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Expedition Highlights
Fly into
Kilimanjaro International Airport, or drive
from Kenya via the Namanga border-post, to
discover the gateway to Tanzania’s legendary
northern game-viewing circuit – Arusha.
This bustling safari town is located at an
altitude of 1,500m in the fertile southern
foothills of Mount Meru and enjoys a
temperate climate; the perfect introduction
to tropical Africa. Overnight in lodge or
hotel (half-board)
Arusha – Tarangire National Park
 Head into the wilderness this morning,
through the open grass plains of southern
Maasailand to Tarangire National Park in the
floor of the central Rift Valley, where huge
concentrations of wildlife congregate,
especially in the dry season months of June,
July and August when wildebeest, zebra,
gazelle, buffalo, eland, elephant, oryx and
hartebeest return to the Tarangire River,
the only source of water for thousands of
kilometers around. Overnight in camp or
lodge (full board)
Tarangire National Park
 Enjoy a day amongst the birds (around 500
species recorded) and baobab trees of
Tarangire; explore different vegetation
zones and the various animals associated
with them. Admire the stately giraffe and
long-necked gerenuk in Acacia-Commiphora &
Combretum-Dalbergia woodland, seek the
hunting lion in Acacia tortilis parkland,
visit the monogamous and agile klipspringer
and shy dikdik on and around rocky outcrops
and scan tree branches for resident leopard,
resting in the heat of the day.
Listen to the duet of red-and-yellow barbets
performing on a termite mound with their
audience of dwarf mongoose and gaze at the
blue African sky where great martial eagles,
short-tailed bateleurs and other raptors
soar. Take the track through grasslands and
floodplains to find ostrich, Kori bustard,
Hammerkop, storks (both saddle- and
yellow-billed) and many other waterbirds.
Marvel at the variety of characteristic
acacia birds, from the lovely
yellow-collared lovebird and pink-breasted
lark to the mouse-colored penduline tit and
barefaced go-away bird. Overnight in camp
or lodge (full board)
Tarangire – Magara Camp
 Set off along the great Rift Valley and
experience the pleasure of bush-walking as
you complete the last 7 km to camp on foot
with your private guide. Take note of his
sightings, identifications and bush-lore,
listen to his stories – and ask as many
questions as you can think of! Your guide
will be an English-speaking local, born and
bred in this area and happy to share his
knowledge of flora, fauna, avifauna and
local traditions with you. Overnight in
private camp (full board)
Magara Camp – Rift Valley hike – Karatu
 Put on your hiking boots this morning, as
you once more hit the trail with your guide.
Step out briskly and feel the pure,
unpolluted air of the Rift Valley
benefitting your whole system. Again, feel
free to question and converse with your
guide, as he leads you on this 4 – 5 hours
trek up the magnificent escarpment and on
through lush grasslands and arable farmland
to Mbulu where your safari guides wait to
drive you to Karatu via Marang forest.
Overnight in camp or lodge (full board)
Karatu – Ngorongoro Crater
 Rise with the sun today and set off early
for a sensational drive through the densely
forested outer slopes of Ngorongoro. Pause
at Heroes Point for your first, breathtaking
view over the 260 km crater floor, lying 600
m below. Even from this distance, it is
possible to pick out thousand-strong herds
of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo grazing
their way about; bring your binoculars into
play and try to spot a few of the elephant
which forage the edges of Lerai Forest.
Experience the thrill of entering this 600 m
deep crater by a steep, narrow track which
winds down the crater wall. Ngorongoro
Crater, the largest unbroken, unflooded
crater on our planet, is truly one of the
world’s most amazing places. Descend and
discover…
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The
Rainforest, which covers the
higher parts of Ngorongoro and
extends into the Crater in deep
gullies. Home to elephant,
buffalo, monkey, bushbuck and
the perfect habitat for birds
and butterflies.
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The
Grasslands, where the forest
gives way to scrub, small trees
and bushes, much loved by
browsing rhino and family groups
of elephant. Common animals in
the grasslands include buffalo,
wildebeest, Thomson’s & Grant’s
gazelle, zebra and eland,
together with the major
predators, often in high
densities, including lion,
cheetah, leopard and spotted
hyena. Superb area for viewing
birds of prey.
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Lake Magadi, feeding ground for
thousands of mainly Lesser
Flamingoes which come to the
shallow water principally to
feed off Spirulina, a blue-green
algae. Marvel at the abundance
of Ibis, ducks and other aquatic
birds which inhabit the
lakeshore and the bustards,
crowned cranes, secretary birds
and ostriches which pick their
delicate way through the
nutritious grasses.
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The
Swamps of Gorigor - fed by
Ngoitokitok Springs and the
Oljoro Nyokie River, and Mandusi
- fed by the Munge River which
flows into Lake Magadi. The
swamps are havens both in the
dry and wet seasons for
elephant, rhino and buffalo, as
well as being a habitat for
water birds.
