Safari in the Serengeti | 2 Nights

After breakfast, a short flight whisks you to the place the Masai call Siringitu: place where the land moves on forever. Tanzania's first game reserve, the Serengeti National Park is one of the last remaining natural migration corridors and one of the oldest ecosystems on earth. Its climate, vegetation and fauna have remained mostly unchanged over the past million years. The natural instinct that drives the annual Great Migration of more than a million wildebeest, gazelle and zebra is so powerful that neither drought nor crocodile-infested rivers can halt it. The drive to your Serengeti Under Canvas Camp whets your appetite for more. After settling into your suite, you waste no time taking your place on the afternoon game drive. There is so much to see here that the drive lasts until sundowner time, when your ranger selects a scenic spot to stop and delve into the generous picnic hamper. After sunset, the game drive continues with a deftly wielded spotlight seeking out the nocturnal creatures that emerge after dusk. You return to camp in time to freshen up and join your fellow explorers to dine under the stars. The emphasis at this camp is on comfortable luxury and a romantic, close-to-nature experience. In addition to daily game drives, we highly recommend an early morning hot-air balloon ride.

HOT AIR BALLOON PER PERSON COST $595 (price are separate from the total price above)

• Serengeti Under Canvas
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

On the shores of Lake Manyara | 2 Nights

After an early morning game drive and a hearty breakfast a scheduled flight delivers you to Manyara Airstrip in Lake Manyara, the area Hemingway described as, ‘the loveliest I had seen in Africa’.Your home for two nights is the enchanting Lake Manyara Tree Lodge. Elegant and comfortable, the lodge’s delightful tree houses are cradled in the boughs of an ancient mahogany forest. For a highly recommended treat – especially on the day you arrive - book a deeply relaxing spa massage. Manyara’s lush forests are alive with skipping blue monkeys and the joyous honking of hornbills. Where the forest gives way to plains, the eye is drawn past clouds of flamingo on the lakeshore, up to a line of pale purple volcanic. Inland from the floodplains lies a narrow belt of acacia woodland, home to tree-climbing lions, Africa’s graceful giants, elephants, and the diminutive Kirk’s dik-dik. Clans of banded mongoose add a comical touch to the panorama.Manyara is a birder’s delight thanks to the combination of wetlands, woodlands and hot springs. Birds flourish here with over 400 recorded species in the area. While flamingos put on the most ostentatious show, Manyara is a haven for many large, migratory water birds, including pelicans and storks. The Lodge offers daily game viewing expeditions on foot, safari vehicle or mountain bikes, all led by expert guides, as well as night drives that offer fascinating insights into the rich nocturnal life of the Park, and the chance to spot elusive creatures like aardvark and bat-eared foxes.

• Lake Manyara Tree Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Explore the Ngorongoro Crater | 2 Nights

After an early game drive and delicious breakfast, you will be transferred by road from Lake Manyara to the dramatic and breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater. This is a place of wonders – from its miraculous terrain to the abundant fauna and flora it supports, from its status as a World Heritage Site to the harmonious coexistence of its people and wildlife.Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is architecturally spectacular. Perched on the edge of the crater, every suite offers impressive views. Glamorous opulence rules this Lodge, from the chandelier-lit bathrooms to the personal butler service and fine dining. The Crater is the world’s largest intact, un-flooded caldera, formed by a massive volcanic eruption. Your route from the lodge descends over the lush rainforests of the rim, 610m down to the grasslands of the crater floor, an area of about 260 square kilometres. This haven provides a year-round home to wildebeest, zebra, eland and gazelle, along with Africa’s densest population of lion. The rainforests shelter elephant, mountain buck, buffalo, hyena, wild dog, leopard and cheetah.Spend your day game viewing and exploring the crater floor, stopping to picnic on the grasslands amidst the grazing herds. Return to the Lodge for sundowners on the crater’s rim and a sumptuous feast in the domed dining area.

• Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Departure

After breakfast, you begin your journey home. Scheduled flights take you to Kilimanjaro International Airport. A driver waits to transfer you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home. You have seen spectacular sights and created unforgettable memories – simply close your eyes to feel the warmth of the African sun on your skin, catch the scent of wild sage on the cool evening air, and hear the low, spine-tingling moans of lions at dusk. All this and more you have witnessed on your East Africa safari.

• None/On request
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner