15 Days Safari Detailed Itinerary

The Elephant Motel is ideally situated along the Moshi - Dar es Salaam road, only half a kilometer from Same Town. The motel offers spectacular views of the South Pare Mountains and because of its location it is the ideal gateway to Mkomazi National Park, the South Pare Mountains and Shengena Forest.

Full board accommodation at Full board accommodation at Lake Eyasi Lodge http://lakeeyasi.com

Dirt road, up and down hills + 6 Km of tarmac (120km - 5 hours)

After breakfast at Lake Chala, will have time for walking down the Lake and have a morning swim (option) where after that we leave the Lodge heading south to the Pare Mountains riding along curved easy dirt road. After a Lunch break stop is when we will take a dirt road to the Trans boundary Lake Jipe then leave the lake and start heading uphill’s to Pare Moun- tains with a nice view of the small towns/villages down hills. To the Motel we will be riding down hills along dirt roads with lots of sharp corners. This day it much of trial for the next day ride which is much of intense riding. The motel at Same has spec- tacular views of the South Pare Mountains and because of its location it is the ideal gateway to Mkomazi National Park, the South Pare Mountains and Shengena Forest.

Full board accommodation at Elephant Motel

The term ‘Eastern Arc’ was introduced in 1985 to describe the forest-capped ancient crystalline mountains of eastern Tanzania and south-east Kenya, which are under the influence of the Indian Ocean climatic regime, and therefore contain predictable local climates (Lovett 1985). Starting in the 1970s, the ‘Eastern Arc Mountains’ were identified as a component of the Afromontane archipelago-like regional center of endemism by White (1983).In the latter half of the 19th century it is reported that there was a lot of war and terror with neighbouring tribes which ended with the German colonization.

The Germans discovered the charm of the Usambara's and they established Lushoto (during those days Wilhelmsthal) and it was a favoured holiday spot for colonial administrators. Today you still find many traces of the German times. Tanganyika became a British mandate territory after World War I. The British administration continued to reserve and exploit forests.

Full board accommodation at Mambo View Point http://www.mamboviewpoint.org/MamboViewPointMain/Accommodations.htm

This full day stay at Mambo View Point will give you an opportunity to rest your muscles, Having a Cultural walk tour around the village which It will give you a unique insight view on the daily life in a small Usambara agricultural village. You can experience the daily problems and challenges that the local community has to cope with and talk with local people. You can also choose an activity / cultural walk which you will be interested in at Mambo Village as per below link

http://www.mamboviewpoint.org/Downloads/MamboViewPointTourGuide2016.pdf

Full board accommodation at Mambo View Point

http://www.mamboviewpoint.org/MamboViewPointMain/Accommodations.htm

This is an accommodation which will be arranged by our team in the bush, all basic needs will be provided and will be a typical African wilderness experience. The meals will be based on African food, all drinks will be available at a reasonable price and some will be complimentary to enjoy around the camp fire. Camp fires, Maasai dancing and entertainments will be ready as we are arriving at the camp.

Bush camp accommodation: Camping under African Sky

Community Project - Mswakini School Project

This is a unique opportunity to experience and explore the Tarangire and Manyara ecosystem. Maramboi Tented Camp offers permanent camp facilities and endless vistas of rolling golden grasslands and palm lined desert between Tarangire and Manyara Lake. A visit to the area is essential for anyone interested in evolution and the origins of Mankind and an explanation of the Rift Valley and Africa's big picture. It is a complete semi desert experience focusing on game drives.Day 7 will be full day stay at the camp and a Game drive in Tarangire National Park.

Full board accommodation at Maramboi Tented Lodge www.tanganyikawildernesscamps.com

Tarmac, hilly trails, loose gravels and sand (140km - 6 hours)

After breakfast we are going to leave the camp, riding on rift valley escarpment towards the Hadza community. This is a rocky and hilly road where it passes through different altitude and vegetation’s down to Magara village which is adjacent to Lake Manyara National park.

We will break for our packed lunch and afte we will leave the good view of the rift valley wall heading to Lake Eyasi to meet the Hadza community, hunters and gatherers in east and Southern Africa. We are going to hunt with them on their grounds. After hunt- ing with them, we will ride to the camp where cold drinks and food will be awaiting us.

Full board accommodation at Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge http://www.lakeeyasi.com

Community Project visit - Engaruka Women Empowerment Project

The trip will take you East along winding dirt trails away from the lush area surrounding the mountain and out into the savannah scenery of the Maasai plains. You will ride towards the wall of the Great Rift Valley at the base of which stands the mighty volcano Ol Donyo Lengai. The Ol Donyo Lengai is an active volcano which last erupted in the 1970’s. It is revered by the Maasai as the home of ‘Ngai’, their god. Its almost perfect cone looms over an area of astonishing barren beauty.

