THE WILD WEST SAFARI
12 days
Accommodations: Exclusive Luxury Camps
Season: June to October 18 only
Fitness
Rating: Moderate
Cost: High
This dry season safari is devised mainly for those who have been to Tanzania before and are seeking a completely different experience. You spend a day in Arusha National Park, before flying to Katavi National Park in the west of Tanzania. In this untouched wilderness you are back in the Africa of the early explorers and old-time hunters (but without the guns!). Then fly on to Mahale Mountains National Park for encounters with chimps and the sparkling waters of Lake Tanganyika. Finally fly back to Tarangire National Park to see and walk with the typical wildlife of the northern parks. Only available from June to October only and starting on Fridays, with your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, there is lots of walking as well as driving, this safari offers you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the real African bush.
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| Day 1 | Friday, arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport. We pick you and take you to Oldonyo Orok, which borders on Arusha National Park. In this delightful, individual and intimate lodge, you have dinner and overnight.
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| Day 2 | Saturday. Today you have an opportunity to walk up the lower slopes of Mount Meru, to get rid of your jet lag, and to see the special wildlife and flora, different landscapes and wonderful views of Arusha National Park. Look out for black and white colobus, bushbuck, and the colourful turaco birds. You will stay again at Oldonyo Orok.
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| Day 3 | Sunday morning departure from Kilimanjaro for your four hour flight to remote Western Tanzania, to arrive in Katavi National Park in time for lunch. Afternoon game drive and evening walk or drive.
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| Day 4 Day 5 | Monday and Tuesday. Each day will be different in this untouched wilderness, taking you to the most secret parts of the park, by foot or in open land rovers. Early mornings, when the air is cool, you can walk with guides to spy on the hippo pods, stand absolutely still as a herd of elephant passes by, move across the land at animal pace and take in the power and beauty of this place. As the day warms up you might return to camp for food or find lavish picnic breakfasts, brunches, lunches laid out under shady trees. Land rovers will arrive to take you longer distances - circling the great herds of buffalo, looking for the prides of lions that stalk them continuously - following the meandering rivers, crossing the tamarind forests in search of eland, sable and roan antelope. In the evening, retreat to camp for candlelit dinners under canvas to the sounds of the African bush.
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| Day 6 | Wednesday. A short morning flight, less than an hour, takes you across unbroken wilderness of western Tanzania to Mahale Mountains. The airstrip borders the sparkling blue of Lake Tanganyika. On our wooden dhow you take a gentle voyage down the lake to the camp beach. Arrive an hour and half later. Short forest walk to attune in the early evening.
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| Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 | Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings you will be chimpanzee tracking the fairytale Mahale forests. It can take anything from half an hour to the whole morning to catch up with them. Once among them you will have an hour to watch as they live out their daily lives, right in front of you. Afternoons and time away from the chimpanzees can be enjoyed by further exploring the forest (nine types of primate alone live in Mahale), boating expeditions for fishing, snorkeling or relaxing on the soft sand beach and taking to the crystal clear waters of Lake Tanganyika as the sun goes down. On fine evenings, there will be barbecues, dinners on the dhow or enjoy the splendid Mahale Mess.
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| Day 10 | Sunday, after a leisurely start leave camp and take a boat back to the airstrip with a packed lunch, for a flight to Tarangire National Park. We will pick you up again and drive you through this truly beautiful and varied park, across Silale Swamp, alive with animals and birds, to Oliver's Camp, for dinner and overnight.
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| Day 11 | Monday. Spend today in this semi wilderness area of Tarangire National Park. Oliver's Camp is set in a ridge of acacias and overlooks the surrounding plains and mountains. In this little known area of the park you can expect to see again great herds of buffalo and their attendant lions, but also huge herds of wildebeest, zebra and, if you are lucky, oryx. Look out for leopard and maybe even cheetah, serval and caracal in Tarangire. Take a walk this morning and expect your guide to know lots about the local birds, wildlife and plants. Game drives later in the day will show you more of this beautiful park. Enjoy the comfort of this individual and luxury camp, watch the stars by night, listen to stories around the campfire, and enjoy the excellent food.
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| Day 12 | Tuesday, your last day in Tanzania, take a final bush walk, then drive back through Tarangire. Watch the wildlife for the last time, note those huge baobab trees on your way out to Arusha. Stop for an early supper and wash at a private house with views of Mt. Meru before driving on to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight out.
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Prices will be quoted based on specific itineraries. The itineraries above are samples only, and some lodges, hotels and camps will change based on your travel times and needs and availability. We also reserve the right to change any itinerary. We want to maximize your enjoyment of your holiday, but we are not always able to predict the climate or the concentrations of game ahead of time. When changes are necessary, we will let you know as soon as possible. The right is also reserved to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of any tour at any time in which event a reasonable refund will be made.
Bookings will be accepted by our Arusha office or by designated travel agents, and will be confirmed upon receipt of a 30% deposit paid 60 days prior to booking date. Final balance payment will be due to our office or bank account 30 days prior to departure.
For cancellations prior to 60 days, deposits will be returned, less any handling fees incurred. Cancellations with notice of between 60 and 14 days, the deposit of 30% is charged, and between 14 and the day of departure, the deposit, plus 20% of the full price is charged.
The company and its agents act only as agents of the passenger in all matters relating to tours. The appropriate law of the country in which the tour takes place dictates the company's liability to passengers. However, the company accepts no responsibility for any personal illness, injury, delays, loss or damage from any causes whatsoever.
Communications are sometimes difficult within Tanzania. We find e-mail to be the most reliable and easy means of communications. |
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