8 Days Private Safari to the Big Five, Unique Landscapes and Cultural People

Today, we welcome you to Arusha-Kilimanjaro International Airport. We will discuss travel planning and answer your questions over a cup of Tanzanian coffee or a cool refreshment. Then, we head towards Kilimanjaro. After a short drive, we reach your accommodation for today.

Arrive first and let yourself be pampered at the accommodation. The first overnight destination on your safari adventure is Moyoni Airport Lodge

The lodge is only 15 minutes away from Kilimanjaro International Airport and offers stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, clouds permitting. The spacious rooms are surrounded by beautiful native vegetation, and each has Wi-Fi.

Take a day tour of Materuni village and hike to the waterfall. After a leisurely hike through the forest, you will reach the waterfall after about an hour. Here you can refresh yourself before returning the same way. In the village of Materuni, you will have the opportunity to prepare and enjoy freshly roasted coffee yourself. For lunch, you can fortify yourself on-site with a local chagga lunch. The Chagga are one of over 120 Tanzanian ethnic groups that call Kilimanjaro home. In the afternoon we leave the Kilimanjaro area and drive to Arusha.

The salt and soda lake is located at the foot of the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano and covers an area of around 60 square kilometers. It is known for its toxic composition of calcium carbonate and salt that comes from the ash of the nearby volcano, making it inhospitable to most life forms. Swimming in the lake is not possible.

The volcanic landscape and the proximity to the Rift Fault make the lake a worthwhile, unusual destination. Our guests explore the lake, the area at the foot of the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano, and the nearby hot springs on guided tours. Photographers are enthusiastic about the unique landscape and the vivid colors of the lake.

Lake Natron is home to a unique ecosystem that includes a variety of microorganisms, algae, and salt-tolerant plants, as well as several species of fish and birds such as lesser flamingos and colonies of pelicans. The lake is known for its bright red color, which is caused by the high concentration of algae and other microorganisms in the water. The color of the lake can vary from pale pink to deep red, depending on the season and weather conditions. It is believed that the high salt and mineral content of the lake contributes to the pink color of the flamingos' feathers.

Accompanied by a Maasai guide, you will be led along the lakeshore to the Engaresero Waterfall, where you can have the dust washed away.

Nowhere in Africa is the probability of encountering these animals greater than here. The so-called "largest zoo in the world" is also a habitat for cheetahs, hyenas, servals, zebras, gazelles, wildebeests, hippos, monkeys, and the rare black rhinoceros, as well as bird species such as crowned cranes, eagles, pelicans, ostriches, and flamingos.

After an early breakfast and a short drive, you will then stand at the gateway to the Ngorongoro Nature Reserve. Your guide will do a few formalities and then you will go through still cloudy, mystical forests up to the crater rim and deep into the crater. With a bit of luck, you will have the opportunity to take photos of the rare black rhinos today. However, you will look in vain for giraffes. They do not succeed in climbing up into the highlands and into the crater.

After a warm lunch at Lake Magadi, we make our way to the Ndutu Plain in the South Serengeti in the afternoon. On our way there, we will stop and visit a typical Maasai village. A visit to a Maasai boma is a cultural highlight of your safari and is as much a part of Tanzania as lions and elephants.

The name "Serengeti" comes from the Maasai language and means "Endless Plains". It is located between the shores of Lake Victoria to the west, Lake Eyasi to the south, and the Great Rift Valley to the east. This vast ecosystem is synonymous with the annual wildebeest and zebra migration of more than two million animals, which takes place in both the Serengeti and the neighboring Maasai Mara area in Kenya.

You will encounter countless wild animals. From a closeness you wouldn't expect. These include lions, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, crocodiles, herds of buffalo, wildebeest, and zebra, and a variety of different antelope and gazelle species of all sizes. From the small dik-dik to the imposing eland.

In short, the Serengeti National Park is a true natural wonder and a must-see for any nature lover. With its vast wilderness and incredible concentration of wildlife, it offers an unforgettable African safari experience.

The months of December to March are the time when the huge herds of wildebeest arrive at the Ndutu area, the southernmost point of their migration to give birth to their calves. It is breathtaking to watch the herds on the wide, open plains of the southern Serengeti and the Ndutu plain. The air is now filled with dust and new life.

In the early morning of the second day in the Serengeti, you have to get up early. We make our way to Lake Eyasi. The home of your next safari destination – the Hadzabe Bushmen. Getting up early will be rewarded with seeing lions and other predators end their long night of hunting, before spending the rest of the day lazily in the shade.

After this long day, you are sure to get a good night's sleep today at Lake Eyasi Safari Lodge.

A visit to a Hadzabe village begins before sunrise. They watch the hunters as they demonstrate their hunting techniques and practices with which they attract and kill their prey.

The Hadzabe are an indigenous ethnic group of about 2,000 people in Tanzania. They are one of the last remaining groups of hunter-gatherers in Africa and have lived in the region for thousands of years. They have their own language, which is similar to that of the Kalahari Bushmen with its click sounds but is not related to it. The Hadzabe people are known for their traditional hunting and gathering practices. Tools such as bows, arrows, and digging sticks are still used today. They collect honey, berries, and other wild fruits and nuts.

Unfortunately, your safari adventure in Tanzania comes to an end with a visit to the Hadzabe on Lake Eyasi. After a last warm lunch in the bush, we make our way back to Arusha.