Tanzania Odyssey – Kilimanjaro, wildlife safari, and Zanzibar Beach

    Tanzania Odyssey

    • Tanzania
    • 24 days

    Overview

    The Machame route, also referred to as the Whiskey route, is one of the most popular routes on Kilimanjaro and a favorite for us. Machame route is one of the highest summit success rates given the topography and nature of the route which allows climbers to “trek high & sleep low” hence making it a more favorable route for acclimatization. This route offers some of the most spectacular scenery while on the mountain. The Machame route starts on the southwest side of the mountain and proceeds steeply north, traversing the Shira plateau and eventually joining the Shira and Lemosho routes just after the Shira cave camp. The Machame route can be done in minimum of 6 days but a 7 day trek is recommended to allow climbers to be well-rested and acclimatized before making the final ascent to the summit.

    Duration

    24 days

    Map Overview

    • Arusha
    • Mt. Kilimanjaro
    • Tarangire
    • Ngorongoro
    • Manyara
    • Serengeti
    • Zanzibar

    Places to Visit

    Tarangire National ParkTarangire
    Mount KilimanjaroMt. Kilimanjaro
    Photo of Coconut Trees On SeashoreZanzibar
    Ngorongoro CraterNgorongoro Crater

    Day by Day Itinerary

    You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your arranged Hotel in Moshi town for dinner and overnight.

    Accommodation: Kilimanjaro wonders Hotel
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

    A relaxing day at the Hotel and on this day, a professional Mountain Guide from African Traits will come over for Climbing Briefing and equipment check.

    Accommodation: Kilimanjaro wonders Hotel
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

    After breakfast, we will depart from the hotel with a packed lunch box. One hour drive from Moshi lies the gate to the Machame route, where we complete park formalities, meet our crew of porters, and start to climb! The first section of the route climbs steadily and passes through magnificent, dense rainforest. This path is less well-trodden so it can get somewhat overgrown in places and it is often wet and muddy underfoot.

    Distance covered: 10.8km / 6.7mi
    Approx. time taken: 6 hours
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

    Our route continues up through the forest until we reach the steep ascent onto the Shira Plateau, where there are rewarding views of the mountain. Looking back, you will be able to see Mt Meru rising high above Arusha town in the distance.

    Distance covered: 5.4km / 3.4mi
    Approx. time taken: 5 hours
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

    Walking now on high moorland, the landscape changes the entire character of the trek. We traverse the southwest side of Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower and the final section of the Western Breach, and finally reach camp The day has been spent at altitude (up to 4600m), but we have followed the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to aid your body’s acclimatization to altitude.

    Distance covered: 10.8km / 6.7mi
    Approx. time taken: 8 hours
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

    Our day starts by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the Karanga valley. From here we have a steep climb up from Karanga valley to our night’s camp at Karanga camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong, we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.

    Distance covered: 5.5km / 3.4mi
    Approx. time taken: 5 hours
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

    After a good night’s rest and breakfast, we set off on our walk to Barafu camp at 4640m. The climb will take us across desolate scree slopes with no vegetation around us at all. It’s a tough steep walk made more difficult by the altitude. On arriving at camp we eat and spend the afternoon resting as we prepare for a long night and day ahead. It is important to keep hydrated and warm. We have an early dinner and then try to get some sleep as we will be getting up between 11 pm and 12 pm to start the climb to the summit.

    Distance covered: 3km / 1.9mi
    Approx. time taken: 3 hours
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

    We start off at around midnight and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing the screen for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views of the jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Mweka Camp for a long well-earned rest.

    Distance covered: 16.4km / 9.6mi
    Approx. time taken: 13hours – 15 hours
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

    A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower and then celebrate with cold drinks.

    Approx. time taken: 3 hours
    Hotel: Kilimanjaro wonders Hotel
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

    After an English breakfast and a relaxing morning in the hotel you will check out and your guide will pick you up around 11 am for a morning tour around Moshi town. Your tour guide will inform you about this area’s history including an interesting story about the small Tanzanian town of Moshi. This portion of the tour also includes visiting a local market and a historical site. After the Moshi town tour, we will drive to the hot springs which are located in the Boma area in the Kilimanjaro region of the Hai district This area is host to the unique features of the lowest point being the underground springs all the way to the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. Along the way, your guide will point out natural features of this picturesque landscape such as the big baobab trees. With a large population of Masaai people living in this area, the countryside is dotted with traditional Maasai houses and you’ll see Masaai people going about their day, herding their livestock and carrying water buckets on their heads.

    We hope you remembered to bring your swimsuit because our next stop is the hot springs. We will take the local “tuk tuk” (three-wheeled motorcycle) transportation to the natural hot spring area. You won’t be able to resist jumping into the clean, warm water! Stand still and you’ll experience fish nibbling on your toes. After having a great time swimming in the natural spring pool, we will depart for Arusha where we’ll drop you off at the arranged hotel, and later in the evening you will have a briefing for your upcoming African safari Adventure.

