Endless Plains & Zanzibar

After breakfast depart in your safari vehicle for Ngorongoro Crater. Ngorongoro towers above the Northern Serengeti Plain and it is celebrated as containing some of the most magnificent scenery in the world. Ngorongoro’s 105-square-mile crater is the largest unbroken crater on Earth and is packed with just about every species of wildlife found in East Africa. It is possible that we will see the Big Five—all of them—in one day. Large plains game permanently inhabit the area and the scenery is sensational. Some 30,000 animals live in the crater and, because the grasses are short, game is easily spotted and can often be approached quite closely. It is also one of the few parks in Africa where rhinos are relatively easy to locate. En route to Ngorongoro we come to Mto Wa Mbu, a thriving village that lies at the entrance to beautiful Lake Manyara National Park. The deep rusty brick-red colored earth seems to dust everything. It lightly covers the brightly colored storefronts and the whistling thorn and acacia trees, making everything seem from a different time. Cultures from across Tanzania are represented here and it is fascinating to walk through the village and shop for local crafts. Drive down the 1900-foot crater wall from the rim of this spectacular extinct volcano. Here you will find Africa’s largest permanent concentration of wildlife. Ngorongoro has been referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”

The morning light is brilliant as you cross the expanse of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area bound for the Serengeti, home to magnificent creatures and arguably the greatest wildlife theater on earth. An optional visia to Olduvai Gorge en route is provided where you walk to the bottom of the gorge where Mary Leaky discovered the remains of Australopithecus Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus. Contemplating the breath of time of mankind’s evolution is humbling, if not incomprehensible. It is hard for us to appreciate time beyond two or three generations, much less the millions of years like we are witnessing being unraveled before us as we walk down to the excavated bottom of Olduvai Gorge.

On the Serengeti Plain lives an estimated 2,500 lions and there are more cheetahs here than anywhere else in Africa. Hyenas, wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, ostriches, hippos, and other animals can be seen in abundance. Covering more than 5,700 square miles, the Serengeti is breathtaking terrain composed of acacia savannah, grass plains, and dense woodland grouped around kopje rock formations standing in a sea of grass. The kopjes provide shelter to a great variety of plants and animals, from the elusive leopard to the tiny dik-dik. It is estimated that one million animals live in the area with more than one-third of them being wildebeests.

Put your safari clothing away in exchange for your bathing suit and sandals. Known as the Spice Island, Zanzibar is a completely different side of Africa. Culture and history run deep in Zanzibar. Aromatic smells of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, black pepper, and lemongrass stimulate the senses. After your wonderful days on safari, relaxing along white sand beaches with palms swaying in the sea breeze brings the adventure to new heights.
Time to dream and relax is a welcome reprieve and so different from how we lead our lives back home. It’s especially welcomed after the adventures of your safari experience whereby you have time to relive in your mind all that you saw and experienced. Life is put in perspective and time seems to stand still. Enjoy water activities, go on spice tours, and visit fabled Stone Town—a world Heritage Site. Mostly, Zanzibar is a place to relax and enjoy a completely different side of Africa.

Enjoy another relaxing morning and afternoon in Zanzibar (depending on your flight schedule) before transferring to the airport for your onward flight home. What is it about Africa that has gotten under your skin? Certainly it’s the gentleness and joy of the people. It is also the vastness and sheer beauty of the land and sea that seems to extend forever in our imagination. Your great story doesn’t end as you leave the continent, for Africa has this unexplainable ability to remain deep within us. No wonder so many of us long to return for another meaningful adventure.

Endless Plains & Zanzibar goes to two national parks instead of the three you visit on Essence of Tanzania. On Endless Plains & Zanzibar you will spend extra time in the Serengeti which allows you to see and explore more of this incredible park. Another aspect is of course that you visit Zanzibar Island. Adding Zanzibar brings another dimension to the experience. For many of our clients who live fast paced lives back home the escape they experience and time to utterly relax allows them to decompress. The Essence of Tanzania is also a fabulous safari and you cover more ground overland. A definite highlight of Essence of Tanzania is it includes Tarangire National Park, which is a fabulous addition to any itinerary. A very popular addition to Essence of Tanzania is to add an extension to Zanzibar Island.

There is no telling what is coming around the next baobab tree or termite mound while you are on safari! You will see so many animals you couldn’t possibly count them. And Zanzibar Island adds a totally different type of experience to your “safari.” At Metamo, we believe some quality from each place we travel to comes with us to the next destination. Our clients come to Africa for adventure, to live their dreams, perhaps to also bring their family and friends into new experiences. In the end, they leave Africa but for many, Africa is not able to leave them.

Your selection of tented camps and lodges are situated in prime locations, maximizing your safari experience. Secluded and picturesque, they’ll immediately transport you to a different state of mind. Each location offers exceptional standards of service. And importantly, they all take conservation seriously. Not only do they make as small a footprint as possible, but they aim to give back to the communities and ecosystems in which they exist. Our selection of hotels and resorts offer luxury accommodations in amazing settings. .