Tanzania

Rift Valley, Crater & Plains

19 February to 6 March 2011

Leaders: Richard Coomber and local guides

Maximum of 12 clients.

Cost: £4,799 single room supplement £430

The Ngorongoro Crater, the plains of the Serengeti, Lake Manyara and snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro - these are all well known areas, frequently seen on wildlife programmes and dreamed about since childhood stories of adventures in darkest Africa. We have already visited this country at least a dozen times, and now it's your chance to see all of these sites at first-hand. Few areas of East Africa can surpass Tanzania for grandeur of scenery, variety of mammals and spectacular birdlife. The Serengeti has the greatest concentration of large mammals on Earth - perhaps in excess of two million. It is likely that we shall encounter Lion, Cheetah, Leopard and Black Rhinoceros during our visit, as well as about 40 other species. Even the Wildebeest should be migrating in vast herds, accompanied by their attendant predators, and this tour has been designed to give us the best chance of finding these vast herds. Overhead fly squadrons of vultures, while Bateleurs plane for mile upon mile looking for prey. Vast Kori Bustards display like exploding powder puffs, while diminutive sunbirds bustle from one brightly coloured flower to another, as they search for nectar. We visit a wide variety of habitats to ensure a good diversity of birds and game - from the dry acacia woodland of Tarangire and the dramatic cliffs of the Rift Valley to the vast open plains of the Serengeti. This tour is a birdwatcher's dream and the opportunities for photography will be fantastic. We visit Tanzania in High Season when the game viewing should be at its best and there should be many birds that are winter visitors to the area. Tanzania can still give you the thrill of the really wild East Africa - visit it now.