Tanzania Luxury Fly-In Safari

The adventure begins at your Zanzibar hotel, where you will meet your Africa Flash McTours guide.  They will transport you to Zanzibar Airport, where you will board a light aircraft for a nearly two-hour flight to Serengeti National Park.  

Arriving in the late morning, you’ll board a safari vehicle which will transfer you to your Serengeti accommodations to check in and enjoy a tasty lunch.  After lunch, depart on your first game drive.

Serengeti National Park covers nearly 15,000 square kilometres (5791 sq. mi) of rolling grasslands interspersed with thickets and rocky outcrops.  The climate in the Serengeti is pleasant year-round, thanks to the altitude.  While it doesn’t get too hot, temperatures drop significantly overnight.  The area experiences two Wet seasons: from November to December and March-May.  Conditions for game viewing are best from June to October.

The park is most famous for the annual wildebeest migration, during which 2 million wildebeest and millions of other herbivores follow the rains in search of fresh grazing.  Please bear in mind that the migration herd is almost continuously on the move.  As such, sightings are not guaranteed, and we encourage guests to consider the broader appeal of the national park’s various inhabitants.

After the game drive, you’ll return to your lodge for dinner and bed.

In keeping with tradition, your day will start early to enjoy the sunrise and view wildlife while it is most active in the early morning.  We offer guests the choice of a full-day game with a packed lunch, or a morning and afternoon game drive, with lunch served at the lodge.

With such a vast area to explore, we suggest spending the entire day out on a game drive.  Serengeti mostly comprises vast grasslands crisscrossed by several rivers.  The land is home to a huge abundance of life: plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and more.  In total, some 70 different mammal species are on record, along with close to 500 different birds.  While technically the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) are present, rhinos are only rarely sighted.

The most common large predators are the lions and hyenas.  The area also boasts great sightings of Africa’s spotted cats, leopards and cheetahs.  Of the two, although endangered, cheetahs thrive in the open landscape, which allows them to use their speed to full advantage.   

On the full-day excursion, your guide will select a scenic spot for a good stretch and picnic lunch, after which the game drive continues into the late afternoon.

Returning to camp in the late afternoon, enjoy dinner under the stars before retiring.

After an early breakfast, you will go on a game drive to explore different areas of the park.  The Serengeti is blessed with large herds of elephants and buffalo.  Both species love the water, both to slake their thirst and to cool down in the midday heat.  Other general game species that you’re likely to see include the ubiquitous wildebeests and zebras, Thomson’s gazelle, topi, and giraffe.

After the morning drive, you’ll return to your lodge for lunch and check out, before transferring by road to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.  

We will transport you to your allocated accommodation, which is perched on the outer slopes of the ancient volcano which forms the crater.  As game drives are not permitted within the crater after dark, you’ll arrive in time for dinner and bed.

The Ngorongoro Crater was formed millions of years ago, when a massive volcano imploded during an eruption.  Separated from the surrounding landscape by sheer 600-metre-high slopes, the crater floor within is an isolated ecosystem teeming with life.  Covering 260 square kilometres (100 sq. mi.), the crater has two main ecosystems: forests on the slopes and grasslands (with occasional marshes) on the floor.  Here, the climate is temperate and mild, with two wet seasons, occurring in November-December and from March to May.

After an early wake-up call, you’ll board your safari vehicle, ready to descend into the Ngorongoro Crater for a five-hour game drive.

This is one of the few places in Tanzania where one can still see the Big 5 – lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo – roaming free in one place.  The crater is said to have one of the highest densities of lions in Africa.  They sit at the top of the local food chain along with spotted hyenas and the occasional leopard.  

Both elephants and buffalo are abundant, and, completing the ensemble, a variety of mammals, such as zebra, wildebeest, warthogs and various antelope species, abound.  Birds are also well-represented, with over 500 varieties represented.

Rounding off the safari experience with a picnic lunch served within the crater, it will be time to leave Ngorongoro and make our way back to Arusha Airport.  At this time, we’ll say our goodbyes as you fly back to Zanzibar and the rest of your holiday.