The Great Parks in the North and the West Kilimanjaro pole pole

1^st day: Kilimanjaro Airport – West Kilimanjaro

Arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport, clear customs and collect your luggage. You are met by your first hotel transfer and depart directly for the West Kilimanjaro region. After an hour and a half drive, you arrive at your hotel, the Simba farm lodge. You’ll find yourself at the foot of Kilimanjaro, enjoying the swimming pool and/or your first Tanzanian aperitif. First night at Simba farm lodge.

2^nd day : West Kilimanjaro

This day will allow you to relax and enjoy the magical surroundings. You can also take advantage of the various excursions offered by the hotel: an easy walk (with no change in altitude) of around 4 hours (up to 8 hours) on the Shirah plateau at the foot of Kili; a 2 to 3 hours mountain bike excursion in the same area; a walk along the Simba River (around 1.5 hours); a walk in the rainforest (2 to 3 hours or more). All these excursions are accompanied by a local guide hired by the hotel. Allow around $100/person for the Shirah Plateau on foot or by bike, as park fees must be paid. Other activities are considerably cheaper. Second night at Simba farm lodge.

3^rd day: West Kilimanjaro – Tarangire

After these two days, you’re rested and ready for a real adventure! Your guide meets you at the Simba farm lodge to take you to Tarangire NP. After a three-hour drive, you’ll discover this first park, which covers an area of 2850 km2. You’re sure to see your first lions, hyenas, warthogs and Grant’s gazelles. It’s a magical moment, especially as the parks are open and the animals are not fed by rangers, so you can never be sure where they are!

This park differs from the others in that it is crossed by a large river, the amount of water in which varies according to the season, but it always offers an exceptional view of the animals drinking from it and the greener vegetation. It is the northern Tanzanian park with the highest concentration of baobabs, offering a landscape quite different from the dry, arid plains of the Serengeti. Last but not least, it’s also known as an elephant’s paradise, and is home to a particularly large number of elephants! You’ll stay at Korongo camp. As you’ll be staying in the park for two days, you can return to the lodge at the end of the day and enjoy the sunset while sipping your favorite aperitif!

4^th day: Tarangire – Karatu

You spend the whole day enjoying the park, before leaving at the end of the day to head for Karatu and spend the night at the Farm of Dreams lodge. Karatu is the last town before you leave for the Serengeti. This stopover will considerably shorten your journey the following day.

5^th and 6^th day: Karatu – Serengeti

You leave Karatu early in the morning and head for Serengeti National Park. This park covers over 14,000 km2 and is the oldest in Africa. The high plateaus are 1,500 meters above sea level, and its name, pronounced Siringiti in Maa, means “the endless plain”. It’s a mythical place for the diversity of its landscapes: savannah with immense plains in the south, hilly woodlands in the west, the Kopje regions in the east and shrub savannah in the north. It is also mythical for its concentration of felines, the highest in the world, with nearly 3,000 lions, cheetahs, leopards, as well as numerous buffalo, elephants, giraffes, gazelles and more.

The Serengeti Park offers a unique spectacle. Some two million wildebeests, 300,000 zebras and 100,000 gazelles, anticipating the arrival of the rains, travel some 700 km to ensure that they have enough food to eat. Migratory animals need a whole year to complete the full loop of their movements throughout the park’s territory. This means that, depending on the month of the year, we’ll be taking you to different parts of the park. These two days in the park will allow you, when you stay two nights in the same place, to have flexible day rhythms, with the end of the day at camp to admire the sunset over the savannah.

01.12 – 31.03: 2 nights in the southern Serengeti, appelé Ndutu Kenzan Ndutu camp

01.04 – 30.06 et 01.11-30.11: 2 nights in Central Serengeti. Tanzania Bush Camp

01.07 – 31.10: 1 night in the north and one in the center. Kenzan Matawi, Tanzania Bush Camp

7^th day: Serengeti – Ngorongoro crater – Karatu

After two nights in the Serengeti Park, breakfast at the hotel and departure for the Ngorongoro Crater, considered by some to be the 8th wonder of the world. The crater, or caldera, is 20 km in diameter and home to an incredibly rich flora and fauna. You’ll experience exceptional moments amidst all the great mammals of East Africa (elephants, lions, rhinoceroses). In the middle of the crater is a large lake formed by the rains, which hippos and buffalo enjoy to the full. Return to the hotel at the end of the day and enjoy a leisurely swim in the pool before dinner. Overnight in Karatu. Farm of dreams.

8^th day: Karatu – Mto wa Mbu – Arusha

Early morning departure for Mto wa Mbu. This will allow you to visit a local market, a banana plantation and have one last Tanzanian meal before leaving. Return to Arusha during the day for a trip back to Europe or to extend your stay in Zanzibar.

Important note

It is also possible to leave directly for Tarangire Park after arriving at JRO and to reach West Kilimanjaro at the end of the safari on the way back from Karatu on day 6. Allow 5 hours on the (good) road. Finishing with two days at the foot of Kilimanjaro gives you the opportunity to relax and reminisce about your safari experiences before heading back to Europe.