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Airport North Rd, Nyayo Embakasi suite 88/13,
P.O.BOX 60854 code 00200 city square,
Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa
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http://www.silverafricatours.com

Tanzania Explorer Safari

 

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TOUR CODE: SAT008
Validity: 01st March 2011 ? 15th December 2011
Minimum: 02 pax
Transportation: 4x4 vehicle with the services of an English speaking driver/guide
Start: Nairobi
End: Nairobi
Departures: Guaranteed daily departure

Itinerary at a glance
Day	Location	Accommodation	Board	Activity
01	Arusha	Impala Hotel	BB	Trsf, LE
02	Ngorongoro	Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge	LDBB	LE
03	Ngorongoro	Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge	LDBB	CT, LE
04	Serengeti Park	Serengeti Sopa Lodge	LDBB	P
05	Serengeti Park	Serengeti Sopa Lodge	LDBB	E, A, P
06	Tarangire Park	Tarangire Sopa Lodge	LDBB	P
07	Departure			E

Trsf ? Transfer, BB ? Bed & Breakfast, L ? Lunch, D ? Dinner , LDBB ? Lunch, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast, E ? Early morning game drive, A ? Morning game drive, P ? Afternoon game drive, LE ? Leisure, CT ? Crater Tour, GV ? Game viewing from the lodge, FLT - Flight

DETAILED ITINERARY

 

DAY 01 ? ARRIVAL ARUSHA

Met upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport by Silver Africa Tours Representative. Assistance and transfer to The Impala Hotel. Rest of the day at leisure with the possibility of realizing optional excursions. Accommodation on bed and breakfast basis at The Impala Hotel (BB).

DAY 02 ? ARUSHA/NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA

After breakfast drive to The Ngorongoro Conservation Area arriving in time for lunch at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. Rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (LDBB).

DAY 03 ? NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA

After breakfast drive down into the crater for a morning crater tour. Return to your lodge for lunch. Rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge (LDBB).

Sopa means welcome in the Masai language and is representative of the warm welcome you will receive at the Sopa lodges. Ngorongoro Sopa is spread out along the uppermost rim of the Ngorongoro World Heritage Site, an ancient extinct volcano that contains the largest permanent concentration of game in Africa. Ngorongoro Sopa offers breathtaking views of the crater floor far below. A sparkling swimming pool refreshes those returning from game drives. The rooms are cool and comfortable. Opened in 1992, the lodge can accommodate 190 guests in 92 suites, each enjoying wall-to-wall carpeting, central heating, a private lounge with a mini bar, a bedroom with two queen size beds and ample room for a third, an en-suite bathroom with shaver sockets and a hair dryer, and a private solarium which offers stunning views of the crater floor below and the sun setting over the western horizon. The lodge has direct-dial satellite telephone facilities as well as satellite television and wildlife-video-film options. A number of lodge electrical generating systems provide 240 volts, 50 cycles 24 hours a day. The water supply comes from nearby springs but guests are provided a complimentary bottle of mineral water for drinking. Children of all ages are welcome and special meals at convenient times can be arranged together with a non-professional baby minder. A swimming pool is situated on the very edge of the crater itself and the cool water is bracing, even invigorating, at any time of year. The pool is also a super area to unwind and relax while enjoying the views of the crater floor below or the stunning sunsets. In addition to all these modern facilities is a well-stocked shop selling curios, clothing, jewellery, general accessories and personal requisites and toiletries. The lodge has spacious conference facilities for up to 120 guests and is an excellent venue for special occasions. It can cater for birthday and anniversary parties, bush breakfasts, lunches or bar-b-ques, sundowner cocktail parties, gala dinners or theme evenings. The Sopa has got all the facilities that a modern traveller could wish for and more - a stunning location in one of the greatest wildlife havens in the world. A special excursion to The Empakaai Crater, a little-visited, high altitude volcanic crater, offers scenic views over the mineral-rich waters of Lake Natron and of the nearby sacred volcano of Ol Donyo Lengai. Ol Moti is yet another forgotten volcanic crater where it is possible to hire a guide and walk up to the top of the crater rim itself.

DAY 02 ? 4TH OCTOBER 2011 - ABERDARES NATIONAL PARK/LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK

Breakfast at your hotel followed by safari briefing by a Silver Africa Tours representative. After briefing drive to Lake Nakuru National Park arriving in time for lunch at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge. Afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge (LDBB)

Situated in the heart of the Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru is one of Kenya's most famous soda lakes. A major feature of this park is the wonderful bird life, particularly the thousands of flamingos, which create a shimmering pink hue over the lake. A rhino sanctuary also provides the opportunity to see the endangered black rhino. Sarova Lion Hill offers a unique vantage point. Each of the 64 superbly appointed chalets with private secluded veranda enjoys views over the lake and the distant hills. Even the glorious pool has a view!

