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8 Day Tanzania Highlights
Highlights: Arusha, Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti
Trip start: Arusha
Trip end: Arusha
Price Range from £1,749pp (4ppl), from £2,700pp (2ppl) *
Flash Video Video(s): Arusha, Kensington Serengeti
* GBP per person, double occupancy. Custom designed personal tour. Prices subject to change.

National Geographic Adventure Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth '98.33 Client Satisfaction Rating'

Winner National Geographic 'Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth'
2008 & 2009

Trip Summary
Map of Itinerary
Expand [+]

Tour some of Tanzania's greatest parks on a private luxury Tanzania safari with your own guide and 4x4 Land Cruiser safari vehicle. Start in a beautiful coffee plantation on the cool shore of Lake Diluti. Then it is on to Tarangire Park with its magnificent herds of elephant. Next stop Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and likened to "Noah's Ark" for its concentration of all different kinds of wildlife. Explore the vast game rich Serengeti with a stop at Olduvlai archeological site. Fly back to Arusha for a refreshing lunch and souvenir shopping before returning home from this unforgettable safari.

Kensington Tours has its own offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Arusha, Tanzania (click on the KT Nairobi video). We also have our own tented camps (www.kensingtoncamps.com). Our prices include the support of our own dedicated team on the ground! Another reason we deliver unbeatable value.

Day Activities Hotel
Day 1
Arusha
  • Arusha: Transfer - Airport xfer (JRO) - Game Van/Guide
  • Kensington Cares **
  • Nairobi: Other - Flying Doctors
Mtn. Village, Serena
(Alt: Coffee Lodge)
(Alt: Kibo Palace) (B,L,D)
Day 2
Arusha - Tarangire
  • Arusha: Transfer - Tarangire - 4X4/Guide
  • Picnic Lunch
  • Tarangire: Afternoon Game Drive - Baobab tree
  • Dinner
Kikoti
(Alt: Sopa) (B,L,D)
Day 3
Tarangire
  • Morning Game Drive - 4X4/Guide
  • Lunch
  • Afternoon Game Drive - Lovebird
  • Dinner
Kikoti
(Alt: Sopa) (B,L,D)
Day 4
Tarangire - Ngorongoro
  • Transfer - Ngorongoro - 4X4/Guide
  • Manyara: Game Drive
  • Lunch
  • Ngorongoro: Optional Activity
  • Dinner
Kensington Endoro
(Alt: Ngorongoro Farm House)
(Alt: Serena) (B,L,D)
Day 5
Ngorongoro
  • Private vehicle - 4X4/Guide
  • Crater Tour for Plantation Lodges - 4X4/Guide
  • Lunch
  • Optional Activity
  • Dinner
Kensington Endoro
(Alt: Ngorongoro Farm House)
(Alt: Serena) (B,L,D)
Day 6
Ngorongoro - Serengeti
  • Transfer - Serengeti - 4X4/Guide
  • Serengeti: Tour - Private - Olduvlai Gorge - Entrance
  • Picnic Lunch
  • Optional Activity
  • Dinner
Kensington Serengeti
(Alt: Mbalageti Camp)
(Alt: Kirawira Serena) (B,L,D)
Day 7
Serengeti
  • Morning Game Drive - 4X4/Guide
  • Lunch
  • Afternoon Game Drive
  • Dinner
Kensington Serengeti
(Alt: Mbalageti Camp)
(Alt: Kirawira Serena) (B,L,D)
Day 8
Serengeti - Arusha
  • Game Drive & Airport drop off - 4x4 XL/Guide
  • Air - Serengeti - Arusha [Flight (2 hrs)] - Western
  • Arusha: Souvenir shopping
  • Transfer - Airport xfer (JRO) - Game Van/Guide
Depart (B)
B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, 1/2d = Half Day, Al = All Inclusive

Trip Options
4-Day Mombasa Beaches from $856pp (incl. return airfare Nairobi) - 4-Day Exotic Zanzibar from $1,298pp (incl. return airfare Nairobi) - 4-Day Victoria Falls from $2,548pp sharing (incl. return airfare Nairobi) - 4-Day Cape Town Extension from $1,947pp (incl. airfare from Vic Falls) - 4-Day Rwanda Gorillas from $1,594pp sharing (start/end Kigali) - 5-Day Ethiopia Culture from $1,361pp (start/end Addis Ababa) - 7-Day Kilimanjaro Ascent from $1,445pp sharing (start/end Arusha)

Itinerary

Day 1
Arusha
Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide. Kensington Tours donates a portion of our proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities. Includes Flying Doctors air ambulance emergency evacuation to Nairobi in the event of serious illness. Serena Mountain Village is hidden on a coffee plantation, tucked away from the nurturing arms of Arusha. A calm escape from Arusha’s city atmosphere, the hotel is built of 42 guest rooms, each designed as members of a bona fide African village but with all the necessities of your own home. From the shores of Lake Duluti, mountain breath and clean breeze float through the hotel’s grounds, mingling with halos of rich emerald foliage that set the fairytale mystique of this hotel. Restaurants complete the tropical safari aim of the décor, with tasteful dishes marked by local tradition while retaining key dishes favored worldwide. Guests may develop a soft spot for Duluti waters and the natural surroundings; appreciating walks along the shore and hikes through the cliffs and woods. Arusha is a city of northern Tanzania surrounded by some of Africa's most famous landscapes and national parks. Beautifully situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, it has a pleasant climate and is close to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as having its own Arusha National Park on Mount Meru. International flights arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, and regional flights use Arusha airport.


