Tanzanian Mobile Camp – 2 nights Tarangire | 1 night Ngorongoro Crater | 1 night Central Serengeti | 3 nights Northern Serengeti
Tour Consultant's Overview
A mobile safari is an adventure of its own, add this component to an exciting safari in Tanzania and you have a journey that will tick off all the bucket list items! I originally put together an itinerary that included lodge styled accommodation for Sam and Angie’s Tanzania Safari. As outdoors enthusiasts, the accommodation seemed a little “plain” for the Grayson’s. This is when I decided to offer a mobile safari combined with a few lodges as an alternative for their journey. A mobile safari might not be for everyone at first glance, but once you have tried this adventurous alternative, you are easily hooked on this glamping styled accommodation! Sam and Angie arrived in Arusha ready for their adventure. They had a few nights on the mobile safari and for them, this was better than staying in a lodge as they felt completely connected to the natural surroundings. The mobile safari is fully catered for so there is no need to worry about setting up camp or cooking, all of these aspects are taken care of! If you enjoy the camp fire, glamping and sleeping out in the natural African surroundings, this itinerary is one for you!
Trip Highlights
- Mobile Migration Camp Living
- Tarangire National Park
- Brilliant Birding
- Bush Life
- Tanzanian Luxury
- Big Five Game Viewing
- Central & Northern Serengeti
- Ngorongoro Crater Magic
Itinerary
This morning, you are met by our representative who will be your driver/guide for the duration of your Tanzanian Safari. Your Driver/Guide will brief you on your safari for the next few days.
You depart the town of Arusha and you journey through the vast landscapes of Tanzania to Tarangire National Park. Giant baobab trees, bush savannah and the seasonal marshes add to the wonder of this nature reserve.
Upon arrival at the Tarangire National Park, your guide will open the roof of the vehicle and the extensive wildlife viewing will begin. Lunch will be taken at a picnic spot and in the afternoon, you will get to see more of this amazing and beautiful park. After a day of exploring the park, you are driven to your campsite which has been set up for you especially in a secluded area of the campsite in the Tarangire National Park.
Upon arrival at your campsite, you settle in for your two night stay.
Driving Time: Arusha to Tarangire National Park & Lodge – approx. 2 to 3 hours (150 km)
Tarangire National Park is one of Tanzania’s least known National Parks. It is over 2,800 square kilometres in size and is situated about 3 hours’ drive southwest of Arusha. It is named after the Tarangire River that winds its way through the Park. The landscape and vegetation are incredibly diverse and the hilly landscape is dotted with many Baobab trees, high grasses, dense bush, and swamps, tinged green all year round.
Considered one of the best places in East Africa to view elephants up close, not only because there are thousands of these animals, but also because they do not feel threatened by the presence of a vehicle. With a bit of luck, you can see leopards and on some rare occasions even cheetahs can be spotted.
From the open roof of the safari vehicle you will be able to absorb the landscape and watch the animals. Furthermore, you will also have a chance to see the elegant Masai giraffe, various gazelles and antelopes, buffaloes, lions, leopards and marvel at the rich bird life.
After breakfast, you will leave the Tarangire behind and continue to the Lake Manyara National Park, where you will spend the remainder of the day exploring this small, but beautiful park on game drives. After a day of exploring the Manyara National Park, you continue to your next lodge.
In the late afternoon, you will leave the park and drive up the African Rift Valley. Soon, the higher lands will be reached and a wonderful panorama opens up. Enjoy the spectacular views of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Arriving at your lodge for your overnight stay, you have time to settle in and the evening is at leisure.
Roughly halfway between Lake Manyara National Park and Ngorongoro Cater, this charmless town set in a beautiful surrounding area makes a convenient base for visiting both. Karatu is a colourful bustling town and the gateway to the Ngorongoro Highlands. Dusty but absolutely delightful, the main street is wide and always vibrant with people in brightly coloured clothes chatting, laughing and going about their daily activities.
Outside Karatu, rolling hills merge into the Ngorongoro Highlands. Here, mountainsides are covered in thick forest and cultivated areas are filled with farms and coffee plantations with villages scattered in between. Waterfalls tumble over rocks, sunbirds flit from flower to flower and elephant and buffalo follow ancient paths through the vegetation to rivers to drink and to mineral rich
Driving Time: Tarangire National Park to Karatu – approx. 2 hours (110 km)
Breakfast is at day break before you drive into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and down into the Ngorongoro Crater, the largest unbroken and unflooded caldera in the world with an incredible wildlife diversity.
After an extensive wildlife tour and a picnic lunch stop, you will leave the crater in the afternoon and continue your journey to the Serengeti National Park. The southern plains of the Serengeti literally seem to go on forever, stretching to the horizon and only interrupted by bizarre rock formations. The park offers a multitude of wildlife including the Big Five – lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard.
Be sure to keep your eyes open during the transfer as you will be driving through the National Park! In the late afternoon, you will reach your camp for the night in the central Serengeti. The evening is at leisure,
Driving Time: Karatu to Central Serengeti – approx. 3 to 5 hours (170 km)
These days are dedicated to game viewing in the Serengeti National Park. During the first day you will drive further north towards the border with Kenya. Depending on the time of year, you have the chance of witnessing the great migration, where hundreds and thousands of wildebeests and zebras roam the ecosystem of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara in search of fresh grass and water and predators are never far behind.
