Flufftail Guided Safari: Day-by-day
No two trips are the same for us: all are unique, designed around a travellers’ wishes. This is an example of a Tanzania safari using a private guide and 4WD. Ask us to design your perfect safari.
Starts: Kilimanjaro International Airport
On arrival at the airport, you will be greeted by a guide with a name board after you've collected your bags.
Kilimanjaro to the Ngorongoro by private 4WD
As you board your own 4WD for the first day of your private guided safari, your guide will be ready to discuss options for the trip ahead. It's an exceptionally scenic drive to The Highlands, typically taking around five hours, but if you wish, you could stop and explore the bustling town of Arusha, or visit Mto wa Mbu village at the northern tip of Lake Manyara. Then, as you skirt the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, it's time to watch out for wildlife before the final ascent to the lodge, set high among the trees with superb views.
Lake Manyara Safari
Set against the spectacular backdrop of the Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara National Park makes a great safari destination. Here, along with elephant herds and plains game, you’ll find jungle-like forests that are home to blue monkeys, a soda lake tinged pink by flamingos and some of Tanzania’s best birding. Read all about Lake Manyara Safari
The Highlands
The Highlands is located north of the Ngorongoro Crater, far from other camps in a forested area near the Olmoti Volcano. The design is unique – you won't find another camp like this anywhere else in East Africa.
The Highlands is located north of the Ngorongoro Crater, far from other camps in a forested area near the Olmoti Volcano. The design is unique – you won't find another camp like this anywhere else in East Africa.
"Staff and food were great. Our guide Emmanuel was well informed and personable."
Ms E.fromLondonArrived 27 Aug 2022, 3 nights
The big draws of The Highlands are its location – far from other camps in the area and with beautiful views – and the opportunity to do some great walks and cultural activities, all from a stunning property with good food, service and guiding. Although this not one of the closest options for the Ngorongoro Crater, the drive there is beautifully scenic. If you can cope with a chilly start to the day, and are not looking for a typical safari camp, we think The Highlands is an inspired choice. See our full report on The Highlands
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Guided walking safari
Safari in Ngorongoro Crater
To drive into the Ngorongoro Crater is to immerse yourself in a renowned wildlife park. Prides of lion and clans of hyena patrol amongst herds of zebra, wildebeest and Thomson’s gazelle, whilst flocks of crowned cranes keep out the way of jackals. Come for elephants with big tusks, too. And then there are the rhino… Read all about Ngorongoro Crater safari
Olmoti Crater walk
Follow an ancient Maasai cattle trail on this private hike up the Olmoti Crater, led by an experienced guide and accompanied by an armed ranger. The crater may not compete in size with the neighbouring Ngorongoro Crater, but the birding is good, the mountain views wonderful, and the array of ferns is a botanist’s dream. Read all about Olmoti Crater walk
Ngorongoro to the Serengeti by private 4WD
On leaving The Highlands this morning, you'll descend towards the open plains around the Ngorongoro Crater, where antelope graze and Maasai herdsman keep watch over their goats. You'll pass the Olduvai Gorge, too, before the wildlife-rich grasslands of the central Serengeti, where the elegant Dunia Camp is nestled among acacia trees overlooking the savannah. Typically it's a journey of around five hours, but with so many options en route, do chat to your guide about your choices: this trip is unique to you.
Dunia Camp
Dunia Camp is situated near the Moru Kopjes, in the south of Tanzania's central Serengeti National Park. This elegant yet unpretentious camp is in a good area for seeing both the wildebeest migration between December and March, and the resident game of the central Serengeti all year round. Affectionately known as the "ladies camp", it is Tanzania's first and only safari camp to be fully led and run by female staff. It has a very inspiring atmosphere.
Dunia Camp is situated near the Moru Kopjes, in the south of Tanzania's central Serengeti National Park. This elegant yet unpretentious camp is in a good area for seeing both the wildebeest migration between December and March, and the resident game of the central Serengeti all year round. Affectionately known as the "ladies camp", it is Tanzania's first and only safari camp to be fully led and run by female staff. It has a very inspiring atmosphere.
