A Tanzania safari itinerary

Day 1

Depart from London’s Heathrow Airport travelling in Business Class to Dar Es Salaam.

Day 2

On arrival connect with a scheduled flight to Arusha where you will be met and transferred to Arusha Coffee Lodge to stay for one night (bed and breakfast).

Opened in December 2001, Arusha Coffee Lodge is stylish, comfortable and efficient and is an ideal place to acclimatise before your safari.

The lodge consists of 23 luxury chalets which are creatively decorated. Each chalet is spaced throughout the lush coffee grove to ensure privacy and solitude. The beds are very comfortable and furnishings are of top quality with lots of interesting coffee themed artefacts. There is even a little sitting room with couch and chairs off from the bedroom. The bathrooms are grand with elegant fixtures including bath and shower. One of the most appealing features is the private wooden deck attached to each chalet which overlooks the coffee plantation. As the majority of arrivals are at night, the deck offers an excellent morning view to experience your first sights and sounds of Africa. You may catch a glimpse of the first wildlife of your safari as vervet monkeys can be seen as they clamber around.

There is a swimming pool and spa area behind the reception and restaurant, and the lodge also has a wonderful bar and lounge area which offers a great atmosphere.

Days 3 and 4

In the morning you will be returned to the airstrip where you board a scheduled flight  to Manyara. On arrival you will be met and transferred to Lake Manyara Tree Lodge to stay for two nights (inclusive of meals and activities). 

Lake Manyara Tree Lodge is the only lodge inside Lake Manyara National Park.  It is one of the most luxurious small lodges in Tanzania with ten imaginatively designed tree house suites made of local timber, set on stilts among huge mahogany trees. Each suite is elegantly furnished with comfortable bed, sitting area and an en-suite bathroom with a proper bath, as well as an outdoor shower. You can admire the rich forest through your window and your game viewing deck outside. Between safaris you can relax in the lounge areas and you can take a dip in the pool. Safaris are enjoyed in open vehicles with your guide and on foot with special Masai Warriors. 

Lake Manyara National Park is renowned for its tree climbing lions and its abundance of spectacular forest.  You find sausage trees, their huge pods being much sought after by the local elephants, cactus like candelabra trees, mahogany, fig and acacia trees – all leading down to the beautiful waters of Lake Manyara. The wildlife includes the lions, elephant, buffalo, antelope, giraffe and a host of smaller creatures, as well as over three hundred and fifty species of birds.

Lake Manyara is the most beautiful of all alkaline lakes with its innumerable birds as well as supporting hippopotamus. A birdwatcher's paradise, glossy starlings, weaver birds, eagles and many other species abound especially between October and April, when migrants visit.

The crescent shaped Lake Manyara National Park adjoins the lake and supports an extraordinarily dense and varied population of wildlife. With its 315kms², the park is relatively small but the scenery is wonderful.  In front of the steep wall of the Rift Valley open grassland turns into a landscape scattered with mahogany and fig trees to be taken over by acacia forests and the ground water forest with its abundant wildlife, such as elephants, rhinos, wildebeest, impala, Cape buffalo and giraffe, all present in large numbers.  Manyara is also the home of the tree-climbing lion, which can sometimes be seen in the candelabra and sausage trees that line the Simba River.

Days 5 and 6

Today you will be met and taken in a westerly direction to the Ngorongoro Highlands to stay for two nights at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge (inclusive of meals and activities).

Perched on top of the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater and surrounded by some of the most spectacular flora and fauna, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge offers guests accommodation in a truly unique setting.

Inspired by ancient African architecture, the lodge offers modern, comfortable accommodation in keeping with the natural splendour of its surroundings and takes the form of three small villages. Each village commands awe-inspiring views of the crater floor 500 metres below. The cottages and rooms all have a private bathroom, and the open terraces and wide courtyards enhance the lodge’s unique panorama.

In the early morning your driver will take you down into the Crater for a morning's game viewing. When the Crater becomes busy, you will leave and head off to explore the surrounding area and one of the small craters, before returning to the lodge.

