Itinerary
  
Day 1: Arrive Dar Es Salaam
Upon arrival in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania’s bustling seaport capital, we are transferred to the charming Sea Cliff Hotel for the evening. Depending upon your arrival time, you may have time to explore this mid-19th century fishing village that has turned into an important Africa seaport.

Days 2-4: Ruaha National Park
After an early breakfast on the coast, we transfer to the airport for our flight to Ruaha National Park, Tanzania’s second largest national park and a spectacular wildlife haven from June through November. Nestled into a bank of the Mwagusi Sand River, the sight of over 2,000 buffalo flooding the riverbed below the tents and dining “banda” is not uncommon! Mwagusi Safari Camp is located in a unique transition zone, where East and Southern African fauna and flora overlap and within Ruaha’s vast unspoiled wilderness. The 10 luxury thatched walk-in safari tents are designed with plenty of amenities, including full private toilet and hot shower facilities, all constructed within the traditional safari style. Each private tent has a large covered veranda with a table and armchairs made from local materials. The best game viewing can be experienced from the seclusion of your veranda. There will be plenty of opportunity for game drives and walks throughout the area in specially adapted, open sided four-wheel drive vehicles. Walking safaris, accompanied by an experienced guide, or viewing by vehicle without the disturbance of other vehicles is one of the main attractions of Mwagusi's safari adventure. Here, large herds of elephant, wild dog, sable, both greater and lesser kudu, roan antelope and a plentiful predator population including leopard and lion can be found. There are also more than 510 species of birds in Ruaha National Park!

Day 5: Lake Manyara - Masai Lodge
After an early morning game drive, we will proceed to the airstrip with a picnic lunch and fly to Lake Manyara, best known for its alkaline lakes that attract thousands of lesser flamingos whose remarkable coloring appear to paint the water pink. We will enjoy an afternoon game drive in this unique setting. At the E Unoto Lodge, a traditional "boma style" lodge partially owned by a local Masai tribe, we will enjoy the comforts of a "Hemingway" style safari hotel. Luxury circular bungalows, each thatched with private facilities and classic appointments, provide a spot of colonial style combined with traditional safari themes. Freshen up and stroll the grounds before enjoying a wonderful meal and a classic African evening.

Days 6 & 7: Ngorongoro Crater / Private Safari Camp
After an early morning game drive in Lake Manayara on Day 6 (the best time to visit this area is in the morning when most transfer visitors have not yet arrived), we will journey to world-famous Ngorongoro Crater, one of the world’s true wildlife wonders. Our private safari camp is situated on the crater rim giving us a unique and authentic safari experience that cannot be gained at the large lodges. With views of the crater, we can enjoy a hot shower and a wonderful meal on our first night in our luxury mobile safari camp. We will spend a full day in the crater -- or more accurately the caldera as Ngorongoro is in fact a collapsed volcano. We descend the steep walls by 4-wheel drive vehicle to find elephant, lion, cheetah, black rhinoceros, hippopotamus, zebra and much more grazing the miles of grasslands at the base. This is truly a special day as the animals in this specific area have taken on unique traits in their isolation from East Africa’s other wildlife.

Days 8-10: Tarangire National Park / Private Safari Camp
We drive from the crater rim directly to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania’s 3rd largest national park and considered its most scenic with huge baobab trees and acacia dotted hills. Tarangire hosts the second largest migration of animals in Africa from July through November when herds of elephant, wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and antelopes of all kinds migrate into the park during the dry season in search of the waters of the Tarangire River creating a rare and exhilarating site. The park is famous for more than 7,000 individual elephants, large prides of lion, leopard and giraffe, and it is the one remaining park you may be able to find wild dogs in northern Tanzania. Our private, luxury mobile camp is key to this natural experience as it provides a wonderfully classic safari ambience within this hauntingly beautiful African landscape. In the evenings, we gather for dinner and relaxation in our dining tent or on our personal verandahs – this is a safari experience that offers wonderful comforts, yet maintains the authenticity of the classic African safaris of yesteryear.

Day 11: Tarangire / Arusha / Home
After a morning game drive, we journey to Arusha where we enjoy a day room at the lovely Kigongoni Lodge and have free time to explore the shopping areas. We gather for our farewell dinner and then transfer to the airport for our return flights. Some travelers choose to embark on our Serengeti Extension.

 
Trip Details 

Group Size Limit: 12 travelers
A very important feature of our trips is the limited group size as nature expeditions are best experienced with smaller sized groups of travelers.

Included
Accommodations, all meals from dinner on Day 1 through dinner on the final day, soft drinks and laundry while in the luxury mobile camps, charter air while on the safari portion of your trip, transfers on Day 1 and the final day, NHA's professional Expedition Leaders, permits & park fees.

Not Included
Travel to and from starting and ending point of trip, gratuities, passport and visa fees (if applicable), items of a personal nature (souvenirs, phone calls, etc.), soft drinks and laundry at the lodges, airport and government taxes (if applicable), and required medical evacuation insurance.

Physical Requirements
Easy
This safari is based on game drives in four-wheel drive vehicles in wild areas. Our walking activities are usually short and optional. We do, however, recommend that travelers who participate in these programs be of an adventurous spirit, as they will often enjoy the very closest of animal encounters.