7-Day Safari and Mount Kilimanjaro Hike

It's time to begin your safari. Welcome to Tanzania! After we greet you and provide you with the trip briefing, we'll take you out to help you discover why so many people think Tanzania is the best place in Africa to go on safari. If you’ve never been to Tarangire (and even if you have) you’re in for a real treat. Tarangire is filled with giants – baobab trees all across the park, as well as elephants, lots of them. But that’s just the beginning. Of the big cats, you’ll probably see lions, and cheetahs and leopards are around, too. And it’s impossible to miss the wildebeest, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes and zebras. Your backdrop for all of this is one of the prettiest in northern Tanzania, with a memorable mix of river woodland, open plains and rolling hills. And some vantage points to take it all in.

You won’t find many better national parks in Africa than the Serengeti, which has few rivals when it comes to both the numbers and variety of animals. Track down the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra. Enjoy the vast horizons that are perfect for spotting predators (especially lions, leopards, cheetahs and spotted hyenas) and their prey (buffaloes, impalas and kongoni), as well as elephants and giraffes. If you’re really lucky you’ll see a hunt, one of the most exhilarating sights anywhere in the wild. And at every turn, revel in its beauty, with flat-topped acacia trees silhouetted against the setting sun, and so many other classic African safari images.

This morning you will continue with your game drives in the Serengeti. At noon you will leave for the Ndutu Area. You're in for a fantastic experience when you visit Ndutu. This stunning area lies south of the Serengeti and west of Ngorongoro but it sees very few of the travelers who make their way between the two. It all makes for a quieter, more intimate experience, but it also offers the best of both worlds, because it's a terrific area for seeing big cats (including lions that climb trees) and other wildlife, especially when the great migration passes through. Expect horizons that seem to go on forever and an extraordinary spray of stars in the night sky.

Today you’ll visit Ngorongoro Crater, one of the most beautiful natural sights in Africa, a place where you’ll experience otherworldly beauty with extraordinary wildlife. Watch as, from above, morning mist rolls up and over the crater rim, and notice how the steep walls suggest a place unlike any other. Down below on the crater floor, explore a lost world preserved in a state of pristine isolation, one that shelters lions and hyenas, elephants and black rhinos, flamingos and golden jackals. There are also forests, hippo-filled lakes, a salt pan and hyena dens, and you’ll never lose the sense that you’ve stumbled into a safari theme park where everything’s wild.

Lake Manyara National Park will allow you to tick off so many unique safari highlights, including many that you just won’t find elsewhere. Unlike the elephants you’ll see in other parks, Lake Manyara’s inhabit dense forest – there’s nothing quite like your experience of an elephant suddenly emerging from behind the nearest tree. Also, you’re just as likely to see lions here draped along a branch high in a tree as down on the ground. And baboons. Lots of baboons. The views you’ll see here, too, persist in your memory long after you’ve returned home, thanks to the combination of lake, forest and sheer cliffs, all within just a few kilometres.

Your hike through the beautifully rugged landscape of Shira Plateau starts at 3,500 m to 3962 m above sea level, making it the highest plateau in the world. Along different trails and accompanied by the guide, you can enjoy views of Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s highest peak, and its northern glaciers, when the weather permits. The vast plains of neighboring Amboseli National Park and the deep gorge of the Simba River contrast the views of the world’s highest free-standing mountain. When you reach the northern rim of Shira Crater, take a quick stop at different observation points and see the volcanic cones dotting the landscape below. Hike at your own pace and enjoy a picnic lunch under the open sky along the way. It’s a moderate hike and you don’t need to be an athlete to be able to enjoy it. However, at 3,500m the air is thinner, so pace your step, enjoy the untouched landscapes and the presence of the mighty Kilimanjaro.

The views are truly breath-taking, and with some luck you will see the summit of Kilimanjaro. When you reach the waterfalls, you will see that they are more than 80 meters high. The pool at the bottom of the waterfall is an inviting place for a refreshing swim so don‘t forget your swimwear! After having enjoyed the scenery, you slowly return with your guide to Materuni village, where you will experience a traditional Chagga lunch. You also will have the opportunity to taste our local banana beer – definitely not to be missed! But that’s not all. Next the coffee experience awaits you. Here you will learn how coffee is cultivated, dried, roasted and further processed. You will also be invited to help with the grinding of the coffee, which is traditionally accompanied by Chagga songs and dances - a fun way to immerse yourself in the local culture. After the tour you will dropped in Moshi Town.