Tanzania Wildlife Photo Safari - 14 Days

Upon arrival into Kilimanjaro International Airport and after clearing customs and immigration, you will be met and transferred to Arusha Serena Hotel. Nestled at the foot of the wooded slopes of Mount Meru, this unique hotel stands amid coffee plantations on the shores of tranquil Lake Duluti. Designed to echo the traditional style of the colonial coffee farm, which originally stood on this site, Serena Mountain Village - Arusha offers a range of tastefully presented cottage-styled rooms set amid extensive landscaped grounds. Standing at the gateway to the famous Tanzanian ‘Northern Safari Circuit', the hotel offers a broad range of attractions, which include: walking, mountain biking, canoeing on the lake, and trips to the nearby Arusha and Mount Meru national parks. The hotel features a stone-built reception with adjoining lounge, library, restaurant, boutique and business centre. Imposing in stature and spacious in concept, the design of the new building echoes the hotel's original incarnation as a working coffee farm dating back to colonial times. This evening we have a welcome dinner, a safari briefing and a chance to meet other participating photographers for the first time. Overnight at Arusha Serena Hotel (D)

After breakfast we will meet for our safari guide for a quick briefing before heading out on the road to Tarangire National Park. Tarangire is the third largest national park in Tanzania. An unusually large population of elephants inhabits this sanctuary. Majestic baobab trees create fantastic landscape photos as they dwarf the animals that feed beneath them. During the dry season animals concentrate along Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water supply in the area. A great diversity of wildlife flourishes here, including the giraffe, buffalo, lesser kudu, eland, and zebra. Lions, leopards, and cheetah are also present. Up to 6,000 elephants inhabit Tarangire in the dry season. Enjoy panoramic views of animals drinking at the Tarangire River from atop a high bluff in the lounge and dining room of the Tarangire Safari Lodge. The open-sided design allows an uninterrupted view of the landscape and wildlife below, and captures the cooling breeze while you dine on the delicious home-cooked safari cuisine. The cozy tents have ensuite bathrooms and a view overlooking the Tarangire River. Here we stay for two nights photographing the elephants and the giant boabab trees. Tarangire Safari lodge. [BLD]

Early morning game drive, we check out and head to Lake Manyara National Park. Arriving in time to lunch at Lake Manyara Serena Lodge, your afternoon will kick off with a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park. Tanzania’s towering Mto wa Mbu escarpment provides a remarkable backdrop for a one-of-a-kind visit. Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge welcomes you with a peaceful location amidst the rich wildlife and unsurpassed tranquility of Lake Manyara National Park. The lake is home to over 300 migratory birds including flamingoes, long-crested eagles and grey-headed kingfisher; our lodge is designed to mimic this extraordinary birdlife, with an architectural motif featuring swooping avian curves and vibrantly coloured wall frescoes depicting the intricacy of bird migratory patterns. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight at Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge. (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Today, thrilling game drives take guests around the wildlife-teeming shores of Lake Manyara for breathtaking views of fabulous flamingos and magnificent pelicans. At Manyara Serena Safari Lodge, you can explore the striking natural splendour and rich cultural heritage of the surroundings during your stay at Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge. The hotel offer a wealth of wonderful activities and experiences, from village visits and nature walks to biking, jogging, painting and language and cooking lessons. All meals and overnight at Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge.(Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)

Leave Lake Manyara in the morning after taking breakfast and drive via Karatu town to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. After registration at the Loduare Gate you will drive up to the Crater rim and make your first stop at the View Point. Here you will have the most stunning views over the Crater floor then you embark on your descent down the 600 meter walls for game viewing.In this world’s largest unbroken caldera if you are lucky you will spot the Big five on the same day. Ngorongoro Crater is world renowned for its unparalleled concentration of animals and bird life and among the species that you can spot freely includes; zebras, topis, elands, warthogs, hartebeests and many more. The list is endless. On the late afternoon we ascend up the Crater Rim to check in at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. Strung along the eastern rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, rooms at the Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge have views out to the crater floor below. Floor to ceiling windows are set next to an inviting rocking chair, a perfect place to see Cape buffalo dining on lodge landscaping. Watch the sunset from the pool or the bar, and enjoy the large central fireplace in the restaurant. Overnight Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge. [BLD]

Today, we get up early to be one of the first vehicles in the Ngorongoro National Park. Ngorongoro is one of the most spectacular game parks in Africa and has been designated a World Heritage site. Here animals are found throughout the year due to the permanent availability of grass and water. Nearly 100 square miles, it contains an impressive variety of wildlife including black-maned lions, the highly endangered black rhino, herds of gnu, zebra, elephants, hippo and hyena, the most important predator within the crater. Bird life is also prolific, with flocks of flamingos on the soda lake, plus other species of water and plains birds. Here we get excellent wildlife photography opportunities. We are allowed a maximum of 6 hours game driving in the crater. We may take short walks and hikes in this area during free time. Overnight at Ngorongoro Sopa [BLD].

