Depart 2000 from London's Heathrow Airport on Kenya Airways flight KQ101 to Nairobi, Kenya.
On arrival at 0635 you will be met and taken to stay for one night at The Norfolk Hotel (bed and breakfast).
Kenya provides a beautiful location for a once in a lifetime safari with some fantastic game viewing memories. Kenya has some of the most luxurious lodges and hotels for the perfect African safari.
The city of Nairobi has grown up around the hotel, which first opened its doors to the public on Christmas Day 1904. You will get a feel for Kenya's history from the photographic enlargements of old Kenya scenes in the Pioneer Room to the rickshaw, vintage car and other museum transport pieces in the hotel's beautiful and extensive gardens which also contain aviaries of indigenous and exotic birds.
The bedrooms, suites and cottages are quiet and comfortable. Twenty-four hour room service is provided as well as colour television, personal bar and radio.
Guests can choose from three restaurants - the Ibis Grill, a tranquil setting with quietly efficient service and excellent a la carte menu; the Delamere Terrace and Bar, an attractive terrace, providing drinks and light meals; and the Swimming Pool Restaurant.
The Norfolk Hotel is situated opposite the National Theatre and is only five minutes walk from the city centre shops, nightclubs and restaurants.
In the morning you will be transferred to the airport where you board a scheduled flight of approximately one hour taking you to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Over the next seven days you will be taken on a private game safari in a fully equipped four wheel drive vehicle with radio and a highly experienced driver/guide. You will have the flexibility to go where you wish, when you wish, and can vary your activities to include walking where possible as well as unlimited game drives, while visiting some of Tanzania's most famous national parks and conservation areas. Your guide is there to answer any question you may have on your safari including the wildlife, culture and flora and fauna (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
You will be met on arrival into Kilimanjaro by your private guide and taken in your private 4x4 safari vehicle in a south westerly direction towards the Rift Valley for approximately three hours to Tarangire. Stay for three nights at Tarangire Treetops.
Tarangire Tree Tops is a magnificent luxury tented tree lodge located on a private 4,400 acre reserve by Tarangire National Park. Fifteen tented rooms are built on wooden decks in baobab and wild fig trees. Each room as a thatched roof, en suite w.c and shower, beds and furniture, providing marvellous views of the beautiful Sand River.
Because the safari camp is set on private land, you can enjoy walking safaris and night drives (at modest extra cost), as well as drives during the day on the reserve and in Tarangire National Park.
The Tarangire National Park is one of the richest and most diverse in northern Tanzania, covering 2600kms_. There are hills, vast regions of undulating grassland with acacia, tamarind, sausage and mahogany trees, huge areas of wetland and, running north to south through the National Park, is the Tarangire River - a continual source of attraction to the wildlife.
Tarangire is quite strongly seasonal and during the dry season from June to end of October, thousands of animals migrate there from Manyara. Foremost among these are big herds of elephant which can be seen in large numbers throughout the park, while giraffe, lesser kudu and a wide range of other antelope, lion and leopard are also regularly seen.
In the wetland areas you can encounter herds in excess of a thousand huge buffalo and thousands of pelicans and marabou storks, while throughout the National Park the bird life is among the best in east Africa with many eagles, brilliantly coloured kingfishers, secretary birds and bee-eaters.
Another fascinating aspect of Tarangire is the enormous number of baobabs (sometimes called 'upside-down trees' because of their strange shape) - often a favourite resting place for sleepy leopards.
Today your guide will drive you west into the Rift Valley and to Manyara, taking a game drive in the National Park, before continuing west to Ngorongoro. You will be taken up the eastern slope of the Ngorongoro Crater to the Crater Lodge where you stay for two nights.
Perched on top of the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater and surrounded by some of the most spectacular flora and fauna, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge offers guests accommodation in a truly unique setting in a breathtaking safari location.
Inspired by ancient African architecture, the lodge offers modern, comfortable accommodation in keeping with the natural splendour of its surroundings and takes the form of three small villages. Each village commands awe-inspiring views of the crater floor 500 metres below. The cottages and rooms all have a private bathroom, and the open terraces and wide courtyards enhance the lodge's unique panorama.
There are three attractive bars and a charming tree house. Hearty breakfasts, buffet lunches and four course dinners quell appetites sharpened by fresh air and safari excitement.
In the early morning of Day 7 your guide will take you down into the Crater for a morning's safari game viewing. When the Crater becomes busy, you will leave and head off to explore the surrounding area and one of the small craters, before returning to the lodge.
