Safari Serengeti: Tanzania Lodge & Tented Safari

DAY 1
Depart U.S.
Depart today for your overseas flight.

DAY 2
Arrive Arusha, Tanzania via Amsterdam
Meals included: D Accommodations: Moivaro Lodge or similar
You arrive in Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in the morning. After a short stop, you depart on a flight for Kilimanjaro Airport near Arusha, Tanzania. You arrive late in the evening. Your OAT Trip Leader will meet you at the airport to assist your transfer to tonight's lodgings near Arusha, where we'll join travelers who took our optional pre-trip extension to either the Foothills of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania or Kenya's Masai Mara Game Reserve.

DAY 3
Arusha; Optional Contemporary African Dance Performance OPTIONAL TOUR
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Moivaro Lodge or similar

After breakfast at our lodge and a briefing by our Trip Leader, you can either spend some time at leisure or join us for an optional Contemporary African Dance Performance. We’ll watch the talented members of Ibuka Dance Foundation—a nonprofit organization dedicated to East African dance—as they showcase the modern rhythms of Tanzania.

Later, we’ll regroup to spend the rest of the day diving into the local culture of Tanzania by participating in a cooking demonstration, a sign language lesson, and more. This evening, we’ll return to our lodge for dinner.

DAY 4
Overland to Tarangire National Park
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Lake Burunge Camp or similar

Today, we have breakfast and then depart for Tarangire, Tanzania's third-largest national park.

With nine distinct vegetation zones ranging from grassland to woodland, from deep gully vegetation to scattered rocky hilltops, Tarangire offers a diverse geological landscape, as well as diverse wildlife—including the largest recorded concentration of breeding bird species in the world. Baobab trees dot the landscape, and the valley of the Tarangire River dominates the entire scene.

As we continue the journey west toward our camp, the scenery is outstanding, and we may see some wildlife en route before we reach the main park gate. We will enjoy a picnic lunch in Tarangire National Park. Next up, we'll visit a group of women to observe the art of basket making.

After a discovery-filled afternoon, we'll exit the southern side of the park and head to our lodge, which provides stunning views of Lake Burunge. We stay for two nights at a permanent tented camp in the midst of the wilderness. Our camp features a solar-heated shower, solar electricity, and comfortable walk-in safari tents under thatched roofs.

DAY 5
Game viewing in Tarangire National Park
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Lake Burunge Camp or similar

Today we experience Tarangire's diversity on a morning game-viewing drive, during which we'll pause to enjoy a picnic breakfast in the bush.

The variety of wildlife here is excellent, from lion, cheetah, and buffalo to a wealth of birdlife. Elephant are plentiful here, traveling in large herds that are not often seen elsewhere in Africa. Each of our driver-guides has extensive knowledge of the behavior of these great animals.

We will return to our lodge in time for a relaxing lunch. In the afternoon, we’ll have time to take an optional nature walk in the Lake Burunge area. After, we enjoy dinner together at our camp.

DAY 6
A Day in the Life of a Maasai village • Arrive Ngorongoro Highlands FOUNDATION VISIT
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Farm House Valley Lodge or similar

A Day in the Life
Watch OAT travelers dive into daily life in Tanzania’s remote Karatu village.
This morning, experience A Day in the Life of a Maasai village, where you'll meet with the Maasai and witness some of their long-standing traditions such as building a mud hut and intricate beadwork. We'll have the opportunity to join in on a dance celebration, as well as an intimate Q&A session with the village elders. We'll then depart the village and head to a local primary school to meet with the students and teachers. After spending some time with the children and touring the school, we'll arrive at the lodge for lunch. After lunch we continue to Karatu to visit a local market.

Later, we'll return to our lodge for a tour of its 500-acre coffee plantation. Our tour will take us through the coffee-making process, from bean harvest to drying and roasting, and will conclude with a tasting of the various blends. This evening, we'll have a briefing on our upcoming activities in the Serengeti and Oldupai Gorge.

Please note: Our A Day in the Life experience is dependent upon the time of year, and can take place on Day 12.

DAY 7
Discover Oldupai Gorge • Travel to Serengeti camp
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: OAT Private Tented Camps

Today we have breakfast together and then set off for Oldupai Gorge. It was here, in 1959, that Louis and Mary Leakey discovered fossil fragments, which led them to a new understanding of human evolution. They developed the theory that the Oldupai Gorge was home to Homo habilis, a race of early humans that survived other species to become the ancestors of all present-day humankind. Then visit the small museum here, which explains the Leakeys' methods and findings. After a picnic lunch, we travel to our camp in the Serengeti. We’ll enjoy a game-viewing drive en route and arrive at camp in time for dinner.

