We depart the U.S. late Friday afternoon and connect in Amsterdam for flights to Kilimanjaro, arriving Saturday evening. Upon arrival we are met by our guide and transfer to Kigongoni Lodge, followed by a late night snack.

Meals Aloft

Overnight: Kigongoni Lodge

All Meals Included

Overnights: Tarangire Safari Lodge

After breakfast and the safari briefing at the lodge, we drive to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania's fourth largest park.

These two days are spent exploring a geological landscape that is as diverse as the wildlife, with nine distinct vegetation zones ranging from grasslands to woodlands and from deep gully vegetation to scattered rocky hilltops.

We marvel at the distinctive bulbous baobab trees and the dramatic vistas of the Tarangire River valley, which attracts an abundance of wildlife, such as elephant, lion, cheetah, and buffalo.

Birders delight in spotting a variety of colorful birds: more than 500 species have been recorded in the park, including green wood hoopoe, and green and yellow parrot.

Stop at our lodge for lunch and a swim before heading back into the bush for more wildlife viewing.

Game viewing as you go, depart Tarangire and head up into the Ngorongoro Highlands to a beautiful coffee estate and working organic farm.

Using this lush oasis as your base, take advantage of all the possibilities on the grounds and in the nearby town of Karatu: a school visit, opportunities for biking, hiking and guided nature walks, a cultural visit that allows you to participate in traditional beading, and plenty of time to relax in the gardens.

The food here is literally farm fresh and is widely considered to be the best in Tanzania!

All Meals Included

Overnights: Gibbs Farm

This morning, after a breakfast of local eggs, fresh fruits, breads and cereals you may wish to stretch your legs on an optional hike into the forest where traces of the morning's wildlife activity may still be visible. Depart for Ngorongoro Crater later this morning, traveling over winding red clay roads trimmed on either side with lovely flowers and grasses.

We'll reach camp in time for lunch and our first game drive onto the floor of the crater where we can expect to see buffalo, gazelle, hippo, flamingo, hyena and wildebeest, among many other creatures.

The variety and sheer number of animals who inhabit this beautiful oasis is astounding. We'll have time to go over the day's sightings when we reach our camp, which is located 2,000 feet above the crater floor, high on the escarpment.

Because of the elevation, we'll want to cozy up by the campfire in the evenings, to ward off the cooler air and enjoy the lovely surroundings.

All Meals Included

Overnights: Thomson Classic Camp

We travel into the Serengeti plains, stopping first at the famed Oluvai Gorge. Within these desolate gullies, the Leakey family unearthed some of the earliest remains of man, including the jawbone of Zinjanthropus Man. At the Gorge Museum, we learn about the development of early man as well as the Leakey's meticulous methods and their remarkable finds.

The next three days are then dedicated to wildlife viewing in the magnificent Serengeti, home to the annual wildebeest migration and to some of the largest prides of lion in East Africa. Cheetah, elephant, zebra, hippo, buffalo, giraffe, hyena, and antelope roam freely—just the way they have for hundreds of thousands of years.

Once at Classic Camp, savor the relaxed comfort of your surroundings and the rustic luxury of sharing the landscape with the wildlife. Adventurer’s Club members will go exploring together, searching for animal tracks and recording their discoveries as they go.

We say goodbye to the endless plains this morning as we fly back to Arusha for a farewell lunch. We will be able to shower, repack, relax or go for a swim at the lodge before our evening transfer to the airport.

Meals Aloft

Day Room: Kia Lodge

Please contact Michael Wellner '64
at 1-212-486-3064 or captmike46@aol.com

or call Claudia Dunn of Thomson Safaris at 1-800-235-0289