Overview of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari

The Tanzania Cultural Safari – 8 Days features a blend of wildlife and culture. The amazing trip features extension to the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes in the Eyasi Area still leaving an authentic traditional life and the famous Maasai who have grazed their thousands of cattle on the extensive savannah plains of northern Tanzania and southern Kenya for centuries past!  The Tanzania wildlife safari experiences are provided in Lake Manyara National Park famous for its tree climbing lions, Serengeti National Park – Africa’s best safari park and Ngorongoro Crater – one of the natural wonders of the world. The safari starts and ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport.

Safari Highlight of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari

Day 1 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari: Arrival – Kilimanjaro International Airport & transfer to Arusha

Day 2 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari: Lake Manyara Biking Adventure & Hot local Lunch – Manyara National Park Game Drive – Lake Eyasi Sunset

Day 3 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari: Lake Eyasi Cultural Visit

Day 4 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari:  Karatu – Serengeti National Park

Day 5 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari:    Extensive game drive in Central Serengeti – unlimited game drive

Day 6 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari: Final game drive in Serengeti National Park & transfer to Ngorongoro Crater Rim

Day 7 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari:  Olmoti or Empakai Crater Hiking & Nainokanoka Masai Cultural Visit

Day 8 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari:  Ngorongoro Crater – Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)

Detailed Safari Itinerary of the  8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari

Day 1 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari – Kilimanjaro International Airport & transfer to Arusha

Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), our representative will meet you and transfer you to your hotel for an overnight stay. Your professional safari guide will brief you during dinner on various aspects of your itinerary.

Accommodation

Midrange: African Tulip Hotel (Bed & Breakfast)

Day 2 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari: Lake Manyara Biking Adventure & Hot local Lunch – Manyara National Park Game Drive – Lake Eyasi Sunset

After breakfast, we will depart to Manyara for biking adventure to Lake Manyara. On our way to the soda lake, we can encounter common wildlife like zebras, gazelles and wildebeests. Lake Manyara is also famous for flamingos and different species of water birds.

Later we enjoy our bike ride through Mto Wa Mbu village located 5minutes away from Lake Manyara NP entry gate. Our bike ride will take us to the unique venue where we will enjoy variety of hot local lunch dishes.

After lunch we will proceed to Lake Manyara NP for game viewing. The park is green throughout the year because of its underground water sources. Its verdant color attracts hundreds of spectacular varieties of migratory and wetland birds flying overhead. It also attracts huge populations of flamingos because its shallow alkaline-saline (salt) soda lake creates an ideal environment for microorganisms to grow that flamingos’ feed upon. Manyara’s natural habitat also includes large troops of baboons, velvet monkeys, blue monkeys, and tree climbing lions, hippos, giraffes, zebras, buffalos, elephants, warthogs, impalas, Thomson-gazelles, and Grant gazelles. Leopards, cheetahs, rock/tree hyrax, kudus, elands, bushbucks, waterbucks, and dik-diks also live in this park.

Later in the evening ascend and proceed to Lake Eyasi for sunset, dinner and overnight.

Accommodation

Midrange: Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge (Full Board)

Day 3 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari: Lake Eyasi Cultural Visit

Depart for cultural visit with the Hadzabe Bushmen, one of the most remote and last hunter-gatherer tribes on earth. We participate in various interactive daily activities with the Hadzabe, including bush trek, hunting, honey gathering, baobab fruit foraging, tribal chanting, dancing and sitting around their daily campfires. Time spent with the Hadzabe Bushmen, as with other cultural groups visited, is not choreographed in a specific way. We just join in whatever they are doing during their day. Things need to stay flexible because, if game is near, the Hadzabe dash off into the bush for it and we join them.

In the late afternoon, we join the Datoga tribe, another well preserved traditional tribe in the Lake Eyasi area, and participate in whatever they are doing, such as making yogurt in a calabash, milking cows, making butter and joining their traditional dances.

In the later afternoon, we drive to Karatu Ngorongoro for a leisurely evening and hot dinner.

Accommodation

Midrange: Tloma Lodge (Full Board)

Day 4 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari:  Karatu – Serengeti National Park

 After breakfast, we proceed to the Serengeti endless plains by way of the lush Ngorongoro Crater Highlands.