As the migration is completely dependent on the yearly rainfalls, the location of the herds may vary from year to year. Your guide will know where to locate the animals and where to see them best. In the late afternoon you arrive at the Mobile Explorer Camp at a remote campsite in the Serengeti National Park.
Listen to the sounds of the wilderness while you sit around the camp fire and enjoy your privacy in the middle of the African bush.
You will spend the next 3 nights at the Mobile Explorer Camp.
Driving Time: Central Serengeti to Northern Serengeti – approx. 2 to 4 hours (110 km)
The vast Serengeti ecosystem encompasses an almost continuous wildlife area of over 30,000 square kilometres, comprising the Serengeti National Park itself, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Maswa Game Reserve, the Loliondo, Grumeti and Ikorongo Controlled Areas and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in neighbouring Kenya. It is a world heritage site and is home to the Big Five, as well as over 70 smaller mammal species and more than 540 bird species, both residents and migrants. The Serengeti is renowned for its large golden-maned lion population and is one of the best places to observe prides in their natural environment. Leopards haunt the acacia trees lining the Seronera River, while cheetahs prowl south-eastern plains. All three African jackal species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a host of more elusive small predators, ranging from the insectivorous aardwolf to the beautiful long-legged serval cat.
However, it is the great migration for which the Serengeti is perhaps most famous. Over a million wildebeest and about 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May and June. So strong is the ancient instinct to move that no drought, gorge or crocodile infested river can hold them back. It is one of the last great migratory systems still intact and is truly a sight to behold.
This morning you bid farewell to the Serengeti Plains. After breakfast at your lodge, you are transferred by game viewing vehicle to the Kogatende airstrip for your direct flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport, Arusha. You bid farewell to the Serengeti Plains and your safari guide.
Arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport, Arusha, you remain at the airport to connect with tour flight home.
We Bid You Farewell!
Tarangire National Park & Northern Serengeti National Park: Mobile Explorer Camps
The Mobile Explorer Camp stops at private special campsites within the national parks. There are no permanent structures, giving you an undisturbed experience of the wild African nature. Our team will bring all equipment and supplies they need to make you feel comfortable. The campsites are not fenced and at night, animals may roam through camp. The only thing that separates you from nature is the canvas of your tent.
Arriving at your Mobile Explorer Camp after an adventurous day of game viewing, you are welcomed by your camp crew who has already set up the camp. Tents will be pitched, beds will be made, furniture will be set up and your chef will be occupied in his bush kitchen preparing dinner. You have time to settle in and wash off the dust from the day’s adventures.
Let your camp crew know when you are ready for a refreshing shower and they will fill up your bucket shower with hot water.
Gather around the campfire for some snacks and cold drinks and enjoy the romantic atmosphere. Recall the experiences and highlights of the day, relax and absorb the smells and sounds of the Tanzanian wilderness.
Dinner will be served in the mess tent or under the open African sky while thousands of sparkling stars appear above you. When you succumb to sleep, you will be lulled by the sounds of hyenas and lions calling through the night.
The Equipment
You will be accommodated in spacious dome tents (3 m x 3 m and 2.1 m high) with proper beds, comfortable mattresses and linen. Further equipment includes bedside tables, solar lamps and towels.
Outside your tent, director-style camp chairs and a side table are the perfect spot for relaxing and unwinding. Each tent is equipped with a washing tripod and the camp has a bush toilet and bucket shower.
The luxury of our Mobile Explorer Camp is being alone in the bush with no other tourists around. Your only neighbors will be wild animals roaming these remote areas.
Karatu – Ngorongoro Conservation Area: Plantation Lodge
Surrounded by beautiful gardens and vast coffee plantations, the Plantation Lodge is a stylish and private retreat situated close to the town of Karatu in Tanzania. An ideal place to rest and relax, the lodge welcomes both romantics and families to enjoy its beautiful setting and many activities. Parents and children alike will enjoy trips into the bush in the company of a knowledgeable guide or a visit to the coffee plantations to learn all about this active trade.
The convenient location of Plantation Lodge will also allow you to explore nearby attractions, such as Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, and the Empakaai & Olmoti Crater. Experience a cultural visit to Lake Eyasi to learn more about the ancient hunter-gatherer tribe – the Hadzabe.
Each of the 16 double rooms at the Plantation Lodge has its own unique style. African safari antiques and Tanzanian arts and crafts decorate the rooms, while modern amenities ensure that you’ll have a comfortable stay. Six rooms can be converted into triple rooms as these rooms offer more than enough space for an extra bed.
The rooms are distributed throughout the flowering garden, some with verandas and direct access to the garden, and others purely boasting a spacious and tranquil place in which to relax and unwind.
The large pool at the bottom end of the garden overlooks the valley below and offers an ideal place in which to cool off after a day out in the sun or simply relax on a lounger. Tuck into a range of European specialties or try something new with the many exotic dishes at Plantation Lodge.
