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 Tanzania is the Ultimate Safari Destination, with the largest concentration of wildlife anywhere on the continent and the world's best game viewing. Here you will find everything you hope to see on Safari, including wildebeest, elephant, buffalo, hippo, zebra, leopard, cheetah, lion, giraffe, impala, monkey, baboon, rhino, jackal, gazelle, ostrich, flamingo, heron, kingfisher, egret, stork, and many more. It is one of the few places left in Africa that can still be called "unspoiled."
We enjoy a classic wildlife Safari in style, staying in beautiful lodges erected in the most striking settings to be found on earth. We even have one deluxe tented camp that is private for our group, and set up in the southern Serengeti to witness the massing of the wildebeest at a time when they are calving and giving birth to their young! You'll feel like you are starring in "Out of Africa!" Our private camp limits us to 10 rooms only, so don't wait to claim one!
This safari includes the unique eco-system of Ngorongoro Crater, the vast savannahs of the Serengeti, and the flamingo-lined shores of Lake Manyara. Along the way, see where the roots of modern man were unearthed by the Leakeys and visit a Maasai village. An unforgettable adventure awaits you! Grab your khakis, your camera and binoculars, and let's go on a photo safari. You also have the opportunity to extend your adventure on the fabulous island paradise of Zanzibar!
• Arusha
• Lake Manyara
• Mto Wa Mbu tribal village
• Gibb's Farm
• Ngorongoro Crater *
• Maasai Tribes
• Olduvai Gorge
• Serengeti National Park *
• Massing of the Wildebeest in the Southern Serengeti
* UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Day 0 - Sunday, March 19, 2017
Arrange your international flight to leave your home city sometime today, arriving in Arusha, Tanzania tomorrow. (Use the airport code JRO when searching for your flights. Those participating in the Zanzibar extension will book their return flight from ZNZ / Zanzibar International.) Flights originating in the U.S. will connect through another major hub used by your selected airline. You will arrive in Tanzania late tomorrow evening. If you would prefer to arrive one day early to rest, please indicate this option on your reservation form.
Meals: Aloft
Day 1 - Monday, March 20, 2017
 You will step from the plane into the fragrant African night, at the beginning of a long-awaited adventure. Our representative greets you at the airport and transfers you to the beautiful Lake Duluti Serena Hotel. Located on a coffee plantation on the shores of Lake Duluti, this is the perfect place to relax before embarking on your safari experience. Designed as an authentic African village, guests are housed in cottages thatched with banana fronds, surrounded by tropical shade trees and bougainvillea. The lodge boasts magnificent views of the mighty snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro on one side and Lake Duluti and the rugged peaks of Mount Meru on the other.
Meals: Aloft
Hotel: Lake Duluti Serena Hotel, Arusha
Day 2 - Tuesday, March 21, 2017
 After breakfast, participate in an orientation briefing to get acquainted with each other and our guide, and then board our safari vehicles and drive to Lake Manyara. Here we visit Mto Wa Mbu village to learn the true value of ecotourism. Beginning in 1995, the concept of "cultural tourism" came to Tanzania. In this system, local people earn extra income by organizing tours of their own communities with the proceeds funneled back into each community for specific development projects. Mto Wa Mbu is one of the participating villages, located on the shores of Lake Manyara, and home to over 90 tribes with many different local accents and diverse lifestyles. It is visited by very few tourists. Following a lunch of traditional Tanzanian dishes served under banana trees, explore the area with your village guides, strolling through local homes, farmlands where banana, millet, cassava and corn are grown, resident bars, a kindergarten and a church. We can bring books, magazines, as well as school supplies such as pens, paper, crayons, soccer balls, etc., which we can present to the children during our visit to the local school.
