This itinerary is here as a convenience. All information can be found on our website at www.afstravelers.com 

Oct 11 – DEPART JFK - KILIMANJARO 

Depart the U.S. on an overnight flight to arrive in Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) airport on October 12 for the beginning of the tour. 

12 Oct-24 ARRIVAL - KILIMANJARO 

Karibu!!! Welcome to Kilimanjaro! You’ll arrive at the international airport with the famous mountain in the distance and be greeted by our local guides before transferring to the lush Arusha Serena Lodge overlooking Lake Duluti. The rest of the day is free for you to either rest or take advantage of some of the optional activities the hotel offers. Enjoy our lodge at the slopes of Mt Meru. Our stone cottages are crafted like a 1920s lake resort. Stroll the flower gardens and enjoy lakeside sundowners. 

Overnight: Arusha Serena Lodge 

At our Lake Manyara lodge, you'll find everything you need to chill, unwind, and explore the stunning beauty of this region. Our accommodation is designed in traditional circular two-story "rondavels" style, with a contemporary touch for added comfort. The Flamingo Restaurant, located at the center, serves scrumptious food and boasts a veranda with breathtaking views. Enjoy the spa and outdoor pool. Get ready for the start of a vacation of a lifetime! 

Oct-13 ARUSHA - LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK B/L/D 

Following breakfast at the hotel, we proceed to Lake Manyara National Park. The 3-hour drive features stunning landscapes and quaint villages along the way, including the agricultural and fresh produce market town of Mto Wa Mbu, which is a souvenir hunter’s paradise and situated next to the entrance of the Lake Manyara National Park. Arriving in Manyara, we’ll enjoy the Great Rift Valley Escarpment view and be greeted by groups of baboons at the entrance of Manyara. We will arrive and take an afternoon game drive with a break for a picnic lunch. The drive takes us in search of the wildlife and birdlife that Manyara hosts along with a view of famous hot spring known as "Maji Moto." 

Lake Manyara National Park is one of Tanzania's most dramatically located African wildlife areas, consisting of a massive but shallow soda lake (covering two-thirds of the park) at the foot of the Great Rift Valley's western escarpment. The park's varied habitat attracts a wide variety of animals; including one of Africa's densely populated of herd of African elephant, famous tree-climbing lions, as well as large flocks of flamingos, attracted by the algae in the lake. 

We’ll arrive at the Lake Manyara Hotel in the afternoon and in the evening, we will have one hour session to learn Swahili words that can be useful during safari. note that in Africa, we move safari style to different camps and lodges. Our lodge offers a unique village lunch with guide, bush dinners, swimming pool and cultural tribal shows at night. 

Overnight: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge 

Includes complimentary Wi-Fi and delicious breakfast. Inspired by the vibrant bird life surrounding the beautifully soda-coated Lake Manyara and the pink-fringed flamingos that add a touch of charm, this extraordinary lodge boasts gracefully curving architecture that is beyond words. The lodge also offers breathtaking panoramic views of the Great Rift Valley, mesmerizing rose- gold sunsets over the Mto Wa Mbu escarpment, and the truly remarkable tree-climbing lions of Lake Manyara. Designed around a captivating vanishing horizon' pool at its center, this unique lodge features a rustic African-style reception area constructed with timber, which can be reached by crossing a small stream via a charming bridge. Beyond the reception area lies the central dining room, bar, and veranda, overlooking the pool below. The pool bar and observation point, located at the very edge of the cliffs, offer awe-inspiring vistas of Lake Manyara National Park. Scattered around the grounds are a collection of circular two-story rondavels' providing delightful accommodation options, each offering picturesque views of the lake. 


Oct – 14 LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK B/L/D 

(Optional Balloon Safari details -Book now direct at serenahotels.com. More details on this coming soon.) 

Welcome to Africa's most famous game reserve for it's dense predator population (big cats) and migration of countless animals heading south in search of the rains. Look for the big five and the smaller critters like impala, gazelle, springboks, eland and the many species of giraffes. Following breakfast, we travel to the legendary Serengeti National Park (2.5 hours), passing through Olduvai Gorge, the site of the Leakey's family discovery of fossils of human and animal ancestors dating back to almost two million years. The Olduvai Gorge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features fascinating information about the earliest humans to walk our planet. We will have a picnic lunch on the way to Serengeti and be astounded at the countless animals we see in the park’s vast grasslands. 

Our home tonight is the exclusive Mbuzi Mawe Serena Tented Camp, situated in the heart of the Serengeti. This deluxe encampment is the quintessential safari experience where we can take in our surroundings, enjoy a scrumptious dinner and go to sleep to the sounds of Africa. 

You'll all love your tents set on a stone platform with thatched roof, two queen beds with nets and a full bathroom. There's free Wi-Fi and room service, bush breakfast, sundowners around a campfire, bush bar and more. Staff can arrange a guided walking safari with a ranger into the wild bush. 

Overnight: Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp (2 Nights) 

Guarded by three million year-old granite towers in the magnificent Serengeti National Park, Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp offers the quintessential African Serengeri safari experience. Our elegant tented camp is located on one of the main annual migration corridors for over one million wildebeest, half a million zebras and gazelles and their accompanying cast of predators; the camp also offers close proximity to lions, giraffes, hippos and all of the other fascinating wildlife that inhabits this 14,763 square-kilometre park. 

Oct 15 - SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK - B/L.D 

We start early after breakfast for morning and afternoon game drives through the Serengeti National Park. The park is Tanzania’s largest, covering more than 14,000 square kilometers. Here, we will witness the annual great wildebeest migration where wildebeest, zebra and gazelle migrate from Serengeti National Park to Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and come back later in the year. It takes place across the park’s endless plains which is full of wildlife and birdlife elsewhere in Africa. 

The park supports many species of wildlife including lions, African leopards, African elephants, cheetahs, African buffalos, Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, topi, elands, water bucks, hyenas, baboons, impalas, African wild dogs, and giraffes. There are more than 500 bird species here, including ostriches, secretary birds, Kori bustards, crowned cranes, marabou storks, martial eagles, lovebirds, and many species of vultures. We’ll be back late in the afternoon in time for a hot shower and dinner. 

Overnight: Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp 


Oct-16 SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK - NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA B/L/D 

We head to the Ngorongoro Conservations area after breakfast (90 minutes). We will check into Ngorongoro Serena lodge located on the rim of the crater, offering incredible vistas of the caldera below. 

This is a day of leisure where you can explore or relax. Our past groups loved this property. The NGO Crater is a UNESCO world heritage site. Some call it the 8th wonder of the world in "a land that time forgot.'' Our lodge rooms with private balconies offer magnificent views of the crater. There's a spa, evening dance shows and wildlife & Tanzania culture talks at 9 PM in the bar. 

Overnight: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge (2 nights) 

Nestled high above the plains into the Crater’s jagged rim, cloaked in river stone and indigenous vines, Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge is barely visible to the naked eye. Framed by arched stone passages and timbered decks, its torch-lit walls are adorned with stylized cave paintings. At the stone heart of the lodge burns a glowing fire, which is kept constantly alight. Rooms are looped around the Crater rim. Each has its own rock-enclosed balcony, and all enjoy completely uninterrupted views of the volcanic amphitheater far below. Our Ngorongoro hotel lodge is a place that feels as ancient as the Crater itself, yet no modern comfort has been spared in an effort to bring you the best safari
adventure in Africa and one of the most unique travel experiences in the world.