ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
The Serena Safari Visit: Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti Highlights: all inclusive, transfers by road and air, lodges, wildlife viewing from 4x4 vehicles, excellent wildlife and birding Tanzania provides a beautiful backdrop on this introduction to Africa. Enjoy the unlimited use of a private 4x4 vehicle and personal guide visiting Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. Quality lodgings combined with good food, incredible scenery and wildlife! If you want to stay longer - let us know as we can easily add days! Full itinerary and trip details below: DAY 1 ARUSHA Upon arrival at the Kilimanjaro Airport you will be met and transferred by road to the Mountain Village Lodge. Nestling in the heart of a coffee estate, Mountain Village's accommodation is in romantic rondavels thatched with banana stems. The lodge is an imaginative recreation of a traditional African village and offers incredible flowering gardens with panoramic views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Duluti, and Mount Meru. Guests arriving mid day may enjoy a relaxing walk around the lake. ARUSHA, Mountain Village Lodge, bed and breakfast DAYS 2, 3 LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK After breakfast you will depart by road to the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge for lunch. Set dramatically atop the Mto Wa Mbu escarpment the Manyara Serena offers panoramic views across Lake Manyara National Park and the Great Rift Valley! The lodge is designed with swooping curves complemented by soft geometric patterns. There is a gorgeous pool, poolside bar, indoor bar and dining area. The afternoon will be spent exploring Lake Manyara National Park. The park supports a wide variety of wildlife due to its diverse habitats. If you are lucky you may see the Manyara lions, well known for their tree climbing habits. The Park is also home to sizable populations of elephant, hippo, giraffe, and buffalo. On day 3 you will enjoy morning and afternoon wildlife viewing in Lake Manyara National Park. Walks, mountain biking and abseiling are available at extra cost. LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK, Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, all inclusive DAYS 4, 5 NGORONGORO CRATER After breakfast on day 4 you will transfer by road to the Ngorongoro Serena Lodge arriving in time for lunch. Constructed from local stone and covered with indigenous plants, this lodge has been built into the northern crater rim. There are 75 rooms. The afternoon of day 4 you will descend from the lush rain forest on the rim to the savanna bush and acacia woodland of the crater floor for an afternoon of wildlife viewing. The Ngorongoro Crater contains a hidden world teeming with wildlife. You are very likely to see black maned lion, the highly endangered black rhino, wildebeest, zebra, elephant, hippo, jackal, and hyena. Late this evening you will drive back up to the crater rim for dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Serena Lodge. On day 5 you will spend the full day in the crater with a picnic lunch. In the evening you will return to the Serena Lodge for dinner and overnight. NGORONGORO CRATER, Serena Lodge, all inclusive DAYS 6, 7 SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK After breakfast on day 6 you will depart by road to the Serengeti plains. The Serengeti is arguably the most impressive wildlife sanctuary in the world. At certain times of the year these vast, seemingly unending, plains are inhabited by enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra. In the calving season (February - March) the herds concentrate at the Ndutu and Salei plains attracting the attention of predators like lion, cheetah and hyena. If you wish to visit Olduvai Gorge this can be arranged. You will spend two all inclusive nights at the Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge. The Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge is set high on a hill with breathtaking vistas of sweeping grasslands and the unspoiled wilderness landscape of the Serengeti plains. Inspired by a traditional African village, separate rondavel "huts" house the 66 guest rooms that have their own view of the vast Serengeti plains. A delightful water feature runs through the main public areas, creating a natural source of waterborne plants and provides a home to many indigenous species of reptiles, amphibians and birds. There is also a pool. After lunch at the Serena Lodge on day 6 the afternoon will be spent on a wildlife viewing drive. Day 7 will also be spent on wildlife viewing drives. The morning of day 7 you may wish to enjoy a hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti's vast plains! You will depart before sunrise (this is the only time travelers are allowed to move in the Serengeti during the hours of darkness and you may see nocturnal animal species). As you float over the plains in the increasing light, the pilot will take you up to at least 1,000 foot altitude for a breathtaking panoramic view of the plains. Much of the remainder of the flight will be at a tree-top or even grass-top