DAY 8
Explore Serengeti National Park
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: OAT Private Tented Camps

Today, we explore the vast expanse of the Serengeti, where the wildlife sightings are typically at their peak in the early mornings and late afternoons, when the temperature cools. Serengeti, in fact, is the Maasai word that means “endless plain.”

The multitude and diversity of wildlife species in this huge protected area are unrivaled anywhere on the planet.

From our remote camp, we set out on morning and afternoon game-viewing drives. Our mobile tented camps are set up based on the animals' seasonal migration patterns and are in place before you arrive. Each is outfitted with camp beds, complete with linens, blankets, pillows, and en suite facilities (shower and flush toilets) with hot water. You have your own verandah with wash basin and two director's chairs. There is a dining tent with tables and chairs. Spend the night listening to the sounds of the animals in the distance.

DAY 9
Optional Serengeti Sunrise Balloon Ride • Explore Serengeti National Park OPTIONAL TOUR
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: OAT Private Tented Camps

An optional Serengeti Sunrise Balloon Safari may be offered today, at an additional cost. If you choose to take this excursion, plan on awakening before dawn for an early morning ascent. You will rejoin the group after breakfast for a morning game-viewing drive.

The Serengeti stretches over 5,700 square miles of plains, riverine bush, and acacia woodland, with a dominant environment of acacia grassland. Visitors who dash from lodge to lodge catch only a fleeting glimpse of the Serengeti's rich diversity. But from the comfort of our bush camp, there is never a rush: We go where the animals are. We can return to a promising area, or range further afield.

On our afternoon game-viewing drive, our guides again help us identify the more elusive animal species, such as Bat-eared fox and Golden jackal, as well as rare birds like the beautiful Purple grenadier and the Red-cheeked cordon bleu. See if you can spot the odd-looking Secretary bird or the elegant Grey crowned crane.

We dine at our camp this evening.

DAY 10
Enjoy Serengeti Game-viewing drives
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: OAT Private Tented Camps

Today, we move at a relaxed pace, which will allow us to truly focus on observing animal behavior and interactions. We don’t just stop to photograph the next animal on a list, but spend time really getting to know how different species behave. Isolated rock groups, called kopjes, provide shelter to the solitary leopard, pairs of cheetah, and prides of lion. You’ll learn the clues that tell you if one has recently hunted or is about to hunt. Their quarry is the lone gazelle or vulnerable calf spotted amongst the hundreds of thousands of hoofed herbivores: antelope, zebra, and the ever-present wildebeest.

After another rewarding day of game viewing, we return to our camp for the evening.

DAY 11
Discover Ngorongoro Highlands
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Farm House Valley Lodge or similar

Early this morning, we drive to Ngorongoro Crater. We descend to the floor of Ngorongoro for some game-viewing. The caldera of Ngorongoro marks the ancient walls of a collapsed volcano, which was probably once the size of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The circular crater is some twelve miles across, with steep walls of more than 2,000 feet. The crater's rim is 7,500 feet above sea level, the highest altitude we reach on our trip. Because of a permanent supply of water and a precise balance of predator and prey, most of the wildlife remains here year-round. The forest areas are home to herds of bull elephant, including some large, old “tuskers.” There are several prides of lion, and many packs of hyena and jackal. If lucky, you may spot a bat-eared fox or a pair of cheetah. These predators stalk the numerous wildebeest, gazelle, and zebra. Here thrives a stable population of rhino, as well as herds of buffalo and groups of hippo. The birdlife is equally diverse, ranging from the scavenging vulture and bustard to the magnificent eagle and crested crane. Our experienced driver-guides, who are experts at locating the animals, determine our route. We'll have a picnic lunch before we leave the crater and travel to our accommodations in Karatu.

DAY 12
Discover Ngorongoro Highlands FOUNDATION VISIT
Meals included: B L D Accommodations: Farm House Valley Lodge or similar

Today we'll have the opportunity to explore the surrounding village of Karatu and the Ngorongoro Highlands for a full day of Learning and Discovery with our Trip Leader. We gather for a Farewell Dinner at our lodge this evening.

Please note: Depending on the time of year, Day 12 can include A Day in the Life experience at an Iraqw village and local school.

DAY 13
Overland to Arusha • Return to U.S. or begin optional trip extension
Meals included: B L
We'll return to Arusha this morning and enjoy the opportunity to shop for local crafts before having lunch at our lodge. You will have a day room available for the remainder of this afternoon. After time at leisure, we'll transfer to the airport for our overnight flight to the U.S. via Amsterdam.

Travelers on the post-trip extension to Zanzibar will depart for their flight to the island of Zanzibar.