Compare Tanzania Cultural and Wildlife Experience by Lights on Africa Safaris vs Mountain Gorilla Safari: Tanzania, Zanzibar & Rwanda 2024 by Tauck

Day 1: Arrive to Tanzania (Kilimanjaro International Airport

Arrive in Arusha. Meet and greet then Transfer from arrival point to your Hotel for overnight.

Accommodation: Kibo Palace Hotel/Similar- https://kibopalacehotel.com/

Day 2: Arusha to Tarangire

Overnight at your lodge (BLD)

Accommodation: Sangaiwe Tented Lodge/Similar- https://sangaiwe.com/

You depart Arusha with lunch box on the tarmac road across Monduli plains toward Tarangire for lunch at at the 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.

Day 3: Tarangire National Park

Overnight at Tarangire N. Park

Accommodation: Sangaiwe Tented Lodge/Similar- https://sangaiwe.com/

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 it a resemblance of the famous Serengeti migration.

Among the animals found there are great herds of elephants of which 200 can be seen at a time. 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: Datoga tribe cultural Tour

Overnight at the lodge (BLD)

Accommodation: Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge/ Similar- https://lakeeyasi.com/

After breakfast, you 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 peculiar fishing behavior pattern to feed whereby they shade themselves with their wings to attract more fish.

Day 5: Hadzabe Cultural Tour (Bushmen)

Overnight at your Lodge (BLD)

Accommodation: Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge/ Similar- https://lakeeyasi.com/

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 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.

Day 6: Elephant caves+ Coffee (Walking tour)

Overnight at your Lodge (BLD)

Accommodation: Farm of Dreams Lodge/ Similar- https://farmofdreamslodge.com/

After breakfast, depart your Lodge with your lunch box, and drive across the Rift Valley escarpment to Lake Eyasi via Gibb’s Farm. 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.

Day 7:  Ngorongoro Crater

Dinner and Overnight in Ngorongoro (BLD)

Accommodation: Rhino Lodge/ Similar – https://rhino.co.tz/

After breakfast and drive to Ngorongoro Crater with a picnic lunch. You descend to the crater floor for a full day game-drive.

Day 8: Ngorongoro to Serengeti National Park

Dinner and Overnight Serengeti N. Park –. (BLD)

Accommodation: Tanzania Bush Camps- https://www.tanzaniabushcamps.com/

We break camp with picnic lunches after breakfast to drive to Serengeti National Park via the famous Ol-duvai Gorge where the Leakey family discovered the remain of the early man “ Zinjanthropus Bosei” Game viewing enroute to the Serengeti National Park.

Day 9-10- Full day game drive in Serengeti National Park

Overnight in Tented Camp at Serengeti N. Park (BLD)

Accommodation: Tanzania Bush Camps- https://www.tanzaniabushcamps.com/

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 from 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. The worlds single remaining wildlife migration.

Day 11: Serengeti to Arusha- Kilimanjaro Airport back home

After breakfast, you depart Serengeti for Arusha with game-viewing enroute. An option instead of driving can be a scheduled flight that departs at 11:15am.

Lunch in Arusha upon arrival

Afternoon transfer to Kilimanjaro Int’l. Airport for the flight out.

Day 1 Arrive Arusha, Tanzania

Tour begins: Arusha Serena Hotel. A transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha Serena Hotel, is included. Welcome to Tanzania and the start of your African safari; your hotel overlooks Lake Duluti. Although most flights land at Kilimanjaro International Airport after the sun has set, thoughts of Ernest Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro will come to mind as you journey the short distance from the airport to your hotel.

LODGING : Arusha Serena Hotel

PORTOFCALL : Arusha, Tanzania

Day 2 On to Ngorongoro

Depart your hotel in Arusha for a visit to Isoito, a Maasai boma (village), for an opportunity to learn about the Maasai cultural traditions and have a bush lunch. Continue on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to Ngorongoro Crater, a wildlife mecca; your lodge is built on the dormant volcano's rim, with stunning views of the "lost world" below. Please join us for a welcome reception followed by dinner at the lodge this evening.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

PORTOFCALL : Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Day 3 Game drives & a picnic in Ngorongoro Crater

Spend today exploring Ngorongoro Crater, long regarded as Africa's "Garden of Eden." Within the crater lie grasslands, forests and a freshwater lake, inspiring a continual migration of animals. Riding in your four-wheel-drive safari vehicle, you'll have a chance to spot Africa's celebrated "Big Five" – buffalo, elephant, leopard, the black-maned lion and the rare black rhinoceros. Dig into a hot lunch as you picnic in the heart of the crater, sure to be a highlight of your African safari. Back at the lodge to enjoy dinner this evening, you'll be able to observe Ngorongoro's wildlife-rich caldera below from the comfort of your private terrace.

