The Season Between Safaris
Highlights
Serengeti National Park – Quintessential Africa
Tarangire National Park – A sanctuary of giants and songbirds
Ngorongoro Crater – You just have to see it to believe it
Great Rift Valley Tribal Interactions – Take a deep cultural dive with Wanderful Tanzania as we introduce you to three unique and amazing tribes who call the Great Rift Valley home.
Golden light, perfect balance.
Warm days, cool nights. Wildlife everywhere. Peaceful landscapes. The best of both seasons.
Why The Season Between?
I lovingly refer to this season as the “Season Between.” It is a magical time of year that still has shorter grasses which make animal spotting much easier, but the recent rains cause the plains to start to green up in a hurry, creating a beautiful mixture of greens and golds! The crowds have also fallen off substantially during this season, making it just a wonderful time to be on safari!
This season begs for safaris to include the incredible Tarangire National Park as part of the itinerary! About a quarter of the size of the Serengeti, Tarangire is best known for having four distinctly different environments (river valley, forest, plains, and marsh), so there is something for everyone! And birds are everywhere! It’s just a tremendous and very different park, and a must-see during this time of year!
I truly hope that this synopsis of the four distinct seasons of Tanzania helps explain the different experiences to be had throughout the year, but more so that it helps that there is no “OFF-SEASON” in Tanzania!
Wanderful Tanzania remains ready to help you find the perfect small group safari to join or we can work with you to design a custom safari just for you and your own group of family or friends.
Our Safari Philosophy
All Wanderful Tanzania safaris are intentionally crafted with a unique rhythm designed to strike a balance between adventure and rest. We refer to this cadence as an “unhurried journey of discovery.” So, while you’ll have ample opportunity for exploration and excitement, there will also be plenty of time for relaxation, reflection and rejuvenation. We believe that this balance creates a more meaningful, enjoyable, and memorable safari experience for our guests.
Come into the wild with Wanderful, and lose yourself to Tanzania!
The safari begins as you exit the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and are greeted by your local safari guides. They will help you with your luggage and will take you to your first night’s accommodation at a safari lodge in Arusha town.
Your local guides will collect everyone from the safari lodge on the morning of Day 2, and take you to the Arusha Airport. The group will take a bush plane into the Central Serengeti, landing at the Seronera Airstrip. Upon landing and deplaning, you will meet your safari guides for the first time. We will have a briefing once the luggage has been loaded into the vehicles, and then immediately set out on our first game drive of the safari!
Our team of safari guides will be there to greet us when we land at the airstrip in the Serengeti for the first time. Following a safari briefing, they will load up our luggage and get us situated in the safari-modified Land Cruisers, and we’ll be off on our first game drive of the safari!
We will spend four nights in a beautifully appointed tented camp (nyumba (“home”) in Swahili) in the heart of the central Serengeti National Park.
Each day we will explore different areas of the park, always on the lookout for the Big 5 (Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Bull Elephant, and Cape Buffalo), in addition to the vast numbers of herding animals, birds, flora and fauna that make this place so special!
As we leave the Serengeti, we will stop at the Oldupai Gorge for a “lunch-and-learn” session and a visit to their museum. This gorge is known around the world as “The Cradle of Mankind,” as the oldest carbon-dated human bones were famously discovered there.
The site remains an active archeological excavation site, with universities, museums, and other research institutions sending teams of scientists there each year to continue the exploration. It is a fascinating place to spend a few hours and realize that every single person on the planet can trace their lineage to this very spot on Earth.
Next, we will transition to the lush region of the Ngorongoro Highlands and make our way to our next accommodation — the beautiful Ngorongoro Farm House, located near the town of Karatu. This stunning and storied plantation will be home base for our adventures in and around the Ngorongoro Crater. The Farm House is still an active coffee plantation, and guests are free to roam the manicured and gorgeous gardens and groves.
The next morning will be a very early start, as we want to be among the first groups to reach the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater. We will spend the entire day exploring this 8th wonder of the world. The primary goal of this day is to make sure we spot the endangered Black Rhino (shown below). This will be our best shot at completing the “Big 5”!
We will drive into the Great Rift Valley with the intention of visiting three different tribal families that live in this region of Tanzania. As we make our way towards our next accommodation (Lake Eyasi Safari Lodgeg), we will stop to meet the Blacksmiths and the Farming families of the Datoga tribe. The greeting for these folks is “Say-You” (which means “hello” in their language). If anyone bursts into Lionel Ritchie’s “Say you, Say me,” I’ll vomit! Hahaha!
The Blacksmith family is delightful, and they will astonish you with their metal-working skills. You can participate in a good bit of the demonstration, or just sit back and watch the magic!
Be sure to check out the tribal images in the TRIBES gallery.
Next we will see the Farming family. This is a family where the patriarch is a 93+ year old man with 10 wives, 50+ kids, and 100+ grandkids. The visit to this group always warms my heart. The women do almost everything in the tribe… farming, ranching, harvesting, grinding, cooking, bearing and raising the kids, beadwork, and dealing with the very few tourists who are lucky enough to get to meet them in person. The men??? They make babies… play games… and drink (not necessarily in that order… wink wink).
The next morning will be VERY VERY EARLY! We will likely takea cup of coffee to go and be on the road by 4:30 or 5 a.m. (which you may actually welcome, after the terrible night’s sleep you’ve had/not had). We do this because we will have to drive out into the bush to “find” the Hadzabe tribe. If we are fortunate enough to find them early, and the hunters are going on their morning hunt, they will welcome us to join them. This is an optional activity… please make your own decision on whether to join them on the hunt or not. If you do not want to see an animal killed, or feel that you cannot physically keep up with the tribe, please make the choice to stay back with our guide(s) or join the ladies if they go “gathering” that morning.
The hunters will be trying to provide food for their family. They will hunt almost anything from mice and birds to huge antelope… and everything in between. It is a wild, unpredictable, and fascinating thing to be part of. Do this if you can!
After we leave the Hadzabe, we will set a course for the amazing Tarangire National Park. We will actually be game driving as we make our way to our accommodations for the next 2 nights.
The TNP is most famous for the massive elephant herds that can be found there year round… and for large numbers of the iconic and beautiful Baobob trees.
By staying inside the park itself, we will have access to parts of the park that are just too far to reach on a day visit. My hope is that we will be able to spend time in the river valley and wetland marsh areas, and have very little company there, other than the animals.
This is a beautiful park to do our last game drive in, and we will have our final dinner and fun round-robin reflection at the camp on this last night of safari.
We will all be on the lookout for the final animal sightings as we game drive our way out of the park this morning.
Once you’ve had your fill of lunch, please do yourself a favor and head for the Shanga Shops just off the parking lot. In case you didn’t get your fill of shopping at the Galleria, here is your chance to get some absolutely beautiful, unique, and treasured souvenirs.
Even more exciting to me is the chance to meet the artists and craftsmen who make everything sold at these shops! They have their workshops in a courtyard behind the stores, and will welcome you and be happy to demonstrate their skills… or maybe have you participate too.
Each craftsman and artist employed here is handicapped in some way (deaf, mute, missing a limb, burn victim, etc.), but they’ve been hired and trained to do amazing art and other crafts that will blow your mind. My most treasured keepsakes and gifts always come from these beautiful people… it is an experience I take very seriously, as it is part of my mission to promotion traveling with heart-centered intention, and to leave a net-positive footprint in our wake. I hope you will go to the workshops and simply allow yourself to smile, laugh, and “play” with the artisans in the art village. You can buy wares from them in the stalls, but they will ring them up in the little shop, and wrap them up for you to carry home. Some of my most cherished purchases come from these shops. I LOVE THE ELEPHANT PILLOWS MADE FROM MEN’S BUTTON-DOWN SHIRTS. The story of the women who makes these pillows can be found at the shop. It will touch your heart!
