No physical difficulty involved so any healthy adult should be able to take part. When travelling in Tanzania, rough roads, limited facilities and camping may require you to adjust levels of expectation. The trip is run by driver/guides and is accompanied by a cook who will prepare the group meals. You will be expected to put up your own tent.

Tsetse flies are attracted to the colours blue and black. For your comfort we advise you to refrain from wearing these colours whilst on safari.
The Ngorongoro Crater can be cooler than you imagine – sometimes even very cold! Take something warm to wear here especially at night.

Learn some Swahili : (Lonely Planet have a handy little guide to learning Swahili) which will add an extra dimension to your trip! Your efforts are sure to be rewarded with a warm smile (no matter how wrong you sound!) – go on be brave!
Jambo – hello: is the first word you will learn, but very touristy so say Habari instead– How’s things?
Asante (sana) – Thank you (very much)
Wapi choo? – Where are the toilets?
Hakuna Matata – No problem.
And to really get you learning; try pointing to things and saying….
Unasemaje ….. kwa Kiswahili….? How do you say .…. in Kiswahili?

We offset the carbon emissions associated with the in-country travel on all of our trips by supporting a solar stove and clean energy project in Madagascar. However, it is your flight that will have the largest environmental impact on your holiday. We offer you the opportunity to offset your carbon dioxide emissions with a donation to our solar stove and clean energy project in South Africa. The project is run by the non-profit organisation Blue Ventures Carbon Offset and validated by the Tourism Industry Carbon Offset Service (TICOS) as delivering measurable carbon reduction and wider sustainable development benefits for local people. We strongly encourage you to donate to our project, so if you would like to offset the carbon emissions generated by your flight, please contact us. Offsets start from as little as £4.

Since the increase in popularity of bottled water, many countries are experiencing a problem of litter especially where adequate recycling is not available. Please could you try, where possible, to use purification tablets or filters for water or buy bigger bottles of water between group members and decant into your individual water bottles.

We support the Arusha children’s trust, a charity which runs projects in rural communities in the more remote areas of The Rift Valley, seeking to improve the lives of the tribal groups that live there, without imposing Western values on them. The projects aim to help children in a number of areas including education, health services and environmental awareness. If you would like to offer your much needed help to the project, as well as monetary donations, the trust would be delighted to receive any picture books for young children, games, construction toys, puzzles or sports equipment that you are able to carry out with you.

We use local Group Leaders and our local agent is firmly committed to sustainable and ecological tourism.

Below is a suggestion of what you might find useful to take on this trip. It is not an exhaustive packing list. If you need further advice, please call us or consult your nearest specialist outdoor clothing and equipment store.

• Lightweight cotton clothing for the safari - brightly-coloured clothing is not appropriate on safari as it is easily seen by animals and attracts insects; wear muted tones in natural colours (beige, khaki, olive but not army-style camouflage clothing)
• Windproof/waterproof outer shell (i.e. lightweight jacket/kagoul)
• Warm jacket
• Warm mid-layer (fleece or woollen jumper) - for early mornings and the evening on Ngorongoro Crater rim
• Comfortable trousers (not jeans)
• Trainers/sandals for relaxing
• Sun-hat

• Binoculars
• Sunglasses, sunscreen and lipsalve
• Insect repellent
• Water bottle (1 litre minimum)
• Money belt
• Personal first aid kit and sewing kit
• Towel
• Torch or head torch (and spare batteries)
• Sleeping bag (3/4-season) NB: Sleeping mats are provided
• Dust can be a problem - take plastic bags for cameras
• Wet wipes
• Toilet paper
• Travel pillow

For your comfort we recommend you travel as light as possible; many airlines impose a maximum weight limit of 20kg – we advise you to take 10kg as you will be on the move a good deal! For domestic flights using light aircraft the usual weight limit is 15 kg.
One main piece (a soft bag or rucksack, not a hard suitcase).
A daypack (25-30 litres), large enough to carry what you need for the day including camera, water, etc.

Camping on this trip is described as "wild". This means that there are no fences around the campsites and animals roam freely within the area in which you will be living. To experience the excitement of cleaning your teeth whilst being watched by a passing elephant is not unknown and you can fully expect hyena to wander past your tent as you lie inside quietly dreaming of the animals you have seen during the day! Your Group Leader will advise you on how to behave in camp so that you can safely enjoy this incredible African adventure. Please ensure that you listen carefully to all safety briefings and remember that the beautiful animals you will see are all wild and are potentially dangerous – they should never be approached; even a friendly looking zebra can lash out a nasty kick! To ensure you sleep undisturbed, no food or drink should be kept in your tent. You will surely return home from this trip with some exciting tales to thrill your friends with!
You will sleep in two-person dome tents with built-in ground sheets, attachable flysheets, mosquito netting and sleeping mats. Pillows are not provided. Facilities on the campsites are often basic but there are fixed toilet and shower blocks which are generally well maintained. Water supplies can however be limited. You will be required to pitch your own tents and assist with setting up and breaking camp in each location. Meals are prepared for you by a camp cook and are of good variety and quality.
Outside Arusha the road to Tarangire is tarmac after which most roads are unpaved; within the national parks they may be quite bumpy. Dust may also make travelling uncomfortable (especially in the dry season) and whilst we use the most appropriate vehicles available, some acceptance of the rigours of travel in this region is required. However, the thrill of seeing a passing lion or cheetah soon dispels any discomfort.

