Highlights of Tanzania

Tour Code: HOT11

Explore the Serengeti's game filled plains, meet colourful Masai tribes, gaze skyward at snow-capped Kilimanjaro and dive into the
spice markets and clear Indian Ocean on idyllic Zanzibar. This tour has it all! Come experience the magic of Tanzania on an adventure
through this exciting corner of Africa.

Zanzibar, Africa's beautiful 'Spice' Island' - The open plains of the Serengeti, home of the wildebeest migration Spectacular 4x4 game drives in the Ngorongoro Crater Meeting the red-robed Masai tribe on a village walk Tanzania's scenery from the Great Rift Valley to Mt Kilimanjaro

+44 (0) 207 706 4700

Itinerary / Highlights

DAY 1- 3 Dar es Salaam - Zanzibar

Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s main trading port and commercial city; it is a bustling city of high rises, colourful markets and Arab influenced architecture. Dar is also our ‘leaping off’ point for our excursion to Zanzibar.

Evocative and exotic, Zanzibar conjures up images of idyllic, sandy, palm fringed beaches, romantic winding cobbled alleys and lush tropical forests. You will find all of these here – and an intriguing history. Zanzibar was the base for the great 19th century explorers such as John Hanning Speke, Richard Burton and David Livingstone and was once a major trading centre for spices. Indeed the spice trade is centuries old: Zanzibaris have traded with the people of the Arabian peninsula for generations, plying the ocean in simple dhow sailboats relying on the annual trade winds for passage. The Arab influence is evident in the architecture and diverse street stall offerings of the capital, Stone Town. Indeed the Arab influence can be seen right along the East African coast - the Swahili language itself the result of the mixing of Arab and African languages and cultures over many centuries.

Zanzibar’s other history is not so romantic. The island was also a staging post for slaves brought from the African interior being held before being shipped to slave owners in the middle east. You can still see the places where these men and women were held – and even a short visit is enough to convey the appalling conditions they had to endure.

Our time on the island is not structured and your time is at leisure. Perhaps the best way to see Stone Town is on foot: explore the bazaars, shops, mosques, palaces, courtyards and alleyways of the old town. Spices are grown in plantations nearby and you can take daytours to visit some and have your senses dazzled by the tastes and scents experienced. If it’s white sand, sparkling ocean and hot sun you prefer – head for the northern beaches and enjoy the Indian Ocean at its best. Try snorkelling and diving, indulge in some sumptuous seafood, or simply relax beneath a coconut palm with a cocktail and a good book.

After three nights we cross back by ferry to the African mainland and Dar es Salaam.

DAY 4 - 5 Zanzibar – Dar es Salaam, Arusha

Returning from Zanzibar to the African mainland, we join our Overland tour truck and travel inland to the great game parks of East Africa. On the way north, if the weather is clear, we gain a view of the magnificent snowcapped Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak at 5895m. Our next stop is Arusha, a city of some 2-3 million people situated mid way between Cape Town and Cairo and generally known as Tanzania’s ‘safari capital’. The city is a bustling melting pot of markets, vehicles and tribesmen, nestling in the shadow of the brooding Mt. Meru (4556m). After time to explore the markets, we head to our camp outside the city on the edge of the Masai plains at Meserani. Here there is the opportunity for camel riding or to visit one of the local Maasai villages; there is also a small but very interesting Masai museum, and you can see snakes, small and large in the snake enclosure at the Snake Park. For those who are interested there is a small school and clinic not far from the camp. Finally enjoy Tanzanian hospitality at its best in the lively bush bar. It is from here that we prepare for our two night/three day excursion to the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater.

DAY 6- 9 Arusha, Serengeti National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Ngorongoro Crater

We transfer from our truck to smaller 4WD vehicles more suitable for gamepark viewing and drive across the Rift Valley to the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti national parks. The open plains and wide horizons of the Serengeti, where thousands of hoofed animals roam is perhaps one of the most evocative images of Africa. Indeed, the name itself, ‘Serengeti’, derives from the Masai word Siringitu - meaning ‘the place where the land moves on for ever’. If you are lucky enough to travel between the months of July and September you should catch the annual migration – a magnificent sight of huge numbers of wildebeest and zebra migrating to new pastures. But at any time of year game viewing in the Serengeti is highly rewarding and camping out in the park where lion, elephant and hyena roam is an unforgettable experience.

Leaving the Serengeti’s plains (or sometimes on the way into the Serengeti) , we pass by the renowned Olduvai Gorge, the place where Drs Louis and Mary Leakey made ground breaking discoveries of early man in East Africa. Our next night is spent camping on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. At 326 square kilometres in area, this is Africa’s largest intact caldera known and has become known in particular for its concentration of animals. From the rim at 2400m, you have a sweeping view of the crater floor some 700m below. The following morning, we drive down the steep access road onto the Crater floor for a morning game driving. With luck we will see some, if not all of Africa’s ‘Big Five’ (leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino), as well as hippo, hyena, antelope, buck and the prolific birdlife of the area.

DAY 10-11 Arusha - Nairobi

After a final Crater game drive we return to Arusha to spend the night before making our way across the Masai steppe to the Kenyan border. Finally we drive the last leg of the journey to Kenya’s burgeoning capital, Nairobi, where our tour ends.

Other Details

Accommodation Details

Camping (2 Person Dome Tent)

Departure Dates, Options & Prices

Start: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Finish: Nairobi, Kenya

+44 (0) 207 706 4700