Meals are prepared using fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden, and are accompanied by your choice of exquisite South African wines.
Central Serengeti National Park: Kiota Camp
Kiota is well placed to offer some great game drives. In the Central Serengeti, populations of all Big Five animals are impressive all year round, in addition to many other species. The only difficult Big Five sighting is rhino – found in the south west with difficulty! The camp benefits from its proximity to the Seronera Valley, the boundary between the wooded hills of the north and the plains of the south. Rettima Hippo Pool is also worth a visit, home not only to hippos but also to crocodiles, lizards and abundant birdlife!
Kiota’s communal facilities consist of a large living tent, incorporating a bar and library. There is also a dining tent and a separate washroom tent for guests to freshen up before and after meals. All main areas have breathtaking views across the Serengeti’s rippling plains. Every evening, guests are invited to sit around the campfire, the perfect place to swap stories! Service standards at Kiota are every bit as brilliant as they are at Chaka, sister camp.
The guest accommodation at Kiota comprises ten spacious tents, all 36m2 and designed to sleep a maximum of two adults and two children. Each may be configured as a twin, double, triple or family option – and a double-bed is always a king size! Each tent boasts electric lighting, power point with universal adaptor, a writing desk, a digital safe, a private and shady veranda, and indoor and outdoor lounge chairs. The en-suite facilities feature wardrobes, flush toilet, twin washbasins with running water, and safari-style bucket shower. The tents are positioned approximately 20m apart from one another, so there is ample privacy!
INCLUDED IN PRICE Tarangire National Park: Daily Safari Programme in Mobile Explorer Camps
Close to Arusha, 118 kilometers away, Tarangire National Park gets its name from the river that threads its way through the length of the reserve. It is famous for its dense wildlife population which is most spectacular between June and September, the dry period. During this time, thousands of animals – elephant, buffalo, giraffe, eland, wildebeest, kudu, hartebeest and the rarely seen oryx – migrate from the dry Masai steppe to the Tarangire River looking for water. Lion, leopard and other predators follow the herds.
Tarangire has the largest population of elephant of any park in the northern circuit and is also home to 550 varieties of bird.
You take a drive through Tarangire National Park and enjoy the spectacular game viewing the park has to offer. You enjoy the game drive followed by a picnic lunch.
INCLUDED IN PRICE Ngorongoro Conservation Area: Full Day Game Viewing in The Crater
The crater, having been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which covers more than 8,300²km. Thanks to anti-poaching patrols, the crater is now one of the few places in East Africa where visitors can be certain of seeing black rhino, with the number now approaching 25. Leopard may occasionally be seen in the trees of the forest surrounding the crater, while cheetah are also present. Countless flamingo form a pink blanket over the soda lakes, while more than 100 species of birds not found in the Serengeti have been spotted.
Activities inside the Ngorongoro Crater itself are limited to game driving; there are a couple of picnic spots in the park, but getting out of the vehicle is strictly limited to these areas. You drive down the winding road to the plains within the crater. You spend the day in the crater and enjoy the game viewing opportunities that the crater has to offer.
INCLUDED IN PRICE Serengeti National Park: Daily Safari Programme in Mobile Explorer Camps
The safari chef will prepare sumptuous meals for your enjoyment and special dietary requests are taken care of. The camp also have a typical safari campfire in the evenings for the guests to enjoy sundowners and snacks, and relive the day’s experiences.
You may spend the full day driving through the Serengeti on safari or you may decide to do a morning or afternoon safari. Should you wish to do a full day safari, a packed lunched will be enjoyed in the park, all other meals will be served at the Dinner Tent.
The vast and sensational Serengeti, covering 14,763 sq km of endlessly rolling savannah plains, is Tanzania’s first-established, largest and most famous park wherein tens of thousands of hoofed animals roam in a constant and unremitting search for the fresh grasslands upon which their survival depends. Here, the million-plus wildebeest are the predominant herbivore and also the main prey of a huge cast of large carnivores, principally lion and hyena.
Whilst the annual migration is the Serengeti’s most famous attraction, the Park is also renowned for its lion, many of which have been fitted with radio-transmitter collars so that their movements may be tracked, and additionally for its wealth of cheetah, zebra, giraffe, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, eland, impala, klipspringer, hippo and warthog.
Angie & Sam G , USA, 1st September 2019
Everything went great! We had such an amazing time!! Thank you once again for the superb and comprehensive trip planning for my wife and I. Everything was great especially the safari arrangements – of which we were able to catch All Big 5 and some of the favourite animals that my wife and I would love to see over the trip. I’m glad that you scheduled our trip in the manner you did. The mobile safari was our highlight! We will certainly recommend Pembury to our friends who are visiting East Africa next time.Everything went great! We had such an amazing time!! Thank you once again for the superb and comprehensive trip planning for my wife and I. Everything was great especially the safari arrangements – of which we were able to catch All Big 5 and some of the favourite animals that my wife and I would love to see over the trip. I’m glad that you scheduled our trip in the manner you did. The mobile safari was our highlight! We will certainly recommend Pembury to our friends who are visiting East Africa next time.