Classic Parks Of The North

Classic parks of the north, Serengeti & Zanzibar

16 days from £6600pp

The classic northern Tanzania explorer itinerary takes in the key highlights and best national parks of the region. During this itinerary you will see some of the best wildlife that Africa has to offer finishing with some true rest and relaxation in stunning Zanzibar. Sweeping plains and swamps of Tarangire await with huge herds of elephant and buffalo as well as the stunning landscapes and interesting flora and fauna of Lake Manyara. Then the breathtaking beauty and phenomenal wildlife of the Ngorongoro Crater finishing in the Serengeti where we will position you for the best possible wildlife viewing. A light aircraft flight later and you will be on a lounger, soaking up the sun in Zanzibar. We are not sure this superb combination gets any better!
All of the itineraries that you see on our website are samples of what is possible, every holiday that we operate is completely tailor-made to your requirements, likes and dislikes. Just let us know your ideas when getting in touch and we will craft your plans around these, get your feedback, and keep working on it until everything is perfect.

Tour Highlights

Game drives in multiple different national parks including ending in one of the best wildlife viewing places on earth, the Serengeti.

Big Five and a huge variety of some of the best wildlife viewing in Africa.

See the Great Rift Valley and Ngorongoro Crater, some of the finest geographical sights in Africa.

Private vehicle and driver throughout your safari.

Rest and re-coup on the perfect tropical island of Zanzibar.

Price Includes

International flights
Light aircraft flights
All transfers on a private basis
Accommodation
Private vehicle and safari guide for the duration of your safari
All safari activities and all meals while on safari
Breakfast and dinner in Zanzibar
In country and 24-hour UK support

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Day 1 - Overnight flight from the UK

Depart from the UK for your flight to Kilimanjaro Airport. There is a huge range of airlines and routes available, please let us know your preferences when getting in touch.

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Day 2 - Private transfer on arrival to Arusha, overnight Arusha.

You will be met on arrival and assisted to your private vehicle and driver who will take you straight to your accommodation for the night. You can spend the remainder of the day resting after your journey and preparing for your safari adventure tomorrow.

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Day 3 - Meet your private vehicle and driver, drive to Tarangire for an afternoon game drive. Overnight Tarangire.

You will meet your private vehicle and driver this morning, after breakfast. After a brief introduction and run through of the itinerary you will set off for the beautiful Tarangire National Park...

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... Please let us know if you have a particular wildlife interest and we will match this with a guide that shares your passion. This drive is interesting as you pass through towns and villages, for the first hour or so, before gradually getting further into the wilderness. You will arrive at around lunchtime and can find a shady picnic spot to enjoy your packed lunch before heading into the park to enjoy an afternoon of game drives.

You will likely make your way down to the swamp area where you will find a huge variety and excellent density of wildlife including buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard and giraffe to name a few. After your game drive head to your lodge where you can freshen up before enjoying a delicious dinner.

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Day 4 - Day of game drives in Tarangire with your private vehicle and driver. Overnight Tarangire.

Today you will enjoy a full day game drive (or a morning and afternoon game drive, returning to camp for lunch, if you prefer) with your private vehicle and driver. One of the best things about having your own driver guide is that you can go on game drives whenever you want...

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...and spend as much, or as little, time as you wish at each wildlife sighting. Your guide also knows what animals you have already seen and what you are yet to find.

The wildlife of Tarangire never disappoints and spending a full day in the park allows further exploration. Perhaps you will spot the elusive cheetah on the grassy plains, also frequented by hyena, or even wild dog in this same area. Lion numbers are very good here and often seen. The plains wildlife is very good with a great mix including warthog, kudu, oyrx, gerenuk and hippo to name a fraction.

Not forgetting the huge species of birdlife here which is seriously impressive. After your safari adventure you return to camp to freshen up, perhaps a pre-dinner drink around the campfire and share the days safari stories, one of our favourite parts of the day!

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Day 5 - Game drive in Lake Manyara National Park with your private vehicle and driver then drive to Karatu. Overnight Karatu.

This morning you will make your way the short distance to Lake Manyara National Park for a day of game drives. An early start will ensure that you are at the park gate when it opens which will maximise your time there...

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The nice thing about game drives here is the variety of landscapes. One minute you are in forest watching baboons frolic, the next marvelling at beauty of the park from plains, and then at the lake shore among the hippo and buffalo with the elephant never far behind.

While we wouldn’t expect Manyara to be the highlight of your safari adventure the wildlife is plentiful and interesting and the park beautiful and well worth time exploring.

Following your game drive, you will make your way to Karatu, around 45 minutes from Lake Manyara, which you will use as your base for the next two nights to visit the Ngorongoro Crater.

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Day 6 - Private game drive in the Ngorongoro Crater. Overnight Karatu.

Today you will want to get to the park gate, around half an hour from your accommodation, just before it opens to ensure you are one of the first on the crater floor. The views as you descend into the crater are phenomenal and...

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...one that pictures can do no justice to. You will spend the next six hours marvelling at incredible and abundant wildlife. The crater is so well protected that it is home to a good number of the critically endangered black rhino as well the other members of the big five, lion, leopard, buffalo, and elephant. Although rarely achieved, it is possible to see all of these amazing animals on one game drive.

Other wildlife includes hyena and cheetah as well as impala, giraffe, warthog, wildebeest, zebra and hippo although the variety is far too many to mention, one thing is for sure, you will enjoy an incredible experience here.

Following lunch on the crater floor, with elephant and hippo for company, you will make your way up to the rim of the crater where your jaw will once again drop with the views that you are presented. You can spend some time here enjoying the vistas before making your way back to your accommodation for the rest of the afternoon and night.

