Tanzania Culture & Wildlife Safari

country:	Tanzania
departures:	This trip can be tailor made to suit your requirements
price:	From US$ 2850 per person based on a minimum of 4 people in a group. Single room Supplement US$ 220

the amazing things you'll be doing

Tanzania is a country of immense natural endowment, especially so in terms of quantity, quality and variety of its flora and fauna. Blessed with diversity of scenery, long white sand beaches, wonderful historical sites and a cultural cocktail of the warmth and grace of her people, Tanzania is an extraordinary holiday destination. Nearly 25% of Tanzania's landmass has been designated and put under national protection either as protected areas, game reserves or full fledged national parks.

Tanzania also happens to be the home of the last descendants of the Bushmen of Africa - The Wahadzabe and Datoga tribes whose culture and traditions are an attraction in their own right.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Arrive in Arusha. Transfer from arrival point to Mt. Village lodge for overnight (DB) Mt Village is an idyllic lodge situated 20 kms outside of Arusha and 30 kms from Kilimanjaro International Airport. It is a quiet lodge built on the shore overlooking Lake Duluti. All the rooms are en-suite roundavels with a private verandah. The reservations, lounge and dining room are in the main building that is a beautifully renovated farmhouse.
Day 2:	You depart Arusha across Monduli plains toward Tarangire for lunch at our Medium mobile-tented camp. After a leisurely lunch, you depart the camp at 03:30 P for a walk accompanied by Maasai men and your guide to explain the native birds, animal tracks, and plant-life of the area that you will encounter during your walk. Overnight in the Medium mobile camp (BLD)
Day 3:	After an early breakfast, you depart the camp with picnic lunch and proceed to the park for a full day game drive. Tarangire N. Park covers 2,600 sq. kms in area. The park is famous for its majestic Baobab trees and Acacia Tortillas trees dotting a wide expanse of the rolling hills of the park. To many people the park represents the features of Africa in scenery and landscape. There is the Tarangire River which dissects the park from the south to the Northwest where during the dry season, a large congregation of animals can be found giving some resemblance of the famous Serengeti migration. Among the animals found there are great herds of elephants, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe, lions, leopard, cheetahs and hyena. The park is reputed to have more birds than the whole United States of America.
Day 4:	After breakfast, you break camp and proceed to south of lake Manyara to visit the Datoga tribe who are related to the Maasai. They are nomadic cattle herders who move from one place to another in search of green pastures for their cattle. A great variety of bird species can be found in this area. Rare species like the Black Egret have on many occasions been spotted. They can be differentiated from the other birds by their behaviour pattern in which they shade themselves with their wings to attract more fish. You will board a canoe to cross the lake and be able to watch hippos from a distance and back. Overnight in medium Mobile Camp (BLD)= breakfast,lunch,dinner
Day 5:	After breakfast, we depart Tarangire and drive across the Rift Valley escarpment to Lake Eyasi via Gibb's Farm for lunch. Gibb's Farm was a once colonial farmhouse that has been converted into a lodge. It boasts one of the biggest coffee plantations in the area as well as a purely organic farm which supplies the lodge with fresh vegetables throughout the year. Once there, we have a 45-minute walk to visit the elephant cave and the organic farm. We will also have a brief lecture about a coffee plantation. Overnight in medium Mobile Camp (BLD)
Day 6:	Wake up early for a pre-sunrise breakfast. Drive from the camp for approx. 20 minutes to locate the nomadic Bushmen (Hadzabe). In the company of the bushmen, you will hunt on foot using traditional weapons i.e. bows and arrows. The Bushmen are related to the Kalahari Bushmen of South Africa. They speak the same click language but do not understand each other, as they have been apart for very long. The bushmen live a medieval kind of life style. They do not build permanent homes but follow the animals in the area as they trap and kill them for food. They are hunters and gatherers. After a brief hunting stint with the Bushmen, we go back to our vehicles and drive to the camp for a brunch/lunch. After a short afternoon siesta, we depart the camp at 04:30P and drive to lake Eyasi to view flamingoes enjoy the sunset over the Rift Valley Escarpment. Overnight Medium Mobile tented Camp (BLD)
Day 7:	You break camp at Lake Eyasi after breakfast and drive to Ngorongoro Crater with a picnic lunch. You descend to the crater floor for a full day game-drive. Overnight Medium Mobile tented Camp on the Ngorongoro crater rim. (BLD)
Day 8:	You depart the camp early in the morning after a discussion with you guide either to have a second full day crater tour or to drive back up and hike around the Ngorongoro highlands. The highlands offer spectacular views with scattered Maasai manyata (huts) on the horizon and groups of Maaai warriors tending their cattle. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority is a multi-purpose land use area for Nomadic Maasai and indigenous wildlife area. It covers an area o f about 8,300 sq. kms, which comprises half of the Serengeti plains. The Ngorongoro has a unique Eco-system where you may see all of the big five buffalo, elephant, rhino Lion, and leopard. Overnight Medium Mobile tented Camp on the Ngorongoro crater rim. (BLD)
Day 9:	We break camp after breakfast with picnic lunch and drive to Serengeti nation Park via the famous Ol-duvai Gorge where the Leakey family discovered the remains of the early man " Zinjanthropus Bosei" Gameviewing enroute to the Serengeti National Park. Overnight Medium Mobile tented Camp (BLD)
Day 10-11:	Full day game-drive in the Serengeti National Park with game viewing in areas where the animals are most concentrated. The Serengeti national park covers about 15,000 sq. kms. It derives its name form the Maasai language "Siringet" which means, The endless Plains. It boasts the largest number of species of flora and fauna both in quantity and variety coupled with its world famous wildebeest migration comprised of miles of animals walking single - file to find water. Overnight Medium Mobile Camp (BLD)
Day 12:	After breakfast, you depart Serengeti for Arusha with game-viewing enroute. An option instead of driving can be a scheduled flight that departs at 11:15A. Lunch in Arusha upon arrival

how this holiday makes a difference

This safari program brings the client into contact with two unique ethnic tribes and cultures; near the Tarangire National park, you will meet members of the Datoga Tribe, these are traditional herdsmen and therefore they are nomadic, wondering from place to place in search of pastures. To these tribesmen money is usually of little interest, real value is attached to items like used tyres which they use to make sandals to wear in the jungle on their unending journeys with their cattle in search of green pastures, therefore whenever possible we never miss the opportunity to keep them well supplied with used tyres in order to win a warmer reception for our clients when they are visiting.

During the same program we also visit the land of the Hadzabe, close relatives of the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert environs, with similar clicking language; nothing pleases these unique people like a chance to obtain replenishments of Arrow points because they are basically Hunters and Gatherers. After the encounter with the Hadzabe Bushmen the visitors have an opportunity to come face to face with the Maasai tribe's men, prominent and graceful tribe with strong cultural and traditional norms. They interface avails the visitors a memorable learning experience of this famous culture and to buy arts, beads made by the Maasai Ladies and other antiques. All the communities in the areas where we operate are given the opportunity and priority to sell their art and culture pieces to our clients and to supply fresh groceries to our camps in order to bring in the much needed extra income.

Since this culture and wildlife program is operated under canvass, the environment is constantly under low impact utilization because of the way we blend our tents with the surroundings, this blending enables the resident animal population to continue using the area while we are in camp and they see no difference once we have broken camp and departed . We take extra effort to ensure minimum disturbance to the environment.

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