We Arrive in Arusha today where we are met by our Tour Director at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. We then Transfer to our hotel, where our rooms will be ready, regardless of our arrival time.

Today we have the day at leisure to rest up from our journey, or to take advantage of the amenities at our hotel, which include a bar and outdoor garden-enclosed swimming pool. This evening we have a welcome briefing detailing the adventure to come, followed by a welcome dinner at our hotel.

We have a full day in Arusha National Park to savor our first taste of the safari experience. In the park we may spot waterbuck, zebra, giraffe - and in the distance, possibly, snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro. This legendary colossus, Africa's tallest peak, boasts a greater elevation (19,341 feet) than any other freestanding mountain in the world. Much closer to us we see Mt. Meru, which stands inside Arusha as Africa's fifth highest peak (14,968 feet). though relatively small at 53 square miles, topographically varied Arusha National Park hosts a diverse profusion of wildlife. We're on the lookout for the nearly 400 bird species that call the park home, among them the flamingos and other waterfowl that wade in its alkaline lakes, as well as land dwellers including antelope, monkey, buffalo, warthog, and more.

We depart today for the two-hour drive to Tarangire National Park, Tanzania's 1,100-square-mile park known especially for its high concentration of elephants and for the many baobab trees dotting the savanna. The park's namesake Tarangire River acts as a migrating hub for thousands of wildebeests, zebras, and Cape buffaloes, and we may see these and other animals on the day's first game drive. After our drive, we arrive at our lodge, located within the park itself. After lunch and some time at leisure, late afternoon we enjoy another game drive in the park, where we try to spot the aforementioned animals as well as giraffe, lion, leopard, cheetah, and of course, elephant.

Today we explore this gem of a park slightly off the beaten path on both morning and afternoon game drives. Tanzania's sixth-largest national park, Tarangire is surpassed only by famed Serengeti National Park in wildlife diversity. Along with the abundant game, we're sure to see some of Tarangire's 550 species of birds, as well as the many termite mounds scattered amid the grass-and swampland here. These distinct mounds - which look like sandcastles and may reach up to 20 feet tall - are often recognized by clever dwarf mongoose after the termites have left. We enjoy all meals today at our lodge, where we also have time to take advantage of the pool, grounds, and comfortable public areas.

This morning we depart by coach for Ngorongoro Conservation Area, wildlife haven and homeland to the semi-nomadic Maasai people. We arrive in time for lunch at our safari lodge uniquely set on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, which blends in so well with the landscape that it is invisible from the crater floor. We have the afternoon at leisure here, giving us time to familiarize ourselves with the lodge's rock-built passages, timbered decks, and unmatched sense of place. The views over the Ngorongoro Crater (the world's largest intact volcanic crater) are endless and breathtaking. Tonight we dine at our lodge, as we will throughout our stay here.

This morning we set out on an unforgettable game drive as we descend to the floor of magnificent Ngorongoro Crater, a World Heritage Site and, at 100 square miles, the world's largest intact and perfectly formed volcanic caldera. The unique biosphere here has remained unchanged for aeons; towering walls encircle the crater's floor which represents Africa in microcosm: grassland, swamps, lakes, forests, and some 25,000 mammals, including elephant, black rhinoceros, lion, hippo, and zebra. Because Ngorongoro has abundant food and water year-round, the animals here do not migrate as they do between Maasai Mara and the Serengeti. And because they live within the confines of the steep-walled caldera, Ngorongoro's animals are less shy and more approachable than those at other reserves. This afternoon is at leisure to relax at our rustic lodge on the crater's rim.

We set off northwest today towards the fabled Serengeti, stopping along the way to visit 31-mile Olduvai Gorge, part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (which itself is part of the Serengeti region). It was here in 1959 that anthropologist Mary Leakey discovered the 1.8-millon-year-old skull of the Australopithecus boisei - and revolutionized the study of human evolution. Known as the "cradle of mankind," Olduvai ranks as one of the world's most important prehistoric archaeological sites for its rich fossils, early hominid remains, and the ongoing discovery of some of the world's oldest stone tool technologies. The Leakey family continues to research early human development at Olduvai to this day.

