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Trekking Safari
Overview
With this Safari you will break the norm and instead of doing the normal game drives, you will engage your feet and break a little sweat as you traverse the dusty African savannahs relishing at a vast range of wildlife to be viewed alongside the breathtaking landscapes.
You will have the opportunity to trek on the vast Serengeti plains and visit the cradle of mankind that is Olduvai Gorge, before you trek the Ngorongoro crater highlands and eventually head for lake Eyasi where you will engage with locals and interact with them as you learn about their culture.
Itinerary Highlights
- Visit the Olduvai Gorge
- Cultural tour at the local communities
- Scenic views of the rift valley, Lake Eyasi and the Ngorongoro crater
- See a wide range of wildlife
Day 1: Arrival/overnight Arusha
On arrival at the Kilimanjaro international Airport you will have our driver cum guide pick you up, he will be holding a placard with your names written on it. He will help you load your luggage into the vehicle and brief you of your safari. He will drive you Arusha where you will have dinner and overnight at Rivertrees country inn.
Day 2: Arusha/Serengeti
Early in the morning after breakfast you will have our driver cum guide pick you from your hotel and drive you to Serengeti National Park. On your way to Serengeti you will see some really magnificent landscapes, starting with the second highest mountain in Tanzania Mt Meru. As you proceed you will get to see Lake Manyara before you ascend up the Rift Valley escarpment. You will also come across the Ngorongoro crater where you will have the opportunity to take a look at the crater. on arrival at Serengeti you will do a game drive en-route to your campsite where you will have a rest.
Day 3: Full day at Serengeti
You will spend the entirety of your day in the Serengeti National Park. On this day you will do game drives and our guides will make sure that you see most if not all the amazing African game. The Serengeti National Park is expansive a day won’t guarantee a tour of the entire Park but you are deemed to see all the great wildlife spectacles that Africa has to offer.
Day 4/5: Serengeti/Olduvai Gorge
In the morning after breakfast you will have our driver take you to Olduvai gorge from Serengeti. You will do a game drive en route. You’ll drive to the Elwai mobile tented camp overlooking Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakey family has made groundbreaking discoveries of early human origins. Spend two days hiking on the vast Serengeti Plain, Olduvai Gorge, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, keeping an eye out for wildlife or Maasai herding their livestock. Our Maasai hosts and walking guides will choose the best route based on wildlife activity. Walking done in the two days will cover a total of 5–8 miles, 4–6 hours
Day 6: Crater highlands
A vigorous uphill hike brings you to the crest of the Ngorongoro highlands overlooking the vast Serengeti and the Great Rift Valley. Your descent brings us to the land of the Maasai—the iconic pastoralists of the East African savanna, known for their scarlet robes, their beadwork, and their legendary ceremonies. Pay a visit to a Maasai manyatta, or village, where we’ll be greeted with a foot-stomping, high-jumping welcome dance. Immerse yourself in their world, learning about their customs. Meet the village elders, visit homes, and take part in a memorable cultural exchange. This afternoon, head to our private tented camp in the highlands. Today’s walk will take 6 hours covering just about 4 hours.
Day 7: Ngorongoro Crater Safari/Highlands Walking Safari
After an early breakfast, hop into 4x4s for the descent into Ngorongoro Crater—a 102-square-mile caldera framed by steep green walls and teeming with some 30,000 creatures. Discover lion prides lazing in the grass or readying for the hunt; observe the antics of a herd of zebra or of elephant calves at play; and train your binoculars on an astounding variety of birds. Following our safari, join our Maasai neighbors for a traditional meat-eating ritual and go for a sunset hike along the ridge. The next day, set out to discover the picturesque highlands on foot on a variety of optional walks and hikes with Maasai guides. Visit the home of Ole Dorop, a Maasai elder, for an intriguing discussion about Maasai culture. Or, climb to the summit of one of the highest mountains in the Ngorongoro highlands. (Day 7: 2–3 miles optional walking, 1 hour; Day 8: 2–5 miles walking, 1–3 hours; 12 miles optional summit climb, 6 hours)
Day8/9: Lake Eyasi
Travel to the shores of Lake Eyasi, the home of the Hadza bushmen, one of the last surviving hunter-gatherer tribes in the world. Numbering about 1,000, they cling to a lifestyle that has changed very little over several thousand years, living off the land and relying on very few modern amenities. You’ll settle into your camp and make your way to a Hadza encampment, where life will be going on as usual. Get acquainted with the people of the camp and learn about their traditions and daily life. Spend a full day living among the Hadza and accompanying them during their everyday rituals. you’ll break into small groups and join members of the camp as they go about their search for the day’s food. Through our interpreter guides, enjoy a rare chance to talk with some of the world’s last bushmen about the ways they are coping with modern encroachments. (Day 9: 4–5 miles walking, 2–3 hours; Day 10: 10–12 miles walking, 5–6 hours)
Day 10: Arusha/ flight back home
In the morning after breakfast you will depart from Eyasi and have our driver take you to the Kilimanjaro International Airport where you will board a plane for your flight back home.