TANZANIA - Arusha

Northern Parks and Mafia Island

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  • Complete
  • Diving + Safari
  • 8 days / 7 nights
  • As per program

A short but intense tour through these amazing and wild Tanzanian parks!
This trip will take you through the most famous parks of northern Tanzania. The right place to live the ultimate experience of wild nature in one of the most spectacular environment of the whole Southern Africa. Starting from the eighth wonder of the natural world that is the Ngorongoro crater: a unique ecosystem where both prey and predators live in delimited space. Proceeding through the endless plains of the Serengeti National Park world-famous for the awesome migration of a million of gnu, zebras, gazelles searching for fresh pasture. Up to the Manyara Lake in the bottom of the Rift Valley surrounded by luxuriant forests and grassy savannahs. This will be your game drive! Finally you will enjoy a pleasant rest in full comfort on a lovely white sandy beach in Mafia Island!

Details

Day 1°: Arusha – Ngorongoro 
Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport. After customs formalities, departure for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Stop for a picnic lunch along the way. Arrival at the Ngorngoro Park and accommodation at The Ngorongoro wild life lodge. Overnight at the lodge. Meal plan: dinner

Day 2°: Ngorongoro – Serengeti National Park
After breakfast leave for Ngorongoro Crater where a half-day game drive will take place In the early afternoon departure to the Serengeti National Park through enchanting and endless landscapes. Arrival at the Serengeti National Park and transfer to The Seronera wild life lodge. Here you will have lunch before continuing further into the park. In the afternoon an exciting game drive. In the evening transfer back to the lodge. Overnight at the lodge. Meal Plan: full board (drinks not included).


Day 3°: Serengeti National Park
Breakfast at the lodge and full day game drive in the Serengeti National Park with picnic lunch. This park is home to the African “Big Five” along with Maasai giraffes, plain zebras, elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, hypos and antelopes. Dinner and overnight at The Seronera Wildlife lodge. Meal Plan: full board (drinks not included).


Day 4°: Serengeti National Park – Lake Manyara
After breakfast half day game drive in The Serengeti perhaps spotting animals you may not have spotted on your first game drive. Stop for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon departure to Lake Manyara. On the way we will drive through the Olduvai Gorge (ancient archeological site) and stop to visit a Maasai village. That will be a good chance of fascinating cultural encounters. Maasai are probably one of the best known African tribes and symbol of western Africa. With their red dresses and colorfull necklaces they are sheperds and proud warriors famous for their strong traditions and dances. In the evening arrival at lake Manyara. Dinner and overnight at The Lake Manyara Hotel. Meal Plan: full board (drinks not included).


Day 5°: Lake Manyara – Arusha – Mafia Island
Breakfast at the lodge and transfer by our drivers to the airport for a domestic flight to Mafia Island. Arrival expected in the early afternoon. Meeting with our local agent on site and and transfer to the Mafia Lodge Resort. Overnight at the resort. Meal Plan: all inclusive (drinks included).


From day 6° to day 7°: Mafia Island
Days at leisure to enjoy the island, either to relax or to experience some of the available excursions - booking on site. In the resort there is a diving center that also organizes snorkelling tours. The snorkeling experience with the whale-shark is strongly recommended. Meal Plan: half board (drinks not included).


Day 8°: Mafia Island - Dar es Salaam
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and domestic flight to Dar es Salaam in time for the intercontinental flight. After customs formalities boarding the flight to USA. End of our services.

WHAT WE PROVIDE OUR CLIENTS WITH...
Mafia is still a wild island that offers an amazing wild landscape as well as boat trips, snorkelling and diving. Do not expect villages, entertainment, shops or malls. It would be realry disappointing. Mafia is a quite place with no TV, very few cars, no noises of any kind. It is suitable for travellers looking for a relaxing stay in a truly unique environment. The most beautiful beach of the island is just across the Mafia Lodge. Beautiful sandbanks can be reached only by boat;  some land excursions are also available. The hotels do not offer any kind of entertainment.

Dates and prices
Price
from 3/17/23 to 12/31/24
Price on request
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Including/Excluding

Special rates for groups and mini-groups!!

Quotations are for person in double room and full board (no drinks are included) both during the Safari and on the Island.

