Itinerary

When the earth formed the Great Rift Valley, one of the sites was discovered to be the cradle of humankind. The archaeological discoveries of East Africa are renowned; the human species which were left behind have been estimated to be 1.75 million years old.

East Africa is an incredible place to travel because of the concentration of animals, spectacular terrain, different climates, natural history, and rich culture that has remained unchanged for centuries. And in our 21st century Africa still holds its wonder... walks and game drives through its vast plains has brought countless visitors to East Africa. 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 appear on this corridor of the Serengeti Plains. As we travel by foot on this safari we truly meet the environment, the tribe’s 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 his walk 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 February 14 a small group will leave for 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 14 years.

February is a friendly weather time in East Africa with temperatures ranging in the low 70s. The total from homeland departure to return is 15 days.

We are excited about an 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 16 years. (Click to learn more about Dorobo Safaris.)

THE ITINERARY

February 14		Leave the U.S.
February 15		Arrive Kilimanjaro Airport and to Ngurdoto Lodge Nestled between Mt Meru and Mt Kilimanjaro, Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge is located within a lush coffee plantation, 140 acres, with natural streams flowing through the property, from Mt Meru.
February 16		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. Night at Ngurdoto.
February 17		To Tarangire Treetops Lodge where 21 giant tree houses, each with its own veranda, overlook the Tarangire Sand River. These treetop suites are built among a cluster of Baobab, Mopani and Wild Fig trees. An evening walk will be planned; a refreshing swim in the Lodge pool is also available.
February 18		Tarangire Treetops Lodge - Early morning walk Tarangire boasts magnificent herds of elephant and other species of wildlife. The baobab studded landscape also plays host to a vast variety of resident and migratory bird life.
February 19		Travel day into the Rift Valley and then up very scenic backcountry road to the top of escarpment and Nou Forest Reserve - Dorobo Camp - evening walk in Forest.
February 20		Walk through Forest and into the Mbulu highlands rural farm country of Iragw tribe - vehicles pick us up and we continue to Yaeda Valley - Dorobo Camp. There we will camp with the Hadza. About 400 members of the Eastern Hadza tribe live in Tanzania today, the only hunter-gatherers 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.
February 21		Yaeda Valley - Learning with the Hadza - Dorobo Camp Yaeda valley - interaction with Hadza and hikes. The Hadza 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. Every two weeks or so, they move to a new campsite.
February 22		Travel to Kifaru Lodge, base of Ngorongoro Conservation Area
February 23		Some will visit Ngorongoro Crater. We descend into the Crater to view 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, impala, buffalo, hartebeest, eland and lots of other members of the antelope family. Others of us will have options of bird walks and horseback riding. Evening at Kifaru Lodge.
February 24		Walk into Soit Orgoss. This will mostly be travel day to trailhead at Soit from Kifaru-Olduvai Gorge and across Serengeti Plains or straight to Soit. Olduvai Gorge is known as the Cradle of Mankind - an archaeological site that features the remains of the earliest human beings, who were discovered by Dr. Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey in the earlier part of the 20th century. This is the place where humanity first appeared as a species. The first humans ever to exist, lived their life in Tanzania, specifically, as fossil records show that Olduvai Gorge was one of the earliest inhabited valleys. This is the site where Mary Leakey found the historical Zinjanthropus skull.
February 25		Ridge walk - This is a day of walking on the ridge tops with great views over the Serengeti system to camp in plains.
February 26		Final trek into Soit Orgoss area. This area is traditional Maasailand and buffers the Serengeti National Park. Dorobo Safaris have worked in cooperation with the local Maasai communities for over 10 years on how to best use and conserve this unique landscape with its incredible wildlife heritage. It is an area of remarkable kopjes, hills, rivers and open plains. It has a vast resident population of predators and plains game.
February 27		Soit: visit Pastoral Women’s Council/CRT
February 228		Air Charter back to Arusha; arrive before lunch. Dayrooms at Arusha Hotel downtown... shopping. Evening flight
COSTS:		7 clients:    $ 5200. 8 clients: $ 4900. 9 clients:   $ 4600.
SINGLE OCCUPANCY CHARGE: $ 600. NOTE: **The cost covers everything except drinks and other personal extras at lodges, airport taxes and tips. For many years Leah Krawetz Travel in St. Paul, Minnesota has found fine prices to Africa. She can be reached at 1.800.544.0110. If you are using airline mileage, I would suggest you contact your airlines asap. A $600. deposit will be needed from group participants by August 15. Final payments will be due in mid-December. For more information contact: Marilyn Mason Journeys Unlimited 369 Montezuma Ave., #199 Santa Fe, N.M. 87501 505.820.6306 info@marilynmason.com