Ngorongoro Crater was originally a volcano larger than Mount Kilimanjaro but approximately three million years ago a huge series of eruptions caused the centre to subside forming a vast volcanic caldera ten miles wide. The floor of the caldera is 1500ft below the rim and on this 80-mile_ area live 20,000 animals of all kinds. There are thousands of wildebeest, zebra, antelope, giraffe and other plains game, lion, leopard, hyena and bat-eared fox and seventeen rhinoceros which have been preserved from the poachers and are now beginning to flourish again. The animals in the crater are used to the presence of mankind, which makes this a good area for wildlife photography, particularly as the crater floor is so diverse with areas of swamp, woodland and dry savannah grassland, all set against the backdrop of the forested crater walls.
In the southern quarter of the crater lies Lake Magadi which is a haven for waterbirds and you can frequently see flocks of thousands of flamingos gathered in one corner making their raucous calls and presenting a mass of pink wings, necks and legs. This is a special moment within your luxury safari allowing you to witness the pink haze of the flamingos in flight.
To the north east of Ngorongoro lie other craters, such as Empakai and Ol Moti, which provide excellent walking opportunities and if you visit Empakai you can descend into the steep-sided forest crater and admire the beautiful lake that sits in its base. From time to time you meet groups of scarlet-cloaked Maasai herding their cattle and goats, and for those clients staying a little longer in Ngorongoro it would be possible to visit a Maasai boma to see something of their way of life.
Today you will be taken on a game drive through Ngorongoro Crater and up and over western slope to Olduvai Gorge, a deep and rocky gorge, made famous by the numerous ancient remains, fossils and artefacts discovered there. The gorge takes its name from the wild sisal 'Olduvai' which grows in abundance. There is a small museum at the Gorge, which has several displays describing the major archaeological finds of the area, and you may also be able to visit some of the sites.
Continue on, further west, on a game drive of approximately four hours across the seemingly endless grassy plains of the Serengeti, steering by compass and landmark, to Migration Camp where you stay for three nights.
Migration Camp is situated within the rocks of a kopje in the picturesque Ndassiata Hills, near Lobo, overlooking the Grumeti River. Resident game including lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo are always present due to permanent water. The Serengeti migration masses around the site for several months on its way to the southern plains. Bird life along the river is extremely abundant and varied.
The safari camp offers its guests secluded luxury and a feeling of space created by the peaceful vantage-points on surrounding hillocks and by the river. All guests facilities, including the sixteen individual sleeping tents with tiled bathroom, w.c., shower, hot and cold water and electricity and balcony, are orientated westward towards the spectacular northern Serengeti sunsets. Elevations, bridges and timbered decks have been used to capture the views from the restaurant, bar and library, which are all under canvas. There is also a swimming pool with a jacuzzi. At sunset the pathways, bar and restaurant are all illuminated with shimmering hurricane lamps and camp fires.
Migration safari camp offers game drives through the Serengeti, and is an ideal base to savour the vastness and variety of this area whilst enjoying quality and individual service.
The Serengeti, in northern Tanzania is one of the largest and richest wildlife reserves in the world. The soil is very fertile, light coloured volcanic deposits blown from the huge volcanoes which lie to the east creating continuous undulating plains giving the appearance of great 'oceans of grassland'.
The Serengeti is full of variety with unbroken grassland in some areas, towering hills, great partially eroded rocky kopjes in the east and south, while to the west woodland and forest lead down to Lake Victoria. A variety of attractive acacia trees are found throughout the Serengeti, and by rivers there are huge fig and rain trees. As you drive across the plains the scenery changes in appearance every three or four miles. It also changes from season to season; covered in brilliant green grasses with beautiful flowers during and after the rainy season with bright beige and yellow grass colours predominating in the dry season.
The Serengeti is home to millions of animals of all kinds including elephant, graceful giraffe and many species of antelope ranging from the tiny dik dik to the larger hartebeest and waterbuck. This is also an excellent area for spotting predators including lion, sleek looking leopard and cheetah. The Serengeti is most famous for the annual migration of 1.5 million wildebeest and 300,000 zebra which traverse the plains in large herds and long lines, spending approximately nine months of the year in the Serengeti and three in the neighbouring Masai Mara.
Your guide will transfer you to the airstrip where you say goodbye to him and board your scheduled flight returning you to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. On arrival you connect with a scheduled flight departing at 1430 to Dar es Salaam. On arrival at 1525 you will be met and taken to stay for one night at the Holiday Inn (bed and breakfast).
