14 DAYS NORTHERN CIRCUIT CLASSIC SAFARI
Day
01: Arusha - Tarangire National Park.
Depart from the
IMPALA HOTEL in Arusha and drive across the Masai Steppe and to Tarangire National
Park located south of Lake Manyara.
Tarangire is delightful park which covers an area of 2,600
square kilometres. It has the numerous wide-bodied Baobab trees that first
attract your eye. The gently rolling countryside is dotted with these
majestic trees sometimes dwarfing the wildlife that feeds beneath them.
The park is at its best during the traditional dry seasons of June to
October and December to March when many of the migratory animals come to
the Tarangire River for water.
Wildebeest, Oryx,
zebra, elephant are amongst the most prolific of the animals. Depending on
the game movement we shall probably camp by the side of the Tarangire
River.
Day 02 :
Tarangire National Park
Early
morning, morning and afternoon game drives.
Day 03:
Tarangire National Park- Lake Manyara.
Early
morning game drive followed by breakfast, after which your crew packs up
the tenting equipment and moves on to set up again in the Lake Eyasi area,
and you move on to a permanent camp on the rim of the Great Rift Valley.
From whichever direction you approach Lake Manyara, you get a spectacular
view. Approaching from the east the Great Rift Valley wall forms an
impressive backdrop to the Lake. From the west, with a pause at the top of
the escarpment, the park lies below, a green strip beside a glistening
lake.
Lake
Manyara National Park covers an area of 330 square kilometres, of which
about two thirds is the lake itself, and the rest is forest, acacia
woodland and some grasslands by the lake shore. The wildlife can be
migratory between Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Park across the
lake, but you should see elephant, hippo, Cape buffalo, giraffe, several
species of primate and antelope, and prolific birdlife. Dinner and
overnight at Kirurumu, a comfortable camp with twenty tents located on top
of the escarpment overlooking the park
Day
04:
Lake Manyara National Park - Kirurumu Tented Camp.
In the
morning there is a trek with a Masai naturalist guide along the rim of the
escarpment where you would anticipate stunning views down to the park
below, and across the Masai Steppe. The naturalist will explain to you the
geological phenomenon of the Great Rift Valley, as well as indicating rare
plants, butterflies, birds etc. After lunch at Kirurumu, you continue with
an afternoon game drive in the Park.
Day
05:
Lake
Manyara National Park- Lake Eyasi .
Leave
after breakfast and drive to Lake Eyasi, situated south west of the
Ngorongoro Conservation area below the Eyasi Rift Escarpment, and reached
via Karatu village and then along a bumpy and dusty road. At Lake Eyasi
only one campsite is available and this is situated in an acacia forest,
with a freshwater spring emerging from the centre of the camp.
At Lake Eyasi,
despite the fact that there is some wildlife present, the emphasis is on
meeting with some of Africa's most interesting people who have been
secluded and protected from the " progress " of the twenty first century.
There are two tribes who are unique to this area; the Mangati and the
Hadzape.
The
Mangati are a tall, brave, nomadic people who are the traditional enemies
of the Masai, living in similar huts and following similar traditions and
rituals. The Hadzape people are very different to their Mangati
neighbours, as they are traditional bushmen and much smaller, and speak
the click language associated with the Kalahari bushmen of Southern
Africa. Unlike the pastoral Mangati, the Hadzape are hunters with bows and
arrows. During your stay at Lake Eyasi your guide will take you walking
through the area until you come across one of the temporary settlements,
where you will be able to join in the tribes people's activities, either
hunting for birds or a warthog, or to the lakeshore to collect poisons.
If
there is a ceremony or party taking place you will probably be asked to
take part! Due to the fact that these people have managed to maintain
their cultures and beliefs for such a long time we are very careful not to
confuse them with unaccustomed gifts etc., and instead we usually bring
them food and make a small community donation each time we are privileged
to camp in their area.
Day
06:
Lake
Eyasi.
A full
day of activity with the Mangati and Hadzape tribes.
Day
07:
Lake
Eyasi - Ngorongoro Crater.
Late
morning leave Lake Eyasi and drive to Ngorongoro Serena Lodge arriving for
lunch. " It is impossible to give a fair description of the size and
beauty of the Crater, for there is nothing with which one can compare it.
It is Eighth of the Wonders of the World. The area is given over
to Wildlife Conservation and comprises 8300 square kilometres of which the
Crater is 260 square kilometres, and consists of grasslands, swamps,
forests, rivers, and even an arid area of shifting dunes. The Crater
supports a year round resident population of varied wildlife, and as the
game is concentrated into a relatively small area you are likely to see
lion, elephant, hyena, jackal, cheetah, the very rare Black rhino,
primates and many more. The area is also home to the proud and colourful
Masai tribe. Lunch, dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena/Sopa Lodge.
Day
08: Ngorongoro Crater.
After
an early breakfast you descend into the Crater in a 4 x 4 vehicle for a
full day of game viewing with a picnic lunch taken on the Crater floor.
Late afternoon you leave the Crater drive back to the lodge for dinner and
overnight.
Day
09:
Ngorongoro
Crater - Serengeti National Park.
Leave
after breakfast and drive via Olduvai
Gorge to the Serengeti National Park, arriving for lunch and an afternoon
game drive. The Gorge is about 50 kilometres long and in some places 90
meters deep. Commonly heralded as the " Cradle of Mankind" it was made
famous by the discovery in 1959 of the remains of early man. Your stop
includes a visit to the small museum overlooking the Gorge.
The
Serengeti National Park. is one of the most popular and spectacular game
areas in East Africa, covering an area of 14,765 square kilometres,
teaming with game.
A
particular feature of the Serengeti is the annual migration of the
wildebeest and zebra herds. Each year, after the traditional " short "
rains in November the migration starts when the herds amass in their
thousands on the plains below the Ngorongoro highlands. During February
they move north and west following the rains and the new grasslands and
they start to move into the Masai Mara in July. In October they move back
to Tanzania. This annual phenomenon involves more than 1.5 million
animals, including the lion and other predators who follow the herds for
easy pickings.
The
whole process affects the lives of thousands of other species that rely on
the passage of the migration for their survival, even the insects, not to
mention the trees and plants, which rely on the droppings for their
fertilization. Dinner and overnight at one of the best Lodges.
Day
10: Serengeti National Park.
Morning
and afternoon game drives.
Day
11:
Serengeti National Park.
Morning
and afternoon game drives.
Day
12:
Serengeti National Park.
Morning
and afternoon game drives.
Day
13:
Serengeti National Park- Arusha .
On the
way there is optional Cultural Tour Programs and places of interest. Lunch
at Mto wa Mbu and visit
cultural
diversity bomas, Curios Shops on the way, Maasai cultural
things/Souvenirs, Snake park and what else you might be interested until
you arrive Arusha and have Dinner and Overnight at the IMPALA HOTEL.
Day 14
:
From the Impala Hotel depart to Arusha National Park.
The
only place on the northern safari circuit where the acrobatic
black-and-white Colobus monkey is easily seen. In the midst of the forest
stands the spectacular Ngurdoto Crater, whose steep, rocky cliffs enclose
a wide marshy floor dotted with herds of buffalo and warthog.
Also see flamingoes
at the
Momella
lakes, View Mount Kilimanjaro at evening or morning.
Also plan for
more 3 or 4 days to climb Mount Meru.
In the evening Drive
back to Arusha, Dinner and Overnight at the IMPALA HOTEL.
