Itineraries

Day 1:  Arusha
There’s a palpable buzz as you approach Kilimanjaro Airport: Africa’s highest mountain looms large outside.

Once on the ground and whisked to your home for the night however, the buzz comes from the bushes: Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge sits in the foothills of Mount Meru, its suites sprinkled amid one of Tanzania’s largest working plantations.

Retreat to your stylish room amid the bean-laden bushes, breathe in the heady java scent, dine in the glorious gardens and unwind in the spa. Soothing in the extreme, this is the perfect pre-safari stay.

ITINERARY

• Arrival at Kilimanjaro, where we’ll fast-track you through Kilimanjaro
International Airport
• VIP transfer to Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge
• Accommodations at Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge

Day 2:  Arusha & Tarangire
Tarangire is the unexpected awesome; the connoisseur’s choice. More than 3,000 elephants – one of the largest populations in East Africa – reside here while the swamps host 550 species of birds.  During the dry season, the perennial Tarangire River becomes the sole water source for a marvellous menagerie: all you need do is sit on its banks and let marula trees. From your elegant eyrie you can look at the wildlife come to you.

That said, the diversity of this ecosystem ensures wildlife-viewing is exceptional year round. And it begins as soon as you touch down at Tarangire’s airstrip – the onward journey to your lodge, via bulbous baobabs and grassy plains, is a game drive, not a transfer. By the time you reach Treetops, you’ll already have spotted a host of species.

ITINERARY

• Breakfast at Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge
• Bean-To-Cup Coffee Estate private tour
• Shanga cultural experience
• Briefing and lunch at the lodge
• SkySafari flight to Kuro Airstrip in Tarangire National Park
• Game drive through Tarangire National Park to Elewana Tarangire Treetops
• A traditional Masai boma dinner at the camp
• Accommodation: Elewana Tarangire Treetops

Day 3:  Tarangire
The magic continues: in a private conservancy bordering the national park, Elewana Treetops is like something from a fairytale, a scatter of suites teetering amongst the branches of the baobab and marula trees.

From your elegant eyrie, you can look out, uninterrupted, over the sweeping plains, though you’ll want to come down now and then: to walk out with the Maasai for intimate bush encounters; to join night drives to see the action after dark; to relax in the lounge bar, watching over the waterhole below; and to sit on Sunset Hill late afternoon, cocktail in hand, to toast a great day’s end.

ITINERARY

• Breakfast at camp
• Game drive
• Lunch at camp
• Bush walk
• Masai village visit
• Sundowners in the bush
• Dinner at camp
• Accommodation: Elewana Tarangire Treetops

Day 4:  Tarangire & Ngorongoro Crater
Over 20km wide and 600m deep, Ngorongoro is a geological marvel and a festival of wildlife.

This natural volcanic amphitheatre, line with grasslands, acacia thickets, riverine forest and sparkling lakes, throngs with a cast of around 30,000 animals: the highest density of wildlife in Africa.  Safaris here can be overwhelming, in the very best way.

ITINERARY

 • Breakfast at camp
 • Morning game drive en-route to airstrip
 • SkySafari flight to Manyara airstrip
 • Picnic lunch in Manyara National Park
 • Transfer to Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro for high tea
 • Dinner at The Manor
 • Accommodation: Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro

Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater
There’s no need to rough it to enjoy this ‘festival’ though. Your home is Elewana The Manor, quite possibly the most lavish address on the safari circuit. From your elegant Cape Dutch-styled cottage, tucked into the Tanzanian highlands, you can make forays through the surrounding coffee plantations and over the rim to explore the crater bottom: watch zebra and buffalo, lounging lions, spotted hyena and good numbers of black rhine, stopping for a gourmet picnic under the acacias.

Lake Manyaya – according to Ernest Hemingway, the ‘loveliest in Africa’ – is also nearby; join a game drive here to see hippos chortling in the shallows and baboons bounding amid the giant fig trees and a flamboyance of flamingo on the lake!

ITINERARY

• Early breakfast at The Manor
• Full day Ngorongoro crater tour
• Picnic lunch in the crater
• Dinner at The Manor
• Accommodations at Elewana The Manor at Ngorongoro

Day 6: Ngorongoro Crater & Serengeti National Park
It’s hard to sum up the epic Serengeti. At 14,763 sqkm, its scale is too great. And while you can revel in the bigger picture, it’s also the place to embrache individual moments: the will-they-won’t-they tension of a lion pack on the hunt; the shock of a crocodile bursting from the river; the white-knuckle charge of an angry bull elephant; the dazzle of the sun subsiding into plains with no end.

ITINERARY

• Breakfast at The Manor 
• SkySafari flight to Serengeti National Park
• Lunch at camp
• Afternoon game drive
• Dinner at camp
• Accommodations at Elewana Serengeti Pioneer/Migration Camp

Day 7: Serengeti National Park
Your accommodation in the Serengeti depends on the season. Experience either the luxurious bygone-style tents of the Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Camp perched on a rocky kopje, or the sophisticated stilted tents of Elewana Serengeti Migration Camp.

The Serengeti is abundant with game – from the Big Five and cheetah to huge plains herds. You might time your visit for the dramatic peak of the Great Migration, when more than a million animals cross the rivers in the Serengeti’s north. But the animals are always on the move: there is plenty to see, all over the park, year round.

ITINERARY

• Breakfast at camp
• Game drive in Serengeti National Park
• Lunch in the bush
• Dining under the stars
• Accommodations at Elewana Serengeti Pioneer / Migration Camp

Day 8: Serengeti National Park & Arusha
Eke out every last second: your drive to the airstrip gives you a final chance to soak up the sights and sounds of the bush. Once airborne, keep your eyes out the window, to see the Serengeti slide out of view and, perhaps, Kilimanjaro peeping through the clouds.

In Arusha, the choice is yours. Another restful night at the Coffee Lodge? Perhaps a hop offshore to scrunch your toes in Zanzabar’s sands? Or maybe it’s time to fly home, with a headful of magical memories.

ITINERARY

• Breakfast at camp
• Game drive en-route to Airstrip
• SkySafari flight to Arusha Airport
• SkySafari private ground transfer to Arusha Coffee Lodge
• A day room will be available depending on your outbound flight
• Road transfer to Kilimanjaro airport and departure