9-Day Luxury Honeymoon Safari
Northern Serengeti Central Serengeti Ngorongoro Tarangire
From, per person$7,262
Tanzania safari
9-Day Crater, Serengeti & Rubondo Island Safari
Overview
Most people don’t think of chimpanzees when they plan a Tanzania safari. On Rubondo Island, though, a national park in the southwest of Lake Victoria, a habituation project is slowly getting the island’s chimps used to quiet visitors. A tracking walk with a guide, a researcher and a ranger is how this luxury trip ends.
First come the big northern parks. You spend a night at a five-star hotel in Arusha, then head up to the Ngorongoro highlands for a game drive on the crater floor. Next are three nights in a mobile tented camp in the Serengeti, which moves through the year to stay near the migrating herds. Charter flights take you west to the island and, at the end, back to Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Tanzania Tourism Safaris books luxury hotels, lodges and tented camps for the whole trip. Meals and local drinks are included on every full day, and you do your game drives in a 4×4 Land Cruiser. The trip runs even for a single guest, so it suits solo travelers as well as couples and small groups.
Tour highlights
- Chimpanzee tracking on Rubondo Island
- Game drive on the Ngorongoro Crater floor
- Three nights in a Serengeti mobile tented camp
- Boat outings on Lake Victoria
- Charter flights to the island and back
- Luxury lodging, meals and local drinks included
Day by day
-
Day 1 Arrival and a Five-Star Night in Arusha Stay Luxury hotel in ArushaMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We meet you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and drive you to Arusha, which takes about an hour. Tonight’s hotel is a five-star place with a pool, a fitness room and several restaurants, a good spot to get over the long flight. Rest, swim or walk in the gardens in the afternoon, then have an easy dinner. The safari starts tomorrow.
-
Day 2 Highlands Drive and the Ngorongoro Crater Stay Luxury lodge in the Ngorongoro highlandsMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast you drive to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It takes nearly three hours and climbs from the Rift Valley into cool, forested highlands. Down on the crater floor you game drive among buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and hippo, with a chance of lions and black rhino. You can add a visit to a Maasai village if you like, then carry on to your lodge in the highlands near the crater.
-
Day 3 Onward to a Mobile Camp in the Serengeti Stay Luxury mobile tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today you leave the highlands for the Serengeti. Your camp moves between the southern and northern parts of the park during the year to stay close to the migration. The tents are roomy, with their own showers and flush toilets, but only canvas sits between you and the night noises of the plains. Depending on where the camp is, you get there by road, with game viewing on the way, or on a short charter flight.
-
Day 4 Following the Herds Stay Luxury mobile tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
You spend the day on game drives from camp, and what you see depends on the season. In the south, roughly December to March, wildebeest graze the short-grass plains and most calves are born around February. In the north, from about July to October, the herds gather near the Mara River. Lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas are rarely far away. Back at camp there is dinner and a seat by the fire.
-
Day 5 Big Cats and Open Savanna Stay Luxury mobile tented camp in the SerengetiMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A second full day means you can slow down. Your guide might spend the morning with a pride of lions, then check a line of riverside trees for leopard, or watch open ground for cheetah hunting in the cooler hours. Take a picnic lunch to stay out longer, or head back to camp to rest through midday. In the evening everyone gathers at the campfire to swap stories about the day’s sightings.
-
Day 6 Charter Flight West to Rubondo Island Stay Luxury tented camp on Rubondo IslandMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After one last morning drive in the Serengeti, you board a light aircraft and fly west to Rubondo Island in Lake Victoria. Much of the island is forest, right down to the shoreline. Settle into your tent above the lake, then take an easy walk near camp or just sit on your veranda and watch the water. At dinner you can hear the forest all around you.
-
Day 7 Tracking Chimpanzees in the Forest Stay Luxury tented camp on Rubondo IslandMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This is the chimp day. You head out early with your guide, a researcher and a park ranger to look for the island’s chimpanzees. The habituation work is still going on, so the chimps are not fully used to people yet. Sightings are never certain, and the walk can take several hours through thick forest. Wear long pants and sturdy shoes. In the afternoon, rest by the pool or join a guided nature walk.
-
Day 8 Lake Victoria by Boat and on Foot Stay Luxury tented camp on Rubondo IslandMeals Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The day is yours. A trip in a traditional dhow along the shore is an easy way to look for hippos, crocodiles and water birds. With luck you may spot a sitatunga, a shy antelope that lives in the swampy ground at the water’s edge. You can also do a game drive on the island or a forest walk with a guide. End the day with a drink as the sun sets over the lake.
-
Day 9 Flight to Kilimanjaro and Departure Meals Breakfast, Lunch
Have a last breakfast with a view of Lake Victoria, then take the short drive to the island’s airstrip. A morning flight takes you east to Kilimanjaro International Airport, where the safari ends. From there you can catch your international flight or keep travelling in Tanzania, maybe with a few days on the beach in Zanzibar or a climb on Kilimanjaro.
Prices by season
Per person in US dollars. The price depends on when you travel and how many travelers share the trip.
| Season | 1 traveler | 2 travelers | 4 travelers | 6 travelers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low season 1 Mar – 31 May | $16,653 | $11,102 | $10,354 | $10,076 |
| High season 1 Nov – 20 Dec and 6 Jan – 29 Feb | $17,529 | $11,689 | $10,899 | $10,606 |
| Peak season Now 1 Jun – 31 Oct and 21 Dec – 5 Jan | $19,477 | $12,985 | $12,110 | $11,785 |
Tour price includes
- Charter flights between destinations, including to and from Rubondo Island
- Airport meet and greet with private transfers
- Eight nights in luxury hotels, lodges and tented camps
- Breakfast daily, plus lunches, dinners and local drinks as listed
- Game drives in a 4×4 Land Cruiser (up to 7 travelers)
- English-speaking local guides
- All activities in the itinerary, including chimpanzee tracking
- National park and conservation area fees and taxes
Tour price excludes
- International flights
- Tanzania visa fees
- Travel insurance
- Souvenirs and other personal spending
Questions about this safari
Will I definitely see chimpanzees on Rubondo?
Nobody can promise a sighting. The island’s chimps are still being habituated, so they are wary of people and can be hard to find in the forest. Your tracking walk follows the research team’s latest information. Even on a quiet day there is plenty else to see, including sitatunga, birds and life along the lakeshore.
Where is Rubondo Island, and how do I get there?
Rubondo Island is a national park in the southwest of Lake Victoria, in northwestern Tanzania. Most safari travelers reach it by light aircraft. On this trip, the charter flight from the Serengeti to the island and the flight from the island back to Kilimanjaro International Airport are both included.
Where in the Serengeti is the mobile camp?
It moves around the Serengeti during the year to stay close to the wildebeest: usually in the south in the green season and in the north in the dry months. We confirm where it will be for your dates, and that also decides whether you get there by road or by air.
Before you go
Where you will go
Parks on this safari
You might also like
Related safaris
10 Days Luxury Safari & Zanzibar
Arusha Tarangire Lake Manyara Serengeti Ngorongoro Zanzibar
From, per person$7,490