After breakfast, you depart for the Serengeti. Along the way you will pass picturesque Maasai bomas and see the local Maasai in their bright red robes walking or tending their flocks as they do every day. En route, you will stop at Olduvai Gorge, where several generations of the Leakey family have toiled for decades, making important archeological discoveries in relation to the origins of “man.” The museum may be small, but the collection is a fascinating mix of fossils, bones and historical information. From there, the sprawling landscape of the Serengeti begins to unfurl before you. It is impressive in its size, but also in the variety and number of species it protects. Photography is NOT prohibited here. A maasai guide at the village will escort and explain to you in English about their lives. Hot air Baloon safari: Float in the breeze over the Savannah in a balloon that give you a unique vantage point and toast your return to earth with a champagne breakfast. Early morning balloon safari you drift above the browsing game and have tremendous opportunities for unusual photographs. All meals and overnight at Kubu Kubu Tented Camp. Full Board

At day break you are out to the Serengeti plains for a sunrise game drive that normally offers the only chance of sighting the nocturnal species retiring and also the diurnal species waking up to a new day before you go back to the lodge for breakfast. After breakfast you will leave for a full day of game drives exploring the Serengeti. We continue our search for the Big Five on the plains of Serengeti National park. Depending on the season and time of the year, this is where you will witness the magnificent natural phenomenon of the ‘Great migration’ where more than one and a half million wildebeests accompanied by hundreds of thousands of gazelles and zebras brave the crocodile infested rivers and cross the border into the Masai Mara in Kenya in search of green pastures and water. We photograph from sunrise following the daily movements of the herds in their search for fresh grazing. Predators abound and we search for those secretive species, like leopards, as well as the more visible species, like lions. We expect to see frequent kills and photograph the assemblage of peripheral animals such as vultures, jackals and hyenas who wait patiently to claim their share of this abundance. We spend 3 more nights in Serengeti National Park. All meals and overnight at Kubu Kubu Tented Camp. Full Board

Spend 3 more nights exploring the Southern Serengeti within the Greater Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Every year between December and March, over two million migratory animals made up of several species wildebeest, zebra, eland and Thompson gazelle move clockwise from Ngorongoro and the Southern Serengeti to the Northern Serengeti into Kenya and back. This is a glorious time of year to photograph in the southern grasslands of the Serengeti. Wildebeest and zebras usually congregate in massive herds near Ndutu. Thousands upon thousands of very young calves and foals are interspersed among the throng of adults. Large prides of lions stalk these herds while sleek cheetahs prey on the accompanying gazelles and impalas. We divide our time between two locations in the Serengeti to ensure good access to large herds and a diversity of other wildlife, habitats and photography opportunities. Since movement of the wildebeest and zebras is governed by changeable weather patterns, the largest herds are in the southern Serengeti if the weather is wet, and closer to the central Serengeti and its rivers if the south is dry. To ensure our attempts to encounter the large herds, we may adjust our location during our stay in the Serengeti to see different habitats and cover more ground if the herds are away from Ndutu. All meals and overnight at Ndutu Safari Lodge. Full Board

We have our last game drive this morning and after breakfast, you'll check out of your accommodation and you will be transferred to Seronera Airstrip in the Serengeti for your flight back to Arusha.A one-hour flight takes us to Arusha, where we have dayrooms at a quiet hotel outside the city. There is time to rest, shower and prepare for flights home this evening. This marks the end of your Tanzania Wildlife Photography Safari Adventure (BLD).

These items form the basic components of your tour / safari cost and MAY NOT be excluded / removed from the tour pacakge all-together. However, if you still like the tour without some of of the basic components, kindly request for customization of the tour. The tour cost includes;

· Airport Meet and Greet Services with assistance

· Complimentary baggage handling of two pieces per person

· Transport in a custom-built 4x4 safari vehicle with 3 guests per vehicle

· Express check-in with assistance in your city hotels and safari lodges

· 1 Meal a day / Bed and breakfast accommodation while in your City Hotels

· 2 Meals a day / Half-Board accommodation (if staying in coastal beach) Hotels

· 3 meals a day / Full-Board accommodation whilst on Safari Hotels, lodges or Camps

· All parks and game reserve entry gate fees including vehicle & driver fees

· Services of an English - speaking and professional safari driver/guide

· WIFI Internet Access (Where Available in Hotels, Camps & Lodges) - Non-Guaranteed*

· Unlimited Supply of Complimentary Bottled Drinking Water on safari

· Charging ports in the car for your phone, camera battery, or laptop

· At least a pair of standard Binoculars in every safari vehicle

· Access to AfriChoice 'manned' Call-Centre 24hrs a day, 7 days a week

· Guaranteed Departures with a minimum of just 2 travellers!

· ALL Government taxes and levies

These items are excluded from your tour cost / package. You are therefore expected to make own arrangement for some such as your International Flight Tickets, Travel Insurance and so on. Others are available as 'add-ons' to your tour and we shall be glad to include any extras you like at a reasonable cost. The tour cost excludes;

· International Air Fares to and from Africa

· Travel Insurance Cover, Personal or Baggage (Highly Recommended)

· Cost of Tourist or Business Visa to the country you are visiting

· International airport(s) departures taxes (if not included in your ticket)

· Optional excursions not mentioned in the inclusions and/or quoted separately

· Expenses of personal nature such as phone calls, internet, laundry etc

· Hot Air Balloon Ride (available in Masai Mara and Serengeti)

· All soft and hard drinks (alcoholic drinks, wines and spirits)

· Tips and gratuities to driver guides/lodge/hotel staff

· Cultural Village Visits, Bush Lunches, Bush Dinners or Bush Breakfasts

· All other extras not mentioned in the 'included'

When you book a tour with us, we want always want you to fee special. That is why we go the extra mile not only to make you smile but to ensure that your are taking home only the fondest of memories from our trips. Below are some of the special treatments you are unlikely to find with other tour operators;

· Special 'Welcome Package' for you from our senior tours director upon arrival

· Free upgrade to a 4x4 Safari Vehicle with UNLIMITED game drives on safari

· Illustrated Spectrum Guide® to Africa Wildlife Safaris and Animal Spotter®

· Free supply of UNLIMITED bottled mineral water whilst on safari

· Complimentary 'AfriChoice!® Authentic African Safari Sun Hat

· Free Membership to AMREF's Flying Doctors Emergency Evacuation Programme*

· Signed & Sealed 'Participation Certificate' (special adventure quests only*)

· Special 'Farewell Dinner' at the end of your trip (Time Permitting*)