"We never wanted for a thing. Who knew that camping could be so great?!" - Anne Graves, New Canaan, CT

You've circled half the planet, and now it's finally real: Africa! There's a sweet, balmy breeze in the night air. Friendly, smiling faces welcome you with "Jambo!" and "Karibu!" Through the swirl of exotic sights and sounds, your guide brings you from the airport to a peaceful lodge, and sleep.

Overnight: Mountain Village Lodge

Wake up to a new world. A breakfast safari briefing orients you to your fresh, new surroundings. Begin by driving south to Tarangire, where giant baobab trees and umbrella acacias dot the rocky hills and verdant valleys.

Wildlife is drawn to the Tarangire River, a year-round source of water for herds of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and antelope of all shapes and sizes. Predators such as lion, leopard or hyena lurk nearby.

Back at your Nyumba, or "home" in the bush, savor the seclusion and rustic beauty of your first nights deep in the heart of wild Africa.

All meals included
Overnights: Thomson Tarangire Nyumba

Leave the Tarangire park boundaries and make your way to the vibrant village of Mto Wa Mbu.

A brilliant display of colors, sights, sounds and smells welcomes you. 120 different ethnic groups live, work and thrive here; this is the real Tanzania.

Continue to Gibbs Farm for a small-scale view of farm life on this working coffee estate. Organic gardens, 100's of birds, innumerable flowers, old-growth trees and your private cottages dot the estate grounds. Fine meals this evening round out a stimulating day.

All meals included
Overnight: Gibbs Farm

The traditional coffee roaster on the verandah churns, cranks and roasts shiny brown beans to perfection. Enjoy a cup of local coffee with your farm-fresh breakfast. Then make your way to the tip-top edge of the crater wall. A breath-taking view awaits.

2,000 feet below is a microcosm of wildlife, bursting at the seams with 30,000 specimens. They're cleverly concealed from this great height, but you won't have to take our word for it. Settle in at your Nyumba before discovering with your own eyes rhino, leopard, buffalo, lion, elephant and more on the crater floor below.

Continue the search tomorrow and return to your Nyumba each night. Savor great meals, engaging conversation by a roaring fire and a good nights sleep under your down comforter.

All meals included
Overnights: Thomson Ngorongoro Nyumba

Days 8-11  Serengeti National Park

Navigate the southern edge of the crater's circumference, descending into the Malanja depression and coming out onto the open plains.

Stop at Olduvai Gorge, and rediscover the remarkable finds made by the Leakey family over a lifetime of exacting work.

Further along, the plains open up dramatically. You've come to Tanzania to experience wild Africa. Well, this is it.

The variety, quantity and proximity of wildlife here is unparalleled. The unexpected lies around every corner.

Spend your days exploring the Serengeti's 5,700 square miles of savannah in search of fascinating wildlife and unspoiled landscapes. Spend your nights immersed in that landscape.

You see it stretch out before you as you sip a cold drink on the verandah. It glitters above you in the star-filled night sky. It buzzes and whirs outside your tent walls as you drift peacefully to sleep.

All meals included
Overnights: Thomson Serengeti Nyumba

Enjoy breakfast with a view one last time before packing up your bags. Head to the airstrip for your flight to Arusha; your guides will make the journey back on land. Lunch and a dayroom in Arusha allow you to decompress before your evening flight to Amsterdam. From there, make your connecting flight home.

Breakfast, Lunch
Dayroom: Arusha Lodge

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