RECS009: 14 Days Northern Tanzania Expedition
Start in Amboseli in Kenya for the magnificent animal spectacles and the impressive Mt. Kilimanjaro (the roof of Africa), then cross the border to Longido to visit a Maasai village. Visit Mto wa Mbu with its myriad ethnic groups, then visit the Hadzabe, a tribe closely associated to the bushmen of Southern Africa at Lake. Eyasi. Home-stay can be organized at Mto wa Mbu on request.
DAY 1: NAIROBI – AMBOSELI
Leave early and drive to Amboseli National park. Just at the foot of Kilimanjaro (5,894m), Africa’s highest summit, Amboseli is one of the most beautiful parks in Africa. This park is famous for its big game – elephants, giraffe, buffalo, lions, and cheetahs – and for its great scenic beauty. It is hard to beat the sight of wild elephants in front of Africa’s most famous mountain, Kilimanjaro. The 3,810sq km of this National park and game reserve encompasses various ecological zones of dry lake bed, acacia woodland, rocky lava strewn, thorn bushes, swamps and marshes and the massif of Oldoinyo Orok rising to over 2,760m. Sun rises and sunsets are romantic with the backdrop of the snow-caped Kilimanjaro.
DAY 2: AMBOSELI
Full day game drive at Amboseli.
DAY 3: AMBOSELI- LONGIDO
Early morning game drives at Amboseli. Come back for breakfast then leave Amboseli to and cross Kenya-Tanzania border to Longido. Longido is a Maasai village situated at the foot of the Longido hill whose rocks the Maasai use to sharpen their knives and spears. Walk beneath these hills with Maasai guides and visit their traditional huts, spot animals on a walking safari in the bush, find out about the medicinal uses of the savanna plants and learn the history and culture of these fascinating people. Overnight at a bush camp
DAY 4: LONGIDO - MT. MERU
Leave early and drive to Arusha National Park via Arusha town. At 4566m, Mt. Meru is the highest point in this park. It is a spectacular classic volcanic cone, formed by the volcanic action associated with the creation of the Great Rift Valley. The circular wall of the summit crater was broken by subsequent thermal explosions to make today's horse-shoe shape, and more recent volcanic activity has created the ash cone that stands inside the crater. Small eruptions have been reported in the last 100 years, indicating that Meru is still not quite extinct. Overnight at a bush camp
DAY 5: MT. MERU
Full day game walk on the lower slopes of Mt. Meru. Overnight at a bush camp
DAY 6: MT. MERU– NGORONGORO CRATER
Leave early and drive to Ngorongoro Crater arriving in time for an evening game drive. Ngorongoro is collapsed volcano - an incredible natural amphitheatre teeming with all of the African big game. Overnight at campsite on the Crater Rim
DAY 7: NGORONGORO – SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Morning Game drives in Ngorongoro Crater then on via Olduvai Gorge (site of the Leakey’s archaeological digs where the earliest human tools have been found) to the Serengeti National Park. Camp overnight in bush campsite
DAY 8: SERENGETI
All day game drives in Serengeti. Endless rolling grasslands criss-crossed with forested riverine valleys plays home to millions of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles making this one of the world’s most famous wildlife spectacles. Camp overnight in bush campsite
DAY 9: SERENGETI – LAKE EYASI
Early morning game drives at Ngorongoro. Come back for breakfast then drive to Lake Eyasi. Lake Eyasi, a salt lake lying between the Eyasi Escarpment in the north (an ancient fault line that is part of the rift valley system) and the Kidero mountains in the south. It is a hot dry area around which the Hadzabe (also known as Hadzapi or Tindaga) people who are believed to have lived here for nearly 10,000years. Today, there are only a few hundred left. Their language is characterized by clicks and may be distantly related to that of the San (Bushmen) of Southern Africa, although it shows only a few connections to Sandawe, the other click language spoken in Tanzania. Camp on the escarpment and visit a Hadzabe village.
DAY 10: LAKE EYASI
Leave early and Hike to the lake. Visit a village nearby in the afternoon.
DAY 11: LAKE EYASI - L. MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
Drive to Mto wa Mbu then afternoon game drive around Lake Manyara. This park is famed for the bird life around the soda lake - flamingos in particular, and is home to unusual tree-climbing lions. It also has a large elephant population. Camp overnight in Mto wa Mbu - permanent tented camp - with hot showers!
DAY 12: MTO WA MBU
Full day cultural experience activities around Mto wa Mbu. Here you can take a leisurely walking safari to visit the many different tribes and cultures in the area. Discover their farming, irrigation, fishing and cattle husbandry techniques, visit houses, sample local cuisine, visit income generation projects and generally gain a deeper understanding of the lifestyle of the people who live and work here. Camp overnight in Mto wa Mbu - permanent tented camp - with hot showers!
DAY 13: MTO WA MBU – TARANGIRE
DAY 14: TARANGIRE - ARUSHA
Early morning game drive. Come back for breakfast then drive to Arusha.