In the Great Rift Valley, that great schism in the earth's crust, lies the wonderful Ngorongoro Crater, one of the wonders of the natural world. It is an extinct volcano that collapsed in on itself around 25 million years ago thus forming a vast superbowl where the largest permanent concentration of African game is on display. The central bowl, the caldera, has sides roughly 1,950 feet high and a flattish centre with a diameter of about ten miles. The views from the top of the crater wall are absolutely breathtaking. The crater walls are forested but four wheel drive vehicles will take you down into this primeval paradise of woodland, lake, river, swamp and plain that shelters around 20,000 animals. Many of these are the large grazing animals such as wildebeest, buffalo, gazelle and zebra that depend on the open grasslands in the crater. These attract the attendant predators, the black-maned lion, the leopard and hyena. The elephant found within the caldera tend to be the lone males who have left the herds in the forested crater rim. When the water stocks are low elsewhere the animals within this micro-world turn to the swamps for fresh water and food. Elephants feed on the giant sedges and hippo wallow in the pools. The Fever Tree forests shelter monkeys, bushbuck and waterbuck and the few black rhino that have taken refuge here. A soda lake, fed by the Munge River attracts water birds, including flamingos and is a favourite place for predators to make their kill. Wildly beautiful as it is, it is not surprising that Ngorongoro Crater has been called a Garden of Eden. The conservation area also encompasses several other volcanos, one of which, Oldonyo Lengai, is still live. You may struggle to the top, if you wish, to gaze into its open and sulphurous maw but many prefer to admire from afar. One of the most fascinating attractions in the area is the Olduvai Gorge, where an old river has carved away the rock to expose layer upon layer of volcanic soil. This is where Dr Louis and Mary Leakey found the remains of hominids "Nutcracker Man" and "Toolmaking Man". The "Cradle of Mankind" now has a visitor centre where you may hear a short lecture on the work of the Leakey?s and their successors and a small museum where you may see some of their finds, including a giant giraffe - it is hard to believe that they were once even taller!

DAY 04 ? NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA/SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast drive via Olduvai Gorge to Serengeti National Park arriving in time for lunch at Serengeti Sopa Lodge. Afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lodge (LDBB).

DAY 05 ? SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

Full day in Serengeti with morning and afternoon game drives. All meals and overnight at Serengeti Sopa Lode (LDBB).

The Serengeti Sopa lodge is located in the Nyarboro Hills in the south west of the Serengeti National Park and is the only tourism development in this section of the Park. Year round water and the acacia woodland in this area create an ideal environment for the wide variety of wildlife seen in the immediate vicinity of the lodge. Looking out over the seemingly endless Serengeti plains, this hill side lodge is a tranquil oasis set in thousands of square kilometres of Serengeti National Park. The Serengeti Plains are host to a dramatic annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, zebra and antelope. This is one of the great spectacles of the natural world. From December to May the migration gathers in the immediate vicinity of the lodge and provides an unforgettable spectacle, as predators hunt close by. The migration can also be viewed in a more spectacular fashion - on optional hot-air balloon ride across the plains of the Serengeti. Take-off is at dawn and the flight lasts for an hour before a sumptuous champagne breakfast wherever you land. This is followed by a game drive back to the lodge, arriving in time for lunch. As the sun sets over the plains, you may enjoy sundowner cocktails by the pool, and in the evening, after a 4-course dinner, traditional dancers entertain the guests. Slide presentations are also held daily by the resident naturalist. Opened in 1992, the lodge can accommodate 170 guests in 79 suites, each enjoying wall-to-wall carpeting, a private lounge with a mini bar, a bedroom with two queen size beds and ample room for a third guest, an en-suite bathroom with shaver sockets and a hair dryer, and a private verandah which offers stunning views over the plains. The lodge has direct-dial satellite telephone facilities as well as satellite television and wildlife-video-film options. A number of lodge electrical generating systems provide 240volts, 50 cycles 24 hours a day. The water supply comes from nearby springs but guests are provided a complimentary bottle of mineral water for drinking. Children of all ages are welcome and special meals at convenient times can be arranged together with a non-professional baby minder. The Sopa pools are renowned for their size and location and this one in the Serengeti is no exception. The double size pool offers a refreshing interlude between game drives as well as wonderful views over the rolling plains of the Serengeti. In addition to all these modern facilities is a well-stocked shop selling curios, clothing, jewellery, general accessories and personal requisites and toiletries. The lodge has spacious conference facilities for up to 120 guests and is an excellent venue for special occassions. It can cater for birthday and anniversary parties, bush breakfasts, lunches or bar-b-ques, sundowner cocktail parties, gala dinners or theme evenings. The Sopa has got all the facilities that a modern traveller could wish for and more - a stunning location in one of the greatest wildlife havens in the world.

