Classic Tanzania

<p>Your adventure starts when you arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport. You'll be met and transferred by road to Arusha, where you'll spend the night at Kibo Palace Hotel. </p>

<p>After breakfast you'll be met by your ranger for the start of your safari. You'll be transferred in a customised 4x4 safari vehicle to Maramboi Tented Camp in the Tarangire National Parkf or a 2 night stay. Maramboi is the perfect central base from which you can explore the ecosystems of both Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Park.</p><p></p><p>Tarangire National Park in the Manyara region is named after the Tarangire River, the only water source in the region during the dry season. This makes it a premium game viewing destination as animals come to slake their thirst. Expect common sightings of buffalo, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, lion and hippo. Bird life is also thriving here with over 500 species calling this home. You’ll see everything from giant ostriches to tiny colourful lovebirds. Lake Manyara is a scenic spot that was once described by Ernest Hemingway as ‘the loveliest I had seen in Africa’. The riverbanks are immersed in a lush groundwater forest while the Rift Valley soda lake – so named for the crystallised salt that turns the shores white – attracts enormous flocks of pink flamingo and a number of curious ape species including olive baboon and blue-faced Sykes monkeys. </p>

<p>After your safari, you’ll head to the Karatu region where you’ll check into Kitela Lodge, an exclusive lodge perched on top of a valley that overlooks a coffee plantation, a tumbling waterfall and the Eastern wall of the Ngorongoro crater. The views here are stunning and give you another ‘non-safari’ perspective on the diverse country of Tanzania. </p><p></p><p>The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is absolutely massive, stretching across an astonishing 8,000km2 of wildlife sanctuaries. The most famous feature of this landscape is undoubtedly the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest unfilled volcanic caldera with a floor area of 260 square kilometres. The crater is the result of a huge volcanic eruption that happened 2-3 million years ago. The area has excellent year-round grazing and is home to hippo, elephant, wildebeest and a multitude of other wildlife species. Most excitingly for safari enthusiasts, the crater also has one of the densest populations of lions on earth. During the early months of the year you can see the great herds of wildebeest and zebra here before they embark on the next stage of their Great Migration. A Ngorongoro safari is one of the best safari choices that showcases everything that East Africa is famous for. </p><p></p>

<p>After the surreal experience of Ngorongoro, you’ll head to one of Africa’s greatest safari destinations – the Serengeti plains. You’ll spend the next 2 nights in Kati Kati Tented Camp, a permanent camp in the central Serengeti where, during peak season from June to November, the greatest concentration of animals can be found. </p><p></p><p>This African region has a World Heritage status and it is well deserved. With 1.5 million hectares of savannah – a number that is simply impossible to imagine – you can easily be the only humans witnessing the great army of wildlife that calls this home. Serengeti National Park is best known as one of two destinations on the Great Migration. This journey sees over two million wildebeest, along with hundreds of thousands of gazelle and zebra, making their way to greener grazing pastures as they follow the rains. Predators stalk the plains game, creating a hold-onto-your-seat spectacle as each tries to outrun the other in a display of nature at her most awe inspiring. The Serengeti is dominated by the predator vs prey dynamic. Prides of golden lions feast on the abundance of plain grazers. Solitary leopards haunt the acacia trees lining the Seronera River looking for unsuspecting animals drinking their fill, while dense populations of cheetah prowl the southeastern plains, making for some of the most graceful and beautiful hunting sights. The vast space, sense of freedom and power of nature that you’ll experience here is something that you won’t find anywhere else. </p>

<p>Your safari has come to an end. You'll catch your light aircraft flight from Seronera Airstrip in the Serengeti back to Kilimanjaro International Airport and then onwards home. </p><p></p><p>However, if you're not quite ready for your dream holiday to end, read on for our Zanzibar add-on....</p>

<p>After a Tanzanian safari that's had you on the edge of your seat for 8 days, you might want to calm your adrenaline with a 4 night escape to an island, where the only demand placed upon you is which cocktail to order from your hammock. </p><p></p><p>Step forward Zanzibar, the spice island that is at once the greatest contrast and greatest complement to the wild reserves of Tanzania. Zanzibar is largely made up of two islands; the bigger and more populated Unguja, which is generally referred to as Zanzibar, and Pemba. Zanzibar has a plethora of spectacular ocean-front beach hotels with too-good-to-be-true views of the powder white sand and the shimmering turquoise waters beyond. You can choose from large exclusive resorts with every imaginable activity on offer, small and elegant boutique hotels and authentic African beach lodges. The historic town centre is the vibrant and fascinating Stone Town, a World Heritage Site. The spice trade features prominently here, so expect to take in the heady scents during your explorations of the town. When you’re not wandering the cobbled streets, you’ll most likely be kicking back on the dazzling white beaches, sampling the tastes of island cuisine or taking to the ocean to snorkel, dive or cruise around an sunset on a boat. </p>