Tanzania Safari: Explore Wildlife and Maasai Culture

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Embark on a 14-day Tanzania safari from south to north. Experience wildlife, Maasai culture, and iconic parks like Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

Duration: 14 days

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Dar es Salaam to Selous GR (Nyerere NP) for Safari

Selous Game Reserve - Begin your exciting 4-hour safari to Nyerere National Park, previously known as Selous Game Reserve, at 5:00 AM. Enjoy breakfast upon arrival at Selous before embarking on a thrilling game drive within the park.
Today, you will encounter a variety of wildlife, including…

Dar es Salaam to Selous GR (Nyerere NP) for Safari

Today, you will encounter a variety of wildlife, including elephants, zebras, giraffes, and antelopes. Additionally, you’ll observe diverse bird species and stunning landscapes featuring wetlands, dry grasslands, light acacia forests, and elevated areas offering expansive views of distant mountains.

In the afternoon, savor a packed lunch and take a moment to relax before continuing the game drive. Conclude the day with another activity at 4:30 PM, then return to Impala Tented Camp by 6:30 PM for dinner, rest, and preparation for the following day.

Guided Game Drive in Selous GR (Nyerere Tented Camp)

Selous Game Reserve - After breakfast, starting at 6:30 AM, enjoy a bush breakfast followed by a full-day game drive in Nyerere National Park. Depart from Impala Luxury Tented Camp, where professional drivers and guides will accompany you. Today, you’ll witness a variety of animals, including elephants, zebras, giraffes, and antelopes. You’ll also appreciate the diverse birdlife and scenic landscapes, featuring wetlands, dry grasslands, light acacia forests, and elevated areas with sweeping views of distant mountains.

In the evening, exit the park and head to Jimbiza Tented Camp for accommodation.

Walking Tour then Drive to Mikumi NP

Mikumi National Park - After breakfast at 6:30 AM, embark on a 1-hour walking safari with a bushman, followed by a journey to Mikumi National Park. Enjoy a hot lunch en route to Mikumi. Along the way, engage in various activities with local villagers. Arrive in the late afternoon around 4:00 PM at Bastian Camp in Mikumi, where you can relax in preparation for the next day’s itinerary.

Guided Game Drive in Mikumi and Maasai Tour

Mikumi National Park - After breakfast at 7:00 AM, proceed to Mikumi National Park for a full-day game drive, encountering magnificent animals such as lions, elands, and buffaloes. The Mikumi floodplain, bordered by mountain ranges, is the park’s main attraction. Enjoy lunch and rest in the afternoon before continuing the game drive until late afternoon. Experience Maasai culture from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, then return to Bastian Camp to prepare for the next day’s activities.

Hiking at Udzungwa Mountain National Park

Udzungwa Mountains National Park - After breakfast at 7:00 AM, drive for one hour to Udzungwa Mountains National Park, where you’ll hike and explore the waterfalls. Receive a briefing upon arrival and begin your hike through the forested mountains. From the waterfall’s summit, admire the vast Kilombero Sugarcane Valley, one of the largest sugarcane plantations, along with rubber plantations used for making tires and balls. At 1:00 PM, enjoy a packed lunch at Sanje Waterfalls, where you can also take a refreshing swim in the cool waters. After hiking, proceed to Udzungwa Falls Lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Udzungwa Mountain NP to Ruaha National Park

Ruaha National Park - After breakfast at 6:00 AM, with packed lunches, travel from Udzungwa Mountains NP to Ruaha National Park. In Ruaha, delight in the scenic Ruaha River Valley and observe remarkable wildlife, including kudu, wildebeests, elephants, zebras, lions, hippos, hartebeests, impalas, antelopes, giraffes, and buffaloes.

Guided Game Drive at Ruaha National Park

Ruaha National Park - After breakfast at 7:00 AM, a driver will pick you up for a full-day game drive at Ruaha National Park. Enjoy a packed lunch and rest in the afternoon before continuing the game drive until sunset. Return to Ruaha Hilltop Lodge for dinner, rest, and preparation for the next day’s game drive.

