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Accommodations Serena Mountain Village Lodge - Arusha
Set on beautifully landscaped grounds overlooking scenic Lake Duluti, the individual thatched rondavels of Serena Mountain Village Lodge incorporate traditional Tanzanian architectural features. Guest rooms feature private bathroom, individual verandas, curved French windows and furniture with an East African motif.
Lake Manyara Serena Lodge - Lake Manyara National Park
The Lake Manyara Serena Lodge occupies a stunning setting atop the Mto wa Mbu Escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley. Guests are accommodated in thatched rondavels decorated in East African motifs. Each guest room features private bathroom facilities. Serengeti Serena Lodge - Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti Serena Lodge is set atop a wooded ridge overlooking one of Tanzania's finest game viewing areas. Guests are accommodated in individual thatched rondavels influenced by traditional Masai architecture. Each guest room features private bathroom facilities, central heating, a balcony and traditional Tanzanian décor.
Ngorongoro Serena Lodge - Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Ngorongoro Serena Lodge enjoys a dramatic setting overlooking the 2,000-foot-deep Ngorongoro Crater. Constructed of local materials and nestled into the crater rim, it blends into its environment. Each guest room features private bathroom facilities, central heating and airconditioning, a balcony and traditional Tanzanian décor.
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Tanzania Safari
February 15 - 25, 2009
Travel with us on a remarkable 11-day journey to the majestic wildlife sanctuaries of Tanzania, Africa's premier safari destination. Here, as they have for tens of thousands of years, vast herds of elephant, wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, cape buffalo and other game roam the savannas, stalked by the kingly carnivores that prey on them - lion, cheetah, and leopard - in one of Earth's greatest natural spectacles. Rivaling the grandeur of Tanzania's wildlife is the panoramic sweep of its scenery. From Lake Manyara, view the stark beauty of the Great Rift Valley. The expansive grasslands of the Serengeti, broken by the occasional rocky outcropping, offer unrestricted vistas in every direction. And, in the Ngorongoro Crater, savannas, forests and wetlands are enclosed by the towering walls of the ancient caldera.
DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY INCLUDED FEATURES
EXCLUSIVE GOHAGAN TRAVEL SERVICES
ZANZIBAR POST-PROGRAM OPTION This specially designed program is a great value and features the abundant and diverse wildlife and matchless scenery of Tanzania's finest game parks - Arusha, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. The comprehensive itinerary is timed to coincide with the migration of the plains animals in the Serengeti and offers enhanced opportunities to view the Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. This 11-day safari features an opportunity to explore the beauty of the natural amphitheater of the Ngorongoro Crater and the sweeping plains of the Serengeti, and to see the snowcapped peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. This unique program offers both first-time visitors and repeat travelers the ultimate safari experience.
Cost Special Tulane pricing is from approximately $5495 per person, plus airfare and based on double occupancy. Booking For booking information please contact Thomas P. Gohagan at 800-922-3088, or Tulane Alumni Travel at 877-488-5263. Specific trip details (itinerary, meals, sightseeing & accommodations) will be published in the brochure. Brochure Request
DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY DAY 1 - DEPART GATEWAY
Depart for Arusha
DAY 2 - ARUSHA, TANZANIA
Arrive in Arusha, Tanznia, an attractive town nestled at the foot of Mount Meru. Meet your Travel Director and transfer to Serena Mountain Village, a series of thatched rondavels located in a beautifully landscaped setting near the shore of picturesque Lake Duluti. The lodge offers scenic views of the verdant slopes of Mount Meru. DAY 3 - ARUSHA
Late this morning, attend a safari briefing. After lunch, depart on your first game drive which is in Arusha National Park. One of East Africa's smaller sanctuaries, this scenic gem is noted for its plethora of birdlife and wildlife, diverse terrain and lush vegetation.
DAY 4 - ARUSHA/LAKE MANYARA
Following an early lunch in the lodge, set out across the sweeping Afrifcan plains for Lake Manyara National Park, where you check into the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge. Join your fellow participants this evening for a welcome cocktail reception, held poolside atop an escarpment overlooking the majestic Great Rift Valley.
DAY 5 - LAKE MANYARA/SERENGETI
At dawn, drive through Lake Manyara National Park in search of the great populations of brilliantly hued flamingo and hippo found in pools along the lake's shoreline. Watch for troupes of baboon and blue monkey scampering along tree branches of the ground-water forest. You are likely to see wildebeest and giraffe, but Lake Manyara's most famous inhabitant is the lion, which climbs tree branches in search of a comfortable resting place. You may see the great cat lazily draped high above in the dappled light that filters through the acacia leaves. Depart midmorning for Serengeti National Park, Africa's most celebrated nature preserve, stopping en route for a picnic lunch. On arrival, check into the Serengeti Serena Lodge, selected for its proximity to the park's largest year-round concentration of wildlife. On your afternoon game drive, watch for the diverse and abundant fauna of this vast ecosystem.
