Itinerary

Day 1

Moshi - Mkomazi National Park

Activities:  Travel (6.5 hours) / Afternoon game drive
Meals:  Lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Basic lodge or motel

You will be picked up by your professional tour guide/driver at your hotel in Moshi at around 8:00 a.m. and receive a short briefing about your safari before starting your journey in direction of Mkomazi National Park. We will arrive at around 10:00 a.m. to embark on our first game drive through this picturesque park.

Mkomazi National Park occupies 3,234 km² and lies in a beautiful setting at the foot of the green slopes of the Pare and Usambara Mountains which dominate its borders. Despite its striking beauty and vastness, Mkomazi remains one of Tanzania’s least known natural treasures.

A nature reserve since 1951, this new national park takes its name from the Pare tribe’s word for “small body of water”. Its spectacular scenery is made up of semi-arid savannah, acacia-covered slopes and grassy plains that are home to herds of giraffe, eland, hartebeest, zebra, buffalo and elephants, to name just a few.

The park is also a fantastic destination for bird watchers with over 400 recorded species living here including Shelley’s starling, three-striped chagra, hornbills, weaverbirds, guinea fowl, martial eagles and hoopoe. Mkomazi National Park is also the only place in Tanzania where you are likely to see the impressive vulturine guinea fowl. Large birds of the grassy plains include ostrich, kori bustard, secretary and southern hornbill. In addition, migratory species such as the European redstart are present from November to April.

Our game drive will end at sunset when you will be taken to your accommodation for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 2: Mkomazi area – Lushoto, Usambara Mountain Region

Activities: Travel (4 hours) to Lushoto / Hiking in the Usambara Mountain region
Meals:  Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Basic lodge or hostel

After an early breakfast, we will hit the road in direction of the Usambara Mountain region, arriving in Lushoto in time for lunch at the lodge.

Lushoto is the name of both a town and a district, located in Tanzania’s northernmost coastal region, Tanga. Although the region of Tanga borders the Indian Ocean, Lushoto lies further inland, nestled in the scenic Usambara Mountains.

After lunch, we will begin our hike to Irente Viewpoint where we will be rewarded with incredible views over the Maasai plains. Off-the-beaten-path and not very well-known to tourists, the  Usambara Mountain Range offers spectacular scenery which can be seen from Irente Viewpoint, known as one of the best viewpoints in Tanzania, especially at sunset.

After our hike, we will return to our lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 3: Usambara Mountain Region

Activities: Hike in Magamba Nature Forest Reserve & Winery tour in Leshoto (optional)
Meals:  Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Basic lodge or hostel

After breakfast, we will be embarking on a beautiful hike through the Magamba Nature Forest Reserve accompanied by a very knowledgeable local guide. We will pass through different environments including villages, agricultural land and rainforests, visiting Kisasa Waterfalls along the way and hiking up to Higula Hakwewa Peak viewpoint.

During our hike, we may also get a chance to see wildlife such as bush pigs, black and white Colobus monkeys, rabbits, antelope, sand squirrels, chameleons, lizards and even snakes, as well as a wide variety of bird species.

In the afternoon, we will have the option of visiting a winery in Lushoto town, or continuing our nature hike in the forest.

At sundown, we will return to our lodge or hostel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 4: Lushoto – Pangani

Activities: Travel (7 hours) to Pangani / Relaxing on the beach
Meals:  Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Traditional banda / beach lodge

After breakfast, we will head out for the long drive to Pangani town, stopping for lunch along the way. We will arrive at our lodge at around 3:00 p.m. and will have free time to relax on the beach for the rest of the day.

Dinner will be served at our accommodation.

Day 5: Pangani

Activities: Full leisure day in Pangani
Meals:  Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Traditional banda / beach lodge

Today you will be free to do exactly as you like in this tropical paradise! Pangani is a haven for travellers looking for a relaxing, off the beaten track destination and we are sure you will enjoy your day here...

