Tanzania Serengeti and Chimps

$950 - $1200 per dayCategories: 9 Days, Balloon Flights, Boat Safaris, Bush Walks, Conservation, Culture, Fishing, Primate Encounters, Tanzania, Wildlife ViewingTags: Asilia, Dunia, Ngorongoro, Rubondo, Serengeti, Tanzania, The HighlandsLast Updated: December 20th, 2024

9 Days / 8 Nights – Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake Victoria

Highlights

Type of Safari

A flying safari in Northern Tanzania, combining Ngorongoro Crater, central Serengeti and Rubondo Island National Parks, staying in high-quality permanent camps.

Destinations

Accommodation: 1 night Arusha Coffee Lodge, 2 nights The Highlands Ngorongoro, 2 nights Dunia Camp and 3 nights Rubondo Island camp

Starts at: Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)

Ends at: Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)

Visiting: Ngorongoro Crater | Serengeti National Park | Rubondo Island National Park

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Digital Itinerary

Low Season

10 January – 31 March, 2024

US$ 9528

Per adult (19+) sharing

Mid Season

1 – 30 June, 2024

US$ 9876

Per adult (19+) sharing

High Season

1 July – 19 December, 2024

US$ 10042

Per adult (19+) sharing

Prices are per person, based on two adults travelling together, and exclude international flights to/from East Africa but include all other arrangements outlined in the itinerary. Discounts available for children under 19.

All prices subject to change if Government fees and taxes change and if new flight surcharges are introduced prior to travel. Request a personalised quote for your dates and group combination.

Serengeti and Chimps

A 9 day / 8 night flying safari combining some of Tanzania’s most rewarding national parks with the unique opportunity to be part of a chimpanzee habituation program on an island in Lake Victoria. Begin at the Ngorongoro Crater, game-driving on the floor of this dormant volcano before flying to the Serengeti, staying in a mobile tented camp that follows the pattern of the Great Migration. Conclude your adventure on Rubondo Island, home to a chimpanzee population as well as other wildlife, including elephant, hippo, sitatunga and flocks of African grey parrot.

Depending on the season, Ubuntu camp will be either in Northern Serengeti or located on its southern plains. Starts and ends at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO).

Itinerary Details

Day 1 - Arusha Coffee Lodge, Arusha

On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport you will be met for your private transfer to Arusha, where you spend your first night at Arusha Coffee Lodge, set in the Burka Coffee estate not far from the regional Arusha airport – a great place to unwind after your flight.

Day 2 - The Highlands, Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Rise early and enjoy breakfast before proceeding to nearby Arusha airport for your light-aircraft fight to the Manyara airstrip. A guide from The Highlands will meet you and drive you past fertile Karatu farms and coffee plantations towards the Ngorongoro Crater, a journey of three hours to reach the property. Stop at the viewpoint overlooking the crater to soak in the spectacular landscape and continue your drive around the rim until you reach the Olmoti Crater, where you will stay at The Highlands for the next two nights. If you feel like stretching your legs, you can opt for a guided walk from the camp up to the rim of Olmoti Crater, passing through dense forest and waterfalls on the way.

Day 3 - The Highlands, Ngorongoro Conservation Area

After an early breakfast, depart with your guide for the Ngorongoro Crater, a drive of around an hour until you reach the descent road. Spend the morning game-driving on the crater floor in search of the varied wildlife that lives here. You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch during the heat of the day in a shady spot before driving back to The Highlands, where you can relax a little. In the late afternoon, a guide will take you to one of the nearby Maasai villages, where you can learn more about this rich culture and take part in their afternoon activities, which often include rounding up cattle into the boma for the night.