Check into our hotel in the afternoon and enjoy a nature walk around the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, Lake Manyara
Day 3 - Wednesday, March 22, 2017
 Today spend a full day exploring Lake Manyara National Park, an ornithological paradise with over 350 species of birds including Verreaux's Eagle, vultures, storks, swifts, and swallows. With spectacular cliffs along the shore, the lake often has a pinkish hue due to the flamingos shimmering in the distance. Springs in the park's northern end support a dense groundwater forest of magnificent giant fig and mahogany trees, which shelter blue and vervet monkeys and an abundance of baboons, bushbuck, waterbuck, and elephants. The hippo pool, where visitors may get out of their vehicles, is located on a freshwater stream that enters the lake at its northern tip. South of the groundwater forest, acacia woodland, the recognizable baobab tree, and open grassland are frequented by buffalo, wildebeest, impalas, giraffes, zebras, and the elusive tree-climbing lions, the signature species of this park.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, Lake Manyara
Day 4 - Thursday, March 23, 2017
 Today we venture off to Gibb's Farm for lunch. Gibb's Farm is an oasis of green, calm and beauty, in a landscape that can often be parched, dry and dusty. This privately owned farm is famous for its delicious cuisine featuring savory pies and salads. Also visit a traditional home of the Iraqw, the local tribe that has inhabited the Ngorongoro highlands area for over 200 years. The home is built entirely using traditional materials and methods of construction, just as it would have been 200 years ago. We can lend a hand at grinding maize the traditional way using grinding stones and see a demonstration of Iraqw skirt making. While here we will also have the opportunity to visit a present day Tanzania farm and observe a bio gas plant used for producing gas for cooking and lighting. Continue to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, your home for the next two nights.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater
Day 5 - Friday, March 24, 2017
 Today we descend in land cruisers onto the floor of the crater, a World Heritage site, which is an extinct volcano and the largest unbroken caldera in the world. The crater (1,800 feet deep and 102 square miles) is a microcosm of East African scenery with abundant colorful bird species and wildlife including more than 25,000 larger animals, mostly zebra and wildebeest. This is also the best place in Tanzania to see magnificent black-maned lions and an outstanding chance to see black rhinos that are protected here around the clock. We might also see leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal, elephant, warthog, buffalo, impala, buffalo, hartebeest, eland and many other antelopes. Return to the rim of the crater six hours later and drive back to our lodge for a relaxing evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater
Day 6 - Saturday, March 25, 2017
 Head to a Maasai Village this morning to see how this nomadic tribe has existed through the millennia in harmony with nature. Afterwards, take a breathtaking drive to the legendary Olduvai Gorge, passing savannah grassland and volcanic hills, where red-robed Maasai graze their cattle, before it drops steeply down into the gorge itself. Olduvai is where, in 1959, anthropologists Mary and Louis Leakey found fossil evidence of the 1.7-million-year-old "pre-historic man." After visiting the museum and enjoying a presentation about the geological features of the gorge and the work of the Leakeys, we continue our drive to Serengeti National Park (3,646,500 acres), the jewel in the crown of Tanzania's protected areas with over 3 million large mammals roaming its plains. We enjoy accommodations in a luxury mobile tented camp located in the southern sector, near Lobo, and strategically placed to be in the best location for viewing and following the herds of the great migration.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Serengeti Explorer Camp, Southern Serengeti
Day 7 - Sunday, March 26, 2017
 The Serengeti has come to symbolize paradise to all, including the local Maasai, who have grazed their cattle on the vast grassy plains for generations. To the Maasai, it is Siringitu – "the place where the land moves on forever." More than a million wildebeest, accompanied by hundreds of thousands of zebras and other herbivores, descend upon the short-grass plains of the southeastern Serengeti during the rainy season starting around December. By March the rain ends, the grass has been reduced to stubble, and the animals begin their long march to dry-season grazing grounds near the permanent waters of the Serengeti's northern woodlands. We take game drives today to see the abundant wildlife.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Serengeti Explorer Camp, Southern Serengeti
Day 8 - Monday, March 27, 2017
 Continue your visit of Serengeti National Park today as you travel to your next accommodation in the central Serengeti, enjoying wildlife viewing along the way. The Serengeti is incredible to visit any time of the year. In the Seronera Valley towering yellow fever trees and palm thickets line the Seronera River and its hippo pools. This is a superb area for seeing predators such as lion, leopard and cheetah, and their prey – giraffe, topi, Bohor reedbuck, Defassa waterbuck, buffalo and impala. The kopjes (prehistoric rock outcroppings) host hyraxes, dwarf mongooses, and red-headed agamas, while patience might reward you with a sleepy black-maned male lion or leopard.
The afternoon and evening are free. Overnight in Taxco.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, Central Serengeti
Day 9 - Tuesday, March 28, 2017
 We will have another full day to explore the Serengeti's amazing surroundings and abundant scenes of animal life. The open grassland is home to large groups of Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, spotted hyena, jackal, and such birds as the Double-banded Courser, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Red-capped Lark, Fischer's Sparrow-lark, and Capped Wheatear. Our twice-daily wildlife drives allow for ample sightings, and you also have the option one morning of taking a hot-air balloon flight for an exhilarating safari experience, hovering over the savannah as the sun rises and the animals are most active. The cost is $550, and space is very limited. You must reserve in advance, and can do so by indicating this option on your reservation form.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, Central Serengeti
Day 10 - Wednesday, March 29, 2017
 This morning provides your final opportunity to photograph an awesome sunrise before flying back to Arusha. Those who are participating in our Zanzibar Extension will say farewell and continue their journey to the island. Those who are concluding their African adventure today will have some time for shopping at the African Heritage boutique before relaxing and preparing for departure at a dayroom at the Lake Duluti Lodge. Tonight we return to the airport to check in for your flight back home, bidding a fond farewell to your driver/guides.
Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Day Room Lake Duluti Serena Hotel, Arusha
Day 11 - Thursday, March 30, 2017
After connecting through your airline's designated hubs, you should return to your home sometime today.
Meals: Aloft
March 29 - April 3, 2017
It would be a shame to come all this way and not spend a few days on a paradise island in the Indian Ocean.
Zanzibar is the best kept secret in the Indian Ocean, with its fascinating history and magnificent beaches. The Assyrians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Indians, Chinese, Persians, Portuguese, Omani Arabs, Dutch and English have all been here at one time or another. The earliest building that remains on Zanzibar is the mosque at Kizimkazi which dates from 1107, and is a present-day tourist attraction. Zanzibar consists of two islands, Unguja (normally known as Zanzibar Island) and Pemba. We'll be staying on the main island, Unguja. We begin in Stone Town, a historic trade center with Swahili and Islamic influences. Its winding lanes present minarets, carved doorways and 19th-century landmarks such as the House of Wonders, a former sultan's palace. We'll also explore the northern villages where wide beaches lined with luxury hotels. This four-night optional extension features the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Stone Town, and two days to unwind by the ocean.
Day 1 - Wednesday, March 29, 2017
 After landing in Arusha, we bid farewell to those fellow travelers heading home today and connect with our flight to Dar es Salaam on the island of Zanzibar, just off the coast of Tanzania. Stone Town is the "Old Town" and cultural heart of Zanzibar, where little has changed in the last 200 years. It is a place of winding alleys, bustling bazaars, mosques and grand Arab houses whose original owners vied with each other over the extravagance of their dwellings. UNESCO recently declared Stone Town as a World Heritage Site. On our tour, we will see the House of Wonders, the Palace Museum (People's Palace), Dr. Livingstone's House, the Arab Fort, and the National Museum of Zanzibar. We'll also experience Zanzibar's bustling market, winding alleyways, ornately carved and studded doors, two cathedrals, countless mosques, the Anglican Church built on the site of the old slave market, and the site of Sultan Barghash's harem.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel: Zanzibar Serena Inn, Stone Town
Day 2 - Thursday, March 30, 2017
 This morning, we visit a plantation and have our senses dazzled with fresh spices. The history of Zanzibar would be incomplete without the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and many other spices which brought the Sultans of Oman and the beginnings of the infamous slave trade. Next, we drive to the Jozani Natural Forest Reserve, located in the central east region of Zanzibar Island and home to the rare red colobus monkey (so named for a red spot on its head). They are extraordinarily photogenic as they leap from tree to tree just above you. Jozani is home to other species including Syke's monkeys, small buck and bushpigs. Jozani has an excellent nature trail and the guides are well-trained and informative.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel: Zanzibar Serena Inn, Stone Town
Day 3 - Friday, March 31, 2017
 Today we drive to our resort by the sea and our home for the next two nights. Our small, intimate guest lodge is situated on a rocky outcrop above a magnificent stretch of beach in north-east Zanzibar. The rooms of the main lodge are strung out along the rocky coastline. There is a beautiful sweep of white beach situated at the far end beyond the lodge. The thatched bungalows are nestled in gardens along the sea cliff, all with views of the sea. The rest of the day is at leisure to relax by the pool, walk around the property, stroll to the nearby village, or rent a bike to explore the area.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Matemwe Lodge Bungalows , Mnembe
Day 4 - Saturday, April 1, 2017
 Today is entirely free to do as you please, whether it's relaxing by the pool or on the beach, or taking advantage of several optional activities. The lodge offers kayaking and snorkeling within the protective fringe reef as well as sailing on their dhow or with a local fisherman in his wooden outrigger canoe. In the afternoon, you may want to visit the fishing village Kizimkazi, site of a 12th Century mosque, where you can board a small boat to search for the spinner and bottle-nosed dolphins that are commonly seen here. Once found, you will be invited to enter the water to swim with the dolphins that seem to be as curious about you as you are of them.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Matemwe Lodge Bungalows , Mnembe
Day 5 - Sunday, April 2, 2017
Your final morning is at leisure to relax and enjoy this property. This afternoon transfer to the Zanzibar International Airport (ZNZ) for your flight back home. Please book a return flight departing in the late afternoon or evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Meals Aloft
Day 6 - Monday, April 3, 2017
After connecting through your airline's designated hubs, you should return to your home sometime today.
