Serengeti & Ruaha National Parks Safari Adventure
7 Days: Serenegeti National Park & Ruaha National Park
Combining 1 night Machweo, 3 nights Ubuntu Migration Camp and 3 nights Kwihala
Day 1: Overnight at Machweo Wellness Retreat, Arusha
On arrival in Kilimanjaro International Airport you will be met by your personal driver who will transfer you to Machweo on the outskirts of nearby town Arusha.
Overnight here, relaxing in the pretty gardens and enjoying a delicious dinner – it’s the perfect place to recover from your flights before you set off on safari tomorrow.
Machweo
Machweo is a charming country wellness retreat and spa just outside Arusha, in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. There are just nine rooms here, a mix of garden cottages and honeymoon suites, as well as a swimming pool, spa, and one of Arusha’s best restaurants with a stunning open-air terrace for warm evenings and lunches.
The service is attentive and friendly, ensuring a real home from home environment – ideal at the start or end of your safari adventures.
Day 2: Overnight at Ubuntu Migration Camp, Serengeti National Park
This morning you will be driven to Arusha airport for your light aircraft flight to the Serengeti, where a guide from Ubuntu camp will wait to meet you. You will game drive back to the camp and can settle in here before lunch.
Enjoy a siesta during the heat of the day before afternoon tea and set off on your afternoon game drive, fully exploring this wildlife rich park. The Serengeti is famed for its strong populations of big cats and of course the Great Migration herds which move around the park and into the neighboring Masai Mara in search of fresh grazing.
Ubuntu Migration Camp moves several times each year to ensure you are in the best location possible to maximize your wildlife sightings.
Ubuntu Migration Camp
Ubuntu Migration Camp is an intimate and traditional tented safari camp that moves with the Great Migration across the Serengeti to consistently offer spectacular game viewing opportunities. Each tent has flush toilets, running water and safari showers in en-suite bathrooms, and beautiful verandas to take in the view of the endless plains.
“Ubuntu” refers to the human characteristics of generosity and consideration of others, and the hospitality of the friendly staff, great food and a wonderfully relaxed environment ensure the camp lives up to its name.
Day 3 – 4: Overnight at Ubuntu Migration Camp, Serengeti National Park
Game viewing in the Serengeti tends to focus on the early morning and late afternoon, when the wildlife is most active, returning to camp during the heat of the day for time to relax, catch up on a good book and have some lunch.
If you wish to travel further afield, you can opt for a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch, stopping in a shady spot at midday and returning to the camp in the late afternoon.
You will be sharing your game drives with other guests at Ubuntu Migration Camp, but the camp will do their utmost to accommodate your preference wherever possible.
The wildlife in the Serengeti is excellent year-round, with plentiful big cats, elephant herds, pods of hippos and various species of antelope and birds. The Great Migration of two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle move around the Serengeti-Masai Mara ecosystem throughout the year, and aside from August and September when the bulk of the herds are in the Masai Mara in Kenya, you have the chance to search for this mega-herd as well as the resident wildlife.
It is not possible to guarantee sightings of the Great Migration herds, as they can be surprisingly elusive despite their numbers – however you’ll be sure to see a wonderful variety of wildlife in the Serengeti regardless.
Day 5: Overnight at Kwihala, Ruaha National Park
You can enjoy a final short early morning game drive on the way to the airstrip before you fly south to the remote and beautiful Ruaha National Park. This journey is in a faster and more luxurious light aircraft than you’ll typically find, a Pilatus, making this only a two hour flight despite the distances involved.
A guide from Kwihala will be waiting to greet you at Ruaha’s Msembe airstrip and you will enjoy a short game drive through the park on your way to the camp, taking in your new surroundings on the way. Relax here and enjoy some lunch overlooking the Great Ruaha River, and enjoy a siesta before afternoon tea is served. Your afternoon activity is your choice of a game drive or guided walk, accompanied by an expert guide.
Ruaha is a more remote and undeveloped national park than its counterparts in the north of Tanzania, offering different landscapes to explore including beautiful rocky kopjes (large granite boulders) and miombo woodland.
The park is home to an impressive one tenth of the world’s lion populations, as well as more unusual species such as roan and sable antelope. It offers a superb contrast and pairing to your safari in the Serengeti and the guides here at Kwihala are some of East Africa’s finest.
Kwihala
Kwihala offers an authentic safari experience, with all the home comforts you need (ensuite bathrooms with hot water and flush loos, fans to keep your tent cool on hot days, delicious home- cooked meals) with none of the fancy frills that distract you from your primary purpose here – to enjoy one of Tanzania’s most beautiful and often unheard-of national parks.