The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai word siringitu, means “endless plains”. You will see why once you see its ocean of grassland savannas stretching to the horizon as far as your eye can see. However certain parts also are covered in the Acacia savanna, dense wooded hills or rocky outcrops known as kopjes, as well as pans and lakes. The abundance of African wildlife is of course what makes it such a sought after safari destination, and includes healthy populations of lion, buffalo, impala, hippo, waterbuck, elephant, cheetah, leopard and a host of other game species – not mention the more than 400 species of birds.

We will arrive in Serengeti for afternoon game drive searching for wildlife. Later in the evening we will drive further to the camp for evening leisure and hot dinner.

Accommodation

Midrange: Kati Kati Tented Camp (Full Board)

Day 5 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari:    Extensive game drive in Central Serengeti – unlimited game drive

The entire day is dedicated to game viewing in the Serengeti. Predators include lions, leopards (in the acacia trees) and cheetahs are seeing in this great park. During the short rainy season in November and December the herds move from the hills in the north to the plains in the south. During the longer rainy season from April to June they return up central heading west. As the migration is completely dependent on the yearly rainfalls, the location of the herds may vary from year to year.

After a full day wandering through the Serengeti central plains, you will head back to you camp for evening leisure and hot dinner.

Accommodation

Midrange: Kati Kati Tented Camp (Full Board)

Day 6 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari: Final game drive in Serengeti National Park & transfer to Ngorongoro Crater Rim

After breakfast, depart with picnic lunch for final game drive in Serengeti. After lunch, we will drive in the direction of the Ngorongoro Crater. As soon as you have reached the edge of the crater rim, the crater appears half a mile below you inviting you to gaze at this jaw dropping natural wonder. When you reach its edge and view its 100 square mile expanse, it is a sight to behold.

We will be getting out of the safari jeep to enjoy the view while having a walking safari along the crater rim for an hour. Later proceed to your hotel for evening leisure and hot dinner.

Accommodation

Midrange: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Full Board)

Day 7 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari:  Olmoti or Empakai Crater Hiking & Nainokanoka Masai Cultural Visit

After breakfast, we depart to the north side of Ngorongoro Conservation Area where Olmoti and Empakai Craters are located. The hiking to the floor of the crater, it takes about 35-45 minutes to descend and 60+ minutes to ascend. If you don’t want to hike into one the craters, you can enjoy a pleasant walking safari above its rim in the lush Ngorongoro Highlands while watching Maasai graze their cattle.

Later in the afternoon, you will visit Nainokanoka, a Maasai village located near the two craters. The highlight of your visit to Nainokanoka will be meeting the elder of a four-generation Maasai family boma (homestead), meet his 7 wives, his 50 children and see their manyata’s (igloo-like homes). Children can play football with other children on the highlands plain grounds.

Accommodation

Midrange: Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (Full Board)

Day 8 of the 8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari:  Ngorongoro Crater – Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)

After breakfast, we drive to the Ngorongoro Crater and descend into it for a half-day of game viewing.

Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest volcano caldera formed three million years ago and is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world and one of Africa’s most remarkable geological sites.

The Big Five (rhino, elephant, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard) and most of the animal species found in the Serengeti, including zebra, hippos, wildebeest, and cheetahs, can be viewed close up. The Ngorongoro Crater ecosystem maintains the historic balance between people and nature in a way that is not possible in other parks.

Depending on your flight departure time, you will ascend and proceed to JRO for your flight back home.

End of the  8 Days Tanzania Cultural Safari

Inclusions

• Accommodations and meals as specified for each day of the itinerary
• Transportation by private FWD vehicle, equipped with roof hatches, VHF radio, and GSM contact with our base in Arusha
• The services of a professional safari guide
• Park and Crater entry fees
• Crater Rim Walk
• Lake Eyasi Cultural Visit
• Empakai or Olmoti crater hiking
• Nainokanoka Cultural Visit
• Airport transfers
• Wildlife management fee
• Lake Manyara Biking Adventure and hot local lunch
• Unlimited Water supply throughout the safari

Exclusions:

• International airfare and other travel costs such as visas and vaccination fees, and additional travel insurance.
• Optional Serengeti balloon safari (USD $539 per person),
• Any increase in government taxes prior to the start of your trip
• All items of a personal nature (e.g. beverages, laundry, etc.)
• Gratitude for the safari guides (at your discretion)