Travel by road to Legendary Lodge
Accommodation Set in lush tropical gardens on a working coffee farm just outside Arusha, the Legendary Lodge features ten beautiful garden cottages and two family cottages, each with an inspiring view of Mount Meru from its own private veranda.
Designed with a unique blend of colonial heritage and electic accents from local artisans and craftsmen, the cottages offer king sized beds, a separate lounge with fireplace and ensuite bathrooms with bath tubs and refreshing showers.
Meals are served in the gracious Old Farmhouse, while the Legendary Therapies Spa offers rejuvenating treatments in the elegant therapy room or in the privacy of the guest cottages. Gym, sauna and swimming pool are located at a nearby Members Club.
The Lodge is located on the western outskirts of Arusha, Arusha Airport is only 15 minutes’ drive from Legendary Lodge.
Most visitors spend one night here after arriving on their international flight before beginning their safari the next day. Kilimanjaro International Airport is located approximately one hours’ drive from Arusha on the road cmoing in from Moshi.
Arusha's most famous landmark is Mount Meru, a dormant volcano that rises more than 4,500 m out of the ground in the west. The Ngurdoto Crater is located on the other side of the park, and the Momella Lakes sit between.
Arusha itself has grown considerably in recent years and there are probably around 650,000 people living in the city. The population has increased tenfold since the 1970s! In addition to tourism, Arusha lives from the trade in coffee and agricultural products and also increasingly from the export of cut flowers. Arusha lies at an altitude of 1,400 meters above sea level and the climate is quite pleasant with an average temperature of around 25° Celsius.
Travel by road to Arusha Local Airport
Flight to Mwiba Lodge
Accommodation
Mwiba Lodge is by far the best lodge in Southern Serengeti. It is set among massive stone boulders, ancient coral trees and acacias, overlooking a rocky gorge on the seasonal Arugusinyai River. With only ten canvas-sided suites, the lodge guarantees a private and high-quality safari experience.
The rooms offer total privacy, king-size beds, a living space with sofas, en-suite bathroom with tub, indoor and outdoor showers are. The main area, connected to the rooms by wooden walkways, is covered by a massive thatched-palm-roof with elegant sitting and dining areas. There is also a stone fireplace, a bar, a separate library and an infinity pool that overlooks the gorge, offering fantastic views over the grasslands of the Serengeti.
Guests either fly to Ndutu airstrip from where it is a 1.5 hour game drive, or they use the private charter that takes them directly to the Mwiba airstrip, just a 15 minute drive from the lodge.
Maswa itself is comprised of two private reserves – Mbono and Kimali – with a combined area of over 500,000 acres. The 60,000 acre Mwiba Wildlife Reserve sits south of Maswa Game Reserve and the southern Serengeti, west of Ngorongoro Conservation Area and just to the north of Lake Eyasi.
Maswa & Mwiba offer beautiful open plains along the Southern edge of the Serengeti. Rolling hills covered in thickets and rock kopjes are interspersed with seasonally dry rivers containing permanent water holes. Maswa & Mwiba have plenty and varied wildlife including big game with a high density of lion and leopard. From January – March it is possible for guests to drive over to the Ndutu area and view the migration herds and slowly, but surely, the wildlife is becoming less skittish.
As the reserves lie outside Serengeti National Park, there is more flexibility in terms of activities. The safari operators offer not only day game drives but also night drives and guided bush walks. Especially from the Mwiba Wildlife Reserve, visits to the Hadzabe & Datoga tribes are an additional activity not to be missed.
The Datoga are a warrior tribe with a lifestyle akin to the Masai, and therefore ancient enemies of theirs. The opportunity to visit them in their village is a magical way to gain insight into a proud and vibrant culture.
The Hadzabe are a hunter-gatherer tribe indigenous to the area, and live in perfect symbiosis with their environment, which provides them with all their needs for food, medicine and shelter. Guests can accompany them for a morning as they move through the wilderness, foraging for food.
Flight to Sabora Tented Camp
Accommodation
Sabora Tented Camp is set in 350,000 acres of protected wilderness in Singita Grumeti, which provides guests with a front-row seat to some of the most prized game viewing on the continent – including the Great Migration.
