12-Day Maasai Bushland Trekking With Donkeys & Safari

DAY 1: PICK UP KILIMANJARO AIRPORT OR ARUSHA AIRPORT TO ARUSHA CENTER TOURIST INN HOTEL

Pick up from Kilimanjaro Airport and drive to Arusha Tourist inn Hotel in Arusha town. English speaking driver guide will provide brief about your safari,

Then visit Tanzanite Museum.

Tanzanite is one of the most beautiful blue gemstones known to the world. A symbol of elegance, sophistication and boldness, owning and complementing your outfits with a piece of tanzanite jewelry is sure to make you stand out in a crowd. However, Tanzanite has more to offer than just a pretty look. Overnight at ArushaCenter Tourist Inn. Bed and breakfast.

Main Destination:

Arusha (City)

Accommodation:

Arusha Tourist Inn Hotel

• Budget hotel located in or near Arusha

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast (Lunch & dinner not included)
• Drinks not included

DAY 2: TREKKING FOOTHILLS OF THE DRAMATIC MT LONGIDO

Pick up from Arusha Center Tourist Inn Hotel at 09:00 am, drive about one hour to Mt Longido and trek approx 5 kms on arrival you will be able to stretch your legs with a walk of up to one hour to your first camp, located in the foothills of the dramatic Mt. Longido. Afterwards, you will receive a welcome lunch and briefing.

In the afternoon enjoy a trek in the surrounding area to help further acclimatize you to the Africa bush, allow you to test your walking gear and also to give you a real insight into typical East African acacia bush land. Tonight you will spent in a camp hidden away in the foothills of Mt. Longido look out for the incredible star canopy above. Dinner and overnight at Longido camp.

Main Destination:

Mount Longido (Mountain)

Accommodation:

Longido Campsite

• Budget bush camp located in or near Mt Longido

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

DAY 3: KITUMBEINE MAASAI LAND TREKKING

After breakfast, drive a short distance before leaving the vehicles, proceeding on foot to Kitumbeine Village, two kilometers outside the village (alt. of camp is 4,070ft).

Distance ranges from 10kms to 20kms today, depending on the strength and wishes of the group, picnic lunch box on the way.

Your climb and trek today will be tough, covering up to 20km. The experience should give you a good understanding how hardly the Maasai who walk these distances regularly really are, you will be walking int the Maasai heartlands, traditional temporary villages with mud-built houses and thorn hedges, where young Maasai boys herd cattle and goats as their forefathers have done for centuries. Dinner and overnight at Kitumbeine Maasai village Boma camp.

Main Destination:

Maasai Village (Cultural Village)

Accommodation:

Kitumbeine Maasai Village Campsite

• Budget bush camp located in or near Maasai Village

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

DAY 4: KITUMBEINE MOUNTAIN TREK AND MAASAI VILLAGE WALK

After breakfast, trek Mt Kitumbeine Mountain to viewpoint on a ridge at 6,300ft

The trail is dusty and rocky to start, but soon merges with a we-trodden goat tail, Temperatures should drop as the day proceeds and you begin to gain altitude, expect to reach the viewpoint early afternoon. Later, trek part way back down and meet the vehicles for a short drive to the Ngarirat Swamp, a mostly dry ancient swamp bed where many wild animals come to drink and graze.

Late afternoon, enjoy a game viewing trek in the region around the swamp, before heading to Nagarirat to Gelai Approx 18kms

Today you will have a vehicle uplift to North-East of Kitumbeine village on rocky terrain. Leaving the vehicles and cross between Mt. Kitumbeine and Gelai and then climb into the foothills of Gelai.

Here you will see more of the wild game that populates the region. In particular look out for zebra, gerenuk, and giraffe, birds etc. Up to 16kms walking. Dinner and overnight at Maasai Boma campsite.

Main Destination:

Maasai Village (Cultural Village)

Accommodation:

Kitumbeine Maasai Village Campsite

• Budget bush camp located in or near Maasai Village

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

DAY 5: TREK CROSS NAGARIRAT TO GELAI

After breakfast, today you will have a vehicle uplift to North – East of Kitumbeine village on rocky terrain. Leaving the vehicles and cross a low saddle between Mt. Kitumbeine and Gilai, climb with picnic lunch into the foothills and little shelter from the sun. This section is very challenging with a lot of uphill’s and little shelter from the sun

On this day and the following days, as you venture further into the Rift Valley, you will see more of the wild game that populates the region, e.g. Zebra, Gerenuk, and Giraffe and the birdlife is rich along the entire route and you will be fascinated by the nests of the weaver birds. The Superb Starlings, the Go Away bird, hoopoes and numerous raptors are also seen in the area.

Expect to be captivated by the sheer beauty of this region, the Cradle of Mankind. Tonight you camp at Gelai Village Camp site for dinner and overnight.

