GET READY TO FEEL SMALL INDEED. NORTHERN TANZANIA IS WILDERNESS ON A MIND-BLOWING SCALE: BIG SKIES, BIG HERDS, BIG DRAMA.

Touching down in the shadow of the continent's highest mountain is quite the arrival: welcome to Africa. Our local team will fast-track you through Kilimanjaro Airport and transfer you to Arusha Coffee Lodge, voted one of the Top 5 Hotels in Africa by Travel + Leisure, where the stresses of travel will lift as soon as you're shown your elegant suite, tucked into this leafy and aromatic working plantation.

Accommodations

Arusha Coffee Lodge
Arusha, Tanzania

On the edge of Arusha, in the foothills of Mount Meru, Arusha Coffee Lodge’s handsome suites are scattered amid a working coffee plantation – a leafy sanctuary of serenity. Relax on your private veranda overlooking the aromatic Arabica bushes orunwind by the pool or in the spa. You can linger over lunch in the garden, dine on fine fusion cuisine or join an open-air Swahili-style feast.

After breakfast, you are whisked off on your charter flight to Tarangire, one of Tanzania's lesser-known, but no less awesome parks. Tarangire bursts with great game - especially in the dry season, when animals flock to its perennial river - but sees few other tourists. That means safaris full of wildlife, and blissfully crowd free.
The action starts immediately on our full-day drive through the park: you'll be scouting for game on the drive from airstrip to Tarangire Treetops, with a picnice lunch in the bush en route. Elephants are a particular speciality - more than 3,000 (one of the largest populations in East Africa) roam here.

The lodge itself, tucked on a private conservancy bordering the park, is like something from a fairytale: its scatter of suites perches amongst the branches of the baobab and marula trees; each has a huge balcony, looking either to the sunrise, the sunset or over the camp's waterhole. Tear yourself away for dinner, though - a candle-lit feast served in a Masai boma, surrounded by acacia trees.

Accommodations

Tarangire Treetops Lodge
Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

Tarangire Treetops sits serenely in a baobab and marula grove on the border of Tarangire National Park. The main lodge and 20 elevated rooms are built to incorporate the impressive bulk of a thousand year-old baobab tree. Each spacious, ensuite room features warm furnishings and an expansive private balcony. Lantern-lit dinners in the traditional boma are accompanied by the sounds of Maasai chants, while poolside dinners allow observation of the wildlife that comes to the waterhole.

Start the day traditionally, with a glorious game drive in custom-designed jeeps, looking for a whole host of species - from zebra, buffalo, eland and kudu to lion, leopard and hyena. Then, after lunch back at camp, walk out with a Masai guide. There's nothing more electrifying than exploring the bush on foot, getting up-close to the flowers, insects and animal tracks you might miss from a vehicle. You can also visit a Masai village to find out more about the custodians of this land.

As the afternoon cools, there's only one thing to be done: relax on Sunset Hill, sundowner in hand, the classic way to toast a day on safari. A delicious dinner will follow, though you might want to squeeze in another pre-dinner adventure: night drives (permitted within our private conservancy) are a chance to see the after-dark shift, from prickly porcupines to elusive leopards

Accommodations

Tarangire Treetops Lodge
Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

Tarangire Treetops sits serenely in a baobab and marula grove on the border of Tarangire National Park. The main lodge and 20 elevated rooms are built to incorporate the impressive bulk of a thousand year-old baobab tree. Each spacious, ensuite room features warm furnishings and an expansive private balcony. Lantern-lit dinners in the traditional boma are accompanied by the sounds of Maasai chants, while poolside dinners allow observation of the wildlife that comes to the waterhole.

After breakfast you will enjoy a morning game drive through Tarangire National Park. before meeting our charter flight to Serengeti National Park.

Simply put, the Serengeti is huge. An endless-seeming swathe of short-grass plains, braided with life-giving streams, speckled with rocky kopjes, riffled by occasional hills, fringed with Maasai culture, absolutely teeming with life. And while you can revel in the bigger picture, it's also the place to embrace the individual moments: the will-they-won't-they tension of a lion pack on the hunt; the shock of a crocodile bursting from the river; the white-knuckle charge of a bull elephant; the dazzle of the sun subsiding into plains with no end.

We'll deliver you to your lodge on arrival, in time for lunch, though the exact lodge depends in part on the season. We might introduce you the bygone-luxe tents of Serengeti Pioneer Camp, perched on a kopje in the south of the park. As well as being renowned for its immense wildebeest herds, the area is rich in prehistoric paintings while nearby Lake Magadi is popular with flamingos.

Alternatively, we'll take you to the sophisticated stilted tents of Serengeti Migration Camp, further north. This peaceful part of the park sees few other visitors; you'll feel you've arrived in your own private wilderness. The variety of wildlife here is remarkable, the drama intense - especially when the Great Migration passes through: the camp is perfectly placed for watching the herds run the gauntlet of the Mara River. Either way, your first afternoon's game drive will be a wildlife revelation.

Accommodations

Migration Camp
Northern Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Hidden among the rocky outcrops of the northern Serengeti, Serengeti Migration Camp overlooks the riverine forest of the famed Grumeti River. 20 deluxe permanent tents, each with richly furnished bedrooms, full ensuite bathroom, and private deck. The main tent has a split-level lounge, a swimming pool, restaurant and viewing platforms that offer vistas across the river and the rugged landscape beyond.

