SAFARI IN TANZANIA
ITINERARY
3rd Jan: Mount Kilimanjaro & The Northern Rift
Meet you helicopter and pilot at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Your adventure begins flying around Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's tallest mountain. From here, continue your flight north towards the Northern Rift, a region of dramatic beauty. Soar over Lake Natron, before landing on Ol Doinyo Lengai where you can walk across to watch the bubbling crater below. Next you will come across Empakai Crater and land inside the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the world's most iconic wildlife destinations.
Upon arrival at the Crater Airstrip, a private vehicle will be waiting to whisk you away on a game drive up to the crater rim. The lodge is located here, perched high above the caldera floor. Settle into the lodge before heading out for a afternoon walk to the Maasai bomas. Return to the lodge for sundowners and dinner.
Entamanu Ngorongoro, 1 night.
4th Jan: The Ngorongoro Crater & Lake Manyara
An early start, in the game vehicle by 0600am to drive into the Crater and explore this magical arena full of wildlife. Enjoy a picnic breakfast out in the bush. At midday, you will be dropped off at the Crater Airstrip to board the helicopter for the next leg of the journey.
Fly over the shimmering waters of Lake Manyara and the expansive Lake Eyasi, to find a beautiful picnic spot in this empty wilderness. Finally end the helicopter flight at Manyara airstrip where your Songa guide and vehicle will take you into the Serengeti.
5th & 6th Jan: Southern Serengeti
The next two days will be filled with game drives and exploration of the Serengeti. With endless plains and diverse ecosystems, you’re sure to encounter incredible wildlife at every turn.
On the final day, you will have a full day to enjoy the camp and wildlife with an afternoon departure at 1545. At 1645 a PC12 will arrive at Manyara Airstrip to take you to Zanzibar Airport.
Songa Migration Camp, 2 nights.
End of Safari
MOUNT KILIMANJARO
Mount Kilimanjaro 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.
THE NORTHERN RIFT
A spectacular scenic flight over the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the volcanoes that make up the Northern Rift of Tanzania, a totally unique and dramatic area. The volcanic region of northern Tanzania has an incredible diversity of landscapes, rich in Maasai culture and an abundance of wildlife.
LAKE NATRON & OL DOINYO LENGAI
Fly over Mount Kilimanjaro before continuing North to Lake Natron. A primeval-soup like shallow alkaline lake which is high in cynobacteria, an algae that releases a chemical which damages the cells, nervous system and liver of most of the organisms that consume it. These salt loving microorganisms thrive in this alkaline water, creating the rich red colour. The lake is a flamingo paradise as they do not have to contend with any predators and can feed on the algae, as a result 75% of the worlds population of lesser flamingo are born on the shores of Lake Natron.
Land at Ol Doinyo Lengai, where we walk across to the active volcano and peer into its bubbling crater. This conical mountain is known at the "Mountain of God' in Maasai. It is the only active volcano on the Eastern Rift. It is the coolest volcano in the world, being the only known volcano to erupt natrocarbonatite (sodium-rich) lave, which is half the temperature of typical glowing basaltic lava. Its lava fountains harden midair, then shatter like glass.
The final leg of the journey takes you over Empakai Crater and into the Ngorongoro Crater, landing at the airstrip inside this huge crater.
ENTAMANU NGORONGORO
Entamanu Ngorongoro (meaning ‘circle’ in Maa) is the only place in the world where you can enjoy views into both the Crater and the Serengeti. Offering an unspoilt, unparalleled experience of the Crater, and the land and culture that surrounds it. It is a place to escape to, from which to learn and understand where the Crater fits as part of the wider environment.
Entamanu Ngorongoro has seven cottage-style rooms elevated on wooden platforms, with two cottages. Each room
has indoor heating and en-suite bathrooms with hot and cold running water, and flush loos. Every effort has been made to create comfort in this elemental place.
LAKE MANYARA AND EYASI
Lake Manyara, a soda ash lake, attracts thousands of pink flamingos to its shores every year. When filled with flamingos it is the most breathtaking scenery.
SOUTHERN SERENGETI
The endless open plains of the southern Serengeti host the beginning of the life cycle of wildebeest and zebra. Wildebeest feast on the grassland savannah, a nutritionally rich land of clay soil. The area ranges from Acacia woodlands to the short-grass plains that attract the Great Migration.
It’s home to large herds of wildebeest and zebra during calving season. Cheetah and lion patrol and hunt while vultures and hyenas scavenge for feasts.
SONGA MIGRATION CAMP
Songa Migration Camp moves between the north and south of the Serengeti, following more than two million wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle as they traverse across the vast grass plains.
Songa consists of eight en-suite tents and a family tent. Its vibrant decor creatively reflects the joy and wonder of being on safari, taking inspiration from the seemingly endless inky blue skies and burnt orange sunsets of the wilderness.
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.