattern. If past years are any indication, we have positioned ourselves to be in the right location at the right time. OVERNIGHT SERENGETI (all meals)

Depart after an early breakfast, driving through the Gol Kopjes to your new camp for the evening. Spend the rest of the day exploring the Southern Plains on both sides of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area border. Off road game drives are allowed by the government in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which your driver guides will take advantage of. It is very possible some of the pregnant wildebeest will be starting to arrive on the southern plains. All of these areas offer excellent birding taking advantage of the Asian and European migrants as well. OVERNIGHT SOUTHERN SERENGETI (all meals)

Take a leisurely game drive out of the Serengeti and to the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the most famous wildlife viewing areas in the world. The rim is about 7,600 feet in elevation, and the floor is approximately 2,000 feet below. This 102-square-mile crater is the largest unflooded, unbroken caldera in the world. Within its perimeter are thousands of wildebeest, black rhino, cheetah, gazelle, giraffe, and a high density of lions, hyenas, and other predators. (Recommended reading: The Innocent Killers by Jane and Hugo Van Lawick-Goodall). At the end of the day you’ll drive out of the crater to your last luxury camp for the next two evenings.

Your lodge is constructed of local materials is hidden within the forests of the rim of the crater. It offers a stunning view of the crater, with close proximity to the access road for the descent. Flamingos inhabit an alkaline lake, the edge of the lake attracts an array of birds including the Secretary bird, Kori bustard, yellow-billed stork, ostrich, and sacred ibis to name just a few. The next day spend the entire day exploring the crater, leaving early in the morning, well before most tour vehicles depart. Weather permitting you’ll enjoy another hot catered lunch. OVERNIGHT CRATER  (all meals)

Enjoy your last morning on the beautiful grounds of your lodge. You’ll drive back to Arusha today, stop for shopping along the way. You’ll enjoy having a day room at your Arusha hotel. There will be time to shower, relax, and re-pack your camera gear for the flight home. Given time enjoy dinner before departing for the Kilimanjaro Airport, or a boxed dinner will be prepared for the group.

ARUSHA HOTEL (all meals)

You will arrive in Amsterdam this morning and have a short layover before connecting with the flight back home. (meals on plane)