Tanzania
Flexible cycle schedule taking you round the base of Kilimanjaro, across the plains to the Serengeti and through the cooling shadows of the Rift Valley Wall.
Spectacular scenery, unique cultural experiences and a wildlife safari on top! How can you resist?
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Colonial era coffee estate farm set in delightful gardens on edge of Ngorogoro crater. Recommended for its kitchen garden, working farm, setting and stylish accommodation. Go for the new rooms with outdoor showers and verandahs. The food is a cut above.
So lovely you'll probably want two nights - at the Manyara/Ngorogoro stage of your Northern Circuit safari.
One of the lesser-known parks in Tanzania (dwarfed in size by the Masai Mara and Ngorongoro crater parks), Tarangire is thronged with wildlife towards the end of the dry season. Elephants flock here in their hundreds, and in one day there expect to see lions, leopard, buffalo, fish eagles, dik-dik, mongoose, zebra, wildebeest. The works, in short.
About two hours west of Arusha. Book with one of Arusha's myriad operators and leave as early as you can the next morning to get the best of the morning. Take in nearby Lake Manyara if you need to see a hippo. www.tanzaniaparks.com/tarangire.htm
Little visited and close by, Arusha Park is scenic with great views of (and includes) Mt Meru, and has its own crater, forests and lakes, some laden with salts. There are giraffe, buffalo, colobus, flamingo and lots of birds, and a few hippo left in what was once their biggest home in Tanzania. Quiet and peaceful compared to the main parks.
A few miles east of Arusha on the Moshi road, lots of local safari operators will do a full or half day, or you can climb Meru on a 3 day tough trek
Huge expanse of grassland with wildlife sightings at every corner. There are lots of local companies in Arusha who'll take you on a bone shaking 4x4 tour. A week is the minimum as there are lots of miles to cover.
Fly to Kilimanjaro international airport and stay in Arusha - about 45 minutes by road.
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