Price includes
- Transfer from / to the airport
- 4 nights in Wild Life lodges in double room and full board
- Driver/guide
- Game drives as scheduled
- Park Fees
- Domestic flight from Arusha to Mafia and taxes (baggage allowance 15 kg)
- Transfer from Mafia airport to the resort
- 3 nights at Mafia Lodge in double room and full board (drinks not included)

Price not includes

- International flights and taxes
- Travel, medical and cancellation insurance
- Registration Fee 40,00 euro
- Visa to be paid on arrival Usd 50,00
- Mafia Marine park fee euro 20,00 Usd per day payable locally
- Diving
- Extras and tips
- Anything not mentioned in "Price includes"


Supplements and discounts:
- Single supplement and reduction third bed both for adults and children on request.
- Superior room supplement at Mafia Lodge resort on request.

Notes on the trips

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Probably the world's most famous natural park. Inside "this endless plain" (that  means Serengeti in Maasai language), dotted with rocks (kopje ), acacia trees, forests and small seasonal torrents  more than 3 million large mammals live completely free.
The park can be visited throughout the year. The period from late October to mid-April is great to spot animals. At that time it is possible also to see great herds of gnu and zebras gathering themselves in and nearby the Serengeti just to give birth to the their calves.
The Serengeti is the perfect place for whoever loves nature, wide open spaces and mighty animals. It is a unique opportunity if you are keen on photography as well. In a few places in the world you will be able to admire both spectacular and ever-changing landscapes and majestic animals like that. Basically, a trip recommended for all those who want a unique experience .Obviously participants are asked for a minimum of adaptability. It is important to live according to the rhythms of nature that means waking up very often at dawn and going to sleep right after the sunset. Minor  problems can still occur along these dirty roads and tire punctures can always happen! Accommodations are provided in excellent lodges. The journey in itself is not particularly strenuous and roads, although unpaved, are all in good condition. Our drivers and guides are also very well prepared and attentive to tourists needs.


NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA
It is the largest crater in the world. It is a natural amphitheater with a diameter of about 16 miles surrounded by walls that rise up to 610 mt. height. The game drive takes place on the bottom of the crater in 4X4 vehicles, encountering thousands of animals including predators such as cheetah, hyena and black-maned lions. You are likely to see ostriches, crowned cranes, red-billed woodpeckers and countless pink flamingos that color the salty waters of the lake.


LAKE MANYARA
Located at the foot of the Rift Valley, is one of the most beautiful places in whole Africa. You’ll be amazed by the lush vegetation of the forest, home of  herds of baboons and vervet monkeys. Further down the forest gives way to forests and marshy grasslands to finally get to the lake itself. Here are sighted many species of birds, including flamingos, pelicans and storks. Climbing lions are the guest star of the park. They usually climb trees and spend most of the day there, at 6 or 7 feet tall.

The journey to discover the most hidden and wild side of Tanzania continues to the Island of Mafia. A slice of heaven without computers and TV, but with all the necessary facilities to make your stay nice and comfortable and where you can still enjoy the pleasure of solitude on a real desert beach! It’s the perfect place for those who aim the contact with nature, without the chaos of the big resorts, and a sea of extraordinary beauty.


MAFIA ISLAND
Mafia Island is located at about a 40-minute flight from Dar es Salaam, in the beautiful Indian Ocean. The island, one of the largest of the archipelago, is about 70 kilometers long.
It's  the perfect place to relax and rest, you will not find malls or clubs but if you are looking for unspoiled areas outside the chaotic social life, that is the place you have been dreaming about for long! Tourist facilities are strongly involved to preservation of the natural heritage. The WWF is keeping the situation closely monitored, especially for what  the study of rare turtles at risk of extinction is concerned.
The best time to visit the island of Mafia goes from October to mid-March (highly recommended also for diving), before the rainy season. From April to June rains can be so heavy that all the resorts close. From the end of July days get warmer and up to mid-October, it is the best time of the year to  whale watching (very good opportunities to see the humpback whales).
This island is not listed among the most popular and richest archaeological sites in the world, however in Chole Bay (an ancient port of the island), you can explore the ruins of ancient Arab settlements dating back to the twelfth century as well as in Juani Island where the ruins of the city of Kua, a mysterious village with unknown origins, were discovered.
For those who prefer 'land' excursions on the island, hiking to the lighthouse at Ras Mkumbi is an option as well as visiting the Forest of Mlola, and the nice bay of Chuvia in the nearby.


Map

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