Singita Sabora is an elegant tented camp, light & modern in style. Each of the nine suite includes a private meditation deck, an outdoor sala with daybeds and a lifestyle unit with a perfectly curated in-room pantry and dining space. Each of the tented suites have beautiful views of one of Sabora’s two waterholes, where game regularly gather to drink.
The main area consists of the restaurant, lounge, large outside sitting areas and a fire pit in front of camp. There is also a swimming pool, a fitness centre, a wellness treatment tent and a safari boutique. The unique ‘Guest Deli’ featuring wicker baskets and fridges filled with gourmet delights allows guests to pick and choose treats to enjoy in the privacy of their suites or picnic spots around the camp.
The camp is accessed by air via Sasakwa Airstrip. The journey from airstrip to Sabora Tented Camp takes approximately 50 minutes.
The reserve was created by the Tanzanian government in 1994 in order to protect the path of the annual wildebeest migration and the indigenous biodiversity of this vast and important ecosystem.
In 2002, the Grumeti Community and Wildlife Conservation Fund (now known as the Grumeti Fund), a not-for-profit organisation, was granted the right to manage and conserve these 350,000 acres, for the benefit of Tanzania, Africa and the world. Four years later, Singita took over the management of the property to enhance low impact, luxury tourism, at the request of the concessionaire.
As the custodian of more than 350,000 acres of the world-renowned Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania, the Grumeti Fund is responsible for the reintroduction and recovery of stable wildlife populations, while ensuring that neighbouring rural communities benefit tangibly from these natural areas.
Faced with challenges including uncontrolled illegal hunting, rampant wildfires and spreading strands of invasive alien vegetation when they took over the management of the area in 2003, the Fund dedicated itself to transform severely depleted wildlife numbers into thriving populations once more.
Restoring this once barren and highly degraded region to a flourishing wilderness, their successes include the remarkable recovery of many species – including buffalo, wildebeest and elephant populations, and in 2019, the Fund carried out the largest single relocation and reintroduction of 9 critically endangered Eastern Black Rhino.
The Trust also manages an onsite Environmental Education Centre for school teachers and children to immerse themselves in Outdoor Education and fieldwork, and a world-class culinary school.
Flight to Lake Manyara Airstrip
The comfortable Toyota LandCruiser 4 x 4 vehicles usually have six seats, a fridge with drinking water and a socket for charging camera equipment. The roof can be opened for game viewing - the classic safari in Tanzania.
Accommodation
Crater's Edge offers 15 spacious tented suites, set in an accacia woodland not far from the Lemala access route and overlooking the crater rim. The suites consit of a bedroom with lounge and a gas fireplace, a walk-in wardrobe, a free-standing copper bath tub and a separate bathroom. Large glass sliding doors lead out to a private multi-level wooden viewing deck, complete with a telescope.
Some rooms can be made a twin. Two of the tents are joined to create a two-bedroom suite which is perfect for families or a group of friends travelling together.
The main area houses the lounge, the reception and back-of-house areas on the lower floor, while the upper floor is home to the bar, lounge, viewing deck and dining areas. Gas fires keep the rooms warm during the cooler months in the Ngorongoro highlands. Two large fire pits on the veranda are a great place to meet other guests for a pre-dinner drink in the evening.
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera with 19km in diameter and walls 600m high. Its floor covers 260 square kilometres and acts like a natural zoo, providing food for a high resident animal population.
The crater is well known for its high concentration of predators. Powerful lion prides and their archenemy, the hyena, are permanently at home here, and can often be seen snatching prey from each other. With a bit of luck, it’s also possible to spot cheetah and leopard, or even one of the rare rhino. There is a small number of elephant here too, but not a single giraffe in sight, perhaps because the journey to the crater is too difficult for them. With this in mind, it is quite amazing then that several hippos live here! The crater is diverse and forms a closed ecosystem comprising grassy plains, wooded areas (such as the Lerai Forest), various marshlands, natural springs and Lake Magadi at its centre, which supports flamingo and pelican.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a three-hour drive from Arusha. The road leads through the Serengeti via the Karatu Highlands to the rim of the crater. There are three entrances in and out of the crater, which are partly very steep and difficult to access in a vehicle. There are no places to stay within the crater itself, but there are some lodges situated on the rim, the cheapest option, however, is to drive back to the Karatu region. The abundance of wildlife and the crater’s natural beauty attracts a large number of tourists. This can lead to the crater being overrun by vehicles – which means you will be disappointed if you’re looking for a solitary experience. Nevertheless, it is still well worth a visit as it can be quite spectacular during off-peak hours.