The magnificent natural spectacle of the Wildebeest Migration usually reaches the western corridor of the Serengeti in June and early July, although of course nature does not conform to any strict timetable. Between December and February wildebeest are birthing in huge numbers on the Serengeti plains, building their numbers prior to their migration

Overnight flight to Kilimanjaro Airport

On arrival you transfer (one hour) to your lodge and relax. Set at an altitude of 1390m, the town is surrounded by fertile land yielding coffee, wheat and maize tended by the Waarusha and Wameru tribespeople. Arusha is once again the headquarters of the East African community as in the days when Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were members of a communications and customs union. It remains one of Tanzania’s most attractive and lively towns. Lodge - 1 night (D)

This morning you cross the Great Rift Valley, one of the most dramatic features on earth. Stretching from the Dead Sea in Jordan to Mozambique in the south, it is up to 100km wide in places and hosts an enormous diversity of wild animals, trees and plants. You pass through the lands of the Masai, probably the best known tribe in Africa. Your destination is the small town of Mto wa Mbu, where you pitch camp and have a lunch stop, before you head into Lake Manyara National Park for your first game drive. This afternoon you hope to see its major attraction - the tree-climbing lions, although there is of course no guarantee! There are plenty of other things to see too - elephant, hippo, plain’s game as well as a huge variety of bird life, both resident and migratory. (Driving 120km/ 2 ½-3hrs) Camp - 1 night (BLD) - swimming pool on site

This morning as you make your way to the Serengeti you stop at Olduvai Gorge en route. This famous archaeological site is where some of the oldest humanoid skeletons have been discovered. You can listen to an informative talk about the discovery of Olduvai Gorge and the work of Dr. Leakey and visit the small museum exhibiting many of the fossils and relics from the area.

Established in 1951, the Serengeti is the most famous of Tanzania's national parks. It is well known for the annual migration that usually takes place across the savannah plains in June and early July - thousands and thousands of animals as far as the eye can see. Travelling at this time gives a chance to see a really unique and exciting natural phenomenon in action. Travel in December to February offers the chance to witness wildebeest birthing season where thousands of calves are born on the plains prior to the migration.

You spend the next two days exploring the sweeping grass plains, rocky outcrops (kopjes) and sparsely wooded river valleys of this incomparable park, where lion, cheetah, leopard, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, gazelle and perhaps even wild dog can be seen. Depending on where the most exciting wildlife is to be found, you might set off early in the morning for an extended game drive and return to camp for a big brunch and a siesta, or you go for a leisurely morning drive after breakfast, with another game drive in the afternoon. Your Group Leader will work out the best routine, in order to maximise your chance of seeing as much wildlife as possible. You spend the evenings in the camp at the very centre of this vast plain to eat and sleep beneath a panorama of bright moon and stars in clear skies, surrounded by the unfamiliar sounds of the African bush. Camp - 2 nights. Please note that while there are showers, they may not always work as thirsty elephants sometimes disrupt the water supply. (Bx2, Lx2, Dx2)

Today you enjoy a morning game drive and then return to camp for lunch before you leave the Serengeti behind to travel to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (approx. 3 hours drive). The Ngorongoro Crater is a vast volcanic caldera, some 19km wide; it offers tremendous game viewing opportunities including one of Africa's densest populations of predators. You spend the night on the rim of the crater; at 2333m it can be surprisingly cold here in the evening/early morning so make sure you have warm clothes at the ready. You’ll be able to enjoy the magnificent views over and down into the caldera. Basic Camp - 1 night (BLD)

This morning you descend to the floor of the vast Ngorongoro Crater in 4WD vehicles, accompanied by your local driver/guide(s). Ngorongoro is one of the most picturesque settings for observing wildlife and with about 30,000 resident animals, there is excellent game viewing here all the year round. The photographic opportunities are unrivalled! Encounters with animals are frequent and there is a wide variety of game to be seen. Lake Magadi, the soda lake at the floor of the crater, is home to hundreds of flamingos. This is also one of the best places to see the endangered black rhino. Leaving the crater you follow the road climbing steadily up its precipitous inner edge. You depart the park to camp near the small town of Karatu (approx. 1 hour). There is enough time in the afternoon for you to wander into the lively little town - a great opportunity to get an impression of life in a small rural African town. Camp - 1 night (BLD)

Today you move on towards one of Tanzania's less visited sites, the Tarangire National Park. Established in 1970, it takes its name from the Tarangire River, which flows here all year. On approaching the park, the most eye-catching aspect is the sight of baobab trees, which rise up from the plain. They are instantly recognisable by the usually leafless branches that stick out of the top of the tree as if they were the roots and the tree had been planted upside down!

The park is renowned for its great herds of elephant, in addition to which you hope to see a variety of other animals such as wildebeest, zebra, Thompson's gazelle, buffalo, eland and hartebeest as well as leopard if you are lucky. You make your camp for the night and enjoy your last experience of the sounds of the African bush. Tsetse flies can bother you here; a tip is not to wear dark blue or black clothing which attracts them. Camp - 1 night (BLD), driving 150km/3hrs

Today you cross the open plains and retrace your steps to Arusha (120km/3hrs). The trip ends in Arusha for Land Only clients. Those on group flights have the opportunity to freshen up and have lunch before an early afternoon transfer to the airport for your flight back home. (B) NB Lunch is not included today