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Day 7 - Private game drive into the Serengeti National Park. Overnight Serengeti.

Location in the Serengeti is key to make the most out of your time here and to ensure that you will see the incredible wildlife that the park is famous for. We will use our expertise to make sure you are in the right place at the right time with the best guides, so you have the most incredible safari adventure...

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...This morning you will depart for the Serengeti. Your journey passes the Ngorongoro Crater rim so you can stop on the way to enjoy the views. As you descend the other side of the crater you will be game driving in the greater Serengeti eco-system so you can expect to see wildlife early into your journey. Depending on the location of your accommodation you will stop off in a shady spot to enjoy a packed lunch before continuing on to your accommodation.

There are a few options for the afternoon, and you can decide on the drive. You could game drive for the day and arrive at your accommodation late afternoon where you can settle in and then enjoy dinner. Or you could go straight to your accommodation and settle in and then head back out for an afternoon game drive or finally go straight to your accommodation where you can take it easy for the afternoon, the choice is yours.

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Day 8 - Day of private game drives in the Serengeti

Today will be spent enjoying morning and afternoon game drives with your private vehicle and driver, or, if you prefer you could take a packed lunch and head out for the whole day. This is one of the benefits of having a private vehicle and driver, ultimate flexibility to do what you want on a daily basis...

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...The wildlife of the Serengeti is huge in numbers and far to varied to mention everything but, there are regular sightings of lion, leopard, crocodile, hyena and cheetah as well as plains wildlife including elephant, giraffe, buffalo, and hippo. Birdlife here is also superb with over 500 species including the kori bustard, secretary bird, ostrich and ground hornbill as well as the stunning lilac breasted roller and superb starling.

Do let your guide know if there is anything particular that you would like to see and they will speak with the camp staff and other guides in the area to check on the location of the latest wildlife sightings. Following game drives you can enjoy pre-dinner drinks around the camp fire where you can share stories of your safari adventures with the camp staff and other guests. Be sure to look up when it is dark, with such little light pollution the African night sky is some of the best in the world for star gazing.

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Day 9 - Day of private game drives in the Serengeti

Your final full day on safari with your private vehicle and guide. A typical day on safari will start with an early wake up call, with a hot drink and small snack, and then you will head out straight away when the predators are most active...

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...If you are going out on a full day safari you will take a packed lunch with you. Alternatively, you will stay out for the morning, returning to camp for brunch followed by a rest for a few hours during the heat of the day when the wildlife is least active.

As you start your drive the excitement builds, thinking about what amazing wildlife and spectacles that you might see. With over 300 mammal and 500 bird species you are sure to have a fantastic safari adventure. And, do ask your guide as many questions as you can, their knowledge is encyclopaedic, you won’t catch them out!

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Day 10 - Morning game drive to the airstrip. Light aircraft flight to Zanzibar. Private transfer to your hotel. Overnight Zanzibar.

There will be time for one last game drive this morning, on the way to the airstrip for your flight to Zanzibar. Keep your eyes peeled, you never know what you may see on the way...

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...Your light aircraft will depart the Serengeti around mid-morning and you most likely fly over the Ngorongoro crater which is an incredible sight to see from the air.

You will arrive into Zanzibar where you will be met by your private vehicle and driver who will take you straight to your accommodation on the coast. Settle in and relax on arrival before enjoying a delicious dinner with the waves breaking in the background and your favourite drink in hand.

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Day 11 - Day at leisure. Overnight Zanzibar

Day at leisure. You will probably want to take it easy today and rest after your safari adventure, sit back, kick off your shoes and take a break! The beaches here are some of the best in the Indian Ocean and, at high tide, snorkelling is superb...

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...You may want to have a chat with hotel staff about some recommended activities for the rest of your time, they are always happy to share their wisdom and book these for you. If you prefer, we can pre-book activities for you, just let us know.

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Day 12 - Day at leisure. Overnight Zanzibar

Day at leisure to do as much or as little you please. There are a host of ‘inland’ activities that are well worth exploring while staying in Zanzibar. Often referred to as one of the spice islands, with a trade history dating back to the 16th century, a spice farm tour is fascinating and well worth a visit...

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...Renowned for trading in clove, nutmeg, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, chilli, and black pepper, you will learn how these spices are grown and harvested and can even buy some to bring home.

You could also visit the nearby Jozani forest while in the area. This guided tour takes you through a nature trail of verdant forest which is a habitat for many birds and animals but is famous for the rare Red Colobus Monkey.

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Day 13 - Day at leisure. Overnight Zanzibar

If you enjoy diving and snorkelling then the extraordinary underwater landscapes, which are alive with wonderful and strange marine creatures, will be a dream destination for you...

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...The coral reefs in Zanzibar are some of the most abundant in the world with over 500 species of marine life. Here you will enjoy reef, wall, and wreck diving at over 30 dive sites and with ocean temperatures consistently around 27°C, with visibility that often exceeds 30m, this is a fantastic underwater safari, some of the absolute best in the Indian Ocean.

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Day 14 - Day at leisure. Overnight Zanzibar

Your final full day in Zanzibar which you can spend doing as much or as little as you please. Maybe catch up on a book while topping up your tan or perhaps take a visit to the dhow boat building centre and turtle conservation project in the north of Zanzibar, or, a bit of both!

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Day 15 - Private transfer to the airport. Overnight flight to the UK

Depending on your flight time you may have some more time at leisure this morning. You will be picked up from your hotel, by private vehicle and driver, and taken to the airport for your flights back to the UK. There are several airlines and routes which we can discuss, please let us know your preference.

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Day 16 - Arrive back to the UK

Arrive back in the UK and then start planning your next adventure!

Get in touch now.