It is thought that a huge volcano exploded and collapsed in on itself some two or three million years ago. The massive emission of ash settled in a thick and densely compacted layer over the southern Serengeti, stopping any trees from growing. The undulating grass plains of the Serengeti are a result of the volcanic activity of the Ngorongoro and its neighbouring volcanoes, Olmoti, Empakaai and Ol Doinyo Lengai.
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera with 19km in diameter and walls 600m high. Its floor covers 260 square kilometres and acts like a natural zoo, providing food for a high resident animal population.
The mineral-rich crater floor is covered with nutritious grass and attracts large herds of animals. Up to 25’000 mammals, primarily herbivores can be found at any one time in the Ngorongoro Crater. The list includes wildebeest, eland, hartebeest, zebra, gazelle, buffalo, rhinos and warthog. Moors and forests provide food for hippo, elephant, baboon, waterbuck and bushbuck. Big cat such as lion, cheetah, leopard and serval find rich pickings here. Large packs of hyena also roam the crater, hunting or pinching the prey of other predators.
Flight to Zanzibar
Accommodation
Zuri Zanzibar consists of 56 bungalows, suites and beach villas overlooking the beach and situated close to the mesmerising azure waters of the Indian Ocean. All rooms are equipped with a mix of contemporary and curated local furniture and decorated with African artwork. Zuri Zanzibar has three different restaurants (Upendo, Maisha and the beach restaurant) and four bars offering a fusion of European, African, Arabic and Indian cuisine. There is also a wellness area, a yoga center and a 32m infinity pool.
The 46 bungalows (41m²) feature outside showers and generous private terraces (25m²), minibar, tea/coffee station, safe and double basin. Some of the units are interconnecting and ideal for families or close friends as they feature a large common terrace that works perfectly as an extended outdoor living room. All bungalows are located in the spacious garden and surrounded by lush greenery, with the blue of the ocean shimmering through the leaves. The large outdoor area with hammocks and lounge chairs is especially beautiful. The Jacuzzi Bungalows are identical to the standard bungalows but come with your own private jacuzzi.
The suites consist of an en-suite bedroom and a separate lounge/living room and are substantially larger than the bungalows, featuring 82m² living space plus a 50m² terrace. They are suitable for three guests and all offer a private jacuzzi. Please note that only the Ocean Front Suite is located directly at the beach, all other suites are scattered over the garden.
Three of the four villas have an exclusive oceanfront location and access to to a private beach section, which is equipped with sunbeds and offers the ideal spot for sundowners (Dhow Bar) and BBQ. The luxuriously appointed villas (2 x 2-bedroom villas with lounge, small kitchen, jacuzzi = 260m² living space) and 1 x 3-bedroom villa with infinity pool, lounge, jacuzzi, entertainment room, kitchen & dining area = 500m² living space are ideal for families. The forth villa, the Garden Villa, is situated close to the spice garden and features two en-suite bedrooms, a lounge, a small kitchen, jacuzzi = 317m² living space for up to four guests.
The north of Zanzibar (Nungwi and Kendwa) was discovered by tourism early on and unfortunately some unsightly cheap hotels have settled here. Zuri Zanzibar, however, owns the most beautiful stretch of beach and a very wide strip of the beach is private and only available to hotel guests.
Zuri can be reached in about 1h20 drive from the airport.
Travel by road to Stone Town
Basic Information
Individual journey. The journey will be planned on your preferred dates.
Duration 14 nights. Min 2 guests. Minimum age 8 years. Weight limit of luggage 20 kg. Luggage in one soft bag only.
Includes all transfers from Arusha to the hotels/camps to Zanzibar
- Legendary Lodge: Standard Room. Dinner, breakfast.
- Mwiba Lodge: Standard Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service, private vehicle / guide provided by the lodge.
- Sabora Tented Camp: Standard Room. All meals, drinks (including wines from the cellar, only french champagne exlcluded), laundry service, twice daily shared activities with one of the camp guides.
- Crater's Edge: Standard Room. All meals, drinks (except premier brands), laundry service.
- Zuri Zanzibar: Garden View Bungalow. Dinner, breakfast.
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