Meals: Meals Aloft
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• 10 nights' accommodations in deluxe lodges and tented camps:
- 1 night at Lake Duluti Serena Hotel, Arusha;
- 2 nights at Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, Lake Manyara;
- 2 nights at Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater;
- 2 nights at Serengeti Explorer Camp, Southern Serengeti;
- 2 nights at Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, Central Serengeti;
- Day Room at Lake Duluti Serena Hotel, Arusha;
• Arrival and departure airport transfers;
• All meals from breakfast on March 21st through breakfast on March 29th;
• Ground transportation in 4 x 4 safari vehicles with photo roof, driven by a naturalist guide (window seat guaranteed);
• One internal flight within Tanzania;
• Sightseeing activities and entrances as listed in the itinerary;
• Complimentary water provided in vehicles and at all meals;
• Visit to a Maasai village;
• All park entry fees;
• Complimentary t-shirts and luggage tags;
• This is a fully guided and escorted tour.
• International airfare to/from Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (airport code JRO);
• Ground transportation for sightseeing on your own (taxis, local guides, etc.);
• Meals and optional activities not specifically listed in the itinerary;
• Camera fees, laundry, telephone calls, faxes, or any other expenses of a personal nature.
• Alcoholic beverages;
• Travel Insurance;
• Tips to drivers and guides and other conveyance attendants are not included; tipping guidelines for our group tips will be provided prior to departure.
• 4 nights hotel accommodations:
- 2 nights at Zanzibar Serena Inn, Stone Town;
- 2 nights at Matemwe Lodge Bungalows , Mnembe;
• Airport transfers at the beginning and end of the tour extension;
• One regional flight (from Arusha to Zanzibar);
• All meals as specified in the itinerary;
• Ground transportation in air conditioned motorcoach;
• Sightseeing activities and entrances as listed in the itinerary;
• Fully escorted tour extension with guides for included tours
• International airfare from your starting city to Kilimanjaro (JRO) and departing from Zanzibar (ZNZ);;
• Visa fees
• Airport taxes and departure fees (if not included with your airline ticket);
• Ground transportation for sightseeing on your own (taxis, local guides, etc.);
• Meals and optional activities not specifically listed in the itinerary;
• Camera fees, laundry, telephone calls, faxes, or any other expenses of a personal nature.
• Alcoholic beverages;
• Travel Insurance;
• Tips to drivers and guides and other conveyance attendants are not included; tipping guidelines for our group tips will be provided prior to departure.
Lake Duluti Serena Hotel, Arusha
 Nestled at the foot of the wooded slopes of Mount Meru, this unique hotel in Arusha Tanzania stands amid coffee plantations on the shores of tranquil Lake Duluti. Designed to echo the traditional style of the colonial coffee farm, which originally stood on this site, Lake Duluti Serena Hotel offers a range of tastefully presented cottage-styled rooms set amid extensive landscaped grounds.
Standing at the gateway to the famous Tanzanian 'Northern Safari Circuit', this Arusha hotel offers a broad range of attractions, which include: walking, mountain biking, canoeing on the lake, and trips to the nearby Arusha and Mount Meru national parks.
 Lake Duluti Serena Hotel features a stone-built reception with adjoining lounge, library, restaurant, boutique and business centre. Imposing in stature and spacious in concept, the design of the new building echoes the hotel's original incarnation as a working coffee farm dating back to colonial times.
The Lodge stands on the shores of Lake Duluti, 20 kilometres from Arusha and 60 kilometres from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, Lake Manyara
 Standing high on the edge of a towering terracotta escarpment with panoramic views over the glittering alkaline waters of Lake Manyara, Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge offers a unique blend of safari opportunities, peace and tranquillity, wildlife discovery, and ornithological richness. The unprecedented range of high-adventure sports, meanwhile, include mountain biking, canoeing and forest walks, while cultural choices include tours of the neighbouring villages and dance displays by the local Iraqw and sukuma people.
Designed to reflect the brilliance of Lake Manyara's unique birdlife, the architectural motif melds swooping avian curves with the gentle concentric patterns of traditional Maasai 'Bomas' , while the vibrantly coloured wall frescoes depict the colourful intricacy of bird migratory patterns.