At the foot of the mountain there is an area of rocky desert. Here we find the cones of small extinct volcano, and Lake Natron, a huge soda lake, which stretches up to the Kenyan border. Flamingos come here to breed and in the late afternoon sun the colorful flamingo colonies make a spectacular sight, adding a dash of color against the shimmering water.

Full board accommodation at Lake Natron River Camp http://www.lake-natron-camp.com/

Community Project visit - School Project visit

After a night under the incomparable star-filled African sky you will wake up refreshed. First enjoy a hearty breakfast, then we set off to explore the gorge that houses our campsite. A trail leads over boulders, and through narrowchasms.In some places we cross the torrent, and scramble up rocky walls. In some spots we find strange cactuses clinging to the hot rock, in others we see lush ferns and palms in the damp shady gorge bottom. We duck under waterfalls and pass bubbling Jacuzzi-like pools and chutes where the brave can ride the natural water slide. Eventually we arrive at the head of the valley, a huge natural amphitheatre cut into the imposing cliff. Here we find the source of the waters where many springs gush from the cliff walls and form pools and streams. We can play in the pools, shower in the waterfalls and enjoy our packed lunch. We return to camp for an early BBQ and then off to bed early, for the next day which will be on Safari Jeep.

Full board accommodation at Lake Natron River Camp

After breakfast depart for Serengeti National Park arriving at our lodge in time for dinner, we find ourselves deep in the heart of this famous migration corridor.  With its wide-open spaces, bright blue skies and creature-filled land- scape, over the next two days we will discover why the fabled Serengeti typifies the dream of “Old Africa.” Large prides of lions laze in the long grasses; plentiful families of elephants feed on acacia bark and trumpet to each other across the plains, while giraffes, gazelles, monkeys, eland and the whole range of African wildlife present themselves in awe-inspiring numbers.

Full board accommodation at Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

Another full day in Serengeti game viewing, after breakfast this morning, enjoy a game drive. The great diversity of Serengeti wildlife is also evident here—look for buffalo, hippopotamus, elephant, giraffe, antelope, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle, lions, and in season the spectacular migration of the wildebeest. In late afternoon we venture out for another game drive. Everywhere there are animals, monkeys and, yes, birds…but look closely and you will thrill to the big cats—lion, leopard and cheetah—just watching the world go by. And go by it does. Rhino, gazelle, ante- lope and massive elephants by the hundreds. Animals in the trees, on the wing, camouflaged in the bush, in rivers and in streams.

Full board accommodation at Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

Crocodiles were introduced to Lake Chala in the 1930's. According to legend they were brought in by E.S. Grogan, a British explorer who became famous for walking from Cape Town to Cairo in 1898. The terrain is totally unsuitable for crocodiles to breed, there being no beaches or sandy areas to make their nests.  In the early 1990s fishermen were angered that their nets were continually being destroyed, and therefore began a program to eradicate them. There are no longer any crocodiles left in Lake Chala and the lake is safe for swimming; however as everywhere in Africa it pays to be careful.

A lovely drive takes us to Ngorongoro Crater, where our lodge sits dramatically on the rim of the crater, revealing an awesome panorama of the world’s largest, unflooded and unbroken caldera. Be prepared for some remarkable views down into the crater. The caldera of Ngorongoro marks the ancient walls of a collapsed volcano, which was probably once the size of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Today the completely enclosed circular crater is some twelve miles across, with steep walls of over 2,000 feet. We are at an altitude of approximately 7,500 feet above sea level, the highest point on our trip. After our time on the lower plains, the cooler air here is refreshing. En route you visit Olduvai Gorge and Dr. Leakey’s Museum, or just go onward to stay at the lodge and admire the view. We drive down to the crater floor to explore this natura zoological park, and observe an extraordinary variety of wildlife: elephant, rhinoceros, lion, hyena, zebra, wilde- beest, Thomson's gazelle, reedbuck, and buffalo. The lovely crested crane (similar to a peacock) can be found in great profusion here and maybe you'll spot a bat-eared fox. The balance of predator and prey in this extraordi- nary ecosystem is so precise that animals seldom leave. Over 30,000 animals live here: prides of lion, elephant, leopard, cheetah and giraffe, gazelle by the thousands and multitudes of wildebeest. Please note: Only ½ day tours may be allowed while in the crater.

Full board accommodation at Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge

We will leave the lodge after brunch as the last day will be a relaxing and lazy morning, drive to Arusha, at least 5 hours with couples of stops. We will visit one of our orphanage centers we support for the tour donations. This donation comes from some of the proceeds paid for the safari with us.

Departure will depend on your flight time vs airport, if in Nairobi you will leave very early with good breakfast at the lodge or with breakfast box. From other airports we will link with the timings. Transfers will be on time to catch your flights