ESSENTIAL TANZANIA

Day 1 Arrive Kilimanjaro

On arrival in Kilimanjaro, you will be met and transferred to nearby Arusha for the night. Set on the gently rolling foothills of Mount Meru, the lodge nestles in one of Tanzania's largest coffee plantations. Designed as a traditional farming homestead, its 30 Plantation House rooms are dotted across the verdant coffee fields and welcoming log fires greet you in the main lounge, bistro and restaurant. Refresh yourself after your flight with a dip in the enclosed outdoor pool or relax with a sundowner on the garden terrace. Most important of all, rest well before your safari adventure begins tomorrow.

Overnight: Arusha Coffee Lodge

Day 2 Kilimanjaro - Ngorongoro Crater

Fly from Arusha to Manyara and transfer to Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp, where you will be spending two nights, close to the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater. This traditional-style tented camp is set in an acacia forest not far from the crater rim with just nine spacious tents carefully positioned for privacy. All accommodate two queen-size beds with winter-weight duvets and hot water bottles, as it can get cold on the crater rim at night, and have en-suite bathrooms. In the evening, guests gather around the campfire with drinks before moving to the dining tent for a delicious and hearty meal.

Overnight: Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp

Day 3 Ngorongoro Crater

A highlight of your trip, today you will be spending a full day in the crater including a picnic lunch on the crater floor. A key advantage of staying at Lemala Tented Camp is its proximity to the quieter access road on the eastern side of the crater meaning you can start the day as early as 6:15am and reach the crater floor within 10 to 15 minutes and up to an hour before many other vehicles begin to arrive. The Ngorongoro Crater is a modern-day Garden of Eden, teeming with elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino as well as plains game. A wildlife enthusiast's and photographer's paradise. The area is of great anthropological significance, with fossils discovered at Olduvai Gorge suggesting that various hominid species have occupied the region for three million years.

Overnight: Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp

Day 4 Ngorongoro Crater

Enjoy a second day in this magical place and see the crater from a different viewpoint. Take a guided walk in the forest and along the crater rim with an armed ranger and Maasai guide. You may also choose to spend a second day in the crater (at additional cost) or simply relax at the camp.

Option: Explore nearby Lake Manyara National Park, famed for its flamingo-filled lake and tree-climbing lions.

Overnight: Lemala Ngorongoro Tented Camp

Day 5 Ngorongoro - Serengeti

This morning you will be transferred to Manyara for your flight to Seronera Airstrip, in the heart of the Serengeti, where you will be met by staff from Serengeti Pioneer Camp. The camp is in central Serengeti, within the Moru Kopjes area, famed for its black rhino, and overlooking Lake Magadi. Accommodation comprises 12 extremely luxurious tented rooms featuring campaign-style furniture, comfortable double beds, en-suite bathrooms and private decks. You will spend three nights here with twice daily shared game drives out on the Serengeti plains with expert safari guides.

Overnight: Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Camp

Day 6 - 7 Serengeti National Park

Spend two full days exploring Africa's largest national park with professional safari guides by 4WD. It is impossible to think of Africa without picturing something like the vast Serengeti plains, teeming with wildlife and home to the great wildebeest migration, an annual spectacular whereby 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebra migrate through the Serengeti and Maasai Mara in neighbouring Kenya, followed by predators such as lion, leopard and cheetah. As with anything wild, there is a seasonal pattern to the movement of animals but sightings are excellent here year-round and also include black rhino, elephant, giraffe, and hyena as well as plenty of antelope.

Overnight: Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Camp

Day 8 Depart

Transfer to Seronera Airstrip and fly to Arusha for your onward arrangements. A day room is available for you at Arusha Coffee Lodge, should your onward flight depart in the late evening.

Option: Extend your holiday by flying straight to the Zanzibar Archipelago for a few days relaxing on these exotic spice islands at Baraza Resort & Spa. We have many suggestions for the beach so please do ask your destination specialist for more information.