Ngorongoro Crater was originally a volcano larger than Mount Kilimanjaro but approximately three million years ago a huge series of eruptions caused the centre to subside forming a vast volcanic caldera ten miles wide. The floor of the caldera is 1500ft below the rim and on this 80-mile² area live 20,000 animals of all kinds. There are thousands of wildebeest, zebra, antelope, giraffe and other plains game, lion, leopard, hyena and bat-eared fox and seventeen rhinoceros which have been preserved from the poachers and are now beginning to flourish again.  The animals in the crater are used to the presence of mankind, which makes this a good area for wildlife photography, particularly as the crater floor is so diverse with areas of swamp, woodland and dry savannah grassland, all set against the backdrop of the forested crater walls.

In the southern quarter of the crater lies Lake Magadi which is a haven for waterbirds and you can frequently see flocks of thousands of flamingos gathered in one corner making their raucous calls and presenting a mass of pink wings, necks and legs.

To the north east of Ngorongoro lie other craters, such as Empakai and Ol Moti, which provide excellent walking opportunities and if you visit Empakai you can descend into the steep-sided forest crater and admire the beautiful lake that sits in its base. From time to time you meet groups of scarlet-cloaked Maasai herding their cattle and goats, and for those clients staying a little longer in Ngorongoro it would be possible to visit a Maasai boma to see something of their way of life.

Days 7 to 10

In the morning you will be transferred to the Manyara airstrip where you board a scheduled flight to Ndutu. On arrival you will be met and taken to the southern Serengeti to a shared ‘traditional’ camp to stay for four nights (inclusive of meals and activities). 

This is a seasonal tented camp (with four tents) on a private site, and is moved as the migration progresses.

A support team will manage the camp and cook excellent meals which will be taken in a dining tent. You will be accommodated in large walk in tents with beds and safari furniture. At the front of each tent is a large verandah with table and chairs, and at the back is an en suite bathroom incorporating a private w.c. and bucket shower cubicle. Hot water will be available day and night on demand.

Each party at the camp has its own private vehicle so each is independent, returning to dine and stay together overnight.

The Serengeti is one of the largest and richest wildlife reserves in the world. The soil is very fertile, light coloured volcanic deposits blown from the huge volcanoes which lie to the east creating continuous undulating plains giving the appearance of great “oceans of grassland”.

The Serengeti is full of variety with unbroken grassland in some areas, towering hills, great partially eroded rocky kopjes in the east and south, while to the west woodland and forest lead down to Lake Victoria. A variety of attractive acacia trees are found throughout the Serengeti, and by rivers there are huge fig and rain trees. As you drive across the plains the scenery changes in appearance every three or four miles. It also changes from season to season; covered in brilliant green grasses with beautiful flowers during and after the rainy season with bright beige and yellow grass colours predominating in the dry season. 

The Serengeti is home to millions of animals of all kinds including elephant, graceful giraffe and many species of antelope ranging from the tiny dik dik to the larger hartebeest and waterbuck. This is also an excellent area for spotting predators including lion, sleek looking leopard and cheetah. The Serengeti is most famous for the annual migration of 1.5 million wildebeest and 300,000 zebra which traverse the plains in large herds and long lines, spending approximately nine months of the year in the Serengeti and three in the neighbouring Masai Mara.

Days 11 to 14

In the morning you will be returned to the airstrip where you board a shared charter flight to Katavi. On arrival you will be met and transferred to Chada Camp where you stay for four nights (inclusive of meals and activities).

Katavi is probably the least visited of Africa’s National Parks because of its utter remoteness. It is a million acres of tamarind forests, meandering rivers and open floodplains and a recent study calculated that it has higher mammal and big game concentrations than any other National Park in Tanzania. The best time to visit is in the main dry season from June to October and December to March when buffalo, elephant and other big game are drawn towards the permanent supplies of water in the main river and lake areas. You can expect to herds of buffalo well in excess of a thousand, great breeding herds of elephant and big lone bulls, as well as thousands of antelope, giraffe and other plains game. Katavi is also well known for its lion populations and there are some impressive prides, while your night drives should show you good sightings of leopard, civet, porcupine and other nocturnals.