 

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge

PORTOFCALL : Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Day 4 Visit Oldupai Gorge en route to the Serengeti

Set off this morning to explore Oldupai Gorge, where archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the fossilized remains of some of the earliest known human species, an estimated 1.8 million years old; learn more about the site's significance on a docent-led tour. Continue wildlife viewing while driving the rough dirt roads across the plains and grasslands of the Serengeti. Arrive at your safari lodge in the Central Serengeti, which was inspired by Maasai tribal dwellings. A briefing about tomorrow's hot air balloon ride precedes dinner at your lodge. Enjoy some local entertainment in the lounge this evening.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge

PORTOFCALL : Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Day 5 Ballooning over the Serengeti & game viewing

Lift off on an exciting hot air balloon flight* as dawn breaks over the vast Serengeti grasslands; from aloft, observe wildlife in the first light of day, an African safari thrill – and enjoy another thrill upon your return where a champagne breakfast in the bush waits for you. A morning game drive on the Serengeti plains may yield sightings of wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, rhinoceros, hippos, buffalo, jackals, and gazelles. This is also one of the best places on the African Continent to see prides of lions. Return to the lodge for lunch, then enjoy an afternoon at leisure, followed by a special sundowner this evening before dinner at the lodge.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge

PORTOFCALL : Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Day 6 On to the western Serengeti

Spot more wildlife as you travel to the Serengeti's remote Western Corridor, known for huge masses of game animals thundering across the terrain. Arrive at Kirawira, your luxurious tented camp in the remote Grumeti River region for another unique African safari experience; animals you might see on an afternoon game drive across the treeless plains of the Serengeti include wildebeest, lion, buffalo, cheetah, warthogs, giraffes and zebra.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Kirawira Tented Camp

PORTOFCALL : Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Day 7 Wildlife wonders on the Serengeti plains

After awakening in the heart of the wilderness in your luxurious tent – surrounded by Edwardian-era accents that evoke the classic safari camps of a century ago – your safari guide shares fascinating insights about the African bush on your early morning game drive, as you observe the struggle of species to survive in the "circle of life" within Serengeti National Park. Later, after lunch and another game drive, relax by the pool at Kirawira as the setting sun streaks the Tanzanian sky – a classic African safari doesn't get any better than this!

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Kirawira Tented Camp

PORTOFCALL : Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Day 8 To Zanzibar & a Stone Town "spice walk"

Rise early for your final Serengeti game drive this morning, then fly late this morning to intriguing Zanzibar, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean that was once a wealthy trading center for spices. Upon arrival, set off with your local guide on a walking tour of Stone Town. Your home for the next two nights is a fabulous hotel created overlooking the turquoise sea and white sand beaches.

MEALS : B, L

LODGING : Park Hyatt Zanzibar

PORTOFCALL : Stone Town, Zanzibar

Day 9 Cruise aboard a dhow on an "Indian Ocean"safari" in Zanzibar

Traditional Arabian sailboats called dhows have plied the Indian Ocean waters of the Swahili Coast for millennia, trading and fishing from one island port to the next. Sail out to sea from Stone Town aboard a traditional dhow for an "Indian Ocean safari" off the coast of Zanzibar this morning, as the captain and crew help you spot dolphins frolicking in the ocean blue; cast anchor on a sandy beach for swimming and perhaps some snorkeling near beautiful coral reefs. After returning to shore, the afternoon is yours to check out more of fascinating Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on your own. Dinner at your hotel offers an array of fresh seafood for your last evening in Zanzibar.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Park Hyatt Zanzibar

PORTOFCALL : Stone Town, Zanzibar

Day 10 Fly to Kigali, Rwanda

Early this morning, enjoy a "spice" tour of Stone Town, in the main port of Zanzibar City. Learn where some of your favorite spices come from as our guides reveal aromatic secrets hidden in nuts, roots and bark. Then fly to Kigali airport in Rwanda, home to Volcanoes National Park and the forested habitat of endangered mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. A late evening arrival at your Serena Hotel is followed by dinner at leisure.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : Kigali Serena Hotel

PORTOFCALL : Kigali, Rwanda

Day 11 Volcanoes National Park

Embark this morning on a drive through the countryside to the city of Musanze at the base of Volcanoes National Park, where eight ancient volcanoes watch over the wildlife that thrives here. Check into your grass-thatched traditional Rwandan lodge, nestled under the eucalyptus trees at the foothills of the Virunga Volcano range, and have lunch before visiting the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Museum. Learn insights and observations about gorilla behavior in preparation for tomorrow's trek, as well as hear the fascinating story of Dian Fossey's unforgettable quest to save the mountain gorilla.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : One&Only Gorilla's Nest

PORTOFCALL : Virunga Rwanda

Day 12 Gorilla Trek in Volcanoes National Park

Rise early for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you'll not soon forget. Drive to the headquarters of Volcanoes National Park where a briefing by your expert mountain guides answers any questions you may have about your trek into the wilderness and a dance performance as you eat your boxed breakfast whets your appetite for today's gorilla adventure. Climb aboard a safari vehicle as you make your way to the trailhead where your gorilla trek begins. You will be assigned a porter who will help carry your provisions and cameras and lead you to the gorilla family you are here to meet. Once the gorillas are located, you will have the rare opportunity to watch them interact with each other, and you if they choose! When your hour-long visit is up, head back to the lodge for lunch and an afternoon at leisure. A local expert presents an informative lecture this afternoon about the endangered mountain gorillas you were privileged to see. Join us tonight for a farewell reception and dinner at the lodge.

MEALS : B, L, D

LODGING : One&Only Gorilla's Nest

PORTOFCALL : Virunga Rwanda

Day 13 Journey home

Tour ends: Kigali. Depart your hotel after breakfast for your journey back to Kigali, stopping en route to visit the Genocide Memorial Museum. Pay tribute to the 800,000 Rwandans who lost their lives during the atrocities of 1994 and discover how Rwanda was able to come together, heal and move forward into the future with hope and resilience. Continue to the Kigali Serena Hotel where Tauck has reserved day rooms for you until your flight home this evening. Airport transfers are included from Kigali Serena Hotel to Kigali International Airport. Allow a minimum of three hours for flight check in at the airport.

MEALS : B, L

PORTOFCALL : Kigali, Rwanda