    Accommodation: Gran Melia Arusha
    Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

    After breakfast, you will proceed to a walking safari with an armed ranger. Later depart for a game drive until the evening. One of the largest national parks in Tanzania located in the Manyara region, this place is characterized by the large herds of elephants, tree-climbing lions, and the fascinating baobab trees also called the Tree of Life for its almost mythical powers that some cultures attach to it. This park is especially known for the Tarangire river which flows all year round and is the only source of water for wild animals during dry seasons.

    Meals: Break, Lunch, and Dinner
    Accommodation: Mpingo Ridge Tented Lodge

    We will drive to the Hadzabe tribe where we will start a cultural tour with the locals. The Hadza, or Hadzabe, are an indigenous ethnic tribe located in north-central Tanzania who live around Lake Eyasi in the central Rift Valley and in the neighboring Serengeti Plateau. The Hadza number is just under 1,000 with some 300–400 still living as part-time hunter-gatherers although the increasing impact of tourism and encroaching pastoralists pose serious threats to the continuation of their traditional way of life. The Hadza are not closely related genetically to any other people. While traditionally classified with the Khoisan languages, primarily because it has “clicks,” the Hadza language appears to be isolated and unrelated to any other. As descendants of Tanzania’s aboriginal hunter-gatherer population, they have probably occupied their current territory for thousands of years with
    relatively little modification to their basic way of life until the past hundred years. Depending on the length of time spent with the Hadzabe tribe, we may also visit lake Eyasi and hike around the waterfalls there before driving to the overnight accommodations.

    We hope you remembered to bring your swimsuit because our next stop is the hot springs. We will take the local “tuk tuk” (three-wheeled motorcycle) transportation to the natural hot spring area. You won’t be able to resist jumping into the clean, warm water! Stand still and you’ll experience fish nibbling on your toes. After having a great time swimming in the natural spring pool, we will depart for Arusha where we’ll drop you off at the arranged hotel, and later in the evening you will have a briefing for your upcoming African safari Adventure.

    Meals: Break, Lunch, and Dinner
    Accommodation: Farm House Lodge

    After Breakfast around 7 am, We will descend 600m into this magnificent crater for a morning, half-day game drive. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the most densely populated African wildlife areas in the world and is home to an estimated 30,000 animals including some of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhinos. Supported by a year-round water supply and fodder, the Ngorongoro National Park is home to a vast variety of animals which include herds of wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, eland, warthog, hippo, and giant African elephants. Another big drawing card to this picturesque national park is the dense population of predators including lions, hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and the ever-elusive leopard which sometimes requires a trained eye to spot. We will enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater before returning to the accommodation for dinner and overnight.

    Accommodation: Ngorongoro Lion’s Paw
    Meals: Break, Lunch, and Dinner

    After breakfast, we head towards the Serengeti National Park, via the beautiful Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Leaving the highlands behind, we descend into the heart of wild Africa – the Serengeti National Park – with its endless plains, rolling into the distance as far as the eye can see. We head to the central park area, known as the Seronera area, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park, featuring the Seronera River, which provides a valuable water source to this area and therefore attracts wildlife well representative of most of the Serengeti’s species. We arrive in time for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive in the Serengeti national park.

    Accommodation: Serengeti Melia
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

    Be one of only a few fortunate people to glide in a Hot Air Balloon over the Serengeti Plains (available at supplementary cost by pre-arrangement). Floating silently above the awakening bush, while spotting wildlife and enjoying the amazing scenery of Africa, across rivers and over numerous small villages.
    We do an after-breakfast game viewing drive along the Sogore River Circuit, which loops into the plains south of the Seronera River, and which is good for possible Lion, Thomson gazelle, topi, ostrich, and cheetah sightings. The Visitor Centre close to the Serengeti Seronera Lodge and public campsites is well worth a visit after the morning’s game drive. This nicely designed centre offers some interesting wildlife displays as well as a gift shop selling information leaflets and maps of the area. The centre also has a shop where cold drinks and snacks can be purchased, as well as a picnic area and information trail up and around a nearby kopje. We will enjoy a relaxed picnic lunch at the centre in the shade of the giant acacia trees.
    In the afternoon we will follow the Kopjes Circuit, which goes anti-clockwise around the Maasai Kopjes, which usually attract a number of lions and some formidably large cobras. Kopjes are weathered granite outcrops, scattered around the plains, most of which are miniature ecosystems, providing shade and drinking water in pools left in the rock after the rains. This makes the kopjes particularly good for spotting wildlife in the dry seasons – including lions, which like to lie in wait for animals coming to drink!

