Tanzania …….. 2nd to 14th June 2012

Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire & Lake Manyara

Tanzania’s legendary landscapes of Tarangire, the Serengeti, Lake Manyara, and the Ngorongoro Crater offer the ultimate and most fantastic ‘African wildlife’ experience imaginable. A visit to the Ngorongoro Crater is an awesome experience and also a spectacular backdrop for viewing Black Rhino, Leopard, Cheetah, Buffalo, Grant’s & Thomson’s Gazelle and Burchell’s Zebra; in the grassy plains of the Serengeti, Lions stalk the thousands of migrating Wildebeest; and the vast savannahs of the Tarangire National Park are home to large herds of Elephant. With so many exciting mammals, it must not be forgotten that Tanzania is also an excellent destination for birdwatching: hornbills, kingfishers, bee-eaters, sunbirds and rollers provide splashes of brilliant colour, and the lakes are brimming with flamingos, storks and ibises. The many raptor species range from Dark Chanting Goshawk to Lappet-faced Vulture. Tanzania offers the complete bird and wildlife safari, operated in vehicles (open-top), that are designed for the best viewing and photographic situations and using excellent lodges that are in idyllic locations and are extremely comfortable.

Day 1: A scheduled flight from the UK to Kilimanjaro. After an evening arrival we will transfer to our hotel.
Overnight - Arusha.

Days 2 & 3: Two days in the Tarangire National Park. This vast area of savanna, thornbush and swamp is home to large herds of Elephant and an array of other animals. Amongst many bird species are Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Crested Francolin, Black-faced Sandgrouse, Woodland Kingfisher, Orange-bellied Parrot, Lilac-breasted Roller, Northern Pied Babbler and Magpie Shrike.
Overnights - Tarangire Sopa Lodge.

Day 4: Lake Manyara, where we spend our next night, is situated in the Great Rift Valley. The National Park has a wonderful mosaic of habitats including woodland, swamp and grassland, plus a soda lake brimming with Greater & Lesser Flamingos, Pink-backed Pelicans, Yellow-billed Storks and waders. Manyara is also famous for its tree-climbing Lions.
Overnight - Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.

Day 5: Today we drive to the marvellous and world famous Serengeti National Park. Our route will take us along the Ngorongoro Crater rim and through the vast Ngorongoro Conservation Area. We will pass through Olduvai Gorge, where many remains of early man have been discovered.
Our final destination in Serengeti, is our lodge in the Serenora River valley that has views over the plains and woodland. During our journey to and into Serengeti we should encounter many birds and mammals, including: Hooded & White-headed Vultures, Secretary Bird, White-bellied Bustard, Kori Bustard, Hildebrandt’s Starling, Thompson’s Gazelle, Topi, Zebra, Lion and perhaps Cheetah.
Overnight - Serengeti Serena Lodge.

Days 6 - 8: The Serengeti National Park covers some 14,000 sq km and is a superb wildlife sanctuary. During the next three days, we’ll cover different areas of the vast acacia clad plains of this wonderful area. There are reputed to be two million Wildebeest here, not to mention a couple of thousand Lions and a wonderful selection of other mammals, including: Cheetah, Leopard, Serval Cat, Common Jackal, Bat-eared Fox, Spotted Hyena and Kirk’s Dik-dik. A superb array of bird species, includes Brown Snake-Eagle, Long-crested Eagle, Secretary Bird, Pygmy Falcon, Two-banded Courser, Black-bellied Bustard, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Nubian Woodpecker, Marico Sunbird, Silverbird, Pin-tailed Whydah and Speckle-fronted Weaver.
Overnights - Serengeti Serena Lodge.

Days 9 - 11: On Day 9 we travel to the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, with its phenomenal array of birds and game. This is simply a scenically wonderful and fascinating location and a visit here is a truly awesome experience.
Our game drives into the crater should reveal a wealth of mammals, including: Wildebeest, Burchell’s Zebra, Grant’s & Thomson’s Gazelles, Buffalo, Lion, Hyaena, Bat-eared Fox, Serval Cat, and this is perhaps the best site in Africa to see the endangered Black Rhino. Amongst the bird species at Lake Magdi, we may find Abdim’s & Yellow-billed Storks, Glossy, Sacred & Hadada Ibises, Cape Teal, Rosy-breasted Longclaw and countless flamingos - a truly marvellous place. The montane forested rim is home to a good variety of birdlife and we may see the following species amongst many others: Olive Pigeon, Schalow’s Turaco, Tacazze Sunbird, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Common Scimitarbill, Bar-throated Apalis and Jackson’s Widowbird.
Overnights - Ngorongoro Serena Lodge.

Day 12: There will be plenty of birding along the way as we transfer to the airport for our return flight, via Amsterdam, to the UK. We arrive on Day 13.

Tour ref: AA1225

Cost: £3,990
Deposit: £400
Single Room Supplement: £340

Leaders: June Taylor & Local Guide

Max. Group: 12 plus 2 Leaders

Includes:
Economy class scheduled return flights (UK - Kilimanjaro- UK), accommodation based on twin occupancy, all meals, transportation, game drives, entrance fees to reserves and national parks and services of leader & guides.

Excludes:
Travel insurance, drinks, Visa fee for Tanzania, drinks and items of a personal nature.


For a previous year's tour report, please click here.