You’ll spend your first night in Tanzania at one of the adorable safari lodges in town. Gmodations are spread out amongst the beautifully manicured lawns and gardens, and guests can enjoy a meal or drink at their onsite restaurant and bar in the main building.
During your time in the Central Serengeti, you’ll be staying at one of the incredible tented camps in that region. While each camp has a different vibe, they are little havens of comfort and relaxation smack-dab in the middle of the bush! With all the amenities you could desire, they are truly a wonderful home away from home!
During your time in Ngorongoro Highlands, you’ll be staying at one of the amazing safari lodges in the Karatu region. Check with the front desk to see what activities or amenities may be available each evening. If you have a chance to join the ground tour one evening, take it! Weather permitting, dining here is outdoors.
This spectacular property is located in the Karatu area of Tanzania. It provides ideal access to the Ngorongoro Crater, and is a splendid lodge at which to spend a couple of nights during the safari.
Guests are welcome to join a guided tour of the grounds each evening, or you are most welcome to just explore on your own. There are more than 600 acres of manicured gardens and groves to wander through. Perhaps you’d rather have a dip in the pool, or enjoy a massage or pedicure? Just check with the hotel staff to verify schedule of activities and spa openings!
The lodge is amazing, and its reliably spectacular views of the sunset are unbeatable. It sirs on a gentle slode overlooking Tanzania’s seasonal Lake Eyasi and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Located about a 3-hour drive from Arusha and 1 hour from Karatu, it serves as an ideal base for immersive cultural tours to the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes.
Your time in Tarangire National Park begins with a stay at a beautifully situated permanent Tented Camp—a thoughtfully designed property nestled deep within the park’s heart, close to the Tarangire River and its wildlife-rich surroundings.
At Wanderful Tanzania, we don’t just choose camps for their views—we choose them for their consistency, service, and soul.
Our chosen camps are always perfectly positioned for early morning game drives and unhurried exploration. Its location is remote and peaceful, yet close enough to the action to witness elephants lumbering past camp or hear lions calling at night.With some advanced planning, our “almost wallet-less” journeys can make safari dreams a reality for nearly everyone.
“Almost wallet-less“ means that we include about 90% of the total costs in the price of the safari, and then offer guests a flexible payment schedule which allows them to break the payments into smaller payments that can be made over many months leading up to the safari. The other 10% (+/-) of the associated costs is money that guests will need to bring in cash on the safari, which we talk about in detail in our Tour Packet, which we send out to every guest upon registration.
In fact, we guide you all the way through the paperwork and preparation needed before the safari. Our goal is for every guest to arrive in Tanzania relaxed and ready to enjoy their wild adventure, without needing to worry about their wallets.
Included
- Pre-trip preparation and guidance, including detailed Tour Packet and series of infographics designed to make sure you are ready to safari
- Arrival welcome by your safari guide(s) as you exit the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania
- All transfers throughout the safari (to/from airports, hotels, tour-related excursions, etc.)
- One-way bush plane flight from the Serengeti to Arusha (or vice versa)
- Experienced, local, professional driver(s)/guide(s) (English speaking)
- All accommodations at a variety of tented camps, safari lodges/resorts
- All breakfasts and dinners, chef-prepared daily
- All lunches (either hot lunch or box lunches, depending on daily schedule)
- All snacks, water, coffee, and tea (alcohol & sodas are on your own)
- All ground transportation in safari-modified Land Cruisers, inclusive of fuel
- All taxes related to tourism
- All park, service, conservancy, and entrance fees associated with safari itinerary
NOT Included
- Airfare to/from Tanzania
- Tips for driver(s), guide(s) and the staffs of the various camps & lodges – tipping guidelines are offered in Tour Packet
- Beverages (beer, wine, liquor, soft drinks) purchased from lounges, camps, restaurants or stores. (Beverages are generally very inexpensive in Tanzania)
- Travel and evacuation insurance (strongly recommended)
- Pre- or Post-Safari accommodations, transportation, meals, or tours