    Accommodation: Serengeti Melia
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

    After breakfast, we depart for Serengeti North for a game drive viewing the great migration. River crossings at Kogatende start in August as the mega herd settles into the area. Between August- October, game viewing is at its best with river crossings pretty much guaranteed every day. There is no distinct movement, as the herds tend to cross back and forth over the river, following the rains and subsequent fresh grasses. Among other incredible wildlife and stunning views is famed for the annual migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest and hundred thousands of zebras, a frenzied bout of territorial conquests and mating happening from July-October. Witness an actual survival of the fittest as these animals plunge through crocodile-infested waters. The wildebeest
    produces more than 8,000 calves daily before the 1,000 km (600 miles) pilgrimage begins again.

    Accommodation: Mara Mara Tented
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

    After breakfast, we will proceed for a full-day game drive viewing the great migration at the Mara area. Resident wildlife numbers are exceptionally high in the Wagakuria area. The key feature is the Mara River and there is a great chance to see the herds cross the Mara River to the north one day and back south a few days later. Please note that it can be very difficult to witness crossing and is sometimes a matter of luck. A herd can be seen next to the river and only decide to cross a couple of days later. This area is a stunning region with kopjes, woodland, riverine vegetation, and open plains, similar to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve.

    Accommodation: Mara Mara Tented Lodge
    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

    After breakfast, wake up for an early morning game drive and then drive to Serengeti airstrip to catch a flight to Zanzibar. On your arrival, our guide will pick you up from Zanzibar Airport, they will then drive you to Stone Town to your arranged hotel for dinner and overnight.

    Accommodation: Melia Zanzibar
    Meals: All inclusive

    You can choose to relax at the beautiful white sand beach or visit a historical town or get yourself involved with some water sports. Here are some of the optional tours you can take during your time in Zanzibar: Explore Stone town, Zanzibar Safari Blue, or Spice Tour.

    Accommodation: Melia Zanzibar
    Meals: All inclusive

    After a delightful morning breakfast, we will be taking you to the airport for your departure.

    Accommodation: No Accommodation
    Meals: Breakfast

    Inclusions

    • Full board accommodation whilst on safari in the above mentioned Public Camps
    • Private safari guide
    • Maasai Experience tour
    • Extended Toyota Land Cruiser
    • Private 4 x 4 safari jeep with pop up roof for game viewing
    • Transfers in both directions between the International Airport and Moshi.
    • All entrance Park fees
    • Ngorongoro Crater fees
    • 18% VAT to our entrance fees.
    • All meals while on safari.

    Exclusions

    • Tanzania Visa: $50 per person on arrival, USA and CANADA passport holders USD 100
    • Personal Expenses (e.g. laundry, telephone, beverages, etc.)
    • Meals not listed above
    • Optional Tours (balloon rides USD. 540 per person)
    • Tips and any items of personal nature

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What’s Included and Excluded in Every Tour?

    The inclusions and exclusions vary by tour. Each tour has its specific set of inclusions and exclusions. Please refer to the individual tour page to see what is specifically included in that tour.

    What Are Your Cancellation Terms?

    Our cancellation terms are standard within the industry. For more information on our cancellation policy, please visit the designated page.

    What Vaccines and Health Requirements Are Needed?

    The requirements vary depending on the country and nationality. For the most accurate information, please visit the page specific to your destination and consult the corresponding embassy page for the latest information.

    Can I Choose Other Accommodation Than What’s Specified?

    Yes, if you have a special preference, let us know, and we will offer alternatives from our vast network of company-owned and partner accommodations. Booking with us allows you to enjoy discounted rates as we have special agreements with our partners.

    Will My Mobile/Cellular Phone Work During the Tour?

    Yes, though signal strength may vary in different areas.

    What Activities Can My Kids Do While on a Safari?

    A safari offers an enriching experience for children, allowing them to observe animals in their natural habitat. Some camps and lodges offer amenities for children, such as playrooms and pools, though these are not universally available. We suggest bringing activities that your children enjoy.

    What Payment Methods Do You Accept?

    We accept various payment methods, including card payments. For more information on acceptable payment methods, please visit our payment information page.

    What If I Have Special Needs or Requirements?

    We strive to cater to all requirements, such as providing wheelchair-friendly accommodation or rooms on the first floor if stairs are a challenge. Please communicate with us in advance about your needs.

    What Are the Road Conditions Like?

    Most safari parks have bumpy but manageable roads, with some roads being paved. Generally, guests do not view this as a problem.

    Is Electricity Available 24 Hours in the Lodges and Camps?

    Most standard camps and lodges are equipped with generators, so electricity is generally available 24 hours. However, some interruptions may occur but are typically not a significant concern for guests.

    What About My Special Diet and Food Preferences?

    We cater to all diets, including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options, among others. Please inform us in advance about your dietary preferences.

    Is Tipping Required?

    Tipping is not required but is recommended. The amount varies by country, but you should tip according to what you feel is appropriate.

    Take Off on a Memorable Safari Experience and Explore the Wild Right Away!

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