Tanzania Photo Safari
with Rick Sammon and Ian Plant
October 1-10, 2023

Oct 1

Arrive TZ-Arusha

Msami Country Inn, Dolly Wildlife Estates, Arusha

Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport likely on Delta/KLM in the early evening.  Meet and greet by Unique Safaris and transfer to the Msami Country Inn located in the Dolly Wildlife Estates east of Arusha town. MCI is a 30-acre property with gardens designed to attract birdlife and 10 spacious rooms in the main house.  There is a swimming pool, Spa, coffee farm and they feature farm-to-table cuisine. 

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Oct 2

Location: Tarangire

Mpingo Ridge

www.lemalacamps.com/mpingoridge

After an early breakfast (breakfast can be served as early as 05:30 for those groups that want to begin the drive to Tarangire NP as early as 06:00.  It is approximately 2.5 hours to Tarangire passing through traditional Maasai land along the way.  Check in at the park gate and game drive to Mpingo Ridge for a hot lunch and afternoon game drive.  Mpingo Ridge has perhaps the most stunning view of any property in Tarangire sitting atop an escarpment with views of the entire western half of Tarangire NP.

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Oct 3

Tarangire

Mpingo Ridge

This is a wonderful time to be in Tarangire which hosts a migration of elephants and other mammals as the only reliable source of water in this vast area.  Tarangire has approximately 3,500 resident elephants and during the dry season months of June, July, Aug, Sep and Oct another 3,000 migratory elephants move into the park for water in the Tarangire River and surrounding wetlands. Elephants come from as far away as the Serengeti and Amboseli in Kenya based on the matriarch’s knowledge of ancient migratory routes. Even the hippos from nearby Lake Manyara often migrate into the Tarangire NP for the Silale and Gursi Swamps or wetlands. You can enjoy a full game drive or return to the lodge for hot lunch and afternoon game drive when the sun is more favorable for photography and the cooler afternoon sparks more activity from the big cats.  Enjoy a night drive this evening.

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Oct 4

Ngorongoro Crater

Lions Paw Camp

www.karibucamps.com

Enjoy one last game drive as you travel from Tarangire to Ngorongoro Crater (approximately 3 hours) enjoying a scenic drive though colorful villages and up the western escarpment of the Great Rift Valley.  Check in at the main park gate and drive along the eastern rim to arrive at Lions Paw Camp for hot lunch and to remove luggage from the vehicles.  Then drive down to the Crater floor for an afternoon game drive. Lions Paw is a mere 10 minutes to the Crater floor allowing us to be the first vehicle down and the last vehicle back up to the rim.

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Oct 5

Ngorongoro Crater

Lions Paw Camp

Full day down in the Crater with a buffet lunch (cold) served near the famous Fig Tree on the Crater floor.  We have arranged a special interaction with the Maasai this evening.  Warriors and women will come to the camp to answer questions about their culture as well as demonstrate some of their song and dance.

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Oct 6

Central Serengeti

Sametu Camp

www.karibucamps.com

Cut down through the Crater one last time for a shorter but early morning game drive as you travel across the Crater to the western rim ascent road. Mornings are ideal with the cooler weather and being able to catch some of the lion kills that occurred during the night and just before dawn. Often lions will be relaxing on the Crater descent road from the eastern rim to avoid the chill of the morning dew on the grass.  It is vital to be one of the very first vehicles on the Crater floor to have fantastic light and far less congestion in this small but diverse habitat.  Continue up the westerns accent road and drive to the Serengeti, stopping along the way to visit Olduvai Gorge, the site of Louis and Mary Leakey’s famous archeological discoveries.  Continue to the main park gate in the Serengeti to check in and then game drive to Sametu Camp in the east-central Serengeti.  Enjoy a Sundowner tonight as Sametu Camp is perfectly placed looking to the western horizon.

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Oct 7

Central Serengeti

Sametu Camp

We always include the central Serengeti during the dry season months because big cats, especially lions, are more actively searching for food even during the daytime.  The huge herds of wildebeest and zebra are still in the northern Serengeti and although there is resident prey year-round in the central Serengeti, it is clearly not as abundant forcing cats to hunt day and night. Often the available prey are either smaller gazelles (which means they have to constantly hunt to get enough food) or the larger more dangerous residents such as elephants, giraffe and hippo.  These larger prey animals sometimes require the entire herd to work together to bring them down and the hunting strategies can be fascinating to watch unfold. 

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Oct 8

NW Serengeti- Mara River

River Camp

www.karibucamps.com

Game drive from the central Serengeti to the NW Serengeti by the Mara River. This is a long day of driving on some pretty rough roads but it is game drive all the way.  The big herds are still crossing back and forth over the Mara River and at this time of the year even the 30% of the herd that ventured further north to the Maasai Mara in Kenya are now re-joining the rest of the herd in the Serengeti.  River crossings can be massive and this is one of the last meals for the Nile crocodile until the herds return next July. Resident wildlife is stunning with large herds of cape buffalo, eland and elephant that enjoy the higher elevation and cooler temperatures of the northern Serengeti. There are resident black rhino and occasionally a pack of wild dogs might be seen.

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Oct 9

NW Serengeti-Mara River

River Camp

Full day of game drives in the NW Serengeti.  Enjoy a private bush dinner under the stars on your last night in the Serengeti.

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Oct 10

Serengeti-Arusha-depart

Msami Country Inn dayroom and meals

We have priced for a charter flight to take you from the Kogatende airstrip in NW Serengeti and fly directly to the private airstrip at Dolly Wildlife Estates.  So you can enjoy a last early morning game drive in the Serengeti before your charter flight. The flight can leave as late at 11:00 am and will allow extra luggage weight for your camera equipment.  Transfer from the Dolly airstrip to MCI for hot lunch and dinner before you transfer to Kilimanjaro for your return flights.  You can relax at MCI enjoying the swimming pool, gardens, perhaps plan a massage or time to unwind in the wet or dry sauna.  There is a gift shop at MCI for any souvenir purchases you might want to make before leaving Tanzania.