SAFARI IN TANZANIA
Prepared for Mike Elliot
ITINERARY
Day 1: Nanyuki
Arrive into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where you will be met by one of the Tropic Fixed Wing pilots, fly by C182 to the Nanyuki airstrip.
Spend some time at the Tropic Office.
Nanyuki, 1 night.
Day 2: Maasai Mara
Fly down to the Mara with Jamie and Phillipa, via a stop at Lake Magadi to see the flamingos.
Spend time out on games drives, walking in the bush and at beautiful sundowner spots.
Richards Camp, 2 nights.
Day 4: Lake Victoria
Clear customs at Migori into Tanzania at Mwanza. Fly along the shores of Lake Victoria into Rubondo Island.
Activities include fishing on the fishing boat. One morning spend the day in the forest hiking to see the chimpanzees.
Rubondo island, 3 nights.
Day 7: Lake Tanganyika
Fly south to reach Lake Tanganyika.
Hike into the forest in search of the chimpanzee. Starlit dinners on the beach, and sundowners on the dhow. Kayak in the gin clear waters of the lake.
Greystoke Mahale, 3 nights.
Day 10: Katavi
Next we fly down the lake cutting into the Chada Plains to this wild location.
Watch as crocodiles and hippo fight for space at the end of the dry season.
Chada Katavi, 2 nights.
Day 12: Usa River
Fly to the east of Tanzania, a long but incredibly diverse flight to Arusha. Stopping at Dadoma to collect fuel.
Spend the last full day at the Siringit Villa, straight out onto the green with views of Kilimanjaro.
Siringit Villa, 1 night
End of Safari
Fly out of Tanzania at Kilimanjaro International Airport to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your flight home.
DAY 2 - 3
MAASAI MARA
The Maasai Mara is one of Kenya’s most acclaimed wildlife reserves, renowned for its open savannahs, wildebeest migration, prides of lion and vast herds of plains game. Game viewing in the Mara is unrivalled. Your day can be as active or relaxing as you please. Game drives - day and night, bush walks, cultural visits, and picnic lunches are just some of the activities.
Nowhere in the world is there a movement of animals as immense or impressive as the wildebeest migration. Over two million animals migrate from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the greener pastures of the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya between July and October.
The Mara boasts one of the world’s densest populations of lions, with an impressive statistic of 15 lions per 100 square kilometers, including some striking black-maned males. This unique combination of natural wonders makes the Maasai Mara a destination of unparalleled wildlife encounters and breathtaking scenery.
RICHARD'S CAMP
Richard's River Camp offers a luxury tented camp in the very heart of the Maasai Mara. Designed with privacy, exclusivity as well as adventure in mind we ensure a warm and memorable safari.
The Ngoyanai springs provide permanent water, drawing in large numbers of animals to the area around camp. This camp is also particularly known for its resident lion pride which can often be seen hunting right in front of the camp, and most always can be heard roaring during the night.
The camp has seven tents, ideal for individuals who wish to experience the Mara in a personal intimate setting.
DAY 4 - 6
LAKE VICTORIA
In the southwest of Lake Victoria lies Rubondo Island, an extraordinary example of wildlife conservation. It’s Africa’s largest island national park at 26 kilometers long and up to 10 kilometers wide. More than 75 percent of the island is covered in pristine equatorial rain forest. Since the 1960s, the island has been a haven for wild chimpanzee, sitatunga antelope, elephant and giraffe.
RUBONDO ISLAND
Rubondo Island lodge is the only camp on the Island, it has eight waterfront rooms which have been hand-built using traditional methods and local materials. All meals are served outdoors, under the stars in front on the vast lake.
DAY 7 - 9
LAKE TANGANYIKA
Greystoke sits deep within the Mahale Mountains National Park, on the edge of the second deepest lake in the world - Lake Tanganyika. Nestled between the gin-clear water of the lake, and the tumbling forests sits this extraordinary castaway lodge. There are absolutely no roads here, and virtually no other people and that is what being in Mahale is all about. This really is the edge of the world and the ultimate in remote wilderness.
Mahale is home to one of the largest populations of wild chimps. Although the chimps are the main event the forests of Mahale are teeming with a variety of other primates. The camp is often visited by colobus monkeys and baboons, and also plays host to warthogs and the rare blue duiker, not to mention incredible forest flora and bird life.
GREYSTOKE MAHALI
The camp is strung along the Kangwena Beach on the edge of Lake Tanganyika in the Mahale Mountains National Park, with the forested peaks rising dramatically behind camp. This is as remote as you can get in Western Tanzania.
The six open fronted double bandas are set the edge of the forest and base of the mountains, looking out over the beach and lake. The bandas have been built using reclaimed dhows from the lake shore and each has its own unique character and outlook. En-suite bathrooms with hot and cold running water and flush loos.
DAY 10 - 11
MAHALE & KATAVI
Towards the end of the dry season water is a very scarce resource in Katavi. Hippos and crocodiles who rely on water, enter into an intense battle for survival. Hippos in their hundreds cram into the small remaining waterholes which in inevitably results in a serious scrap or two. Crocodiles dig themselves large caves in the exposed river banks and aestivate throughout the hot dry months
CHADA KATAVI
Deep in the heart of Katavi National Park, in remote Western Tanzania. The camp sits under a shady canopy of acacia and tamarind trees overlooking the wide Chada Plain and is a hub of wildlife activity, particularly elephants in the dry season.
A classic expeditionary outpost with just six spacious safari tents with large shade net windows to let in lots of light and cool breezes. En-suite bathrooms with traditional safari style bucket showers, and eco- flush toilets
DAY 12
MOUNT KILIMANJARO
Mount Kilimanjaro, the vast dormant volcano stands at 19,341 feet above sea level, the highest and most famous mountain in Africa. Mount Kili has three peaks, Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira.
The peaks are topped with glaciers and often in cloud. A helicopter tour brings a new perspective to the grandeur of its slopes, the magnitude of life it supports and the beauty of its contours. We approach the mountain through West Kili, where you will gain a real perspective of how vast the mountain really is. We will fly up the Shira plateau, around Kibo and the ice fields down through the Saddle and below into the forests.
SIRINGIT VILLA
Siringit Villa is a luxury six bedroom exclusive villa. This spacious and elegant property, overlooks the green of the Kili golf course with Mount Kilimanjaro in sight.
The generous bedrooms are exquisitely decorated. There are pleanty of spaces to relax and acclamitise within, inclduing in the gorgeous living room, the private dining room, the lush gardens, the relaxing terraces or the invigorating lap pool.
Chef Emmanuel offers a wholesome gastronomic experience with even more emphasis on seasonality and fresh, local produce.
END OF SAFARI
Tropic Air is based in Kenya, and offers a broad range of professional air services using helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Areas of operation: 16 African countries, covering more than 10 million square kilometers: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo, Chad, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Madagascar, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.