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Why Safari Ndovu?

See the best of northern Tanzania Itinerary May - Oct

Description
Ndovu is the Swahili word for "elephant" and during the months this safari operates you can experience the largest congregation of elephant on earth. Drawn to the great sand rivers, and forced into migratory modes by a long dry season, as many as 4,000 elephant come into Tarangire National Park alone. There is much more to the safari than elephants to be sure, but at no other time of the year can you experience this large a collection of the world's largest land animal.

• Kilimanjaro (non ascent)
• The rift valley
• Lake Manyara
• Ngorongoro
• Tarangire
• Dry season migration

Full Itinerary

DAY 1
ARRIVE NORTHERN TANZANIA

You'll be personally met when you arrive Kilimanjaro or Arusha airports and taken to a lovely resort in a thick African forest, Rivertrees, in the foothills of Mt. Meru, Africa's 5th highest mountain. Activities are available for those who arrive early.

DAYS 2-3
WEST KILIMANJARO

After breakfast you drive onto the western slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro onto a private Maasai conservancy of more than 60,000 acres. Bordering Kenya's Amboseli National Park, the area has abundant game and breathtaking scenery. You'll have opportunities to track elephant on foot, meet local Maasai and experience some fantastic game viewing. Join others around the campfire for sundowners before gourmet dinners prepared by professional bush chefs. Gaze at the unbounded evening sky before turning in. Enjoy outstanding luxury accommodations in Olmalog Camp surrounded by the sounds of Africa.

DAY 4
WEST KILMANJARO/ARUSHA/MANYARA

The day is spent meandering through northern Tanzania, through villages that rarely see tourists, and including the booming town of Arusha as well. You'll have a privately guided tour of an important anti-venom snake farm, and by late afternoon arrive Kirurumu, a beautiful tented lodge located right on the edge of the Great Rift Valley.

DAY 5
MANYARA/NGORONGORO

Dawn game drive in this park famous for its early elephant studies, and one of the most beautiful parks on the circuit. Return to Kirurumu for lunch, and in the afternoon continue to Ngorongoro Crater on one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Stop to catch your breath at the overlook of Africa's great natural wonder, the 12-mile wide Ngorongoro Crater. Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

DAY 6
NGORONGORO

Full day exploring this great natural wonder. The hundred square miles contain an incredible amount of game, including large prides of lion, free-ranging black rhino and some of the most approachable eland on the continent. The unusual ecosystem has protected wildlife for millennia. Meals and overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.

DAY 7
NGORONGORO/TARANGIRE

An early departure to arrive Tarangire National Park by noon. This is the best time of the year for this great elephant park, with its many magnificent sand rivers and dense bush. After lunch at a northern lodge, spend the afternoon game viewing through the park, encountering the large numbers of aggressive elephant. In some respects the park is more like a southern than East African park, with its heavy woodlands. By nightfall you've arrived the intimate and luxurious Swala Camp deep in the southern part of the park.

DAY 8
TARANGIRE

Full day exploring the sand rivers, woodlands and amazing baobab forests of this great park. The birdlife in Tarangire is outstanding, sitting directly underneath a flyby between southern Africa and Europe, capturing migrants from both hemispheres. Leopard is particularly abundant here, as is giraffe. But above all are the large numbers of elephant families, forced together after hundreds of miles of migration, to dig for water in the sand rivers. Meals and overnight at Swala Camp.

DAY 9
TARANGIRE/ARUSHA/Depart

Return to Arusha after breakfast for lunch at a popular local restaurant, and for some time for shopping before returning to Rivertrees where private rooms are available until the transfers to the airport for the evening departures.

Special Note: : Continue on Day 9 onto Kenya's "Luxury in the Bush" and receive free air fare to Nairobi!

2008 Departure Dates

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