Tanzania Safari

Fly overnight to Tanzania and transfer directly to the hotel in Arusha, where your room will be ready for early check in. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure to settle in.

Meet your fellow travelers and your Smithsonian Journeys Expert at a morning briefing about the journey ahead. Then set out on an afternoon game drive in Arusha National Park, watching for leopards, zebras, and giraffes against the silhouette of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Colorful birds such as turacos and trogons can often be spotted swooping from tree to tree. The park encompasses Mount Meru, Africa’s fifth highest peak. Rising to almost 15,000 feet, this stratovolcano is home to five climate zones, with the grasslands at its base giving way to tropical rainforests and then moorlands and alpine desert before transitioning to an arctic zone at the summit. Tonight, gather for a welcome dinner. (B,L,D)

A morning drive brings you to Tarangire National Park, a 1,100-square-mile park known for its high concentration of elephants and for the many ancient baobab trees that dot the landscape. Keep your eye out for wildlife en route to your lodge, which is located within the park. After lunch and time at leisure to relax at the pool or in your suite, set out on a late afternoon drive, watching for zebras, wildebeest, Cape buffalo, giraffes, lions, leopards, and much more as you explore the park’s savannas, swamps, and woodlands. (B,L,D)

Spend a full day exploring this less-visited park. Set out on morning and afternoon drives, looking for cheetahs, elephants, and some of Tarangire’s 500 species of birds. Pause to get a closer look at one of the enormous termite mounds scattered on the savanna here. During the heat of midday, relax in the shade and enjoy a leisurely lunch by the pool. (B,L,D)

Travel into the Ngorongoro Highlands, a stunning volcanic landscape where the pastoralist Maasai people co-exist with a high concentration of wildlife. Settle into your safari lodge, perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater and designed to blend in with the surrounding landscape. Take advantage of an afternoon at leisure to relax at the lodge and admire spectacular views of the vast crater below. (B,L,D)

Descend 2,000 feet to the floor of magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, a 100-square mile intact volcanic caldera that harbors some 25,000 creatures in a range of habitats—from grassland and swamps to lakes and forests. Venture into these varied landscapes on today’s safari, seeking out elephants, black rhinos, lions, hippos, and all manner of birdlife and ungulates. (B,L,D)

Depart the Ngorongoro Highlands and stop at Olduvai Gorge, a 31-mile chasm that has yielded historic fossil finds. It was here in 1959 that anthropologist Mary Leakey discovered the 1.8 million-year-old skull of Australopithecus boisei, a find that revolutionized the study of human evolution. Part of the World Heritage-listed Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Olduvai ranks as one of the world’s most important paleontological sites. Pay a visit to a Maasai village to learn about local traditions. Then continue to Serengeti National Park, named for the Maasai word meaning “endless plain.” On an afternoon safari, encounter large herds of zebra and wildebeest in the grasslands and predators on the hunt. (B,L,D)

Located in Tanzania’s northeastern corner, bordering Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve, the vast Serengeti stretches across an area the size of Connecticut. From January to February and June to October, it plays host to one of the most legendary wildlife spectacles on the planet: the migration of some 1.3 million wildebeests, 200,000 zebras, and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelles. The Serengeti’s plains teem with animal life year-round, and this is the best place to see lions and cheetahs up close. Enjoy two full days to explore the park on morning and afternoon drives, watching for Africa’s “big five”—lion, Cape buffalo, elephant, rhino, and leopard—as well as ungulates, hyenas, and some 500 species of birds. (B,L,D)

Fly to tropical Zanzibar, Tanzania’s semi-autonomous Indian Ocean archipelago. Upon arrival, take a walking tour of Stone Town, Zanzibar’s intriguing capital, where Arabian, Indian, and African influences speak to a colorful history. Explore the labyrinthine lanes of this World Heritage-listed town, lined with shops, hidden courtyards, and beautifully carved wooden doors. Settle into a beach resort on Zanzibar's coast and enjoy time to relax before dinner. (B,L,D)

Set out on a morning tour of a spice plantation, learning how cloves, nutmeg, ginger, chilies, black pepper, vanilla, coriander, and cinnamon are grown. During free time this afternoon, take a walk along the beach or venture back into Stone Town to explore its markets and ancient streets. Gather tonight to celebrate your Tanzanian adventure at a festive farewell dinner. (B,D)

A quick morning flight brings you to the capital city of Dar es Salaam, where you have a day room at a local hotel. After a free afternoon and an early dinner, transfer to the airport for an overnight flight and arrive in the U.S. the next morning. (B,D)