OTHER Tanzania ADVENTURES:
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Our new itinerary is an active family’s dream come true! Begin your adventure at Arusha National Park, with a trek up Mount Meru and one night of camping in a mountain hut. Continue on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Serengeti National Park, where each day wildlife viewing drives open up remarkable landscapes, and the diversity of wildlife will astound you. Enjoy three nights at Gibb's Farm, a beautiful old coffee farm, as you explore the Ngorongoro Crater and Conservation Area. Finish your exploration free from park regulations in an exclusive private nature refuge, part of the Serengeti ecosystem. Here you have the special opportunity to explore the wilderness on night wildlife drives and by foot, and discover the African wilderness at its most untouched. Throughout your trip there will be opportunities to meet local Tanzanians – including Maasai – as well as the chance to do an activity with the community in a local town. With only two departures a year, space is sure to disappear fast!
| Dates | Adult Price | Teen Price |
|---|---|---|
| 06/17 - 06/30 | $6,890 | $6,590 |
| Space is Limited! | ||
| 07/04 - 07/17 | $7,290 | $6,990 |
| 07/29 - 08/11 | $7,290 | $6,990 |
| Space is Limited! | ||
| 12/20 - 01/02 | $7,590 | $7,290 |
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred to your lodge.
Arusha’s beginnings as a “city” stretch back to the 1880s, when German colonists established a settlement, later to be replaced by the British. As Tanzania’s tourism capital, Arusha abounds today with practically every culture in the country and many more from around the world. Historically, the Meru and Il Larusa have lived and farmed within the fertile rain forests and highlands surrounding Mount Meru. A now dormant volcano, Mount Meru stands as a striking backdrop beside downtown Arusha. Dense villages and farms cover Meru’s verdant foothills, whose volcanic soil provides fertile grounds for scores of banana trees, coffee fields, flower plantations, vegetable gardens, and other farms. At 14,980 feet, Meru also happens to be Tanzania’s second tallest mountain and the fifth tallest in all of Africa.
- Village visit to Ilkinding’a
- Trek Mount Meru
Head from Arusha to the Ngorongoro Highlands, where the rich volcanic soil makes for some of the most fertile land in Tanzania. For families, the highlands have it all; culture, nature, wonderful people, natural beauty and pleasantly cool climate, and plenty of opportunities to stretch your legs and be active. Established in the late 1950s, Ngorongoro Conservation Area balances wildlife preservation alongside human settlements. Resident wildlife populations in the Crater and seasonal migratory populations around the Serengeti make this an integral part of Tanzania's ecology. In addition, the abundance of Maasai settlements makes it a cultural epicenter within northern Tanzania.
- Gibb’s Farm tour
- Gibb’s Farm optional activities
- Visit to the floor of Ngorongoro Crater
- Cultural exchange for teens at Ganako
- Gibb's Farm Guided Mountain Biking
Depart the Ngorongoro Highlands and head to the great Serengeti plains for a different, but just as spectacular wildlife viewing experience. The Serengeti, Tanzania's second largest national park, covers nearly 6,000 square miles of grassland plains, savannah, kopjes, hills, woodlands, and riverine forests, all excellent sites for wildlife viewing. Beyond the heralded migration of wildebeest and zebra, the Serengeti is best known for its big predators, including cheetah and leopard, as well as large prides of lions and clans of hyenas.
- Visit Olduvai Gorge
- Wildlife safari in the Serengeti
- Optional balloon safari
- Relax at the Nyumba campsite
Head east from the Serengeti to the peaceful wilderness of a private nature refuge. The terrain will get more rugged as you depart the park and head across scrubland covered in candelabra trees and whistling acacias. The scenic 12,000 acre refuge spans the wide-open plains between two prominent ridge lines.
- Nature hikes in the Eastern Serengeti Ecosystem
- Enyuata Women’s Group visit
- Maasai storyteller
- Night wildlife viewing drive
Leave the nature refuge for Arusha, where you will eventually catch your departing flight. As you bid farewell to Tanzania, think of all the fabulous stories from and photos of your adventure, which you will share with friends and family for years to come.
- Flight from the Eastern Serengeti to Arusha
- Day room in Arusha
Located on Mount Meru along the crater rim wall, the Miriakamba Huts are at an altitude of approximately 8,400 feet. There are several sleeping huts here, and the accommodations are basic wooden structures with tin roofs. Each hut has several rooms with bunk beds (including mattresses), and a sleeping bag will be provided for you. Most rooms have four beds, but some have eight, and while private rooms are often available, they cannot be guaranteed. Each hut has a small dining area in front furnished with picnic tables. Toilets and sinks are in a separate building, and have cold running water and flush toilets.
Gibb’s Farm is a small and intimate lodge nestled on the outer slopes of the Ngorongoro Highlands, four kilometers from the small town of Karatu. Surrounded by coffee plantations and a vegetable farm, it offers expansive views over lush and verdant agricultural country. The main facilities—a lounge, dining room, and shop—are situated in the old farmhouse, graced with locally crafted furniture and African hospitality. The sleeping accommodations are cozy bungalows set amidst the colorful gardens. The cuisine is among the best you'll have on safari, prepared from produce from their own organic garden.
Swahili for “home,” the Nyumbas are eco-friendly, mobile, tented camps, well-located for the best wildlife viewing in northern Tanzania. Designed exclusively by Thomson, for Thomson, and based on over 30 years of experience, these seasonal camps allow you direct access to the wildlife while keeping your family comfortable during your safari. Private, en suite bathroom facilities include self-contained, pump-flush toilets that do not require fixed plumbing. You will have all you need with plenty of washing water at any time, safari-style hot showers, a private dressing area, water basins, soft bath towels and hand-made soaps. These eco-friendly camps feature superior service, delicious gourmet and kid-friendly cuisine, fine bedding, and the luxury of peaceful and sustainable co-existence with the surrounding landscape and wildlife.
An Arusha mainstay near the busy downtown area, the Mount Meru Hotel sits on a 15-acre garden and provides comfortable, modern accommodations. Amenities include cable TV in all rooms, internet access, currency exchange facilities, concierge, massage services, babysitting on request, playground for children, outdoor swimming pool, sun bed, a volleyball court, and a nearby golf course. The Themi Grill serves both international and African cuisine.
Why Tanzania?
Why Tanzania with Thomson?
