7-Nights Private Tanzania - Luxury Tailor Made Travel from $11,995

Abercrombie & Kent: Private Tanzania

Day 1 Arusha, Tanzania

Arrive in Arusha and transfer to your lodge, situated on a working coffee plantation. Your private chaletnear Mount Meru features a log fireplace and a balcony.

This morning, fly to Tarangire National Park, where open grasslands, acacia trees and the Tarangire River paint a wild landscape. Enjoy the morning at leisure before having lunch at your lodge. Afterward, set out on your first game drive, rolling through a landscape abundant with wildlife.

Today, enjoy morning and afternoon game drives in search of eland, oryx, wildebeest and zebra as well as the park’s large elephant population. Keep your eyes trained for hartebeest, gazelle and exotic birds like bateleurs and martial eagles. Your local expert driver-guide draws on years of experience in the bush to locate the best wildlife-viewing opportunities right as they happen. You may also opt for a nighttime game drive by moonlight, available at an additional cost. As dusk falls, relax in the comfort of your safari vehicle as you venture into the park, as it is transformed by night. Search for nocturnal animals rarely seen by visitors. Among the species you may encounter are African wildcats or the elusive leopard, or you may feel the round eyes of a bush baby peering down at you. With specialized lighting, look for lions and hyenas, as well as smaller creatures such as spotted servals, bat-eared foxes and various species of owls.

As you cross the Great Rift Valley, stop to visit a market in Mto wa Mbu, where stalls brim with vibrant local produce. Then, see the village from a different perspective as you ride on a tuk-tuk, viewing the local community and rice fields as you go. Next, take a scenic drive to tranquil Gibb’s Farm, where you stop for a lunch made with organic, just-picked ingredients. Later, arrive at the natural amphitheater of Ngorongoro Crater, a 2,000-foot-deep caldera. A fascinating microcosm of East African wildlife — including buffalo, flamingos, lions and leopards – resides inside. Arrive at your camp, nestled in a wooded area with easy access to the crater floor and featuring elegant, tented accommodations adorned with handwoven rugs, comfortable beds with crisp linens, and en suite bathrooms with flush toilets. Relax on your veranda to view the natural wonderland.

This morning, descend into the crater, arriving ahead of most visitors — thanks to the closer proximity of your ideally located accommodations — to view the resident wildlife at its most active time of day. Take a break from game viewing to enjoy a picnic lunch, in a location apart from crowded picnic sites, as a symphony of wildlife sounds envelops you. This afternoon, visit with an elder at a Maasai village, where you learn about the tribe’s traditional, nomadic lifestyle and coexistence with wildlife. Sense the incomparable spirit of this pastoral, nomadic people who have kept their tribal traditions alive through countless generations of life in East Africa.

Fly to the fabled Serengeti National Park and settle into your remote and authentic camp. Then, set out on the boundless Serengeti, one of the oldest and least changed ecosystems on earth, where the circle of life plays out every day. For a portion of each year, dictated by weather patterns and the unpredictable nature of wild animals, vast herds of wildebeest and zebra move through the Serengeti in search of grass and water as part of the year-round Great Migration cycle. This evening, sip a cocktail and reflect on the majesty of Africa during a relaxing sundowner experience.

Venture out on morning and afternoon game drives in the protected Serengeti refuge, where flowing rivers support a plethora of iconic species. In addition to lions, elephants, buffalo and leopards, keep your camera handy for sights such as a cheetah bolting after a fleet-footed Thomson’s gazelle. Enjoy ideal game viewing, as your highly experienced driver-guide strives continually to keep you in the heart of the action.

Fly to Arusha and relax in a comfortable dayroom before transferring to the airport for your flight home.