George Adamson, co-raiser of Elsa the lioness, and husband of "Born Free" author Joy Adamson, visited the Serengeti in the early sixties and describes the experience in "Pride and Joy", his autobiography. At this time he considered it probably the greatest of all game reserves in Africa and one man was mainly responsible - Bernhardt Grzimek, Director of Frankfurt Zoo. The Serengeti had suffered terribly from over-zealous hunting in the 1930's and from large-scale killing of game during the war. Grzimek applied himself to the tensions between Maasai need for grazing and the indigenous wildlife. He and his son carried out a massive survey, using planes to quantify the game, and identifying and logging the plantlife. He used his best-seller "Serengeti Shall Not Die" to raise funds and publicise the exercise. Thanks to the Grzimeks, and to John Owen who established a renowned scientific research establishment there, the Serengeti still has an amazing concentration of wildlife. The 14,763 square kilometres of the Serengeti are probably most famous for being the southern end of the Great Migration. Every year over 1.5 million animals, mostly wildebeest but also zebra and Thompson's gazelle, follow their instincts and move through the western corridor on their 1000 kilometre journey to the fresh grazing of the Masai Mara. Predators pick off the weak, the laggardly and the young and crocodiles feast as the vast herd crosses the rivers but they continue their trek, as they have done since time immemorial. This is one of the earth's great sights - but it is by no means all the Serengeti has to offer. The vast, flat central plains, made fertile by the ashes of the none volcanos of the Ngorongoro highlands, are places of huge skies, of shimmering heat hazes, yet also of delicate wild flowers blooming after the rains. The savannah, sprinkled with Acacia Tortilis, has majestic termite mounds and rock formations called kopjes which make great vantage points for predators. The lion are abundant, the leopard are plentiful (yet still secretive) and black rhino and cheetah both breed here. There are more than 500 species of bird and, interestingly, 100 sub-species of dung beetle - a sign of a varied animal population! Ndutu, in the south, has small lakes where you may see hippo and water birds. Perhaps one of the best ways to see the Serengeti is a hot air balloon ride when, in the cool of the early morning, you may admire the grandeur, the vastness and the stunning landscape. page 100 of g. Adamson - Serengeti shall not die - Bernhardt Grzimek, Director of Frankfurt zoo.

DAY 06 ? SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK/TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

After breakfast drive with picnic lunches to Tarangire National Park. Afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at Tarangire Sopa Lodge (LDBB)

Tarangire is now known as the best national park on the northern circuit for elephant and Tarangire Sopa is ideally placed for visitors to this lovely park where beautiful stately baobab trees pepper the landscape and give the park its nickname of "Baobab Forest". Tarangire Sopa welcomes travellers to its vast marble-floored reception area with cold flannels and iced juice. In the pretty gardens a large circular pool with a central island, a pool bar and elegant wooden loungers demonstrates the lodge's commitment to comfort. Delicious barbecue lunches are often served here. A broad veranda wraps itself around the lodge and gives prime viewing for the waterhole below, which is filled during the dry season (June-Oct) and becomes a magnet to wildlife. The rooms at the lodge are comfortable and arranged in groups of four, in African-style buildings, within the grounds. Large sliding doors open to a private balcony. However, the pool, games room, hospitality lounge with complimentary newspapers and, above all, the stunning scenery and wildlife of the Park, will ensure that your days are satisfyingly full.

Tarangire National Park has some of the highest population density of elephants anywhere in Tanzania, and its sparse vegetation, strewn with baobab and acacia trees, makes it a beautiful and special location. Located just a few hours drive from the town of Arusha, Tarangire is a popular stop for safaris travelling through the northern circuit on their way to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. The park extends into two game controlled areas and the wildlife are allowed to move freely throughout. Before the rains, droves of gazelle, wildebeest, zebra, and giraffes migrate to Tarangire National Park?s scrub plains where the last grazing land still remains. Tarangire offers unparalleled game viewing, and during the dry season elephants abound. Families of the pachyderms play around the ancient trunks of baobab trees and strip acacia bark from the thorn trees for their afternoon meal. Breathtaking views of the Masaai Steppe and the mountains to the south make a stop at Tarangire a memorable experience.

DAY 07 ? TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK/ARUSHA/DEPARTURE

Early morning game drive returning to the lodge for breakfast. After breakfast drive to Arusha Town for lunch. After lunch transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your ownward departure flight.
End of our services. All prices indicated are in US$ and are net and non commissionable:

From	To	Each of 2 pax	Each of 3 pax	Each of 4 pax	Each of 5 pax	Each of 6 pax	Each of 7 pax	Single room Sup
01.01.10	31.03.10	2325	1965	1785	1677	1605	1554	246
01.04.10	31.05.10	2020	1660	1480	1372	1300	1249	32
01.06.10	31.10.10	2466	2106	1925	1818	1746	1695	270
01.11.10	15.12.10	2325	1965	1785	1677	1605	1554	246

Easter supplement applicable on 10+11+12+13.04.10(inclusive) US$45.00 per person per night

Included:
? Accommodation and meals as indicated above
? 4x4 vehicle with English speaking driver/guide
? Game drives as indicated above
? All park fees
? One (1) litre bottle of mineral water per person per day on safari
? All transfers and assistance


Excluded:
? International flights, visas and airport taxes
? Personal expenses like drinks, tips, laundry etc
? Personal insurance and baggage insurance

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