Itinerary + Options  

To travel to East Africa, is to travel back in time to the environments that shaped who we humans as a species are today. Paleontological and archaeological evidence all point to the fact that Africa is the cradle of humankind. This is a journey that has taken millions of years. East Africa is an incredible place to travel because of the concentration of animals, spectacular terrain, different climates, natural history, and the rich and diverse cultures that remain in place even today. Walks and game drives through its vast plains hold wonders that bring countless visitors to East Africa each year. Tanzania offers some of the best wildlife spotting opportunities on the continent with stunning landscapes of hills, escarpments and golden savannas resting in quiet beauty. Ancient rock outcroppings dot the horizon. As we travel by foot and by vehicle on this safari, we truly meet the environment and have a chance to engage with the local people. We will walk through miles of vast open spaces beneath the infinite sky of East Africa hearing the sounds of Africa, seeing its remarkable birdlife.

Africa is home to wildlife that will amaze; the buffalo, elephant, antelope, monkeys, gazelles, zebra, giraffes, leopard and wildebeest are but some of the animals we will see in this journey in Tanzania. The unspoiled wilderness and wildlife of East Africa are a beautiful setting for a safari. It is where humans and wild animals have lived together naturally for thousands of years.

On June 4, a small group will meet at Kilimanjaro Airport. We will be guided by our Dorobo Safari friends, naturalists who have based their adventure travel on the philosophy that the natural environments, wilderness and wildlife, are intimately and irrevocably linked to people, both locally and globally. They offer unique educational experiences; thus, we have traveled with them for over 20 years.

June is a cooler time time in East Africa with temperatures ranging in the 60s to low 70s. Zanzibar's averages range from 74 to 82. The total from homeland departure to return is 14 days.

We are excited about our upcoming Trek through Time in East Africa. With our experienced naturalist, Thad Peterson of Dorobo Safaris, we will offer a stimulating walking safari. Thad has been guiding Journeys Unlimited treks and walking safaris for the past 20 years.



