Tanzania Flying Safari

A Thomson representative greets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and accompanies you to your private vehicle for the drive to Arusha. Along the way, pass through small rural communities with views of Mount Meru rising in the distance, offering your first glimpse of northern Tanzania. Once you arrive at your hotel, take the evening to settle in and recharge. Enjoy a fresh cup of Tanzanian coffee, take a quiet walk around the grounds, or simply relax before your safari begins.

A short morning bush flight carries you into the central Serengeti, one of Tanzania’s richest wildlife regions. Here, enormous herds of wildebeest and zebra can fill the plains, joined by thousands of gazelles, along with giraffes, buffalo, elephants, and hippos. The abundance of prey also draws some of the Serengeti’s most powerful predators. Lion prides patrol the grasslands, cheetahs watch for vulnerable young animals, leopards hunt from the cover of thicker vegetation, and hyenas move through the herds in search of an opportunity.

Your guide will meet you at the gravel airstrip before you continue to a seasonal mobile Nyumba camp, positioned to follow migration movements. Spend your time tracking the animals across the region, stopping to watch a hunt unfold, following a pride as it moves between resting spots, or lingering with a massive herd as it passes through camp country. After a full day in the bush, return for a hot shower and a hearty meal around the dining table, followed by an evening beneath the stars with the sounds of the Serengeti all around you.

Leave the open plains behind and drive up into the Ngorongoro Highlands, winding down two thousand feet of forested caldera wall onto the floor of the world's largest intact volcanic crater. Spend the morning navigating grass tracks to track rare black rhinos grazing in the open, pods of hippos in freshwater pools, and heavy-maned lions resting near the roads.

In the afternoon, ascend the rim to Gibb’s Farm, an award-winning historic estate set among terraced vegetable gardens, coffee fields, and forest on the slopes of the Ngorongoro Highlands. Explore the grounds, walk the forest trails, or visit the gardens to see where much of the produce served at the farm is grown. Learn about the estate’s coffee, from the beans grown on-site to the roasting process, then settle in for a meal made with fresh ingredients harvested from the farm. You can also spend time at the spa, meet the artists in residence, or relax on the veranda with live music as the evening winds down.

Board a southbound flight to Ruaha National Park, entering an expansive, untamed wilderness defined by giant baobab trees, granite hills, and wide sand rivers. The low density of camps here ensures a quiet, private safari experience far from crowded vehicle tracks.

Spend three full days exploring these unique overlapping ecosystems alongside your expert local spotters. Track species rarely seen in the north, including packs of African wild dogs, greater kudu with spiraled horns, and herds of sable antelope moving through the miombo woodland, returning each evening to a quiet camp set along the riverbank.

Fly east into Nyerere National Park, where the wide channels, lagoons, and palm-lined banks of the Rufiji River create a dramatic change of scenery. Water replaces dry plains as the focal point of wildlife viewing, offering a fresh perspective on Tanzania's southern wildlife.

Explore the park through a mix of open-vehicle drives, guided foot safaris along wilderness paths, and boat trips down the Rufiji River. From the water, get up close to hippos podding in the shallows, large Nile crocodiles basking on sandbars, and dozens of waterbird species nesting in the riverine trees.

A short morning flight carries you out of Nyerere National Park and back to Arusha. Upon landing, take time on the tarmac to say goodbye to your guide team, thanking them for their dedicated tracking skills and hospitality throughout your journey across the country.

Transfer to the Kilimanjaro Hotel to settle into a private day room, giving you space to shower, repack your bags, and enjoy a quiet lunch at your own pace. Later in the evening, your driver collects you for the final transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home.