Romantic Tanzania Safari

Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, after clearing customs and Immigration formalities you will be met and transferred to Arumeru River Lodge for an overnight. Driving away from the airport and out onto an open road with no city in sight…it feels like your safari has already begun.

On the morning of day 2 meet your private guide after breakfast for a safari briefing before heading out across the Great Rift Valley escarpment to Lake Manyara National Park. This park has been described as one of the most beautiful places in Africa. As you progress into the park, the tall forest gives way to woodlands, then grasslands, swamps, and finally the alkaline lake itself. The bird life is prolific with over 350 species. The park is also known for its tree-climbing lions! You have a picnic lunch by the lake to maximize your game viewing time. Late this afternoon, continue to the slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Acacia Farm Lodge.

Descend into the sunken cone of the Ngorongoro Crater and enjoy a full-day game drive along the crater floor. The crater’s high walls serve as a natural enclosure for an abundance of wildlife. All the so-called “big five’ may be seen. Among the notable birds are Lammergeyer, Vereaux’s Eagle and Egyptian Vulture, which make their home in the highest of the crater wall, the beautiful Rosy-breasted Longclaw, which appears on the plains after rains and flocks of lesser and Greater Flamingos which are spasmodic visitors to the crater lakes.

Today you head to the famous Serengeti National Park, Tanzania’s oldest and most popular national park. The Serengeti is perhaps the most famous wildlife sanctuary in the world, and with good reason. During the migration, literally hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra can be seen making their way across this magical plain. Your Serengeti lodge is located deep in the central Serengeti, where the savanna plains are broken up with small rock outcrops called “kopjes” and small rivers. It should be remembered that not all the animals in the Serengeti opt to join the wildebeest in their time-honored circuit to find the best grazing. Zebras certainly tag along and a good number of predators who are looking for the weak and unwary. But many species are quite happy with their own territory, which makes a day’s game driving in the Serengeti an absolute delight and an experience to be treasured and remembered.

Enjoy one last enjoy one last game drive en route to the airstrip, where you will bid your private guide farewell and fly on light aircraft back to Arusha to meet your scheduled departing flight to Zanzibar, where you will be picked up and transferred Shooting Star Lodge. The Shooting Star Lodge overlooks the beautiful fine white sands and coconut palms of Kiwengwa beach. The small, family-run hotel is situated on rocks 20 meters above the sea amidst lush tropical gardens with fabulous views of the Indian Ocean. The atmosphere is intimate and tranquil with spectacular views across a coral reef to the azure Indian Ocean beyond. Shooting Star Lodge is well located for exploring Kiwengwa, the local village, on foot or by bicycle. Each morning you can to watch the local women heading out to harvest seaweed as the fishermen return with their catch. This is about as busy as village life gets. Kiwengwa also provides opportunities to shop for trinkets, carvings and brightly colored, wrap-around cotton sarongs or “kangas” at the local bazaar.

Stroll along the powdery white sand of Kiwengwa Beach or immerse yourself in the balmy waters of the Indian Ocean when the tide is high. Alternatively, venture out across the coral reef to explore the marine life amongst its tidal pools. Or simply laze on your veranda or by the pool listening to the lively melodies of children singing as they gather cockles and mussels in the shallows. The Shooting Star Spa will be the perfect place to pamper yourself and unwind in the cool Indian Ocean breeze. To regenerate mind, body and soul, a large variety of treatments is offered.

Sadly on day 12 it’s time to depart. Today is at your leisure before it’s time to meet the return transfer to the Zanzibar Airport for the short flight to Dar es Salaam. You will be picked up at the airport and transferred to a seaside hotel, where you have a dayroom to relax and refresh before returning to the airport to meet your departing flights for home. Breakfast.