Your camp is comfortable, nostalgic and stylish. All the rooms are tented, each with their own thatched shower and short-drop w.c. The camp team will prepare delicious meals and you can dine al fresco under a vast star-studded African sky and can enjoy picnics under shady trees by some distant waterhole during the middle of the day. The game viewing is undertaken by open vehicle during the day and at night with a spotlight and on foot with Chada’s expert rangers. For those of a more adventurous disposition, you can spend a night out fly-camping, sleeping in a mosquito-proof dome tent in some even more remote corner of Katavi.

Days 15 to 17

In the morning you will be returned to the airstrip where you board a shared charter flight to Mahale. Your light aircraft will come in to land on the shores of the brilliant-blue waters of Lake Tanganyika and from there a dhow will take you the last ninety minutes along the lakeshore, watching the towering Mahale Mountains coming ever closer.

Disembarking from your dhow you will walk the last couple of hundred yards to the Mahale Mountains Camp where you stay for three nights (inclusive of meals and activities).

This is fairy-tale land. Blue mountains fall into a crystal clear lake that is as big as an ocean but without the salt! Tropical forests are filled with a thousand butterflies, hanging vines and waterfalls. And as if there wasn’t enough, there are your ‘long-lost cousins’ to run into - a group of sixty chimpanzees, out of an estimated 1000 in the National Park, that are totally accustomed to human presence and simply carry on their lives while you sit among them.

Each morning you would usually spend an hour or more sitting among the chimpanzees spellbound by their social behaviour and then you might spend the rest of the time wandering the tropical forests admiring the thousands of birds, primates and butterflies, perhaps concluding with an afternoon dip in the lake or a couple of hours stroll along the deserted sandy lakeshore.

The camp is set by the lakeshore with six imaginatively designed open fronted bandas under tall thatched roofs.  Each has proper beds, dressing table, chairs and en-suite bathroom. Delicious meals are enjoyed al fresco on the beach and in the dining lodge, and between safaris you can swim and snorkel in the lake, go fishing and kayaking and sail the shoreline in the traditional dhow.  

Days 18 to 20

In the morning you will be returned to the airstrip where you board a scheduled flight to the Msembe airstrip. On arrival you will be met and taken thirty minutes to Mwagusi Camp to stay for three nights (inclusive of meals and activities). 

Ruaha, the second largest (after the Serengeti) of Tanzania’s varied National Parks, with its dramatic geography, is truly a vast unspoilt wilderness of some 13,000km² and amongst the wildest in Africa. It is part of an enormous expanse of protected land – the 30,000km² Rungwa – Kisigo – Ruaha eco-system, most of which made up the Saba Game Reserve of former German colonial times,  Ruaha is also interesting as it represents a transition zone where eastern and southern African species of fauna and flora overlap.

The shining river, after which the park is named, winds through the eastern sections, fringed by tall trees: Acacia albeida, Tamarind and wild figs, as well as the majestic Baobab, almost a signature of Ruaha. The valley of the Great Ruaha River is thought to be an extension of the Great Rift Valley and the Ruaha flows along the park’s entire eastern boundary through rugged gorges and open plains.

Ruaha is a hauntingly beautiful and wild landscape of miombo forest, rolling woodlands, hills, rivers and plains and possesses a great variety of wildlife, including lion, leopard, cheetah, hunting dog, warthog, giraffe, zebra, huge herds of buffalo and large concentrations of elephant.  It is the only East African park where it is possible to see the greater and lesser kudu, as well as sable and roan antelopes. Whilst rhinos are rarely seen today, the elephant population has more than doubled in the last twelve years, not least due to the steady eradication of poaching, by involving the village communities around the park in a largely successful joint effort that has become an example.

The diversity of birdlife in Ruaha, more than any other East African park, is extraordinary; its geographical location meaning that it is visited by both northern and southern migrants. These include the red-billed wood hoopoe, violet-crested turaco, racquet-tailed roller, red-billed fire-finch, Dickinson’s kestrel and Pel’s fishing owl. Some 480 species of bird have been sighted within the park and the first third of the year, during the wet months, is appreciated as the most interesting for birders.

Mwagusi Safari Camp is comprised of ten comfortable tents, enclosed in thatched bandas in keeping with traditional African style and blending with the surrounding bush. Each tent, containing twin beds and an en-suite bathroom and shower, has a veranda looking out onto the sand river, with its abundant animal and bird life.