Day 4 - Dunia Camp, Serengeti National Park - Central

Depart by road for the Manyara airstrip, three hours away, where you will catch a flight to the Serengeti, a journey of 45 minutes. A guide from Dunia Camp will meet you at the airstrip and game-drive you back to camp, stopping at any wildlife sightings along the way. Enjoy a leisurely lunch and settle into your tent before going on an afternoon game drive to fully explore your new surroundings. The Serengeti is impressive in terms of both the diversity and density of wildlife found here, so there is plenty to discover each day. Return to camp in the early evening for drinks around the camp fire and dinner.

Day 5 - Dunia Camp, Serengeti National Park - Central

Safari activities at Dunia take place in the early morning and late afternoon, when the wildlife is most active. You will explore with expert guides on game drives, looking for the big cats that have made the Serengeti famous as well as hippos wallowing in muddy pools and giraffe browsing the fresh shoots of an acacia tree. In between, you will return to camp for a delicious lunch, and to have a siesta or catch up on a good book. Evenings are spent sharing stories of your day’s adventures with other guests around the dinner table.

Day 6 - Rubondo Island Camp, Rubondo National Park

There’s time for a final morning game drive and lunch in camp before you fly out to Rubondo Island on Lake Victoria in the mid-afternoon. A guide will drive you through the dense tropical forest to the camp, which will be your base for this final stage of your safari. Settle in and either relax for the rest of the day or perhaps go out for a boat trip on the lake in the late afternoon to enjoy sunset views across the water.

Days 7 & 8 - Rubondo Island Camp, Rubondo National Park

Activities on Rubondo Island take place in the morning and afternoon, with time during the heat of the day to relax in the shade at the lodge or by the pool. One morning you will set out with a guide, researcher and ranger to search for chimpanzees, typically travelling by boat to a different part of the island and then walking through the thick forest. The researcher will explain the habituation process along the way. Sightings are not guaranteed as this habituation program is still a work in progress, but it offers you a unique opportunity to be part of the conservation story of Rubondo and to be some of the first travelers to meet the island’s chimps. Other activities available include boating on the lake; fishing for Nile perch, which are found in good numbers here; birding to look for some of the unusual species found here, such as the African grey parrot; and forest drives, during which you may encounter sitatunga or an elephant.

Day 9 - Head for Home

Enjoy a final breakfast overlooking Lake Victoria before a short drive to the airstrip for your morning flight back to Kilimanjaro Airport in Arusha, taking a picnic lunch with you. The flight will stop a few times on the way in the Serengeti and other airstrips to drop off /pick up passengers, and the total journey will be approximately four hours. You will land at the international airport so you can simply collect your luggage and check in for your international flight home.

END OF SAFARI

Includes

Full board accommodation, all house drinks (except champagne), all park fees and government taxes, limited laundry service, scheduled game drives, guided walking safaris and short walks (where applicable), Maasai cultural visit (The Highlands), Chimp tracking (Rubondo), airstrip transfers, internal flights and applicable taxes as detailed, flying doctors/ medical evacuation insurance.

Activities included: (all activities are shared with other guests unless specified as private)

The Highlands, Ngorongoro: One Ngorongoro Crater game drive (max 7 hours), one guided village visit, one guided Olmoti hike.
Dunia Camp, Serengeti: Morning and afternoon game drives
Rubondo Island Camp, Lake Victoria: Game drives, boating safaris, chimp tracking and associated permit (1 per person), fishing and associated permit, nature walk.

NOTE: Flights to / from Rubondo Island only operate on Mondays and Thursdays, allowing for a 3 or 4 night stay on the island.

Game drives are based on shared 4×4 safari vehicles. Safari vehicles seat a maximum of 6 people per car and may be open or closed vehicles.

Excludes

International flights to Tanzania
Tanzania entry visa
Inoculations
Gratuities
Additional activities (e.g. hot air ballooning in Serengeti)
Travel and cancellation insurance
Items of a personal nature
Additional lunch if required (picnic or in house) $25pp
Use of a private vehicle. Private vehicles with driver/guide can be booked at $410 per vehicle per day (min. 2 days)