Travel by road to Arusha Villa
Accommodation
The six luxurious rooms and two family rooms of the Arusha Villa are set in a beautiful garden with Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. The spacious rooms have en-suite bathrooms, king-size beds, a sitting area and a private balcony or terrace.
Arusha Villa was originally a coffee roastery. In the garden elements from this time are still recognizable, for example around the pool, where in earlier days the coffee beans were washed. The beautiful garden overlooking the countryside invites you to rest in the sun. With a little luck, you‘ll even spot a Colobus Monkey in the treetops.
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.
The comfortable Toyota LandCruiser 4 x 4 vehicles usually have six seats, a fridge with drinking water and a socket for charging camera equipment. The roof can be opened for game viewing - the classic safari in Tanzania.
Accommodation
Tarangire Ndovu Lodge offers 15 tents, which are slightly elevated on wooden platforms. One of the tents is called the Honeymoon Tent and features an additional outdoor shower. 2 x two standard tents can be connected to form two family rooms with two bedrooms each. Each tent is 20 metres long and 8 metres wide and offers enough space for a beautiful double bed, lounge chair, desk and en-suite bathroom with dressing room. Sliding doors open onto the covered balcony, from which a small staircase leads to the path connecting the rooms to the main building.
The main building comprises a lounge with bar, the dining tent, the spa and a souvenir shop. The large deck in front of the lodge leads to the pool and fire pit. The lodge is situated in the centre of Tarangire National Park and is open all year round.
Tarangire Ndovu is situated inside the National Park, in the central part of Tarangire National Park. 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.
The northern gate of Manyara National Park is located 120 km west of Arusha close to the village Mto wa Mbu. If you like we may stop here for a walk to discover a bit of the local village life.
The park is renowned for its good concentration of elephant and tree climbing lion. It is also home to large herds of buffalo, giraffe, hippo and antelope. The area is also home to a conspicuous number of olive baboons, which gather in groups of up to several hundred. The flamingos on the lake, of course, provide a fascinating spectacle, and with over 400 species, it is also a birding enthusiast’s dream.
Accommodation Plantation Lodge rests like a green oasis on the soft, red-brown hills amidst the vastness and serenity of East Africa. Seamlessly nestled in the blossoming garden, the lodge's individually furnished rooms and suites exude a feeling of comfort and relaxation. Furnished with great attention to detail, the personal touch of this owner-run lodge can be seen and felt everywhere, and the warm and friendly service leaves no wish unfulfilled.
The lodge's 16 rooms are generously spaced out over the flowering garden; several come with verandas and direct access to the lush green garden. Each room is individually furnished with carefully selected accessories; freshly cut and arranged flowers offer a beautiful, decorative accent.
The cliffs of the Ngorongoro Crater receive a good amount of rainfall all year round. The altitude of the plateau around Karatu (1500 m), a small town with some 25’000 residents, offers a mild climate that is ideal for growing coffee, bananas and vegetables – which is something the German-East African authorities also knew when they supported the settlement of German farmers here at the end of the 19th century. Coffee is often planted together with banana trees, as their large leaves offer shade to the coffee plants. A tarred road leads from Arusha via Lake Manyara to Karatu, which is where both the climb to the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti ecosystem begins. The lodges in the Karatu region make the perfect base from which to explore the crater.
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 Lemala Ewanjan Camp
The dusty gravel road leads primarily to the west where the vast plains of the Serengeti extend to the horizon. After two hours of brave driving, you arrive at Naabi Hill Gate where some bureaucracy needs to be sorted. After a short time we leave the main road and follow small paths across the endless grassy plains to your next camp.
Accommodation
Lemala Ewanjan Camp offers twelve tents with rich wooden floors and private verandas. Each tent is equipped with two queen-size beds, small private veranda, lounge, 24-hr solar electricity supply, flushing WC and safari shower (hot water is filled from the outside on request). Two of the tents are 2-bedroom suites that can accommodate a family or 4 adults.
Furnished and decorated in a traditional colonial style, the two well-maintained main tents house a bar and dining area.
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.
Travel by road to Siringit Migration Camp
The north of the Serengeti is more hilly and there are more trees. You will spot more and more zebras and wildebeest the further north we drive - with a bit of luck you may suddenly find yourself surrounded by thousands of animals spread over the endless hills. Small black dots as far as the eye can see!
Accommodation
Siringit Migration Camp moves with the Great Migration from north to south and places itself in the middle of the action. Zebras and Thompson gazelles mingle with the mighty herds of wildebeest, always on the lookout for fresh grass. Predators of all species hang around and wait for an opportunity to take down a grazer.
The camp consists of eight safari tents in the south and 10 tents while in the Mara area, of which two can connect to a two-bedroom family tent. The tents are raised on wooden platforms and include a covered veranda, a safari shower (hot water on order) and flush toilets. A small wood-burning stove provides pleasant warmth on cooler nights.
The center of Siringit Migration are its two beautifully furnished dining and lounge tents, where you can meet and mingle if you want. If weather allows, guests will enjoy their dinner close to camp fire under the stars.
Flight to Arusha
Basic Information
Individual trip with private guide and private 4x4 vehicle for Arusha - Tarangire - Manyara - Ngorongoro - Serengeti. Activities in these areas will be conducted on a private basis with your own guide and vehicle.
Duration 10 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
- Arusha Villa: Double Room. Breakfast.
- Tarangire Ndovu Lodge: Double Room. All meals.
- Plantation Lodge: Double Room. All meals.
- Lemala Ewanjan Camp: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service.
- Siringit Migration Camp: Double Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service.
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