Travel by road to Katambuga House
Accommodation
Set in flowering gardens and surrounded by coffee estates, Katambuga House is a cosy lodge with 8 rooms situated in a green and tranquil setting on the western outskirts of Arusha.
Casually elegant, the cozy main house features a selection of original photography and African art. The main house has four bedrooms, each with its private bathroom. The adjacent two family cottages offer additional two interconnecting rooms each, all with its private bathroom. Large king-size beds or twin queen-size beds are available.
Arusha has grown quite rapidly in the past few years and is now home to some 650’000 people. Most visitors spend one night here after arriving on their international flight before beginning their safari the next day. Kilimanjaro International Airport is located approximately one hours’ drive from Arusha on the road to Moshi. The closest safari area is Arusha National Park, which is only a short distance away but we hardly visit the park due to a lack of animal. Arusha National Park’s most famous landmark is Mount Meru, a dormant volcano that rises more than 4500 m out of the ground in the west. The Ngurdoto Crater is located on the other side of the park, and the Momella Lakes sit between.
Travel by road to Arusha Local Airport
Flight to Swala Camp
Accommodation
Swala Camp comprises twelve spacious tents, all of which sit beneath shade-giving trees atop a slightly raised platform. Guests are offered the usual comforts of an en-suite bathroom, indoor and outdoor shower, sofa and large, comfortable bed. The rooms are decorated stylishly and boast elegant neutral-toned interiors, adorned with rich African textiles.
The main building, consisting of dining area and lounge, is arranged around a large baobab tree. The wildlife around the waterhole can be perfectly observed from the deck and from the open fire place. The whole camp is built in a clearing where single tall acacia and baobab trees provide shade for the many animals that seek protection in the midday heat.
Swala Camp is situated inside the National Park, in a quiet, wildlife-rich corner in the southwest of Tarangire National Park on the edge of Gursi Swamp, far from the tourist rush. The location of the camp provides guests with the unique opportunity to witness wildlife and explore the natural beauty of Tarangire National Park right from the start of their safari. Camps that are located outside the park need to pass the main gate each and every time they access the park, which minors the safari experience in our opinion.
Covering more than 2’600 km², Tarangire National Park comprises a well-frequented northern part and a relatively remote southern part, which is made up of alluvial plains during the wet season, giving way to large grassy areas during the dry season. Wildlife concentrations are fantastic from June to October, when, unable to find water elsewhere, animals from far afield gather at the Tarangire River. Wildlife is naturally more difficult to find during the wet season. Tarangire is best known for its large herds of elephant, and offers a very rounded safari experience when combined with the Serengeti.
Tarangire is a three-hour drive from Arusha. We recommend the small, intimate camps located within the park itself, as these offer direct access to the wildlife.
A new wildlife corridor leading to Lake Manyara has been created with the help of the owner of the Chem Chem Safari Lodge. Little Chem Chem, for example, sits in a private concession, which abuts the Tarangire, and encompasses part of Lake Burunge. This former hunting concession is now a safe haven for elephant and other wildlife, and makes migrating to Lake Manyara much safer again.
Flight to Lake Manyara Airstrip
Travel by road to Entamanu Ngorongoro
Accommodation
Perched high on the Ngorongoro Crater Rim, Entamanu Ngorongor offers sensational views of the crater floor. It consists of Entamanu Ngorongoro with seven rooms and Entamanu Private with four rooms. The two camps are right next to each other, but each has its own main building and they are run separately.
Entamanu's cottages are built elevated on wooden platforms. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms with dressing rooms, a large bedroom and a long terrace with seating. Heating is available for the colder days. Please remember that the lodge is located at an altitude of 2,200m and weather can be chilly. Two of the rooms are family rooms with two en-suite bedrooms each.
Access to the crater is via Seneto Descent, about a 30min drive from the lodge and another 30min drive down to the crater floor. The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera with 19km in diameter and walls 600m high. Its floor covers 260 square kilometres and acts like a natural zoo, providing food for a high resident animal population.
The crater is well known for its high concentration of predators. Powerful lion prides and their archenemy, the hyena, are permanently at home here, and can often be seen snatching prey from each other. With a bit of luck, it’s also possible to spot cheetah and leopard, or even one of the rare rhino. There is a small number of elephant here too, but not a single giraffe in sight, perhaps because the journey to the crater is too difficult for them. With this in mind, it is quite amazing then that several hippos live here! The crater is diverse and forms a closed ecosystem comprising grassy plains, wooded areas (such as the Lerai Forest), various marshlands, natural springs and Lake Magadi at its centre, which supports flamingo and pelican.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a three-hour drive from Arusha. The road leads through the Serengeti via the Karatu Highlands to the rim of the crater. There are three entrances in and out of the crater, which are partly very steep and difficult to access in a vehicle. There are no places to stay within the crater itself, but there are some lodges situated on the rim, the cheapest option, however, is to drive back to the Karatu region. The abundance of wildlife and the crater’s natural beauty attracts a large number of tourists. This can lead to the crater being overrun by vehicles – which means you will be disappointed if you’re looking for a solitary experience. Nevertheless, it is still well worth a visit as it can be quite spectacular during off-peak hours.