 Grouped around a central 'vanishing horizon' pool, this highly unusual lodge features a simple timbered reception area, built in traditional African style, which is accessed via a bridge over a small stream. Beyond reception, lies the central dining room, bar and veranda, below which lies the pool. Perched on the very edge of the cliffs, with stunning views of Lake Manyara National Park is the pool bar and observation point. Dotted around the grounds, all with views over the lake, are a series of circular two-storey 'rondavels', which house the rooms.
The Lodge is in Mto wa Mbu, Northern Tanzania, 130 kilometres from Arusha.
Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater
 Regularly voted one of the best hotels in the world, this unique lodge in Tanzania clings to the rim of the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, the largest and most perfect volcanic crater on Earth. Long and low, the lodge is built from local river stone and camouflaged with indigenous vines. Designed to blend completely into the landscape, it is entirely invisible from the floor of the Crater 600 metres below.
Known as 'the eighth wonder of the world' the Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa's best-known wildlife arenas. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it offers a unique biosphere, which has remained virtually unchanged since the dawn of time. Deep within the Crater, enclosed by towering walls, some 25,000 large mammals wander the plains, lakes and forests of 'the land that time forgot', dominated by enormous bull elephants, rhinos and lions.
 Hugging the contours of the jagged Crater rim, this luxury safari lodge takes its inspiration from the so-called 'Cradle of Mankind', the prehistoric site of Olduvai Gorge, which lies close by. Linked by arched stone passages and timbered decks, its walls are decorated with stylized prehistoric cave paintings and lit by flaring torches. At the stone heart of the lodge burns a glowing fire, which is kept constantly alight. Decorated with cave paintings, the rooms are strung around the Crater rim. Each has its own rock- enclosed balcony, and all enjoy completely uninterrupted views of the volcanic amphitheatre far below. The location, the service and the luxury accommodation make Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge the ultimate destination for a unique safari experience in Tanzania.
Serengeti Explorer Camp, Southern Serengeti
 Serengeti Explorer is a semi-permanent camp – it moves between three exclusive locations inside the Serengeti National Park depending on the time of year and the whereabouts of the most prolific wildlife. All of the locations are excellent for game viewing and for witnessing the herds of the great migration. Typically, from December to mid-March camp will be set up in the Ndutu area in the south-central area of the park, towards to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
This is authentic but impressively comfortable bush camping. You'll enjoy meals cooked by your personal camp chef and served by the camp's waiter in the dining tent. Lunch can be served al fresco at the camp or you can arrange to have a picnic lunch, which allows for extended game viewing. The camp has an environmentally friendly ethos to ensure the conservation of the ecosystem in which it operates, with solar-powered lighting and 24-hour electricity.
 The ten tents have double or twin beds and an en-suite bathroom with hot water provided by the staff on request. Recharging points are available for cameras and laptops. Family tents have a double and two single beds and there's the Rafiki Explorer Club for younger guests. At night, a line of oil lanterns will light the way back to your tent.
Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge, Central Serengeti
 Set high on the saddle of a tree-clad ridge, commanding panoramic views across the Serengeti, this lodge is the ultimate fusion of traditional African architecture and world-class style. Winner of numerous awards from the world travel press, it is perhaps the finest venue the Serengeti has to offer.
Centrally located adjacent to the famous Western Corridor and Grumeti River, the lodge has been designed to blend completely into the living landscape. A series of traditional domed 'rondavels' are widely spaced throughout the grounds, which are cooled by groves of acacia trees and watered by sparkling streams. On the very edge of the ridge is a 'vanishing horizon' pool, which looks out over the 'endless plains' after which the Serengeti is named.
 Situated close to the world-famous 2-million-year-old paleolithic site of Ol Duvai, 'birthplace of mankind', Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge has been styled to offer a showcase of cultural performance, heritage and traditional art, which is best illustrated by the lavish Makonde carvings which decorate both the rooms and the stunning domed dining room.
As for wildlife, the Serengeti National Park offers not only all the members of 'The Big Five' (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo), but also the annual 'migration' of over one million wildebeest and their attendant cast of predators.
Zanzibar Serena Hotel, Stone Town, Zanzibar
 Idyllically situated on the sea-front of ancient Stone Town, and flanked by an exotic mix of sultan's palaces, Portuguese forts, ancient dhow harbours, and bright bazaars, the Zanzibar Serena Hotel is a haven of tranquility and opulence amongst the bustle of one of Africa's most ancient and most enchanting towns. A member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World, it has been styled to represent the epitome of Swahili style, ethnic elegance and Arabic opulence, setting it apart as one of the finest hotels in Zanzibar.
