Active Safari
Day 1 – Arrival / Machweo Retreat
Upon arrival at the airport you will be greeted personally by the Managing Director of our Tanzanian sister company. Transfer to the Machweo Retreat with dinner, bed and breakfast. The Machweo Retreat is located a few miles from Arusha. On this Idyllic estate you arrive relaxed in Africa. Recover from the journey by the pool or in the tastefully furnished rooms. On the terrace of the restaurant you can enjoy the African sunset with a sundowner before you indulge on a mixture of regional and French cuisine.
Day 2 – Lake Manyara National Park
Drive to Manyara National Park, full-day safari with picnic lunch in the park. Dinner and overnight in Empakai.
Although ist one oft he smallest parks in northern Tanzania, the Manyara National Park offers a wide variety of wildlife including Lions, Elephants, Giraffes, and Buffalos. All this is surrounded by the beautiful landscape of the Rift Valley and Lake Manyara with thousands of Flamingos and other birds.
The Plantation Lodge
Like a green oasis, the Plantation Lodge is nestled in the reddish-brown hillsides of Karatu amidst the vastness and tranquility of East Africa.
The individually furnished rooms and suites blend in harmoniously with the flowering garden.
The very personal service, as well as the excellent cuisine, make the stay here a very special experience.
Day 3 – Ngorongoro Crater
Full day safari in the famous Ngorongoro Crater, with picnic lunch in the open. Dinner & overnight at Empakai Camp.
The land of the Big Five: Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, Lion and Rhino.
The Ngorongoro crater on the edge of the Serengeti was created by the collapse of a volcanic mountain. The crater floor is 1.700 meters above sea level and has a diameter of about 20 km. On an area of 26.400 ha is found an incredible wealth of animal life, perfectly protected by crater walls up to 600 meters high. Bernhard Grzimek and his son Michael are buried on the edge of probably the most famous animal reserve in the world. In 2010, this natural amphitheatre became a world cultural heritage site.
Empakai Camp
On the edge of the Empakai Crater overlooking it lies the Empakai camp. From June 2018, the new 6 sleeping tents will provide a high level of luxury in the middle of nowhere. The semi-permanent tents stand on platforms and are each equipped with their own ensuite bathroom, equipped with bucket showers and flush toilets as well as hand wash basins. The beds are extra padded with thick matresses as well as warm bedding along with the evening hot water bottle. This provides a cuddly warm nest at 2800m altitude. Empakai is run as a very eco-friendly eco-camp, which is designed to have no impact on nature. That said there are no permanent structures. Here you will enjoy real bush camping in harmony with nature, but also lovingly cared for by well-trained staff, that ensure your stay is pleasant. Drinks are included in the price at Empakai Camp.
Day 4 – Empakai Hike
The day tour (6-7 hours walk) takes you from the Empakai Camp on the Crater rim to the Leonotis camp. There will be picnic lunch on the way. In the late afternoon there will be a hike to a nearby vantage point, which is an excellent place for a sundowner. Dinner and overnight at Leonotis Camp.
This scenic walk leads through areas that are inaccessible to cars and allows you to visit unspoiled Maasai villages.
They are led by a Maasai guide and an armed ranger, as encounters with buffaloes, leopards or hyenas are possible in the first part of the route.
Leonotis Camp
As with Empakai camp, the focus here is on environmental compatibility. The camp is only at 2200m and you will notice a significant increase in temperature. You will be amazed, what cuisine can be conjured under such simple conditions. After dinner, enjoy the unspoiled sounds of nature around the campfire with a good glass of red wine, which like all drinks, is included in the price. In the morning you wake to sounds of singing birds, and you can expect a hearty breakfast.
Day 5 – Hike to Lake Natron
Last part of the hike (4-5 hours) followed by the arrival at Lake Natron. Dinner and overnight at Summit Lake Natron Camp.
This hike will take you north to Maasai Land, where the Maasai holy mountain Oldonyo Lengai is located. The view of the active volcano is spectacular. Part oft he route takes you through a kind of lunar landscape cretaed by lava ash. Land Rovers can no longer travel this part of the journey. Your luggage will be transported by donkey tot he next camp.
Your car will be waiting for you at the foot of Ol Doinyo Lengai and will drive you the last bit to the camp. The rest of the day is spent on leisure or to relax on the Shore of Lake Natron, after the exhausting hike over the past two days.
Summit Lake Natron Camp
Situated on the edge of the lake, in a breathtaking setting, the utopian looking camp, with its spacious 12 tents, provides a perfect base for activities around the lake. The camoflage shade nets over the actual tents blend in perfectly with the landscape and ensure a pleasant climate inside. All tents are equipped with a shower and sink, with running water along with a Bio toilet. Meals are taken in the cozy lounge tent. A natural pool with soundowner deck invites you to cool off after a dusty safari. Let yourself be pampered in the Spa deck with a well earned massage after the strenous hike. Summit Camp also includes all drinks.
Day 6 – Lake Natron
Lake Natron: picnic lunch with dinner and overnight at the Natron Summit Camp again.
Take a walk to the shore of Lake Natron before breakfast. At this time the light is most beautiful and the flamingoes have not yet retreated to the middle of the lake. After breakfast, a Maasai guide will guide you through the gorge to the nearby waterfall. The journey takes about 1.5 hours and upon arrival of your destination you will feel it was all worth it, as you take in the eye-catching view. In addition you can enjoy a wonderful dip in the naturally created pool at the foot of the waterfall.
In the evening there will be a short excursion to the 120,000 year old, fossilized footprints in the cooled lava.
Day 7 – Tarangire National Park
After breakfast departure to Tarangire National Park, where the safari continues.
Picnic lunch in the wilderness, followed by dinner and overnight at Maweninga Camp.
The Tarangire National Park is one of the most beautiful animal reserves in Tanzania. On an area of 2600 km ² and an average altitude of 1100 m. There are some animal species that are rarely or not observed in other parks in northern Tanzania. For example, the Gerenuk, the small kudu, oryx and eland antelope and the rarest of all antelopes: the great kudu. Late summer and autumn are a great time to visit the Tarangire, which is full of animals: big cats, elephants (sometimes herds of over 200 animals !!!), giraffes, buffalos ... The special feature of the flora of the Tarangire are the numerous baobab trees.
Maweninga Camp
Maweninga means rock pigeon in Swahili.
The camp is built on an imposing granite rock in the northwest of Tarangire National Park and is one of the few camps in the park with this type of location.
Easy to get to, yet remote enough to make you feel “alone in the world’, this select space is the perfect place to end a safari day of adventure.
On this privileged patch of earth, you can overlook vast tracts of parkland and enjoy glorious sunsets over Lake Manyara and Lake Burunge. Whether from the terrace of your tent, the inviting cocktail bar or the campfire area.
Day 8 – Onward journey to Zanzibar/Departure
Morning safari in Tarangire with picnic lunch in the park. Afternoon transfer JRO / Arusha. On early flight to Zanzibar: picnic on the way.