Tanzania: The Serengeti & Beyond with Zanzibar

Welcome to Africa! Hotel rooms are available for mid-afternoon check-in.

Start today with a visit to the SHANGA WORKSHOP, a remarkable place dedicated to providing employment opportunities to Tanzanians with disabilities. Here, workers use recycled materials to make a variety of handicrafts. After lunch, drive south to TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK, where the savannah grasslands are dotted with baobab and acacia trees. Enjoy a GAME DRIVE en route to your lodge. (B/L/D)

Today features MORNING & AFTERNOON GAME DRIVES. The Tarangire River provides the park a permanent water source, which makes for great game viewing year round. This is highlighted by a large population of elephants. You can also see wildebeest, eland, zebra, and Cape buffalo congregate around water holes. Relax at your lodge during the heat of the day. (B/L/D)

This morning, depart for LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK at the base of the Rift Valley escarpment. This small park is ecologically diverse, with groundwater forests, grassy plains, and alkaline Lake Manyara itself. Enjoy MORNING & AFTERNOON GAME DRIVES, with the chance to see elephant, giraffe, zebra, and Cape buffalo. The park is also home to the world's largest concentration of baboon. (B/L/D)

Journey to the nearby village of TLOMA. Here, you will visit a LOCAL FAMILY'S HOME to learn more about the local Iraqw culture and their traditional way of life. Also, stop at a LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL to visit with the children and learn about the educational system in rural Tanzania. After lunch at beautiful Gibb's Farm, continue on to the rim of NGORONGORO CRATER, which is part of the larger Ngorongoro Conservation Area. (B/L/D)

Descend into the crater for a FULL-DAY GAME DRIVE. Ngorongoro Crater is technically a caldera-the world's largest unflooded one, in fact, at more than 2,000 feet deep with a floor covering over 102 square miles. Game viewing here is fantastic, as most of the animals stay in this area year round. You can see lion, Cape buffalo, hippo, elephant, and flamingo. This is also your best chance to see the rare black rhinoceros. A picnic lunch will be served in the crater. (B/L/D)

This morning, depart Ngorongoro Crater for SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK, Tanzania's largest and most famous park. Home to the annual Great Migration of wildebeest and zebra, generally between late November and July, the Serengeti attracts visitors from around the world and is great for game viewing year round. After lunch at your lodge, embark on an AFTERNOON GAME DRIVE. As the sun sets, savor SUNDOWNER DRINKS and watch a TRADITIONAL MAASAI DANCE PERFORMANCE. (B/L/D) Please Note: The Great Migration is a natural event, and the exact arrival/departure of the migrating herds varies slightly from year to year.

The Serengeti covers an area of roughly 5,700 square miles, so it is no surprise that the name comes from the Maasai word siringit, meaning "endless plains." Rise early for a MORNING GAME DRIVE. Your skilled guide will help you search for the "Big 5"-lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, elephant, and rhino-as well as an abundance of other animals, including cheetah, giraffe, warthog, gazelle, and eland. Afterwards, an exclusive BUSH BREAKFAST awaits. Sip on a mimosa as you savor every moment of the memorable experience! Return to your camp and relax prior to your AFTERNOON GAME DRIVE. (B/L/D)

This morning, flyto Stone Town (via Arusha), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Transfer to your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.(B/L)

Today, explore the highlights of Stone Town on a PRIVATE GUIDED TOUR. Start with a WALKING TOUR featuring the Old Fort, National Palace, slave caves, and the spice markets. Afterward, visit JOZANI FOREST, where you will take a walk through the forest with a local Ranger. Learn more about the forest fauna, walk through the mangrove swamps, and see the rare red colobus monkey, found only in Zanzibar. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.(B/L)

Fly to Dar es Salaam, where your holiday ends. We have secured a day room at the Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel for you to use prior to your homebound flight. Book homebound flights after 4 pm. (B)