More than eighty species of animal can be found within forty-five minutes drive from the camp. With knowledgeable guides, under the leadership of Mwagusi owner Chris Fox, who was brought up in the region and has spent a good number of years in the park, guests track wildlife quietly on foot or in four-wheel drive vehicles.

Days 21 to 23

In the morning you will be returned to the airstrip where you board a scheduled flight to the Selous. On arrival you will be met and transferred to Beho Beho to stay for three nights (inclusive of meals and activities).

Beho Beho is probably the finest safari lodge in the vast unspoilt Selous Game Reserve, set in beautiful hill country which provides superb views and also provides more comfortable temperatures during the summer season. The camp has eight very spacious thatched and stone built bandas, each with two verandas to provide contrasting views, a very spacious bedroom/lounge, en suite bathroom and dressing room. 

The main area of the lodge has a small pool where you can relax and cool off between safaris, a lounge and a comfortable dining room where the high quality of the imaginativeness of the meals matches the quality and attention to detail which goes into every aspect of this lodge.

The Selous is easy to reach, less than an hour’s light aircraft flight from Dar es Salaam, yet it still has just a handful of safari lodges ensuring that you can enjoy the game viewing in a good degree of privacy. The fact that you are located on a private reserve also means that you can enjoy a wider variety of safari activities than is possible in the national park and you can combine your drives by open vehicle with fascinating walking safaris and boating on the lakes. Each different type of activity gives you a new perspective from which to enjoy the wildlife and your surroundings and Beho Beho’s expert guides will be able to point out and name every bird, mammal and reptile.

There is a sense vastness in the Selous which has large open areas of grassland, lots of different types of woodland, hills and in the lower lying regions big rivers and lakes. 

This is an excellent place for viewing big game and there are large herds of elephant, good sized herds of buffalo and plenty of plains game with different types of antelope, zebra and giraffe all present in good numbers. You can also expect to see lion, other predators and may catch a glimpse of a pack of wild dog which thrive in some parts of the reserve. When you descend to the rivers and lakes there are good numbers of hippopotamus and crocodiles and over three hundred and fifty species of tropical birds.

Days 24 to 28

In the morning you will be returned to the airstrip where you board a scheduled flight to Zanzibar. On arrival you will be met and taken by road and boat to Mnemba Island Lodge where you stay for five nights (inclusive of meals and activities).

Situated on an intimate private island just off the north-eastern tip of Zanzibar, surrounded by its own atoll of coral reefs within a Marine Conservation Area, Mnemba Island Lodge offers privacy and rustic exclusivity unparalleled on the East African coastline.

Ten secluded split-level beach bandas built on platforms raised off the beach sand, are carefully located to ensure absolute privacy. Each banda is made of natural local materials, each featuring a spacious bathroom with shower, twin hand-basins and separate w.c. The elevated bedrooms are generously proportioned and simply furnished with king sized, extra-length beds swathed in billowing muslin nets. Beach level verandas offer built-in barazas – perfect for afternoon siestas, comfortable chairs for reading and a writing table. There are also outdoor swing beds, and private beach salas feature traditional Zanzibari loungers.

The dining and bar areas have been built along organic lines, allowing unimpeded access to breathtaking sea views. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal to match Mnemba’s rustic beauty. Guests can enjoy snorkelling, windsurfing, kayaking, salt water fly fishing and scuba diving – (2 dives per day). Please note that guests are required to bring diving certificates with them if they wish to dive. Deep sea fishing and PADI diving courses are available at an additional cost.

Between December and March Mnemba’s rare green turtles can be seen laying their eggs. A walk around the Island reveals a variety of sea birds whilst snorkelling amongst the coral reefs introduces one to the magnificent colourful aquatic world.

Day 29

In the morning you will be returned to Zanzibar Airport where you board a scheduled flight to Dar Es Salaam. On arrival you will be met and transferred by road to the Oyster Bay Hotel to stay for one night (bed and breakfast).

Day 30

In the morning you will be returned to the airport where you board a flight to London’s Heathrow Airport, arriving at 1610 (local time).

Read more about a luxury Tanzania Safari