Another Guided Game Drive in Ruaha NP

Ruaha National Park - After breakfast at 7:00 AM, a driver will pick you up for a second full-day game drive at Ruaha National Park, exploring different routes from the previous day. Enjoy a packed lunch and rest in the afternoon before continuing the game drive until sunset. Return to Ruaha Hilltop Lodge for dinner, rest, and preparation for the next day’s itinerary.

Ruaha Hilltop Lodge to Dodoma Region

Isimila Stone Age Site - Early in the morning at 6:30 AM, a driver will pick you up and take you to the Isimila Stone Age site, arriving by 8:00 AM. After this cultural tour, continue your journey to the Dodoma region, the capital city of Tanzania. Isimila is home to a Middle Pleistocene archaeological site, featuring large surface assemblages of later Acheulean lithics, including hand axes, cleavers, scrapers, and cores. Although no human bones have been discovered, Isimila offers a unique insight into Middle Pleistocene hominid behavior. The site is a registered National Historic Site. Enjoy lunch en route to Dodoma. Upon arrival, proceed to Morena Hotel for an overnight stay.

Morena Hotel to Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park - After breakfast at 6:00 AM, drive to Tarangire National Park for a full-day game drive with packed lunches. Arrive at Tarangire by 8:00 AM and begin the game drive. Tarangire is renowned for its large elephant herds and diverse wildlife. The Tarangire River ensures a steady presence of animals. After the game drive, head to Simba Lodge in Karatu for accommodation.

Guided Game Drive in Lake Manyara

Lake Manyara National Park - Depart from your hotel in Karatu at 8:00 AM for a scenic journey across the Great Rift Valley, embarking on a full-day game drive. Despite its modest size (205 sq miles), the park boasts breathtaking scenery and is renowned for its lush acacia forests, giant figs, mahogany trees, and thriving populations of baboons and blue monkeys. Permanent residents include giraffes, elephants, impalas, and numerous buffaloes. The lake is also home to a significant number of hippos. The landscapes of Lake Manyara are indescribable, offering stunning photo opportunities of giraffes and buffaloes against the backdrop of the lake. Return to the camp for dinner in the afternoon.

Karatu Simba Lodge - Ngorongoro Crater - Serengeti National Park

Ngorongoro Conservation Area - Ngorongoro Crater is considered one of the Natural Wonders of the World. Spanning 102 sq miles with 2,000 ft high walls, it serves as a virtual Noah’s Ark, housing nearly every species of wildlife native to East Africa. It’s one of the few places on the continent where you can see the black rhino. The crater features a river, swamps, a soda lake with a high concentration of flamingos, a forest, and open plains. It’s also famous for its elephants, which are the largest in the world with enormous tusks. Ngorongoro Crater is truly a Natural Wonder of the World.

Begin the day early with a transfer to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Upon arrival, descend into the crater floor for an incredible morning of wildlife viewing in one of the most breathtaking places on earth.

Serengeti National Park - After an amazing afternoon game drive, ascend the crater and travel to Serengeti National Park, staying at Serengeti Heritage.

Guided Game in Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park - Spend a full day in Serengeti National Park. The itinerary is flexible and can be tailored to your preferences. Each day, your guide will discuss the best timings for activities, including game drives and wake-up times. For instance, you might opt for a morning game drive, return to the camp for lunch and relaxation, and conclude with an afternoon game drive. Alternatively, you could enjoy a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch.

Sunrise Game then Fly Back to Zanzibar

Serengeti National Park - Shortly after breakfast at 6:00 AM, embark on a morning game drive in Serengeti National Park with a professional guide, ensuring a memorable exploration of the park.

Zanzibar Island - Later, at 10:30 AM, drive to Seronera Airstrip for a flight back to Zanzibar for further plans. Upon arrival in Zanzibar, you’ll be picked up at the airport and driven to your hotel.
This concludes the tour!

