Day 1: Arrival Dar es Salaam Airport

Pick-up and transfer to the hotel. Depending on your arrival time, a walking tour of the old city center.
Accommodation: CBD Hotel, or similar. (-/-/-)

Day 2: Bagamoyo / Usambara Mountains

This coastal town Bagamoyo was once one of the most important trading centers in East Africa and is characterized by Arab, German and Swahili influences. The partially weathered buildings and ruins provide insight into its eventful past.
Continue on to the Usambara Mountains. Just before sunset, we head to Irente Viewpoint, a breathtaking vantage point offering sweeping views over the Maasai plains and vast sisal plantations.
Accommodation: Lawns Hotel in Lushoto, or similar. (B/L/D)

Day 3: Usambara Mountains

The area surrounding the lively mountain town of Lushoto offers a variety of hiking opportunities. With a local guide, we can discover traces of the colonial era, which are still found everywhere in the former “Wilhelms Valley”. We will also hike through villages and fields to the Magamba Rainforest. Here, lush vegetation with tree ferns and other jungle giants is impressive, as are a multitude of smaller, hidden natural wonders, such as the chameleons that are abundant in this region.
Accommodation: Lawns Hotel in Lushoto, or similar. (B/L/D)

Day 4: Mkomazi National Park

A winding road takes us back to Mombo at the foot of the mountains. We continue north to the wildlife-rich Mkomazi National Park. While still little known, it is home to all of the “Big Five” and offers spectacular scenery. In the afternoon, we visit the Mbula rhino sanctuary, a great opportunity to experience these fascinating pachyderms up close. Right next door is also the breeding station for the African painted dog (wild dog).
Accommodation: Mkomazi View Camp, or similar. (B/L/D)

Day 5: Mkomazi National Park / drive to Mount Meru

Early morning game drive in Mkomazi National Park around Dindira Dam. In addition to the famous Big Five and the 400+ bird species found here, there’s a chance to observe some species that are otherwise very rare in Tanzania, such as wild dogs, fringe-eared oryx, gerenuks and Vulturine guinea fowl. After breakfast, we continue along the Pare Mountains towards Moshi, a town which lies at the foot of the majestic Kilimanjaro. This area is home to the Chagga tribe and here we will visit the Kibosho Catholic Cathedral built by missionaries in 1893.
Accommodation: African View Lodge, or similar. (B/L/D)

Days 6 & 7: Tarangire National Park

Drive to Tarangire National Park, which we explore for two days on extensive game drives. Giant baobab trees dominate the landscape and create a magnificent back-drop. The Tarangire River and the swamplands in the southern part of the park attract a variety of wildlife during the dry season. Large herds of elephants, for which Tarangire is famous, gather here at this time. Optional activities, such as a balloon safari, bush walk or night game drive are also available.
Accommodation: 2 nights Tarangire View Tented Lodge, Sangaiwe Tented Camp, or similar. (B/L/D)

Day 8: Tarangire National Park / Ngorongoro Highlands “Coffee Walk”

After another morning game drive, we leave the park and drive up the impressive escarpment of the Rift Valley to Karatu in the Ngorongoro Highlands. A viewpoint offers us a spectacular view of the Rift Valley below and Lake Manyara. Accompanied by “Mama Kahawa”, we will walk through the fertile farmlands of the highlands and learn many interesting facts about traditional smallholder agriculture, coffee cultivation, the plants along the trail and, daily life.
Accommodation: Country Lodge, Bougainvillea Lodge, Kudu Lodge, or similar. (B/L/D)

Day 9: Ngorongoro Crater / Serengeti National Park

Game drive in Ngorongoro Crater. In this “Garden of Eden”, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978, we have a good chance of spotting all of the famous “Big Five”. In addition to elephants, buffalo, leopards and numerous lions, the crater is also home to more than 20 black rhinos. These share the relatively small area of just 260 km² with countless wildebeest, antelope, zebras, and almost every other representative of East African wildlife. After lunch, we continue on to the sweeping plains of the Serengeti.
Accommodation: Serengeti View Camp, or similar tented camp or lodge. (B/L/D)

Day 10: Serengeti National Park

The vast savannas of the Serengeti are a paradise for grazers. During their annual Great Migration, thousands upon thousands of wildebeest, zebras and antelope traverse this unique ecosystem. Lions and hyenas follow the herds in search of prey. On game drives in the park, we are likely to spot elephants, buffalo, giraffes, baboons, ostriches and many other animals. With a bit of luck, we might even spot a cheetah on the hunt or a leopard dozing in the shade of the branches of a tree. Crocodiles sun themselves on sandbanks along the rivers and densely packed herds of hippos populate deeper stretches of water. The seemingly endless plains are interrupted here and there by isolated “kopjes” (smooth granite hills).
Accommodation: Serengeti View Camp, or similar tented camp or lodge. (B/L/D)

Day 11: Drive to Mwanza

After breakfast we say goodbye to the Serengeti and exit the park via the Western Corridor travelling along Lake Victoria towards Mwanza. In the afternoon, we will visit a market and the famous “Bismark Rock”, named after former German Chancellor Otto von Bismark. The impressive granite formations have earned Mwanza the nickname “Rock City”.
In the late afternoon we will finish off this incredible tour with a sunset cruise on Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria. If possible, we will overnight at the Tilapia Hotel which is home to the small steamer, the “African Queen” This boat was, apparently, used in the 1951 film (with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn) and is part of the hotel.
Overnight: Tilapia Hotel, or similar. (B/L/D)

Days 12 to 14: Departure / optional beach extensions

Transfer to Mwanza Airport. End of Safari.

Optional flight to Zanzibar, Mafia Island, Pemba or one of our selected beach resorts south of Dar es Salaam to spend a few additional days on the Indian Ocean, whose turquoise waters invite you to linger after a unique safari. On the sandy beach, you will find time to reflect on the many experiences and wildlife sightings and admire the underwater world of this remote stretch of Tanzanian coast on a snorkeling or diving trip.
3 nights: Lazy Lagoon in Bagamoyo, Amani Beach Resort or The Overhang in the south of Dar es Salaam, or on the islands of Zanzibar, Mafia or Pemba. (B/-/-)

Day 15: Departure

Transfer to the airport. Return flight.