Arrive in Arusha and transfer to your lodge, situated on a working coffee plantation. Your private chalet near Mount Meru features a log fireplace and a balcony.

This morning, begin your safari adventure by enjoying one of these Design Your Day activities:

• Explore a Coffee Estate, walking the plantation to see how fine local coffee is grown, harvested, dried and produced.
• Tour the Shanga Workshop with a Private Guide to learn about the handmade jewellery and homewares created there

Return to your lodge for lunch, and then fly to Tarangire National Park, where open grasslands, acacia trees and the Tarangire River paint a wild landscape. This afternoon, we set out on a game drive.

Today, enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in search of elands, oryxes, wildebeests and zebras as well as the park’s large elephant population. Keep your eyes trained for hartebeests, gazelles and exotic birds like the bateleur and martial eagle. Your local expert driver-guide draws on years of experience in the bush to locate the best wildlife-viewing opportunities right as they happen. This evening, you may choose an optional game drive by moonlight (at an additional cost). As dusk falls, relax in the comfort of your safari vehicle as you venture into the park, as it is transformed by night. Search for nocturnal animals rarely seen by visitors. Among the species you may encounter are an African wildcat or the elusive leopard, or you may feel the round eyes of a bush baby peering down at you. With specialized lighting, look for lions and hyenas, as well as smaller creatures such as spotted servals, bat-eared foxes and owls.

As you cross the Great Rift Valley, stop to visit a market in Mto wa Mbu, where stalls brim with vibrant local produce. Then, see the village from a different perspective as you ride on a tuk-tuk, viewing the local community and rice fields. Next, take a scenic drive to tranquil Gibb’s Farm, where you stop for lunch made with organic, just-picked ingredients. Later, arrive at the natural amphitheatre of Ngorongoro Crater, a 2,000-foot-deep caldera. A fascinating microcosm of East African wildlife resides inside, including buffalo, flamingos, lions and leopards. Climb the outer wall, passing through dense vegetation until a breathtaking view across the crater floor appears. Arrive at your camp, nestled in a wooded area with easy access to the crater floor and featuring elegant, tented accommodations adorned with handwoven rugs, comfortable beds with crisp linens, and en suite bathrooms with flush toilets. Relax on your veranda to view the natural wonderland.

This morning, descend into the crater, arriving ahead of most visitors — thanks to the closer proximity of your ideally-located accommodations — to view the resident wildlife at its most active time of day. Take a break from game viewing to enjoy a picnic lunch, in a location apart from crowded picnic sites, as a symphony of wildlife sounds envelops you. This afternoon, visit with an elder at a Maasai village, where you learn about the tribe’s traditional, nomadic lifestyle and coexistence with wildlife. Since the incomparable spirit of this pastoral, nomadic people have kept their tribal traditions alive through countless generations of life in East Africa.

Fly to the fabled Serengeti National Park and settle into your remote and authentic camp. Then, set out on the boundless Serengeti, one of the oldest and least-changed ecosystems on earth, where the circle of life plays out every day. For a portion of each year, dictated by weather patterns and the unpredictable nature of wild animals, vast herds of wildebeests and zebras move through the Serengeti in search of grass and water as part of the year-round Great Migration cycle. This evening, sip a cocktail and reflect on the majesty of Africa during a relaxing sundowner experience.

Get out on morning and afternoon game drives in the protected Serengeti refuge, where flowing rivers support a plethora of species. In addition to the Big Five (lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards and rhinos), keep your camera handy for sights such as a cheetah bolting after a fleet of Thomson’s gazelle. Enjoy ideal game viewing, as your highly experienced driver-guide strives continually to keep you in the heart of the action.

Fly to Arusha and relax in a comfortable dayroom before transferring to the airport for your flight home.

End Of Your Safari