level for some close up views of the flora and fauna below. More often than not the early part of the flight is along the course of the Seronera river, an ideal location to view animals taking their early morning drink - you may see lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, hippo, cheetah, vultures, eagles, wildebeest, zebra, baboon, wart-hog, monkey, giraffe and many others. Upon landing you will enjoy a champagne toast followed by an "Out of Africa" breakfast in the bush with bone china, silver cutlery and crystal glasses! You will then transfer back to the lodge. Hot air balloon safaris are an optional extra at US $450 per person. SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK, Serena Lodge, all inclusive NOTE: Depending upon the time of year guests may choose to stay at Kirawira Tented Camp at extra cost - At Kirawira guests have the opportunity to experience Africa as the early pioneers did. Atop a hill overlooking an endless expanse of savanna, Kirawira is a reincarnation of an outpost of Victorian-era elegance set against the majestic backdrop of the western Serengeti. Guests are accommodated in 25 walk in permanent tents furnished with select antique Victorian furniture and east African art. Each tent has en suite facilities. Activities include wildlife viewing drives in the Serengeti. The lodge also has a pool. Kirawira is best during the months June, July, and August each year when the migration makes its way through the western corridor of the Serengeti. DAY 8 HOME After breakfast you will be transferred to the nearby airstrip in time to board your scheduled flight (included) to Arusha. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to the Mountain Village Lodge where you will enjoy lunch and a relaxing afternoon in your day room. This evening you be transferred by road to the Kilimanjaro Airport in time to board your onward flight. Alternatively you may wish to extend your east African safari with a trip to the spice island of Zanzibar (see below under extensions).
Trip name: The Serena Safari Type of safari: Voyager Collection - Quality all inclusive lodge safari with road and air transfers which departs upon request on any dates. This is not a group safari and accommodations, activities, and total number of days can be altered to suit your needs. Trip Length: 8 days (please see below about the cost of adding additional days) Trip cost: US $2,875 per person based on 2 people. US $2,395 per person based on 4 or 6 people. US $385 single supplement. If you wish to add additional days the cost us US $325 per person (based on 2 people) per person based on 2 people) at either the Ngorongoro Serena or Serengeti Serena. We do not recommend this safari during low season April 1 to June 30. Price excludes international airfare, includes internal flights. Extensions:
Air tickets: Click here to view airfares to Africa. When to travel: This trip is best during the periods mid December through mid March and from July through October each year. Departures: This safari departs upon request for one or more travelers. This is not a group safari and accommodations, activities, and total number of days can be altered to suit your needs. Guides: Guides are highly qualified, enthusiastic and well versed in local culture, flora and fauna. Unlimited mileage is allowed on each safari to ensure that clients receive the best possible game-viewing. Accommodations: The accommodations on this trip are all first class and very comfortable. All of the rooms have proper beds with mattresses and duvets, en suite toilets, basins and showers with hot and cold running water. Other amenities include mosquito netting, lamps, purified water in carafes, insect repellent, flashlights, wardrobes, and ethnic furnishings. Trip price includes: Meet and greet at Kilimanjaro Airport, airport transfers, flight Serengeti - Arusha, all wildlife viewing activities in a private 4 wheel drive vehicle with personal driver / guide with unlimited mileage and window seat for each traveler, all accommodations on a fully inclusive basis excepting one night at Mountain Village on a bed and breakfast basis, and 1 day room at Mountain Village including lunch, all guided wildlife viewing activities, park's fees, and Flying Doctor coverage Trip price excludes: international airfare, airport taxes, entry visas, and all items of a personal nature i.e. trip insurance, hot air balloon safari, tips and gratuities, all drinks, telephone calls Visas: American passport holders visiting Tanzania as tourists DO require an entry visa. Please contact the Tanzanian embassy at: Embassy of the Republic of
Tanzania Reservations: Phone toll free 1 800 461 0682 within the United States and speak with one of our safari consultants or send us an email including the trip name, your full name, the number of people traveling, and proposed travel dates. Questions: If you would like to ask any questions send us an email or phone toll free within the United States on 1 800 461 0682 and speak with one of our safari consultants. Return to Ultimate Africa's Tanzania Safari Collection Links to other pages: ULTIMATE AFRICA
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