Spoil yourself with the perfect holiday – safari+beach., Go on a safari in the majestic Serengeti and amazing Ngorongoro crater, a safari that will let you meet the savannas incredible inhabitants. Followed by lazy, or active (or a combination of the two), days on the paradise island Zanzibar known for its white beaches and turquoise waters. But also, for its interesting history and colorful everyday life.
Day 1 Karibu!
Tanzania welcomes you with open arms and tropical heat.
After clearing immigration and picking up your luggage, you will be warmly greeted by your Cross Road Safari driver-guide at arrivals.
Your adventure starts immediately as you set off on an approximately three-hour drive on tarmac road to Karatau. During the drive you have time to get to know your safari guide and go through your expectations, what wildlife to meet in coming days and if you have any special interests. You will also have time to sit back and fully enjoy the incredible and magnificent landscape, as well as the colourful Tanzanian everyday-life passing by outside your car window.
Accommodation: Karatu, Hhando Coffee Lodge
Meal plan: Half board
Day 2 Ngorongoro – paradise on earth?
Today something of extreme beauty awaits you – The Ngorongoro crater. To make the very most of this extraordinary experience we recommend you have a very early start. Reason being the crater has fewer visitors the earlier you go. But most importantly, the wildlife is entering the peak active hours as the sun rises over the rim.
Through beautiful winding roads climbing upwards, you will make your way to the viewpoint at the crater rim – and wow what a view! At your feet you have the caldera and due to its size, it’s hard to capture that the crater floor is 600 meters below you. This is the largest volcanic caldera in the world. All over the crater floor, as small, small dots, you can see the wildlife grazing in the landscape.
The Ngorongoro crater is home to no less than 25 000 animals and has one of the greatest densities of predators in the world. For example, in this “small” area alone, 60-70 lions are living. This is also one of the places where you, if lucky, could meet the mighty Big Five of Africa.
Your lunchbox will be enjoyed in this amazing and enchanting landscape.
Eventually it’s time to leave. The time has come to experience some true African massage as you set out on bumpy roads to your camp for the night.
Accommodation: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Meal plan: Full board
Day 3 Culture & safari
Start your day with a stop at Olduvai Gorge. The Olduvai Gorge is an interesting paleoanthropological site. It’s believed to be the place of found remains of the first prehuman’s to walk on Earth. After this you can continue to the natural phenomenon of the Shifting Sands
If you are more into culture a visit to a Masai village might appeal more to you.
The time has come to enter the Serengeti through Nabi Hill Gate and Serengeti welcomes you with its vastness. A grassland landscape as far as your eye can take you, just dotted with some occasional kopjes breaking the horizon, the so-called Simba kopjes. These kopjes are a great vantage point, and the lions – (simba in Swahili) loves to lure here.
Whether you are on the lookout for the Big Five, are a big cat lover or in search for elephants or birds, Serengeti has it all. You never know what you encounter in this vast and magical landscape but the thrill of the hunt for new acquaintances is the now our goal.
Serengeti is Tanzania’s second largest and probably the most famous, national park and it is also considered to be one of the planets oldest ecosystems. Very little has changed here the last million years.
In Serengeti and the adjacent Masai Mara you can witness one of Africa’s 7 natural wonders- the great migration. During July-October every year millions of wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras and Thomson gazelles roams over the savanna from Tanzania to Kenya and back again. This is often named one of the world’s most powerful nature phenomena.
Serengeti has been a national park since 1951 and a World Heritage even longer than that. This truly wonderful park is home to approximately 70 different spices of large mammals and over 500 different spices of birds. We can never guarantee what species of animals you will encounter on the savanna, but we do promise that you will meet many of them in Serengeti’s utterly amazing nature.
Your lunchbox will be enjoyed somewhere along the way.
Accommodation: Serengeti, Tanzania Bush Camps
Meal plan: Full board
Day 4 Continuing exploring those endless plains of Serengeti
Did you know that the name Serengeti is derived from the Maasai word siringit, meaning endless plains? Your surroundings surely are endless and today you continuing to hunt for more animal encounters and beautiful settings.
Today you also could have a once in a lifetime happening. To an additional cost you can choose to book a hot-air balloon tour. Experience the majestic beauty of Serengeti from the sky – an unforgettable moment!
After an adventurous day you will be back at the camp. In the light of the crackling fire, with something tasty in your glass, you can share stories with fellow travellers about your amazing day. All while the sun is setting behind the acacia trees and the darkness descends.
Accommodation: Serengeti, Tanzania Bush Camps
Meal plan: Full board
Dag 5 The journey goes on to magical Zanzibar
After breakfast the time has come to leave Serengeti. So “pole pole” (slowly), you are making your way towards the small Seronera Airstrip. While still in Serengeti you will continue your game viewing along the way to the airport.
From Seronera a small airplane will take you to Arusha where you change plane to go on to Zanzibar. From the airport you will be transferred to your hotel situated on one of Zanzibar’s northeast beaches, considered to be among the best on the island.
Accommodation: Zanzibar
Meal plan:
Day 6-10 Indulge yourself with some Zanzibar adventures
Days to spend as you wish. This truly is the perfect place to unwind. Just enjoy some lazy time one the beach or in the hammock while you look upon the everyday life passing by on the beach. The fishermen trading fish. The women harvesting seaweed. The children playing or the donkeys walking along the shoreline.
But it is also a place with plenty of adventures. Hera is some examples on how you can spend your days on the island:
This is the best place for enjoying a diving/snorkeling excursion to nearby amazing Mnemba atoll just outside Matemwe. A conservation area consisting of a 4 by 7 km reef perfect for diving or snorkeling. Mnemba is famous for its crystal clear water, abundance of fish and colorful wall dives. It is also a nesting spot for the green turtle.
Another option for a day excursion is to visit Stone Town. Stone town is a World Heritage Site and you can certainly feel the wings of history when strolling the winding alleys of the old town. Take one day just to enjoy the city. Visit the markets and the historical buildings. Take a break at Zanzibar Coffee House for a cup of excellent Tanzanian coffee while taking in the scents, sounds and true feeling of Stone town. And don’t miss to visit the old Slave market.
For the true local experience visit Tumbatu. This is the third largest island in the Zanzibar archipelago but with no tourist. Anyone, even Zanzibarians, who want to visit the island need permission from the Chief. Among the people on the island voodoo has a strong hold and the Mganga, the witch doctor, is frequently visited.
Accomendation:
Meal plan:
Day 11 It’s time to say goodbye
Your Tanzania adventure has come to an end. It is time to leave. But the animals, amazing landscapes, white sand, turquoise water, history, and colorful local life will forever stay in your heart.
A transfer will take you to the airport for your onward travel.
