Private vehicle safari in Tanzania
| country: | Tanzania |
| location: | Serengeti National Park |
| departures: | This trip can be arranged at any time to suit you, and adapted to your requirements. Minimum 2 people, prices based on 4 people travelling. |
| price: | From £1645 (9 days)including accommodation, meals, game drives and park fees as per itinerary. We can arrange flights from the UK |
| offers: | Get Ngorongoro Crater vehicle fees for FREE and save £140 in total. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Arusha is not only the traditional base from which to embark on a wildlife safari to the famous Tanzanian game parks such as the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. It is also a perfect location from which to explore some of Tanzania's most fascinating tribes, such as the Maasai and Iraqw.
This trip can include a visit to the Longido cultural tourism programme where you will meet and spend time with a Maasai family at their invitation. You will spend time on safari exploring the Tarangire National Park, the famous Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater.
You can hope to see all the 'big 5' alongside large herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope. The safari days can be broken up with a visit to the Iraqw cultural centre, where you will meet a resident Iraqw family who will introduce you to their traditions and lifestyle. If you are doing a longer itinerary you can also visit a farming community in Mto wa Mbu that will include the Chagga banana beer farm. The duration of this trip can be tailored to your own needs and can be combined with a few days at the coast - such as Zanzibar or Mafia Island.
This trip can include a visit to the Longido cultural tourism programme where you will meet and spend time with a Maasai family at their invitation. You will spend time on safari exploring the Tarangire National Park, the famous Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater.
You can hope to see all the 'big 5' alongside large herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope. The safari days can be broken up with a visit to the Iraqw cultural centre, where you will meet a resident Iraqw family who will introduce you to their traditions and lifestyle. If you are doing a longer itinerary you can also visit a farming community in Mto wa Mbu that will include the Chagga banana beer farm. The duration of this trip can be tailored to your own needs and can be combined with a few days at the coast - such as Zanzibar or Mafia Island.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival in Arusha and checking into Karama Lodge, a small lodge with beautiful views of Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru on a clear day. Overnight Karama Lodge (half board). |
| Day 2: | Safari briefing and time to explore Arusha or relax. Overnight at Karama Lodge (half board). |
| Day 3: | Transfer to Tarangire National Park known for its vast number of baobab trees and permanent waters of Tarangire River. The latter ensures its high biodiversity all year round, e.g. huge herds of wildebeest, zebras, and elephants. Overnight stay in tented accommodation at Kirurumu Tented Lodge (full board). |
| Day 4: | Lake Manyara NPShort transfer to Lake Manyara National Park followed by a game drive through the park. Overnight stay in tented accommodation at Kirurumu Tented Lodge (full board). |
| Day 5-6: | Serengeti NPTransfer by 4x4 vehicle to the famous Serengeti National Park. Serengeti in Maasai language means ‘endless plain’, which is probably the best description for this flat plateau covered in extensive grasslands, interspersed with rocky outcrops called ‘kopjes’. The Serengeti is best known for wildebeest migration, however large herds of elephants, zebras, giraffes, buffalos, impalas and antelopes can be seen all year round. It is also celebrated for its lions, cheetahs, hippos, crocodiles, large birds (e.g. ostrich) and little birds (e.g. superb starling). Overnight stay at Ndutu Lodge (full board). |
| Day 7: | Ngoronongoro Crater Transfer by 4x4 vehicle to the Ngorongoro Crater, with along the way a last goodbye to the Serengeti. The Ngorongoro Crater is a spectacular caldera (inward collapsed volcano) with a diameter of 19 km and a depth of 600 m. It houses a great number of species, including wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, buffalos, elephants, lions, hippos, a large flock of lesser flamingos and last but not least black rhinos. Overnight stay at Gibb’s Farm Lodge near the crater (full board). |
| Day 8: | Crater game driveEarly descent into the crater for a game drive (6 hours game drive max). Return to Arusha and Karama Lodge for overnight (half board). |
| Day 9: | Transferto Kilimanjaro or Arusha airport for departing flight. |
travellers' tales
Our children (13 and 15) got as much out of meeting the local people in towns and villages as they did from seeing the vast array of wildlife. Now they realise you really can make do on a minimum of possessions and things can be fixed (in very inventive ways), not thrown away when they break; a life changing experience for them.
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don't leave it too late!
Please note that due to the nature of tailor-made trips to Sub-Saharan Africa we need at least 14 days between time of booking and departure. This time is essential for you to sort out passport, visa and health requirements and for us to make all the necessary holiday arrangements.how this holiday makes a difference
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The safari company has been owned and run, for over 15 years, by a Tanzanian couple only employing Tanzanian guides, drivers & cooks. All food is bought locally. For the non-safari days, we have made a Tanzanian tour guide available.
The lodges used all have strong environmental ethics and are heavily involved in community development. For example community levy generation from tourist bed nights, employment & training of staff from the local areas, involvement in school improvement projects, and waste recycling projects. For all of our tours we provide customers with an itinerary specific responsible travel guide aprox 4 weeks before they depart. This includes a generic travellers code of conduct which emphasises basic responsible travel advice – e.g. reduction of waste and consumption of natural resources, purchase local produce where possible etc. Our holidays are specifically designed to bring guests into direct contact with locals from a range of different tribes and cultures across Africa. We also therefore provide destination specific guidance including advice on local customs and some key phrases in certain languages (e.g. Swahili). We also offer guidance on how to barter responsibly for local curios and what curios should be avoided (e.g. certain wildlife artefacts such as coral, turtle shells etc.). As all of our guides and groundhandlers are local we also give guidance on what a fair and reasonable level of tipping would be at the end of the holiday. We support the work of Tourism Concern both in distributing their advice to customers and as an active participant in the Ethical Tour Operators Group. Our managing director sits on this group and is a regular attendee of meetings contributing to work towards developing industry wide fair trade standards. We also distribute materials to customers and make periodic donations for the following charities: Tree Aid; International Fund for Wildlife and Survival International Trust. In Southern Africa we support the Southern Africa Sustainable Seafood Initiative and forward their guidance to all customers on which seafood is sustainable when offered a choice at restaurants. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |