Tanzania: Serengeti to Zanzibar

Tour begins: 12:00 PM, Arusha Serena Hotel. A transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Arusha Serena Hotel, is included.

Welcome to Tanzania and the start of your African safari; your hotel overlooks Lake Duluti. Although most flights land at Kilimanjaro International Airport after the sun has set, thoughts of Ernest Hemingway's The Snows of Kilimanjaro will come to mind as you journey the short distance from the airport to your hotel. Stay: Arusha Serena Hotel Resort & Spa

Depart Arusha today for Tarangire National Park, where you'll have a game drive prior to arrival at your lodge, Tarangire Kuro Treetops Lodge, which is nestled deep within the heart of the National Park. The Lodge is strategically located atop an elevated Kopje hill, overlooking the Tarangire River and the Silale valley leading to the Silale swamp in the west - which is famous for being visited by different wildlife throughout the year due to the availability of water. We invite you to join us for a welcome reception and dinner. Stay: Tarangire Kuro Treetops Lodge (B/L/D)

Depart your hotel in Tarangine National Park for a visit to Isoitok, a Maasai boma (village), for an opportunity to learn about the Maasai cultural traditions and have a bush lunch. Enjoy your first game viewing opportunity as you continue on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to Ngorongoro Crater, a wildlife mecca; your lodge is built on the dormant volcano's rim, with stunning views of the "lost world" below. Please join us for a welcome reception followed by dinner at the lodge this evening. Stay Two Nights: Ngorongoro Serena Safari Lodge (B/L/D)

Spend today exploring Ngorongoro Crater, long regarded as Africa's "Garden of Eden." Within the crater lie grasslands, forests and a freshwater lake, inspiring a continual migration of animals. Riding in your four-wheel-drive safari vehicle, you'll have a chance to spot Africa's celebrated "Big Five" – buffalo, elephant, leopard, the black-maned lion and the rare black rhinoceros. Dig into a hot lunch as you picnic in the heart of the crater, sure to be a highlight of your African safari.

Back at the lodge to enjoy dinner this evening, you'll be able to observe Ngorongoro's wildlife-rich caldera below from the comfort of your private terrace. (B/L/D)

Set off this morning to explore Oldupai Gorge, where archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the fossilized remains of some of the earliest known human species, an estimated 1.8 million years old; learn more about the site's significance on a docent-led tour. Continue wildlife viewing while driving the rough dirt roads across the plains and grasslands of the Serengeti.

Arrive at your safari lodge in the Central Serengeti, which was inspired by Maasai tribal dwellings. A briefing for tomorrow's hot air balloon ride precedes dinner at your lodge. Enjoy some local entertainment in the lounge this evening. Stay Three Nights: Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge (B/L/D)

Lift off on an exciting hot air balloon flight* as dawn breaks over the vast Serengeti grasslands; from aloft, observe wildlife in the first light of day, an African safari thrill – and enjoy another thrill upon your return where a champagne breakfast in the bush waits for you. A morning game drive on the Serengeti plains may yield sightings of wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, rhinoceros, hippos, buffalo, jackals, and gazelles. This is also one of the best places on the African Continent to see prides of lions.

Return to the lodge for lunch, then enjoy an afternoon at leisure (or a lecture by an expert), followed by a special sundowner this evening before dinner at the lodge. (B/L/D)

Spot more wildlife as you travel to the Serengeti's remote Western Corridor, known for huge masses of migrating game animals thundering across the terrain; animals you might see on an afternoon game drive across the treeless plains of the Serengeti include wildebeest, lion, buffalo, cheetah, warthogs, giraffes and zebra. Join us for a sundowner this evening and say farewell to Tanzania. (B/L/D)

Rise early for your final Serengeti game drive this morning, then fly late this morning to intriguing Zanzibar, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean that was once a wealthy trading center for spices.

Upon arrival, set off with your local guide on a walking and driving tour of Stone Town, in the main port of Zanzibar City. Your home for the next two nights is a fabulous hotel overlooking the turquoise sea and white sand beaches. Stay Two Nights: Park Hyatt Zanzibar (B/L)

Traditional Arabian sailboats called dhows have plied the Indian Ocean waters of the Swahili Coast for millennia, trading and fishing from one island port to the next. Sail out to sea from Stone Town aboard a traditional dhow for an "Indian Ocean safari" off the coast of Zanzibar this morning, as the captain and crew help you spot dolphins frolicking in the ocean blue; cast anchor on a sandy beach for swimming and perhaps some snorkeling near beautiful coral reefs.

After returning to shore, the afternoon is yours to check out more of fascinating Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on your own. Join us this evening for a farewell reception followed by a farewell dinner at your seaside hotel. (B/L/D)

Tour ends: Zanzibar. If you wish, join our local guides for a "spice tour" of Stone Town this morning, or just enjoy some time at leisure before checking out of your hotel. Allow 3½ hours for flight check-in. Note: International flights out should be booked after 5:00 PM. (B)