 The hotel is in Stone Town, which is in the 'Old Town' of Zanzibar City, which lies on the western side of the island of the same name. Zanzibar has an international airport, which is approximately 20 minutes flight from the mainland. There are daily flights linking Zanzibar with Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Arusha, the northern safari circuit airstrips and Nairobi (Kenya). Ferries and speed boats link Zanzibar with Dar es Salaam daily and with Pemba several times weekly. The airport is 7km south of Zanzibar Town and the journey takes 15 minutes by taxi.
Matemwe Lodge Bungalows , Mnembe, Zanzibar
 Vibrant yet laid-back Matemwe Lodge has perfected the tropical island experience. Perched on an outcrop overlooking a shallow, coral-fringed lagoon on the quiet northeastern coast of Zanzibar Island, Matemwe Lodge's blissful location and famously relaxed atmosphere make it the ideal place to unwind.
Whether you take a break in a hammock or dive the depths of the Indian Ocean, Matemwe Lodge provides an unbeatable island escape. Each of the 12 beach-chic chalets scattered through the lush gardens has a private sea-facing veranda. Here the tides govern the rhythm of the tranquil days. The pristine Mnemba Atoll lies just off the coast, and it is in these tropical waters that you will find the best snorkelling and diving and superb fishing.
Entry Requirements
Visas are mandatory for U.S. citizens traveling to Tanzania. The U.S. Embassy recommends that U.S. citizens obtain visas before traveling to Tanzania, but visas are also available at ports of entry upon arrival. A passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond visa issuance and/or date of entry, and at least two blank visa pages are required (defined as the front and back of a page). Obtaining a proper visa is the responsibility of each participant.
Immunizations & Health
Click here to read the current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control concerning travel to Tanzania. You will definitely want to visit a travel clinic or your own personal physician to determine which immunizations are best suited for you and plan a schedule for your shots. This should not be left to the last minute, as some immunizations may require multiple shots to be fully effective.
Exit Requirements
Departure taxes are almost always included with the cost of your airline tickets. However, if your ticket has not included this cost, you will be responsible to pay any departure taxes in cash at the time you check in for your flight.
What to Bring
In March, average daily temperatures in Tanzania vary widely, depending on your location. Temperatures range from 55 (nighttime) to 80 degrees (daytime) in Arusha, with the weather slightly cooler on the Ngorongoro Crater and slightly warmer in the Serengeti. You won't need a suit jacket or tie, as the tour is informal, so try to pack light. Create mix and match outfits, and think about layering! Pack any medications you require in a carry-on bag and leave expensive jewelry at home. Please limit your baggage to one duffel bag and one carry-on bag. While international flights to Africa allow you to bring checked luggage weighing up to 44 pounds, intra-country flights restrict luggage to only one piece of soft-sided checked luggage weighing no more than 33 pounds per person. If your luggage is more than 33 pounds, you may be required to pay an excess luggage fee on the flights from Arusha to Zanzibar (our post tour extension). Your carry-on bag is not included in this weight limit.
The most essential item in your travel wardrobe is a broken-in, comfortable pair of walking shoes. For clothing, we recommend you bring a wardrobe that you can layer. In general, light-weight, fast-drying materials are preferable. The style of all our trips is comfortable and practical; you will not need dressy attire. Be aware that long pants and sleeves provide good protection against insect bites and sunburn. You will want to consider packing a change of clothes and other necessities in your carry-on bag in the event that your luggage is delayed.
Money Matters
The Tanzanian shilling (TZS) is the local currency, and while US dollars are widely accepted in hotels, shops, and restaurants. US dollars are mostly used for safaris and treks, as well as most things in Zanzibar. Better rates are offered for high value, clean dollars, while dirty or torn notes of any currency may be refused. Credit cards are not widely used outside the big cities and traveler's checks are very hard to cash. ATMs will tender cash on main credit cards and PLUS/Cirrus debit cards. As of April 9, 2016, the interbank exchange rate was 2,143 TZS to $1 U.S.
Tipping in Tanzania
Tips are not included in the cost of this safari, and we will be distributing group tips where appropriate. Guidelines and a suggested contribution to the group tipping fund will be provided prior to departure.
Travel Insurance
We strongly encourage you purchase Travel Insurance to cover all aspects of your travel in Tanzania.
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