Main Destination:

Maasai Village (Cultural Village)

Accommodation:

Gilai Bomba Campsite

• Budget bush camp located in or near Maasai Village

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

DAY 6: SUNKEN CRATER & THE LAVA PLAINS

After breakfast, this morning the group shall visit a Maasai boma (a temporary settlement surrounded by thorn hedtges) and see and meet the Maasai who live there seasdonally. This is a unique opportunity to enter an authentic Maasai village

You will have a chance to explore the village and Maasai guides will explain to you how the huts are build, how the cooking is done, where people sleep and eat, and the practice of bringing in the animals at night, the hopefully able to visit a special project – a remote Maasai school which attracts up to 40 Maasai youngsters each day.

After exploring the village, trek with picnic lunch, through untamed bush towards the Sunken Crater, across a beautiful plain marked by dead volcanic vents, your journey bringing you ever closer to the escarpment of the Rift Valley, which rises from the bush up to the Ngorongoro Crater Highlands.

Expect to reach the impressive Sunken Crater mid-afternoon, where you will overnight overnight near the Crater.

Main Destination:

Maasai Village (Cultural Village)

Accommodation:

Bush Campsite

• Budget bush camp located in or near Maasai Village

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

DAY 7: LAKE NATRON AND MUNGE WATER FALLS

After breakfast, have a game drive viewing with picnic lunch en route to lake Natron

Arrive Lake Natron in the afternoon and have a short tour to around the Lake on foot.

Lake Natron is one of the major Flamingos breeding area.

At evening visit the nearby waterfalls for a swim in the river and also visit a Maasai family for a short cultural interaction. Dinner and overnight at worldview campsite.

Main Destination:

Lake Natron (Lake)

Accommodation:

Worldview Campsite

• Budget bush camp located in or near Lake Natron

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

DAY 8: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK-GAME VIEWING

After breakfast have a game drive en-route with picnic lunch to Lobo Northern part of Serengeti National Park.

The vast Serengeti Plains, home to a huge variety of animals and birds, Search among the trees and Kobjes for the elusive Leopards and cheetah as well as Wildebeest Migration, dinner and overnight at Lobo campsite.

Main Destination:

Serengeti National Park

Accommodation:

Lobo Campsite

• Budget bush camp located inside Serengeti NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

DAY 9: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK- GAME VIEWING

Early at 05:30am take your breakfast box and proceed for Sunrise game drive until 08:30am drive back to the Lodge for rest.

At 10:00am proceed for a full day game drive with picnic lunch in this wonderful National Park.

Our guides will choose the best spotting locations for the time of year, we can spend time at the Hippo pool watching these majestic animals laze about in the cool water happily living alongside the crocodiles, watch a big pride of lions, be in the middle of the migration, sometimes surrounded by wildebeest, sometimes by zebras, which travel with the wildebeest.

This diverse and interesting landscape will provide us with the ultimate in game viewing, we will hopefully see all of the plain games; elephants, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, lions and it you are lucky the elusive Leopards and Cheetahs, as well as huge amounts of interesting bird life. Dinner and overnight at the center of Serengeti National Park- Pimbi campsite.

Main Destination:

Serengeti National Park

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• Inside Serengeti NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

DAY 10: SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK TO THE RIM OF NGORONGORO CRATER

After early breakfast at the camp, proceed with full day game drive with picnic lunch to Ngorongoro Conservation area via Olduvai Gorge Historical site (your option to visit and the price is not includes), boasting with a history dating back to the dawn of time. It was here, the anthropologists Dr. Lois and Mary Leakey discovered the skulls of ‘Nutcracker Man’ and ‘Handy Man’, both very significant links in the chain of human evolution.

Arrive at Simba campsite at evening for dinner and overnight.

Main Destination:

Ngorongoro Highlands

Accommodation:

Ngorongoro Simba campsite

• On the crater rim of Ngorongoro Crater

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

DAY 11: NGORONGORO CRATER- GAME DRIVE IN THE CRATER FLOOR

After early breakfast drive to Ngorongoro, Descend 610 meters into Ngorongoro Crater floor for 6 hours game viewing with picnic lunch. Spot the endangered black Rhinos, Lions, Elephants, Zebras, Buffaloes and wildebeest and other wild animals.

Also in Ngorongoro Crater Soda Lake you will see many species of birds including Flamingos. All these animals in turn support large predators such as Lions and Leopards, and scavengers such as Hyenas and Jackals. Dinner and overnight at Migombani campsite.

Main Destination:

Ngorongoro Crater

Accommodation:

Migombani campsite

• Just outside Lake Manyara NP

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Non-alcoholic drinks

DAY 12: LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK- GAME VIEWING-KILIMANJARO AIRPORT

After breakfast, have a game drive in Lake Manyara National Park, home to giant fig trees, acacia woodlands, mahogany trees and grassy flood plains. The contrasts of this area are simply breathtaking, with the open plains, huge escarpment, Soda Lake, dense woodlands, and distance volcanic peaks.

Animals such as Elephants, Hippos, Impalas, Giraffe, Warthog, Wildebeest, Blue monkeys and Buffaloes can be seen.

This Park is also home to the famous tree climbing lions and Leopards.

Lake Manyara National Park provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birds life with over 400 species having been recorded within the parks boundaries. Highlights include pink-hued flamingoes, herons, storks and pelicans.

After lunch drive to Kilimanjaro Airport via Arusha town for shopping.

Main Destination:

Lake Manyara National Park 

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)