Depart USA
Today we begin our exciting journey with your flight bound for Arusha, Tanzania.

Arrive in Tanzania
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you’ll meet your driver-guide and transfer to the beautiful Arusha Planet Lodge, our home for the next three nights.

Kikuletwa Hot Springs
Today we’ll head to Kikuletwa Hot Springs, called “Chemka” by the locals. An oasis surrounded by fig trees, here you can bask in the warm, crystal clear water bubbling from underground springs. Then enjoy a picnic lunch before heading back to Arusha with the evening at your leisure. (B, L)

Explore Arusha
Today we’ll discover the city of Arusha, meet its warm people and tour a village to see locals blow glass, weave and make fine local handicrafts available for purchase. Later we’ll visit the children of Tumaini Orphanage, an orphanage that Cruise & Tour and its safari guests have sponsored. This evening is free to explore or relax at our hotel. (B)

Tarangire National Park
After breakfast and a morning safari briefing, the adventure really begins as we enjoy our first game drive in Tarangire National Park. Tanzania’s newest and least developed national park, Tarangire is famous for its large number of elephants and the baobab tree. Some species of baobab trees can live for a thousand years—potentially reaching a stunning height of 80 feet and a diameter of 40 feet. Home to more than 550 different species, Tarangire is particularly popular with bird enthusiasts. The water source of the Tarangire River also provides an excellent opportunity for us to spot some of our first large game of the journey including wildebeest, zebra, elephant, impala, gazelle and more. We will spend two nights at the Tarangire Sopa Lodge. (B, L, D)

Tarangire National Park
Today enjoy two full game drives in Tarangire National Park. (B, L, D)

Ngorongoro Crater
Today we say farewell to Tarangire with a morning game drive. We’ll visit a Massai community to learn about their way of life. Our morning will be complete with a natural history tour through the grounds of Gibbs Farm. Here we will learn about the hundreds of species of flora planted throughout the grounds, some planted as early as 1959. Following the tour, enjoy a delicious buffet lunch in a beautiful setting overlooking the valley. Later, we’ll travel to Ngorongoro Crater to check in at the Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, perched on the jagged rim of the crater. A blend of luxury and ethnic style, the lodge is literally built right into the crater’s rim, affording endless views of the crater below. (B, L, D)

Ngorongoro Crater
An abundance of food and water in the Ngorongoro Crater make it the perfect home for more than 30,000 large mammals. After breakfast we’ll descend into one of the largest unbroken craters on earth. The grassy plains on the crater’s floor are a permanent home to huge herds of common zebra, gazelle and wildebeest. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is also the best place to see a natural population of black rhino. (B, L, D)

Southern Serengeti Plains
This morning after breakfast we’ll depart for the Southern Serengeti plains. On our way we’ll stop at the far end of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to see the Olduvai Gorge archaeological site, widely regarded as the cradle of mankind and the most important prehistoric site in the world. It is at Olduvai where remains of Zinjanthropus, the world’s first humans, were discovered by Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey over 50 years ago. Upon arrival at the Lake Masek Tented Lodge, we’ll check in, have lunch and prepare for our afternoon game drive.

Our luxury tented camp, located by the shores of Lake Masek in Ndutu, is perfectly situated between the vast plains of the Serengeti National Park and the northwest side of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It’s on these surrounding plains that wildebeest cows congregate in the thousands to give birth. The intention is to overwhelm the predators by sheer numbers when the young calves are at their most vulnerable but, as you’d expect, there are plenty of predators and action at this time of year. Optional Experience: A thrilling hot air balloon over the Serengeti followed by a Champagne breakfast on the Serengeti plains. (B, L, D with complimentary beer & wine)

Southern Serengeti Plains
Today enjoy two full game drives in Serengeti National Park. (B, L, D)

Southern Serengeti Plains
Today enjoy two full game drives in Serengeti National Park. (B, L, D)

Serengeti National Park
Our game drive through the Serengeti brings us to our final accommodation, the Kubu Kubu Tented Lodge. Today’s game drive will give us an excellent opportunity to spot the king of the Serengeti; the black-maned lion. Keep your cameras ready as the delicate balance of this serene setting can burst into a life and death struggle at any moment. With so many large mammals concentrated into this virtual eden, the age old predator-prey relationship is played out time and again. Lions, leopards, cheetahs and spotted hyenas remain in constant competition for their next meal. (B, L, D with complimentary beer & wine)

Fly to Arusha
Flight schedule permitting, we’ll embark on our final game drive prior to our flight to Arusha. After lunch at the Airport Planet Lodge, you’ll have a day room for relaxation prior to departure for the airport for our evening overnight flight to Amsterdam. (B, L, D)

Homeward Bound
We arrive in Amsterdam early in the morning and connect to our flight to the USA, arriving in the afternoon, filled with memories of our African adventure that we will treasure forever.