Arusha
Arusha
Outside of the Serena Mountain Village
Outside of the Serena Mountain Village

Day 2
Arusha - Tarangire
Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning to transfer you to Tarangire National Park. This drive will take approximately 1.5hrs. Enjoy a picnic lunch (included in tour price). On this afternoon drive you will notice the unusually shaped baobab trees, also known as the “upside-down tree”. Look up and you might find the tree climbing African pythons. This is one of the world's largest species of snakes, but do not worry, it is also a non-venomous species. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Kikoti Camp is situated above one of the most highly populated wildlife arenas in Africa, Tarangire National Park, where privacy is guaranteed and guests are privy to 35 000 acres of unrefined living species. The dramatic landscape surrounding the camp’s 10 permanent en-suite tents makes for a stunning African experience full of discoveries and sights like no other. Dishes prepared at the camp feature local cuisine of the most tasteful sort, filled with adventurous spices and succulent meats. Vegetables and fruits are gathered from nearby farms, and there are no formalities around meals as it is meant to be a fulfilling, wholesome endeavor. Activities range from bush trekking and bush dining to cultural talks to add to your knowledge on the area. Tarangire National Park is probably one of the least visited of the northern Tanzanian game parks, and retains a real air of undiscovered Africa, particularly in the south of the park. Just a two hours drive away from Arusha. It lies a little distance to the south east of Lake Manyara and covers an area of approximately 2,850 square kilometres. It is named after the Tarangire River that flows through the park.


Tarangire
Tarangire
Baobab tree
Baobab tree
Kikoti Room
Kikoti Room

Day 3
Tarangire
You be up early this morning and meet up with your private guide and for Game drive Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is the sixth largest national park in Tanzania. The Tarangire river which crosses at the middle of the park, is the only source of water for wild animals during dry seasons. The park is famous for its huge number of elephants that are easily encountered in any season. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). On this game drive you might notice the swamps, tinged green year round, which are the focus for 550 bird varieties. This park boosts of having the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world. On drier ground you find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world's largest bird; and small parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys. More ardent bird-lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colourful yellow-collared lovebird Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Kikoti.


Yellow-collared Lovebird
Yellow-collared Lovebird

Day 4
Tarangire - Ngorongoro
Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning to transfer you to Ngorongoro Crater. This drive will take approximately 2.5hrs. Manyara is best known for baboons, have a look for herbivores such as hippos, impalas, elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, warthogs and giraffes. Giant fig trees and mahogany seen in the groundwater forest immediately around the park gates draw nourishment from the underground springs replenished continuously from crater highlands directly above the Manyara basin.
Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). Hike the hills of Ngorongoro with a local guide. Prices may vary depending on accommodation. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Our new Kensington Endoro Lodge has been revamped and relocated to the foot of the Ngorongoro Highland Forest just outside of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Here you are surrounded by natures haven, a mystical forest and tranquil environment, with a sense of calmness beyond words. The lodge is located along the fire line of the Ngorongoro Conservation Authority; 5.5km from the town of Karatu, and a short 14km drive from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area gate. Preserving the harmony and intimacy of the reserve, this lodge combines nature's splendor with warm hospitality and skilled friendly staff. Each Chalet is perched luxuriously on the hillside with spectacular views of the Ngorongoro Forest below. "The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ‘8th Natural Wonder of the World’. A massive extinct volcano, the sheet walls drop thousands of feet to a "Noah's Ark" of animals on the verdent floor below. Large herds of zebra, buffalo, antelope and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist.


Ngorongoro
Ngorongoro
Baboon
Baboon
Kensington Endoro
Kensington Endoro

Day 5
Ngorongoro
Private transportation and guide in the Ngorongoro national park. Includes national park fees. You'll be up early this morning as you drive approximately 20 minutes from your camp or lodge to the main gates of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. There are only three roads that connect the crater rim with the crater floor, one for driving down, one for driving up and another that goes both ways. The crater is roughly 20 km/12 mi wide and 600 m/2,000 ft deep, once you've reached the top of the caldera it takes about 45 minutes to decend to the crater floor. The floor is home to a rich and highly concentrated wildlife. Some 20,000 mammals of size live there, including about 20 black rhinoceros, making the crater the best place in Tanzania to see the rhino. The crater floor also has one of the highest carnivore densities in the world. Lions, cheetahs, hyaenas and jackals are commonly seen, while leopards, servals and bat-eared foxes may be seen with some good luck.



Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). Hike the hills of Ngorongoro with a local guide. Prices may vary depending on accommodation. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Kensington Endoro.


Cheetah
Cheetah

Day 6
Ngorongoro - Serengeti
This morning you will depart from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on your way to the Serengeti. You will stop at Olduvlai gorge and do some game viewing as you enter the Serengeti. This drive usually takes between 5 and 6 hours but can take longer during the rainy season. The Olduvai Gorge or Oldupai Gorge is commonly referred to as "The Cradle of Mankind." It is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley, which stretches along eastern Africa. Olduvai is in the eastern Serengeti Plains in northern Tanzania and is about 30 miles (48 km) long. The gorge is named after the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant Sansevieria ehrenbergii, commonly called Oldupai. Enjoy a picnic lunch (included in tour price). Hot air balloon ride ($550pp): Includes a dawn hot air balloon ride over the plains, with the opportunity for amazing pictures of the animal herds below. The balloon will soar up for a wide view of the park, and then sweep down almost to the treetops so you can see the animals up close. Finish with a freshly cooked breakfast right in the middle of the game park, with celebratory champagne. One of our most highly rated activities. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). A tented wilderness camp in the western Serengeti, this is an intimate connection to nature in the world’s finest game park. Look forward to attentive service with five course bush cuisine of the pan-African and traditional sort. Three main meals are served each day in the large canvas dining tent overlooking the plains, culminating with five course dinners ending with coffee or tea under the stars. The tents, appropriately furnished with Masai inspired style, feature campaign furniture and canvas wardrobe. The Masai theme is showcased with evocative headboards, lamps and fixtures. This is a rare opportunity to experience close contact with the world’s greatest migration, which has been known to feature twenty or so lion prides and countless throngs of zebras and wildebeest. Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, the Serengeti is massive in size, 14,763 sq km (5,700 sq miles). Famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers the most diverse game-viewing in Africa.


Serengeti
Serengeti
Olduvai Gorge
Olduvai Gorge
Kensington Serengeti
Kensington Serengeti

Day 7
Serengeti
Head out into the park early in the morning for your private game safari. Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, the Serengeti offers the most expansive game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle. Explore this amazing park with the help of your expert guide. Enjoy lunch (included in tour price). Today head out with your guide to explore the wide expanse of the Serengeti. The park is well known for its healthy stock of other resident wildlife, particularly the "Big Five", named for the five most prized trophies taken by hunters: lion, leopard, elephant, black rhinoceros, and African buffalo. Though there are now few black rhino in the park, you may still spot them. The Serengeti has the largest population of lion and giraffe in all of Africa and the largest concentration of topi and Coke's hartebeest (kongoni). Enjoy the challenge of spotting other game such as cheetah, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, eland, waterbuck, hyena, baboon, impala, African wild dog and giraffe. The park also boasts about 500 bird species, including ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, crowned crane and marabou stork. Enjoy dinner (included in tour price). Overnight at Kensington Serengeti.


Day 8
Serengeti - Arusha
If time allows, your expert guide will be fitting in one more game drive before dropping you off at the airstrip. It will be your last chance to see the park's diverse range of animals. Take your flight from Serengeti to Arusha today. The flight will do more than one stop on the way. The flight duration is approximately 2hrs. (10h30 - 12h35) Includes opportunity to visit local handicrafts market to stock up on souvenirs. Airport transfer with private vehicle and guide. Depart from Kilimanjaro international airport - end of itinerary.


Arusha Souvenirs
Arusha Souvenirs

Trip Includes
All ground transport in a comfortable safari vehicle fitted with pop up roof for easy photography and game viewing whilst on safari - Guaranteed window seating - Guaranteed departure - Airport transfers as per the itinerary - Meals as listed on itinerary

Trip Excludes
Laundry - Tips - Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages including mineral water - International airfare - Visas - Optional activities/extras - Vacation insurance (purchase at www.kensingtontours.com/insurance.cfm )

Trip Terms & Conditions

  • Your deposit is due immediately on booking (30% of program price). The balance is due 90 days prior to departure. We accept payment via credit card, certified check, wire transfer or money order.
  • The price shown is per person, and does not include international air fare to/from the trip start point
  • Cost increases in currency exchange, government fees, taxes, surcharges or hotel/lodge tariff increases between quote date and start date are payable by the client.
  • We will exercise best efforts to book hotels per the itinerary, however, in busy seasons and with client bookings made within 90 days of tour date we may be forced to offer substitutes. We will endeavour to confirm final hotel bookings as soon as possible.
  • Cancellations 90 days or more prior to departure will receive full refund less any non-refundable paid fees (e.g. non-refundable cruise or hotel deposits). 60-89 days will be subject to loss of deposit. 30-59 days will be subject to loss of 50% of program price. 29 days or less will be subject to 100% of program price.
  • Payment of the program price constitutes your acceptance of the terms and conditions set out at www.kensingtontours.com/terms.cfm