A small Swahili outpost with a long history as an Arab colony and slave-trading centre, Pangani is much less famous than neighbouring Zanzibar. After its modest beginning as a coastal dhow port, Pangani was converted into a station on the caravan route for the export of slaves and ivory.

Today, this sleepy, run-down town still lives at a local pace.  The local elders, very friendly and always welcoming, will be happy to serve as your guides, drawing on their wealth of knowledge to tell you about the history and culture of their village.

Diving and snorkelling trips can be arranged with local fishermen, as well as trips to the sandbanks off the coast for a picnic in the sun. You can also take a boat to Maziwi, a small sandy island that sits on the coral reef.

All meals will be provided at your accommodation.

Day 6: Pangani – Saadani National Park

Activities: Travel (2 hours) to Saadani National Park / Game drive in Sadaani
Meals:  Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Basic lodge

After breakfast, we will hit the road for a 2-hour drive in direction of Saadani National Park. Upon arrival, we will immediately set out on our first game drive.

Saadani National Park is a unique paradise and the only place in East Africa where wilderness meets the beach and the Indian Ocean, giving you not only the opportunity to dive into the water right after your safari, but also to be immersed in a unique spectacle of marine and continental flora and fauna in a fascinating setting. It is the perfect place to combine the pleasures of safari with those of a beach holiday!

Often forgotten by travellers, this small wildlife reserve (1,100 km²) offers a variety of breath-taking landscapes with an enchanting mix of beach, savannah, mangrove and river, not to mention the coral reef. It is the variety of different ecosystems that makes Saadani an exceptional site and differentiates it from other wildlife parks in Tanzania.

Because of its dense vegetation, Saadani is not the park where you will see the most animals, however, it is one of the best parks for photographing them in a truly unusual environment!

Saadani’s wildlife includes four of the Big Five predators, although it is very difficult to spot them as they are few in number. You will find a population of Maasai giraffes as well as bush elephants and African lions and leopards, although the latter are a bit shyer.

You may also encounter Lichtenstein’s hartebeests, waterbucks and reedbucks, blue wildebeest, duikers, dik-diks, yellow baboons, vervet monkeys, colobus monkeys, blue syke monkeys, and white-bearded emperor monkeys. Other animals that call Saadani their home are mongooses, genets, porcupines, kudu, eland, sable antelope, warthogs, spotted hyenas and black-backed jackals.

After a full day in the park, we will retire to our lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 7: Saadani National Park

Activities: Game drive in Sadaani
Meals:  Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Basic lodge

Today we will wake up early to witness the sunrise on the beach and have a swim in the warm and tranquil waters of the Indian Ocean before returning to our lodge for a late breakfast.

After breakfast and a short rest to shower and change after our beach morning, we will head back to Saadani National Park for another game drive, exploring areas that we didn’t see on the previous day.

After an exciting day in the park, we will head back to the same lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 8: Saadani National Park - Moshi

Activities: Morning game drive in Saadani / Travel (8 hours) to Moshi
Meals:  Breakfast & lunch

After breakfast, we will go on our last morning game drive in Saadani National Park before hitting the road for the long journey back to Moshi. We will have lunch along the way and arrive in Moshi at around 7:00 p.m.

Included in package

• Professional English speaking driver/guide
• Pick-up at Kilimanjaro Airport the day before the start of your safari
• Pick-up at your hotel in Moshi on Day 1
• Drop-off at your hotel in Moshi or at Kilimanjaro Airport on Day 8
• All meals except breakfast on Day 1 & dinner on Day 8
• Bottled water
• Basic lodge accommodation

Not included in package

• Flight tickets
• Visa fees
• Travel insurance
• Personal expenses (laundry, telephone, soft drinks, juice or alcoholic beverages, any other items of a personal nature)
• Your hotel accommodation in Moshi before and after your trip with us (although we can arrange this for you at an additional cost)
• Tip for your safari guide (suggested amount : $30 per day per vehicle)
• Tip for the other guides that will accompany us on certain days