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Lerai & Ngoitokitok Forests,
composed mainly of Yellow-barked
Fever-tree Acacias, enjoy
perennial fresh water and are
especially important refuges for
Black Rhinos. Other animals
found in the forests include
elephant, baboon, and monkeys;
it is not unusual to see large
prides of lion here, climbing
into the tress and enjoying the
shade of the forest. Butterflies
and birds abound and the most
commonly seen bird, especially
in vivid flight, is the
Lilac-breasted Roller; one of
the most beautiful of avians.
Overnight camp or lodge on
the Crater rim (full board)
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Crater Rim –
Oldupai Gorge – Nasera Rock – Piyaya Maasai
Village
 Journey on through the Ngorongoro
Conservation Area to Oldupai Gorge, once a
large saline lake. Visit the Gorge museum,
which displays records, fossils and pictures
of Louis & Mary Leakey’s hominid
discoveries. Imagine our ancestors living
and hunting on the lakeshore and the
short-grass plains – from Australopithecus
afarensis 5 million years ago, A. boisei
‘Nutcracker Man’ 3.75 million years ago,
Homo habilis ‘Handy Man’ `,7 million years
ago, Homo erectus, ‘Upright Man’ 400,000
years ago to the emergence of Homo sapiens
some 10,000 years ago.
Venture further to the Shifting Sand Dunes,
just 6 km north-west of Oldupai. These dunes
were formed from volcanic ash which erupted
from Oldoinyo Lengai and settled on the
plains. Strong north-westerly winds move the
Shifting Sand Dunes an average of about 17m
per year and they are about 9m high and
approximately 100m along the curve.
Travel through awesome scenery, populated
with plains game and their predators, as we
approach our next landmark, Nasera Rock, and
our destination for tonight – Piyaya Maasai
Village. The Maasai people arrived in the
southern Serengeti Plains and the area now
known as Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the
mid-eighteenth century.
They are a part of the Nilotic language
group who all speak the same language, “Maa”,
and they are East Africa’s most distinctive
and resilient of tribes; even today most
Maasai continue to wear their traditional
dress and live in scattered, sometimes
temporary villages called Enkang, within a
thorn fence called a “boma”. Overnight in
camp at Piyaya Maasai Village (full board)
Piyaya Village – Gol Mountains trek
 Dust off your hiking shoes this morning and
set off with your guide for a trekking
adventure in the dramatic Oldoinyo Gol
Mountains. Learn all about the flora, fauna
and local history during this 5-6 hours trek
in breathtaking scenery. Look out for rock
hyrax, Agama lizards and klipspringers and
try to identify some of the myriad bird
species from your previous sightings.
Tonight you will eat and sleep in your
campsite at another Maasai village – Sanjan
(full board)
Salei Plains – Mosonic Mountains (1,700m)
–Lake Natron
 Trekking today takes us across the Salei
Plains with their large numbers of Kori
bustards and young Maasai boys herding and
grazing their cattle and goats. After
admiring and passing by Mt Mosonic, we
continue to hike through bush and woodlands,
down the rift valley escarpment, to reach
Lake Natron, the last breeding ground of
lesser flamingoes. Overnight in camp or
tented lodge (full board)
Lake Natron (800m) & Oldoinyo Lengai
(2,878m)
 Enjoy a full day at Lake Natron. Visit the
waterfalls and drive around the lake; climb
the “Maasai mountain of God” or simply relax
in camp. Oldoinyo Lengai is one of East
Africa’s youngest volcanoes and possibly the
most active.
The climb normally takes 5 to 6 hours along
steep slopes which are practically bereft of
shade and the descent (which can be very
tough on knees and ankles) takes about 2
hours. Most local guides recommend starting
this climb at midnight, to reach the crater
rim in time for sunrise and descend before
the intense mid-day heat reaches the parched
slopes.
Suitable only for reasonably fit and agile
adventurers, this is, nevertheless, a
rewardin g climb, passing through some
magnificently arid scenery and offering
spectacular views back towards the Rift
Valley before leading to the lunar landscape
of the crater, studded with ash cones, lava
pools, steam vents and other evidence of
volcanic activity. Overnight in camp or
tented lodge (full board)
Lake Natron – Longido Mountain (400m)
 On this, our last safari day, we head for
the mountain and Maasai village of Longido.
Here you can enjoy edifying cultural
exchanges, take a bird walk in the
surrounding bush or climb to the top of
Longido Mountain, an ascent which offers
splendid views to Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro
on a clear day, as well as over the Maasai
Plains to Kenya.
On a bird walk you can expect to see various
species, including several colorful finches
and barbets, and there is still a fair
amount of big game left in the area, notably
gerenuk, lesser kudu, giraffe, Thomson’s
gazelle and black-backed jackal. Overnight
in camp at Longido village (full board)
Longido – Arusha, Namanga or KIA
After a leisurely breakfast, we will
transfer you to Arusha, Namanga or
Kilimanjaro International Airport to connect
with your ongoing arrangements.
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