Tanzania is a great ornithological destination; the avifauna of Tanzania included a total of 1114 confirmed species as of August 2019. Of them, 30 are endemic, 44 are accidental, and four have been introduced by humans. This is the third highest in Africa, representing more than 10% of the global avifauna.
Arrive at Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro Airport where you will be met and transferred to peaceful Kisongo.
After breakfast, we drive to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s third largest national park. The scenery is beautiful with bulbous baobab trees dotting the landscape. We are likely to see wildlife as we drive through the park. After a stop for a picnic lunch, we will arrive at our tented lodge with time to settle in a bit and prepare for another game drive before dinner. Tarangire contains a range of ecosystems from grassland and woodlands in the north, to scrub and wetlands further south. The Tarangire river cuts through the park and empties into Lake Burunge in the west. Tarangire boasts one of the largest and most conspicuous elephant populations in East Africa. There are large family groups with many calves being born each year as the population continues to recover from the devastating effects of poaching in the eighties. In addition, Tarangire offers the largest recorded concentration of breeding bird species in the world.
After breakfast we will pack our picnic lunch at the lodge and drive to beautiful Lake Manyara National Park. We may have time for some shopping enroute to Lake Manyara. Much of the northern part of the park is fed by underground water from the Ngorongoro Highlands and as a result is covered in dense forest vegetation, giving the appearance of a tropical jungle. This forest is an ideal habitat for elephants, bushbuck, blue monkey, and huge troops of olive baboons. Some parts are dry bush land attracting zebra, impala and giraffe, while the lakeshore provides another habitat, perfect for flamingos and other shore birds-
After a relaxed breakfast, we drive westwards descending onto the vast Serengeti Plains. “Serengeti” derives from the Maasai word ‘siringet’ meaning “an extended area” – description of the endless rolling plains that give these grasslands a timeless romantic beauty. The principal features of the Serengeti are its stunningly dense wildlife populations and the annual spectacle of the migration of millions of zebras and wildebeest in pursuit of water and forage as the seasons change.
Two more fantastic days of game drives with picnic lunches in the park or back at our camp.
After breakfast we will pack our bags and drive to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, enjoying many different species of animals along the road before reaching the Ngorongoro Conservation area.
After breakfast we descend to the bottom of the crater. The circular crater is about 12 miles across, with steep walls of over 2,000 feet. The crater’s rim is 7,500 feet above sea level. Once we are in the crater, we are likely to spot a variety of animals like lions, buffaloes, elephants, zebra, rhino and other small ungulates. We will have lunch at a beautiful picnic site before driving out the crater and heading to Arusha.
One of the trip’s highlights will be your visit to Bethany Pre and Primary School with over 384 students! Take a look at our drone compilation video to see an overview of the school from November 2021. Here we have the rare opportunity to interact with the school’s boys and girls. We will ride in the school bus in the morning with the children and ride back to their homes at the end of the day. We will join the children in singing and dancing and help with serving their morning porridge and lunch. We may enjoy a stroll up the hill behind the school for a beautiful view of the school and surrounding village.
City tour – Here we will have the unique opportunity to visit a Maasai market in Arusha as well as the Shanga House, a workshop that provides employment opportunities for those with physical disabilities.
Today is a relaxing day with time to prepare for our journey home. We may have time to look at our photos and circle back to explore more with Emanuel before we are transported back to Kilmanjaro airport in the late afternoon for the flight home.