What's Included

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner

What's Not Included

On-board restrooms

Additional Information

With this tour, our client(s) are likely going to get an explicit experience with the open communication adventure.
Beyond wildlife, the tour includes interactions with local communities such as the Maasai, providing insights into their traditions, daily life, and cultural heritage.
-Experienced tour guide (s), Good vehicle for the game drives and a…

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

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Raagvamdatt

Jul 26, 2024

Prompt, reliable, responsive, and great value for money - My family recently (July 2024) completed a private 14 day safari in Tanzania (plus a couple of pre & post days in Arusha and Dar Es Salaam). Of these, 7 days were in the North (covering Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro), and the remaining 7 days were in the South (covering Nyerere, Mikumi and Ruaha). It also included a couple of flights within Tanzania. The entire trip was arranged with the help of ‘Smile With Us Tours In Africa’, and I have nothing but nice things to say about them. All planning, booking, payments, etc. were centrally coordinated by Jacob, who has been absolutely wonderful! I started by requesting an itinerary from Jacob. He was prompt, and the itinerary he shared covered all the parks I wanted to visit. I worked with him closely to fine-tune the number of nights in each park, change specific camps / lodges, and add extra activities like walking safaris and night safaris. This took several iterations, and Jacob was always very prompt in sharing the revised itinerary. I was working with a couple of other providers as well, and Smile’s quote was the best for the itinerary I wanted. Once everything was to my satisfaction, I finally booked the safari with him in July 2023 by paying 30% of the cost in advance (with the remaining due a few days before the start date). Considering the amount involved ran into 1000s of dollars, I was apprehensive about the advance as well as the final payment. After all, I would be paying the whole amount before the safari had even started! What if Smile couldn’t deliver, or if things went wrong? Fortunately, my apprehensions proved to be completely unfounded! From booking till the beginning of the safari, Jacob kept me informed periodically about the progress regarding hotel bookings, flight bookings, etc. He was also very responsive whenever I had any question – he typically responded within a few hours of my email, which was amazing considering the time difference of 7 hours between the US and Tanzania! A few days before the start of the safari, he also shared his local contact numbers as well as the contact number of the guide assigned to me. Once my trip started, the execution by Smile / Jacob was flawless. All airport pickups and drop-offs were on time, and the guides / drivers assigned to me were pleasant, welcoming and knowledgeable. The camps / lodges were excellent, and the 4x4 Land Cruisers assigned to us both in the North & South circuit were in excellent condition with comfortable seating, a built-in fridge and outlets for charging. I firmly believe that the true test of any organizer is when things go wrong, and Smile / Jacob shined there as well. We had 2 nights booked in a lodge in Nyerere (Nyerere Tented Camp). When we reached there, it had a lot of things that ticked us off: the atmosphere was not at all welcoming, it had hygiene issues, and it had geckos – lots of them! Having geckos on the walls is one thing - this place had so many crawling on the floor of the restaurant!! I brought this up with Jacob, and he immediately found an alternate accommodation for the second night – and this was during the high season! Another instance of making things right was when our Land Cruiser broke down on the last day (which is not a reflection on the condition of the vehicle – the best of vehicles break down in the tough conditions of these parks!). Jacob worked with our lodge, and arranged a game drive through them to make sure that our experience didn’t suffer and we ended our trip on a happy note! All in all, I had a very positive experience with Smile / Jacob from the beginning of the planning to the end of the trip. I would not hesitate to utilize their services again, and whole-heartedly recommend them! A special shout-out to our guide Salum Msese (aka Salim) – he was absolutely wonderful, and went above and beyond several times in the 7 days we spent with him on the Southern circuit. Just to give an example: We had a day full of driving (Nyerere to Mikumi that took 9 hours), followed by a night game drive (3.5 hours) - and he did it with a smile, without any hint of tiredness. The next day, he did an early game drive and then another long drive (Mikumi to Ruaha that took 7 hours) - and this was after only 4 hours of sleep! Salum was always eager to show us as many animals as possible, and took every effort to ensure this – he followed lion footprints, spoke with other guides, and made sure we had the best possible experience.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

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From $7,436

up to 15 guests

2 - Adult