07 NIGHTS 08 DAYS TANZANIA LUXURY MIGRATION SAFARI

Arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO). After immigration formalities, head over to the luggage carousel to claim your luggage. A Vacations Quest’ representative holding a paging board with your name will be waiting just outside the arrivals area to meet, welcome and transfer you to your overnight hotel of stay. You are booked at the Mount Meru Hotel, just a 40minutes drive at the heart of Arusha Town. Meru Hotel is Arusha’s newest five-star hotel situated on the foothills of Mount Meru and includes all the amenities that you would expect at any five-star hotel back at home. Our staff will give you a detailed briefing of your safari, discuss safari safety and let you know the following day’s schedule. Overnight at Mount Meru Hotel. Meal Plan- (Bed & Breakfast)

Arusha- Nothern Serengeti by Air – 60 mins After an early morning buffet breakfast, our guide will pick you up from the hotel lobby and transfer you to Arusha domestic airport, a short 20 minute drive, to catch your scheduled morning flight out to the Northern Serengeti. If you are lucky and it is a clear day, you should be able to see Mount Kilimanjaro to the east as you fly out of Arusha. Your flight will pass over Lake Manyara National Park, the Gregory Rift Valley, over the Ngorongoro Highlands and across Ngorongoro Crater and past the Southern and Central Serengeti before landing in the Northern Serengeti. On arrival, you’ll be met by your safari guide who will be your friend and guide for the next 3 nights/4 days. You can immediately start exploring the Mara River area looking for your first glimpse of the migration. Check in to Lemala Mara River Camp for a hot lunch. Depending on how you are feeling you can decide to continue game driving after lunch, or you can opt to relax in Camp and continue your exploration in the late afternoon. Some of the larger species of mammals that you may encounter on game drives in this region include lions, elephants, giraffe, hippo, wildebeest and the impala. Overnight at Lemala Mara River Camp. (3 Nights Full Board Basis)

If you’re feeling up to it, depart at 6:00 am with a breakfast box for an early morning game drive to see the wildlife when they are most active and enjoy a glorious African sunrise. Spend the morning game driving along the Mara River and perhaps if you are very lucky you’ll be able to witness the dramatic wildebeest crossing. Enjoy your breakfast in the bush listening to the multitude of bird songs and soaking in the beauty of the landscape. Continue game driving until noon and return to Camp for a hot lunch. Again, the afternoon schedule will be based on your preference. Species you may encounter today, as you explore the far northern reaches of the Serengeti, include the Nile crocodiles, zebras, eland, ostrich, topi, buffalo, warthog, elephant and giraffe. Overnight at Lemala Mara River Camp.

If you’re feeling up to it, depart at 6:00 am with a breakfast box for an early morning game drive to see the wildlife when they are most active and enjoy a glorious African sunrise. Spend the morning game driving along the Mara River and perhaps if you are very lucky you’ll be able to witness the dramatic wildebeest crossing. Enjoy your breakfast in the bush listening to the multitude of bird songs and soaking in the beauty of the landscape. Continue game driving until noon and return to Camp for a hot lunch. Again, the afternoon schedule will be based on your preference. Species you may encounter today, as you explore the far northern reaches of the Serengeti, include the Nile crocodiles, zebras, eland, ostrich, topi, buffalo, warthog, elephant and giraffe. Overnight at Lemala Mara River Camp.

After breakfast, check out of Lemala Mara River Camp and you’ll slowly start game driving southwards towards Lobo Valley. During the dry season, both the migratory and resident wildlife congregate around the permanent water sources found around Lobo Valley, making this location a superb area for game viewing. You’ll spend the next two days exploring Lobo Valley. All three species of large cats, the lion, leopard and cheetah, can be found around Lobo Valley so keep your eyes open. Overnight at Migration Tented Lodge.

Spend today game driving southwards towards the Central Serengeti and explore the beautiful Seronera River Valley. The Seronera Valley is a transitional zone, an area where the Serengeti plains end and the woodlands begin, giving rise to a multitude of species that co-exist from both habitats and, because the rivers that run through the Seronera Valley are perennial, many of the predator and prey found here are residents, making it one of the best areas for game viewing year round. Some of the species you’ll likely see exploring the Seronera Valley include lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal, bat-eared fox, mongoose, elephant, giraffe, impala, waterbuck, hippo, Nile crocodile, topi, hartebeest, reedbuck, bushbuck, buffalo, baboon and vervet monkey. The acacia and sausage trees lining the rivers are some of the best places for spotting leopards in the Central Serengeti. In the dry season, keep your eyes open for lions hiding in the tall grass surrounding waterholes, waiting to ambush unwary prey. Overnight at Seronera Wildlife Lodge/similar.

Today you’ll be departing Serengeti National Park and heading towards Ngorongoro Crater so be prepared for a long drive. After breakfast, you will start heading southwards towards the park gate at Naabi Hill, but along the way explore a couple of the kopjes, (ancient granite outcroppings), that dot the plains, Maasai Kopjes and Simba Kopjes and try to spot the lions that often hang out on these granite islands during the day. Take a break and stretch out your legs at Naabi Gate and take a short walk up to the view point while your guide does the paperwork at the park gate. After your brief stop, drive to Olduvai Gorge to visit the Olduvai Gorge Museum and Visitor Centre and learn about the fossils and footprints of early hominids and animals that inhabited the area. After your museum tour, head to the famous Ngorongoro Crater where you will overnight at Lemala Ngorongoro perched on the edge of the Crater rim. Be sure to dress warmly because the temperature will drop quickly as the sun sets at this elevation.

Your guide will arrange a breakfast box and picnic lunch today. Again dress warmly against the morning chill and try to depart the camp at 6:00am and head into the Crater for an early morning game drive. The Ngorongoro Crater is often described as Africa’s “Garden of Eden”. Classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO, it is the world’s largest intact caldera and home to nearly 25,000 large animals including the endangered black rhino and is said to have the densest population of predators in Africa within its 265 square kilometres. The dense concentration of wildlife in a confined area allows for incredible game viewing year round. The variety of large species found within the Crater are similar to those found in the Serengeti with the exception of impalas, topis, oribis, giraffe and crocodiles. In the early afternoon, start ascending out of the Crater and it is time to head back to Arusha. Stop at a couple of souvenir shops along the way and you should make it back to Mount Meru Hotel in the late afternoon. If you are departing Tanzania on the evening flight, you will have time to freshen up in your day room, repack and have an early dinner before your guide will transfer you to JRO. If you are flying out the following day, enjoy your final night in Arusha at Mount Meru Hotel and our staff will transfer you to the airport to catch your flight the following day. Please note that this is a sample luxury safari to give you an idea of a typical eight-day safari. Each itinerary will be different based on your month of travel, parks visited, interests & activities and budget.