"I can’t express enough what a wonderful time we had."
Mr & Mrs EfromCroydonArrived 23 Sep 2023, 3 nights
Dunia Camp is a stylish yet unfussy camp in the Serengeti. It offers a high-quality base from which to explore the south-central Serengeti area, which has excellent game viewing year round, but is especially good from about December to March when the wildebeest migration passes through. See our full report on Dunia Camp
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Hot air ballooning
North through the Serengeti
The sheer scale of the Serengeti National Park will be highlighted today as you journey from the busy Seronera area to the far north of the park. Open grasslands give way to to rolling hills dotted with dramatic granite outcrops, and – except around the Mara River during the Great Migration – generally fewer visitors. You could expect to reach Olakira after a leisurely journey of some 4–5 hours, but talk to your guide about this; if you'd like to make a day of it, lingering for a picnic lunch, or exploring out-of-the-way areas, that's very much your choice.
Olakira Camp
Olakira Camp is a semi-permanent tented camp that moves twice a year between two locations within Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, roughly matching the densest part of the wildebeest migration at that time. The camp is usually known as either Olakira Mara or Olakira Ndutu, depending on its current location.
Olakira Camp is a semi-permanent tented camp that moves twice a year between two locations within Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, roughly matching the densest part of the wildebeest migration at that time. The camp is usually known as either Olakira Mara or Olakira Ndutu, depending on its current location.
"Absolutely first class service levels."
Mr & Mrs KfromMaidstoneArrived 1 Mar 2024, 4 nights
Olakira is a comfortable, stylish and personal little camp. Its semi-permanent nature means that you really feel a part of the surrounding bush, without having to sacrifice comforts such as hot showers and flush toilets. See our full report on Olakira
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Hot air ballooning
Serengeti to Kilimanjaro by 4WD & light aircraft
Today's farewell to the Serengeti starts with a half-hour game drive to the remote Kogatende Airstrip, where you'll board your light aircraft for Kilimanjaro. During the flight, which may stop for other passengers to board or alight, there's plenty of time to take in the views of the Ngorongoro Highlands, or even one of the crater's volcanoes, before landing after around two hours.
Ends: Kilimanjaro International Airport
You'll arrive at Kilimanjaro in time to catch your onward flight.
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Inspire meExperiences you can add to this trip.
Optional extra day-trips and excursions possible whilst staying at lodges on this trip. These are usually best arranged in advance so talk to us.
Mto Wa Mbu Village Walk
Two to three hours
Discover the nuances of day-to-day life in the large Tanzanian village of Mto Wa Mbu with a knowledgeable local guide. This is not a village set up for tourists – Mto Wa Mbu is a real community and offers a chance to see a side of Tanzania that many visitors pass by.
More about Village Walk
Balloon Safari over the Serengeti
Three hours - approx. one hour flight
As the sun rises over the Serengeti National Park in Northern Tanzania, climb aboard for an extraordinary adventure. For an hour you’ll float in a hot air balloon over beautiful savannah and woodland and a diversity of plains wildlife.
More about Balloon Safari
Empakaai Crater Hike
Half day, two - three hour walk
Spend a half day hiking through the Empakaai Crater, in the Highlands area of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), led by an experienced guide and accompanied by a ranger.
More about Empakaai Crater Hike
Crater Rim Walk
Half day - two hour walk
For some fantastic views, and the chance to see flora and fauna up close, take a walk along the rim of the magnificent Ngorongoro Crater. Led by an experienced safari guide and accompanied by an armed ranger, you will be able to take in the scale and beauty of the landscape from a different perspective.
More about Crater Rim Walk
Olduvai Gorge visit
One - two hours
See for yourself the renowned archaeological site of Olduvai (or Oldupai) Gorge, which lies en route between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park. Famed for the discoveries of early hominin remains as well as the Laetoli Footprints, the site offers beautiful views, an engaging museum and potentially the opportunity to visit an active dig.
More about Olduvai Gorge visit