Serengeti Pioneer Camp
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Low-impact, high style – that’s Serengeti Pioneer Camp. Sitting atop a rocky outcrop, gazing across the infinite plains of the south-central Serengeti, this classy retreat blends seamlessly into its surroundings. Tents, tucked into the bush, have a romantic 1930s vibe but with modern comforts, from steaming-hot solar-heated showers to personal attendants. Better, they have unfettered access to the wilderness on the doorstep: to Moru Kopjes, a site sacred to the Maasai and home to ancient rock art; to Lake Magadi, a soda lake that attracts a blushing flamboyance of flamingos; and the sweeping grasslands where, come January-March, some 400,000 wildebeest calves are born, attracting huge numbers of predators. The wildlife-watching here is spectacular, and the camp’s specially permitted hill-top picnic site is the icing on the cake.

Another early breakfast before another action-packed day with lunch in the bush, so you don't waste a minute.
Depending on the time of year, exploring the Serengeti might mean witnessing the replenishing of the Serengeti's mighty herds: each year, 400,000 wildebeest calves are born in the park's south between January and March, a staggering number, which draws many predators. Or, from June-October, seek out the great migrating herds wherever they may be, and perhaps be lucky to witness an always dramatic river crossing. At any time of year, resident wildlife and unforgettable vistas will leave indelible memories.

After full, fabulous days, it's time to raise a final Sundowner to the Serengeti, as the light softens, the earth cools, the horizon glows. Enjoy dinner back at camp, then sit out and listen one last time: to the eerie call of the nightjar and the whoop of a hyena, to the hippos' belly guffaw and the lion's nerve-trembling roar...

Accommodations

Migration Camp
Northern Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Hidden among the rocky outcrops of the northern Serengeti, Serengeti Migration Camp overlooks the riverine forest of the famed Grumeti River. 20 deluxe permanent tents, each with richly furnished bedrooms, full ensuite bathroom, and private deck. The main tent has a split-level lounge, a swimming pool, restaurant and viewing platforms that offer vistas across the river and the rugged landscape beyond.

Serengeti Pioneer Camp
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Low-impact, high style – that’s Serengeti Pioneer Camp. Sitting atop a rocky outcrop, gazing across the infinite plains of the south-central Serengeti, this classy retreat blends seamlessly into its surroundings. Tents, tucked into the bush, have a romantic 1930s vibe but with modern comforts, from steaming-hot solar-heated showers to personal attendants. Better, they have unfettered access to the wilderness on the doorstep: to Moru Kopjes, a site sacred to the Maasai and home to ancient rock art; to Lake Magadi, a soda lake that attracts a blushing flamboyance of flamingos; and the sweeping grasslands where, come January-March, some 400,000 wildebeest calves are born, attracting huge numbers of predators. The wildlife-watching here is spectacular, and the camp’s specially permitted hill-top picnic site is the icing on the cake.

Our drive to the airstrip gives you a final chance to soak up the sights, smells, sounds and sensations of the Serengeti. Just one more elegant giraffe, one more roaming elephant. Once airborne, keep your eyes out the window, to see the Serengeti slide out of view and, perhaps, Kilimanjaro peeping through the clouds.

On arrival, our team from The Manor at Ngorongoro will meet you and transfer you to The Manor, where you will arrive in time for high-tea, followed by optional afternoon activities ranging from a plantation tour to horseback riding, or perhaps treat yourself to a massage.

Today we venture into the small but sublime Lake Manyara National Park. Dominated by a soda lake that at times teems with pink flamingos, Lake Manyara's dense forest and open floodplains are a departure from the wide open spaces of the Serengeti. Here, elephants browse the underbrush, and prides of lions lounge in trees - unusual behavior for these large cats who normally prefer their feet on the ground. We spend the morning and, if we like, some of the afternoon. Or, we can return to the Manor for lunch and another afternoon of enjoying the many activities offered there.

Measuring over 20km wide and 600m deep, Ngorongoro Crater is a natural volcanic amphitheatre, a geological marvel, and a festival of wildlife. Its acacia thickets, riverine forest and glittering lakes throng with mroe than 30,000 animals: one of the highest densities of wildlife in Africa. Safaris here can be overwhelming, in the very best way.

Spend a full day in Ngorongoro - our expert guides will introduce you to its vast cast of characters: lions, elephants and buffalo, cheetah and serval cats, hyena, jackal and black rhino. Plus, The Manor has special permission to host beautiful bush lunches in a private part of the crater; here you can picnic in exclusive style without missing a wildlife-packed minute.

Sundowners and dinner will be back at The Manor, as you exchange stories with your fellow travelers about all you've seen on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

This morning, enjoy a last lavish Manor breakfast before your charter flight back to Arusha.

Upon arrival in Arusha, we'll return to Arusha Coffee Lodge. As well as producing coffee, the lodge is home to Shanga, a social enterprise that employs people with disabilities to create quality handmade products - watch the artisans at work, sewing, painting, weaving and glass-blowing, and perhaps pick up a souvenir or two. You have the afternoon to relax with a day room before we transfer you to the airprot for your flight home - head, heart and soul full of African magic.