It is thought that a huge volcano exploded and collapsed in on itself some two or three million years ago. The massive emission of ash settled in a thick and densely compacted layer over the southern Serengeti, stopping any trees from growing. The undulating grass plains of the Serengeti are a result of the volcanic activity of the Ngorongoro and its neighbouring volcanoes, Olmoti, Empakaai and Ol Doinyo Lengai.
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera with 19km in diameter and walls 600m high. Its floor covers 260 square kilometres and acts like a natural zoo, providing food for a high resident animal population.
The mineral-rich crater floor is covered with nutritious grass and attracts large herds of animals. Up to 25’000 mammals, primarily herbivores can be found at any one time in the Ngorongoro Crater. The list includes wildebeest, eland, hartebeest, zebra, gazelle, buffalo, rhinos and warthog. Moors and forests provide food for hippo, elephant, baboon, waterbuck and bushbuck. Big cat such as lion, cheetah, leopard and serval find rich pickings here. Large packs of hyena also roam the crater, hunting or pinching the prey of other predators.
Travel by road to Lake Manyara AirstripFlight to Namiri Plains
Accommodation Namiri Plains offers 11 safari suites with en-suite bathroom and outdoor bathtub. One of the suites is desiged as a family tent with an additional en-suite bedroom for the kids. The suites are located on slightly elevated platforms and are spanned by large canvas. The interior is solidly built with a wooden roof and stone walls on three sides. Sliding doors which run the full length of the room open out on a full-length viewing deck with lounge chairs.
Namiri Plains Camp is built on a little elevation with views over a permanently green swamp area that is fed by underground water of Ngare Nanyuki river. The presence of water attracts resident plains game in front of camp. The main area compromises a lounge, library, bar, dining area and a swimming pool. Of course the open fire place in front of camp and the mobilie bar that is placed outside is where guests meet before dinner to exchange stories.
We do like Namiri Plains for its remote location with the nearest camp over 45 minutes away. You may be excused for thinking that this stretch of the Serengeti actually does belong to you.
Namiri Plains is located where the southern short grass plains meet the acacia woodland. North of camp a beautiful fever tree forest contrasts with the endless plains of the Serengeti where there is hardly any trees growing.
We recall Bernhard Grzimek’s television series and his descriptions of the wildlife paradise that is the Serengeti. The endless grassy plains are deeply impressive and the Serengeti is without doubt one of the most attractive safari destinations in the world.If you’re in the right place at the right time, it is possible to experience the huge herds of wildebeest (up to two million), with some half-a-million zebra and a couple of hundred thousand Thompson’s gazelle, impala etc… in tow – accompanied by a couple of hungry lion, hyena and cheetah. The spectacle reaches its pinnacle in the north of the Serengeti, when the herds cross the Mara River.
The Serengeti ecosystem includes the actual national park (approx. 15’000 km²) and the bordering protected areas; chief among them is the Maswa Game Reserve in the southwest, the Grumeti and Ikorongo game reserves in the northwest, the Maasai Mara in the north, and Loliondo and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in the east. The plains in the south comprise for the most part treeless flatlands that stretch out to the horizon. Typically, the plains of the Serengeti are punctuated by tree-covered granite outcrops known as ‘kopjes’, which provide the perfect resting place and observation post for predators. The northern part of the Serengeti is hillier with more vegetation.
The majority of guests travel to the camps that are located in the area where the migrating animals happen to be. If you wish to be alone, then look for a camp where the migration is NOT currently passing through, or combine several camps. There is an abundance of wildlife everywhere, mainly cheetah, hyena, jackal, lion and leopard, which are somewhat more difficult to find. In addition to wildebeest and zebra, there is a good concentration of topi, Grant and Thompson’s gazelle, eland and kudu etc… Elephant and buffalo are also present, but not in great numbers. Rhino also live in the Serengeti, but are naturally very shy creatures and therefore difficult to find.
Flight to Lamai Serengeti
Accommodation
The founders of Nomad, one of Tanzania's most renowned safari operators, chose this spectacular spot to build this camp because of the unique vantage point offered by the Kogakuria Kopjes - a high rocky outcrop affording supremely beautiful views over the Mara River Valley.
Lamai Serengeti Camp comprises a total of 8 tents of which two tents are family units. Each site has been carefully selected and any rocks, rather than being moved, have been individually integrated into the overall design. The rooms are painted in refreshingly light colours and equipped with wooden floors, comfortable beds, a large bathroom and a beautiful veranda with a view of the plain in front of the camp. In the morning, coffee is brought to your room and a new day begins...
Facilities of the main building include a natural stone pool, a lounge and a bar with comfortable seating area.
An alternative for families and friends is the private Mkombe's House. or Lamai Private Camp which is also offered on private basis only.
The closest airstrip is Kogatende.
Flight to Arusha
Basic Information
Individual journey. The journey will be planned on your preferred dates.
Duration 12 nights. Min 2 guests. Minimum age 8 years. Weight limit of luggage 20 kg. Luggage in one soft bag only.
Includes all transfers from Arusha to the hotels/camps to Arusha
- Katambuga House: Double Room. Breakfast.
- Swala Camp: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, twice daily shared activities with one of the camp guides.
- Entamanu Ngorongoro: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, private vehicle / guide provided by the lodge.
- Namiri Plains: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, twice daily shared activities with one of the camp guides.
- Lamai Serengeti: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, private vehicle / guide provided by the lodge.
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