DAY 6-7 - SERENGETI
During morning and afternoon game drives in he legendary Serengeti National Park, observe some of the more than two million large animals on 5,400-plus square miles of savannas and woodlands. Trackless grasslands support an abundance of grazing animals, wildebeest, gazelle, topi, zebra and Cape buffalo. The granite outcrops (kopjes) dotting the plains are favored by large cats, especially the lion and the sleek leopard. Expansive, flat swampland attracts thousands of waterbirds, and some of the world's best bird-watching is available here, with more than 500 species of identified so far. If weather conditions permit, you may gain an aerial perspective of the Serengeti's herds on an optional hot-air balloon flight.
DAY 8 - SERENGETI/OLDUVAI GORGE/NGORONGORO CRATER
Following a morning game drive, leisure time and an early lunch, depart the Serengeti and travel to Olduvai Gorge, famously known as the "cradle of mankind." Here in 1963, Dr. Louis Leakey made his important discovery of the 1.8-million-year-old Homo habilis. On a walk through the gorge, note where, in 1959, Mary Leakey discovered the skull of Zinjanthropus, an early hominid that proved invaluable to the study of human ancestry. Attend a fascinating lecture on human prehistory by a local expert on Olduvai Gorge. Continue to Ngorongoro Crater, a remarkable sanctuary for hundred of mammal and bird species. Accommodations are in the Serena Lodge, scenically located on the rim of the crater, where each room offers stunning views of the surroundings.
DAY 9 - NGORONGORO CRATER
Born from the collapse of a massive volcano over two million years ago, Ngorongoro Crater shelters an immense year-round concentration of incredible wildlife. The profusion of game reflects the diversity of the habitats found on the crater floor: savannas, forests, swamps, salt pans and a freshwater lake. With abundant grass and a permanent water supply, the crater supports herds of grazing animals, who in turn attract lion, leopard and cheetah. Early this morning, board a four-wheel-drive vehicle and proceed 2,000 feet down the forested wall of the crater for a full day of game tracking. Ngorongoro is excellent for viewing zebra, wildebeest, Cape buffalo, gazelle, lion, cheetah, leopard, bull elephant, and for spotting the rare but spectacular black rhinoceros. In the Ngoitokitok Swamps, herds of hippopotamus seed refuge from the midday sun. Observe some of the numerous species of birds that find a home in the crater, such as ostrich, crowned crane, flamingo and other waders. Gain a unique perspective on the diverse wildlife over a picnic breakfast in the crater. You have the afternoon free to relax in the comfort of your lodge, gaze a the endless vistas and reflect on your African safari experience.
DAY 10 - NGORONGORO CRATER/ARUSHA
After breakfast, depart the crater and drive to Arusha. En route, visit the Kibaoni Primary School on the edge of the Great Rift Valley. Talk to schoolchildren and see the school's library - the only primary school library in Tanzania. Most of its books were donated by visitors to the Great Rift Valley, and you are encouraged to make a contribution. In Arusha, enjoy lunch in the Arusha Coffee Plantation Lodge. Continue to the Kilimanjaro International Airport Lodge, where day rooms have been reserved. After dinner on your own, transfer to the airport and board your return flight.
DAY 11 - UNITED STATES
Your return flight to the U.S. arrives later today.
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INCLUDED FEATURES IN ARUSHA
- Two nights in the deluxe Serena Mountain Village Lodge and a day room in the Kilimanjaro International Airport Lodge.
- Breakfast.
- Two lunches in the Mountain Village Lodge.
- Game drive through Arusha National Park, konwn for its prolific bird life.
- Scenic land transfer from Arusha to Lake Manyara National Park.
IN LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK - One night in the Lake Manyara Serena Lodge.
- Welcome cocktail reception.
- One breakfast and one dinner.
- Morning game drive.
- Land transfer from Lake Manyara to Serengeti National Park, with picnic lunch en route.
IN SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK - Three nights in the Serengeti Serena Lodge.
- Three meals daily.
- Two game drives daily.
- Transfer from Serengeti National Park to Ngorongoro Crater, including a game drive and a visit to Olduvai Gorge, excavation site of human and animal fossils found by the Leaky family.
- A lecture at Olduvai Gorge by a local expert.
IN NGORONGORO CRATER - Two nights in the Ngorongoro Crater Serena Lodge.
- Three meals daily.
- Descent of the 2,000 foot wall into the crater by four-wheeled drive vehicles.
- Picnic breakfast in the crater.
- Farewell cocktail reception.
- Scenic transfer from Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha, with a visit to Kibaoni Primary School and lunch in the Arusha Coffee Plantation Lodge en route.
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ZANZIBAR POST-PROGRAM OPTION Compliment your Tanzania experience with a special five-night extension to Zanzibar, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean known as the Spice Islands. Visit small farms that grow cloves, vanilla, cardamom, and other spices, medicinal and ornamental plants and tropical fruits. Persian Baths, built in 1850 by the first Sultan of Zanzibar for his wife Princess Shehrzad, await your visit. An extraordinary canopy of trees shelter the rare red colobus onkey in the Jozani Forest. After walking through the old Stone Town, a maze of narrow streets and white-washed houses, enjoy the Zanzibar Serena Inn overlooking the ocean. Explore Kizimkazi, the original capital of the island, and see the ruins of the Shirazi settlement. Then board a boat to search for dolphins; the adventurous may swim with them. Experience the grandeur of the giant tortoises who live at Prison Island and have the opportunity to swim or snorkel.
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