Ultimate Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar

perhaps after a relaxing swim—looking up at massive Mount Meru, a 14,977-foot volcanic colossus that looms beneficently over this quintessentially African city.

Option Lodge Serval wildlife lodge 

One-of-a-kind African getaway that blends wildlife, luxury, and sustainability? Serval Wildlife Lodge is more than just a lodge — it's a conservation-conscious haven nestled in the heart of Tanzania. This boutique property offers an exclusive safari experience that invites guests to stay in close harmony with nature, all while enjoying world-class amenities.

Whether you're a nature enthusiast, honeymooner, family traveler, or simply seeking solitude with a view, Serval Wildlife Lodge delivers a safari stay that’s both authentic and exceptionally comfortable

kopje-dotted landscape, its vast and billowing skies, and especially its astounding wealth of wildlife make it one-of-a-gorgeous-kind.

Now  Flying from Arusha, we reach our base, Migration Camp, on the hippo-haven Grumeti River. Known for its superb tents (which, one traveller wrote, “have only one thing in common with normal tents: canvas”) and its dramatic setting in rocky outcrops, Migration Camp is revered for its tranquility (something of a Serengeti specialty).

………………..

Accommodation  options

Serengeri four season lodg.

Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge

Singita Sasakwa

Singita sabora

After breakfast. Maybe we’re close to sighting the Little Five, and need just a little luck to complete the list. The identities of these mini-masterpieces: rhinoceros beetle, buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise (not so mini, really; they can weigh as much as three standard bowling balls), ant lion, and the extremely shy elephant shrew, which weighs not much more than an elephant’s tear.

We take a picturesque flight from the Serengeti to Lake Manyara,

Which our guy Ernest Hemingway thought “the loveliest lake in Africa.” The lake is a birder’s heaven, (it’s frequented by 300 migratory species), and the water from its Crater Highlands–supplied springs makes it a forested redoubt for all the most glamourous large mammals, including the famed Manyara tree-climbing lions. (It’s a little irreverent, but tree-lounging might be a better description.)

 then drive to our base for the next three nights, the lovely Cape Dutch style cottages and suites of the Manor at Ngorongoro, set mellifluously in an Arabica coffee estate next to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. 

And then next day we’ll wend our scenic way up from the Manor to the rim of one of earth’s wonders, the great, green, animal-nurturing caldera of a once catastrophically cranky, now beneficently mellow volcano, the Ngorongoro.

We’re at Vail and Aspen altitudes of well over 7,000 feet, and being up that high, figuratively and actually, we may recall Isak Dinesen’s words in Out of Africa, “The air of the African highlands went to my head like wine, I was all the time slightly drunk with it.” And then we zoom down to the Lost World’s lush and park-like floor (but which, make no mistake, is an animal, not a human, kingdom) for a day’s game viewing and a festive bush picnic.

Accommodations 

.Manor at Ngorongoro

Accommodation options

.Ngorongoro melia 

After breakfast We’ll drive down to the crater floor for an extraordinarily rewarding full day game drive, exploring the caldera’s 100 square miles, spotting lions, elephants, black rhinos, just about all of East Africa’s faunal celebrities, and return to the lodge for quiet, view-besotted sundowners on our cabin’s private terraces, followed by a lovely dinner overlooking one of the world’s most magical places.

After breakfast We’ll drive down to the crater floor for an extraordinarily rewarding full day game drive, exploring the caldera’s 100 square miles, spotting lions, elephants, black rhinos, just about all of East Africa’s faunal celebrities, and return to the lodge for quiet, view-besotted sundowners on our cabin’s private terraces, followed by a lovely dinner overlooking one of the world’s most magical places.

In any case, it’s time to say goodbye to the Ngorongoro and Serengeti and Tanzania’s spectacular bush. We flew from Serenge to Zanzibar Baraza Resort and Spa Zanzibar 

 Enjoy a welcome cocktail. Relax by the pool, enjoy the private beach, and have dinner at the resort. Baraza is in a quiet, high-end area on the southeast coast. full of  Activities: The resort offers snorkeling, tennis, kite surfing, and a fitness center. The area is ideal for walking during low tide

Morning: Go snorkeling to explore the nearby coral reefs or a reef safari.Afternoon: Visit local villages or experience a Swahili cooking class at the resort to learn about local flavors.Evening: Enjoy a cocktail in the sultan-themed lounge.

Morning: Take a Dhow excursion (traditional boat) along the coastline for, diving, or kite surfing.Afternoon: Visit the Jozani Forest to see the Red Colobus monkeys or simply relax with a treatment at the spa.

Enjoy a final breakfast overlooking the Indian Ocean. Last-minute beach walking or relaxation before transferring to the airport.