After our visit to Olduvai, this afternoon we visit a local Maasai village, where we see their traditional pastoral lifestyle up close. These semi-nomadic people have called this region home for millennia; their deep-rooted culture dictates they live in harmony with the wildlife surrounding them - hence they rarely hunt. The Maasai raise cattle, which along with lion and wildebeest play important roles in their cultural beliefs.

We continue on (bringing with us a simple prepared lunch) to Serengeti National Park, home to lion, leopard, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest, and many more mammal and bird species. The Serengeti, the Maasai's "endless plain," is considered Africa's finest park, and we begin to see why on this afternoon's game drive. Comprising two UNESCO World Heritage sites and two Biospheres, the Serengeti has inspired such writers as Ernest Hemingway and Peter Mattheissen, as well as filmmakers, photographers, and scientists in an ecosystem that has changed little in the past million years. Following our game drive, we arrive to our lodge with time to freshen up before dinner tonight.

In Tanzania's northeast corner sits the vast Serengeti National Park, a 5,700-square-mile piece of land (equal in size to Connecticut), one of the world's largest wildlife refuges, and the Tanzanian neighbor of Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve. In addition to boasting the highest concentration of large animals on the planet, the Serengeti's vast ranges provide habitat for more than 500 bird species. Twice a year (Jan-Feb and Jun-Oct), some 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 Zebra, and 300,00 Thomson's gazelle migrate to new grazing lands, sparking one of nature's most spectacular sights and the world's largest migration. But the Serengeti's treeless plains teem with animals life year-round, and this is the best place to see lion, leopard, and cheetah up close. On today's game drives, we have the chance to see some - or all of Africa's "Big Five;" lion, Cape buffalo, elephant, and leopard. Between and after our drives, we have time to enjoy meals and other amenities at our lodge.

We have another full day to absorb the splendor of the Serengeti, enjoying morning and afternoon game drives, some 3,000-4,000 lions make their home here, comprising the largest leonine population anywhere in the world. In addition to the Big Five, we may also see some less-known, but still thrilling, savanna dwellers: slender impalas with ridged horns, graceful giraffes, stout African buffalo, packs of roving hyena, and perhaps the tiny, foot-high antelope called dik-dik, among others.

We fly today to tropical Zanzibar, Tanzania's semiautonomous Indian Ocean archipelago with a storied history. Islanders fought the shortest war in history here in the 19th century, a mere 45-minute skirmish, and European explorers - Dr. Livingstone and Lord Stanley among them - used the islands a staging area for their explorations into the East African interior. Upon arrival we stop at our beachfront hotel.

We set out to discover Stone Town, Zanzibar's capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and East Africa's only ancient town still functioning. Depending on flight times from the Serengeti to Zanzibar, we will either have a packed lunch while en route to Zanzibar, or have lunch upon arrival to the island. A heady mix of Moorish, Middle Eastern, Indian, and African influences (through predominantly Muslim today), Stone Town boasts a labyrinth of narrow alleys lined with shops, homes, hidden courtyards, and extravagantly carved wooden doors, as we see on our afternoon tour. The approximately 1,700 "stone buildings of Stone Town actually feature mortar and coral construction. Highlights include the open-air market, teeming with exotic fruits and vegetables; the 19th-century Cathedral on the site of a former slave market; the Old Fort, offering lovely views of town and thee ocean. After our touring today, return to our hotel and enjoy dinner together.

A morning tour of a spice plantation reveals why Zanzibar is known as the "Spice Island" - its bounty of cloves, nutmeg, ginger, chilies, black pepper, vanilla, and coriander, and cinnamon have found their way around the world for centuries. Slave labor drove the island's lucrative spice plantations, propelling Zanzibar to become the world's leading clove producer in the mid-19th century. After our tour we return to our hotel in time for lunch on our own and afternoon at leisure. Here we have time to enjoy the lovely accommodations at our hotel - perhaps take a dip in the pool, or enjoy a glass of wine in one of several bars and lounges.

We have another day to enjoy the comforts of our hotel, or to explore island on our own. Our tour director will be happy to help us find transport back to Stone Town for more sightseeing, recommend snorkeling sites, or suggest a few restaurants to try for lunch today. Tonight we celebrate our Tanzania adventure at a farewell dinner.

We depart for the airport early this morning, taking a quick flight to Dar es Salaam. We then take an included transfer to a local hotel, where we have day rooms reserved to relax, refresh, and re-pack. After an early dinner together, we return to the airport for the flight to the U.S.