THE ITINERARY

June 3		Leave the U.S.
June 4		Arrive Kilimanjaro Airport and transfer to the Rivertrees Country Inn. Nestled between Mt Meru and Mt Kilimanjaro, Rivertrees is located on a river (Usa) with lush gardens.
June 5		Full day with picnic in Arusha National Park - the “gem amongst parks.” We have an opportunity to see our first wildlife - giraffe, buffalo, bushbuck and hopefully the spectacular black and white Colobus monkeys. At day’s end we return to Rivertrees Country Inn.
June 6		Travel to the Maasai steppe to the Maasai village of Loibor Serrit. Dorobo mobile camp. This day takes off the beaten track with a chance to see rural Tanzania starting with the higher density agricultural zone on the slopes of Mt Meru to the traditional pasture of the Simanjiro plains. Picnic lunch enroute and interaction with Maasai in the evening and following morning.
June 7		Morning visit to the Loibor Serrit primary school - then continue on to the southern wilderness area of Tarangire National Park - camp near waterholes. Evening walk.
June 8		Full day for walking and exploring in this wilderness nook of the Tarangire ecosystem - Dorobo mobile camp.
June 9		Travel north through the park - traditional wildlife viewing enroute to the Tarangire Safari Lodge located on the bluffs overlooking the Tarangire River
June 10		Morning game viewing in Tarangire - reknown for its elephant. After lunch, travel out of the park to the Lake Burungi Tented Lodge - looking out over Lake Burungi which the Tarangire River flows into.
June 11		Travel to Yaeda Valley -through the Rift Valley and up and over the Mbulu Plateau. Dorobo Mobile Camp. There we will camp in the traditional homeland of the Hadza. About 400 members of the Eastern Hadza tribe live in Tanzania today, one of the few hunter-gatherer groups who remain in Africa. It was a mere 12,000 years ago that our ancestors domesticated plants and animals. Until then, hunter-gatherers dominated Africa as they did the rest of the world. Dorobo Mobile Camp.
June 12		Yaeda Valley - interaction and learning with the Hadza. The Hadza traditionally hunt game, gather edible plants and honey, and move from place to place whenever the weather changes, or the wild herds migrate, or they just feel like moving. In small groups of about eighteen adults and their children, they pitch camps among the rocks and trees of the dry savanna where they live on 1,000 square miles near Lake Eyasi, a salt lake in northern Tanzania. Dorobo Mobile Camp.
June 13		To Kisima Ngeda Luxury Tented Camp - on shores of Lake Eyasi. Arrive for late lunch; relaxed afternoon on lakeshore.
June 14		Travel up the escarpment of the rift valley into the Serengeti ecosystem and to Olduvai Gorge Archaelogical site. The site first excavated by Mary and Louise Leakey has yielded a wealth of fossils and clues to E Africa's claim of being "the cradle of humans". Continue on to Ngorongoro Crater - night at hotel on rim.
June 15		We descend into the scenic grandeur of the Ngorongoro Crater, the largest unbroken caldera in the world. There are 25,000 larger animals within the crater itself, mostly Zebra and wildebeest. This is undoubtedly the best place to see black rhino in Tanzania as well as prides of lion that include the magnificent black-maned males. More than a 100 species of bird not found in the Serengeti have been found in the Crater. Other game: leopard, cheetah, hyena, elephants, warthog, buffalo, hartebeest, eland and lots of other members of the antelope family. Evening at Ngorongoro Hotel
June 16		Travel to Arusha. For those departing this day we book dayrooms with lunch and dinner at the Arusha Hotel and transfer to flight. For those with a Zanzibar add on, they will catch flight to Zanzibar from Arusha Airport.
		Costs for Walking Safari: Group of 4 clients $6900. per person Group of 5 clients $6500. per person Group of 6 clients $6350. per person Group of 7 clients $6100. per person Group of 8 clients $5700. per person Group of 9 clients $5400. per person The single supplement charge is $400 per person. Tour prices do not include: · Flights not specified. · Visas. · Insurance. · Soft & alcoholic drinks on safari. · Items of a personal nature. · Any service not specified.
Add On Trips:		Option 1: Zanzibar Drive from Ngorongoro and arrive in Arusha in time for these people to catch a 12:30 flight to Zanzibar. The flight out from Zanzibar can be best timed depending on when people are departing that day and we have included a dayroom at KIA Lodge especially if it is an evening KLM flight. In Zanzibar group would have 3 meals to take care - first night, next lunch and lunch on the last day. As you can see the price includes flights as well. Zanzibar Itinerary: June 16: depart on 12:30 Air Excel flight from Arusha to Zanzibar - transfer to the The Swahili House in Stonetown. Afternoon free to explore and shop. June 17: morning StoneTown tour - lunch and then afternoon transfer to ChumbeIsland eco-lodge. June 18: excursions at ChumbeIsland June 19: transfer to mainland and airport for flight back to Kilimanjaro - dayrooms Kia lodge with dinner Cost for this will be $1750 per person - single supplement charge of $270. This covers all the flights, tours, transfers, meals. Dates Accommodations Meals Activities Locations June 16  The Swahili House BB Free afternoon at Leisure Stone Town June 17 Chumbe Island Lodge FB Morning City Tour- then to Chumbe Isl. Chumbe June 18 Chumbe Island Lodge FB Relaxing/ Snorkeling Chumbe June 19 Out-Zanzibar Dayroom Kia Lodge Out Out Out-Zanzibar Option 1 tour prices include: · 1 night in Africa House on BB-deluxe sea view. · 2 nights in Chumbe Island lodge-standard accommodation. · Scheduled domestic flight on route Arusha - Zanzibar. · Scheduled domestic flight on route Zanzibar -   Arusha/Kilimanjaro. · Domestic airport taxes, surcharge and safety fees. · Airport returns transfers to/from Africa House/Chumbe. · Stone Town walking tour en-route to Chumbe Island. Option 2: Tracking Gorillas in Rwanda June 16: to Arusha - night at Kia Lodge June 17: fly on Rwanda Air to Kigale - night at upscale hotel in Kigale called Hotel Des Milles Collins. The Hotel is located in a lush garden setting in the heart of Kigale. June 18: visit Rwanda War Crimes Memorial - lunch - then travel to Volcanoes Park and the Le Bamboo Lodge, a charming lodge in a remote area, near the headquarters for gorilla tracking. June 19: gorilla trekking - then afternoon possible to go to Kigale and catch KLM evening flight. Cost depends a lot on the flight connections but probably somewhere around $2000 total including the $500 trekking fee... NOTE: Travel to E. Africa is extremely busy at this time of year; in order for us to hold our planned reservations, we need to have deposits paid well in advance. A $3200. deposit will be needed from group participants immediately. Final payments will be due by March 1, 2012. For more information contact: Marilyn Mason Journeys Unlimited 369 Montezuma Ave., #199 Santa Fe, N.M. 87501 505.820.6306 info@marilynmason.com Cancellation Policy · More than sixty days - twenty five percent refund · Within sixty and thirty days - fifty percent refund · Less than thirty days from arrival date - no refund