The focus is on being in a prime location for wildlife viewing, excellent guides, and activities which showcase Ruaha and its flora and fauna.
Day 6 & 7: Overnight at Kwihala, Ruaha National Park
Each day you have a choice of morning and afternoon activities, allowing you flexibility to be where the wildlife is and the flexibility to explore on foot as well as by vehicle.
Guided walking safaris with our expert guides at Kwihala are a real highlight and we highly recommend at least one walk during your stay, offering you an entirely different perspective of the park and the chance to pay attention to the smaller details of the bush, from tracking wildlife by their prints in the earth to learning about the plants and smaller creatures.
Game drives are in open-sided vehicles to allow the best views of the wildlife, and allow you to explore further afield, either for a morning or afternoon, or if you wish to reach further into the park, a full-day drive with a picnic lunch.
Day 8: Departure
There’s time for a final morning game drive before you fly by light aircraft to Dar es Salaam, where you can connect to your international flight home.
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What people say
“The trip itinerary that Penwell Safaris put together for me was the perfect balance of cultural and environmental explorations. Each camp I stayed in, from the Ngorongoro Crater to Central and Southern Serengeti, to the island of Rubondo, had a team of knowledgeable and friendly staff who celebrated the natural beauty of their surroundings. Their love and respect for their country inspired me to take in every moment with complete awe and appreciation for the diverse, intelligent ecosystems and majestic wildlife that thrived in the Bowl of Plenty and endless plains of the bush. Driving through thousands of wildebeests and zebras while they fed on grass and instinctively migrated through the great Serengeti was an overwhelming sight to behold with muffled sounds of hoofs and grunts, yet deeply peaceful at the same time. It sometimes took my breath away. Even the industrious dung beetles rolling their dung balls were as exciting to observe as the the big five and scavenging hyenas. But the strikingly beautiful faces and welcoming attitude of the Tanzanian people were the icing on the cake. Pure joy and a sense of belonging came through every “Mambo” greeting they shared with each other and with us as we wandered through their vast, abundant land. My trip was a life-affirming adventure that I would recommend to anyone. And I plan to go back for more!”
— Sue Baile
“We traveled to Africa in August 2018 and visited Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania. The tours were very well organized and could not have asked for a better experience or accommodations. Every guide and driver we had were knowledgeable, personable, and funny. They really wanted you to have the best Safari experience possible. In Uganda, it was such a great experience to see the gorillas in the rain forest. It was a hard trek but totally worth the experience. We got to see so much wildlife in Tanzania (lions, zebra, cape buffalo, hyena, jackals, cheetah, elephant and so much more), but most importantly we were lucky to see 5 Wildebeest migrations across the river!
We were really impressed with the food offerings and the chef at each camp was sensitive to the dietary needs of our party (vegetarian for one traveler and lactose sensitivity to another). From the early morning game drives and morning tea in the bush, to afternoon lunches at the camps, to beautiful sundowners in the evening, and delicious dinners we felt catered to at every stop. The staff at each camp was amazing! We look forward to our next trip over to Africa!”
— Marc Foreman
“I could not describe how magnificent my experience was on a 10 day safari through the Serengeti with Kathy. Of all of my world travels, this was the most memorable trip. From sundowners on top of beautiful rock structures, to an extraordinary lakeside breakfast watching the sunrise to the thrill of watching a cheetah hunt and kill. Every moment of the trip was memorable. Kathy brings a breadth of experience and opportunity that few other African safari companies can provide. I cannot plan my next trip soon enough! Happy Travels! Asante.”
— Michael Wilcox
“I met Kathy back in the late 1980s. One day 5 friends began talking about taking a trip together and Kathy mentioned Africa. How could anyone say “no” to tagging along with Kathy, since she was/is a world traveler and traveled to Africa tons of times. Kathy said she loved planning the trip and managed it all, from phone calls and tons of emails. She asked us if we wanted to rough it, go glamping or a bit of both. She arranged the entire trip and Oh Em Gee, WOW!! That was THE trip of a lifetime! We traveled to Arusha, where we met up with THE BEST safari guide (father, brother & uncle) there is, Jadim George Luangila. This was an amazing trip filled with wonderful people, 100% white glove customer care, the most beautiful animal kingdom you will ever witness, along with the most gorgeous night skies.
When you get that desire to travel to Africa, it’s a MUST you call Kathy Harvey!”
— Lisa Goldman