The Holiday Inn, Dar es Salaam, is just 14km from the International Airport and provides accommodation in 152 well-appointed guest rooms (most of which are non-smoking). All rooms include en-suite bathroom with shower points. Also available is an 18-hour room service, valet services and ample parking. Breakfast is served in the Kivulini restaurant which overlooks the hotel's outdoor pool and the Botanical Gardens. The Kivulini also serves sumptuous lunch and dinner buffets with a famous stir fry section.
Dar es Salaam is an absorbing, laid back mixture of east and west, old and new, races, tribes, religions and political philosophies. The city can be hot, humid and unsophisticated, but it is rarely boring. It is Tanzania's main port and economic, cultural and political centre.
The Asania Front, the harbour and the National Museum are well worth visiting, as is the Mwenge handicraft market, where you will find the famous Makonde carvings.
In the morning you will be transferred to Dar es Salaam Airport for a short flight to Pemba Island where you will be met and taken to Pemba Afloat for a three night stay (full board).
Pemba Afloat has been established for the last six years as one of the best diving operations off the coast of East Africa. The island has many of the finest dive sites in that part of the world and within easy access of Pemba Afloat you find superb wall diving, overhangs and swim-throughs, with an immense variety of coral and marine life.
They have three comfortable luxury yachts one of which, Sitra, serves as the dive centre and has a large double bedded cabin for guests as well as twin berths forward. 'Karibu' can comfortably accommodate four guests and 'Liz' is where Charlie and Philip Mason, who own the operation, live and has additional accommodation for guests.
In addition to Charlie and Philip, who have been diving in and around Pemba for over a decade, there is a great team comprising Chris and Mitch, who are fully qualified PADI instructors, as well as three charming staff from a nearby village who ensure everything runs beautifully and who prepare delicious meals.
Pemba Afloat manages to combine an informal and fun operation with the highly professional standards which are essential to ensure your safety and when you are not diving you can simply relax aboard the yachts, swim from the brilliant white beaches, go snorkelling, wander around the local forest and Juma, Ali and Dulla, the staff, are always happy to take you to their village, which is a twenty minute stroll away through the forest.
In the late morning you will be taken back to the airstrip for a short flight to Zanzibar where you will be met and taken by road to Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel for a three night stay at this beautiful remote beach location (half board).
Located on an expanse of beach wilderness on the northern tip of Zanzibar, and protected by an expansive coral reef, Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel is an ideal location for all water sports, or merely relaxing in the temperate water while soaking up the equatorial sun.
The hotel is built from hand-cut fossilised coral limestone and other natural materials, and literally blends into the landscape.
Rooms are positioned to maximise the panoramic sea views and cool island breezes. Individually furnished with handcrafted four poster beds and indigenous decor including carved doors, all rooms are en-suite with ceiling fans and balcony frontage. Mosquito nets over all the beds ensure a peaceful night's sleep.
The Zanzibari chefs are renowned for sumptuous seafood buffets and spicy island fare, all freshly prepared. From calamari and coconut curries to freshly grilled line fish, they will keep your taste buds alive whilst ensuring a healthy diet. Breakfasts are traditionally centred round the variety of freshly prepared pastries and local fruits, and there's plenty to choose from - Zanzibar has over twenty different types of mango, and an abundance of bananas, papaya, pineapple and passion fruit amongst many others! Lunches are light and appetising, and dinners are seasonally characterised by huge buffets and fresh fish barbecues under the stars.
The unspoilt beach at Ras Nungwi is arguably the best on Zanzibar, and the nearby coral reef yields a beautiful lagoon. Low tides reveal sparkling white coral sand bars, and rock pools teeming with marine life. The proximity and variety of the surrounding reefs makes Ras Nungwi the perfect diving destination, where you can dive from 12m down to over 100m on surrounding channels and atolls. Ras Nungwi has a fully equipped PADI dive centre with expert instructors and modern boats. If you do wish to dive it is advisable to book this prior to your arrival.
A safari in Tanzania with a remote luxury beach holiday in Zanzibar is a perfect combination where you can spend time with the guides and game, aswell as relaxing on the beach, in both these fantastically beautiful African locations.
In the early morning you will be transferred to Zanzibar Airport where you board a scheduled afternoon flight of approximately an hour and three quarters to Nairobi, Kenya. On arrival at 0915 you will be met and taken to the Norfolk Hotel where a day room will be made available for you. You may also wish to take an early dinner before your evening transfer to the airport (room only).
In the evening you will be transferred to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport where you board flight KQ102 departing at 2350 to London's Heathrow Airport, arriving the following morning at 0545 (local time).