Classic Tanzania: the Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar

Meet your expert ranger-driver, who will accompany you throughout your trip, and depart for the Ngorongoro Crater.
Already in the itinerary - the Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of most magical places in Africa. This area of the volcano, with a radius of about six miles, is home to countless animals. Pelicans and tantalum ibis share the lakes with thousands of vibrant flamingos. Buffaloes treat themselves to mud baths to cool down, while hippos splash around and fight each other during mating season. Ostriches stay on dry ground, alongside Grant's and Thomson's gazelles, blue wildebeest and zebras. Graceful mountain antelopes settle on hillsides and lions nap in the trees.
Overnight stay in a lodge near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Check into a lovely bungalow built from natural stone – a wonderful experience from the outstanding four-poster bed complete with mosquito net, to a view of the endless horizon. The food is local, fresh and generous; breakfast is served on the veranda, while dinner is around the wood fire. Take a tour around the farm and the garden of medicinal plants. The beautiful swimming pool and massages upon request are the icing on the cake.

Drive to the Serengeti National Park for a two-night stay in the bush. Tents are set up under iconic acacia trees. They're basic but very comfortable; and that's all you really need. Nights are an adventure when there's nothing but a piece of canvas between you and nature.
Included in the itinerary - the Serengeti National Park. The migrations of wildebeest and zebras that take place in summer and late autumn between the Serengeti and Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve are an incredible sight to witness. The Big Five can all be found in the park: lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards and rhinos, and, while you won't find giraffes in the Ngorongoro Crater because of the steep descent, you'll have plenty of opportunity to spot them in the Serengeti. From the grass at one end of the food chain, to Rüppell's vultures at the other end, the park's ecosystem is beautifully balanced and, while sitting comfortably in your open-top private 4x4, you get a great view of nature's answers to the fundamental question of 'Eat or be eaten?'.
Optional - An alternative view of the Serengeti.

Flight to Zanzibar. Welcome and assistance at the airport. Transfer to Stone Town. Overnight stay in the former palace of Princess Kholle, daughter of the island's first sultan. The building dates back to the 1860s and is a sophisticated blend of Omani and Creole styles. From the rooftop terrace tea room, the view across the old city and the Indian Ocean is stunning. The princess received her guests here and the hotel continues this tradition perfectly.
Included in the itinerary – A walking tour with an expert guide, who guides you through the narrow winding streets of 'caravanserai' (ancient roadside inns) and 'hammam' (Turkish baths). Colourful spices, powders, roots and bark are everywhere on the merchants' stalls. There's also cardamom, pepper, chilli pepper, nutmeg, however, cloves reign supreme. In the 19th century, this king of aromatic spices was an alternative to the declining slave trade.
The ancient Swahili city mixes Africa, Arabia and India in its architecture, cuisine and music: discover this on the menu of the traditional restaurant that we have reserved for you, on the roof of an old house, overlooking Stone Town, which becomes alive in the evening with taarab music.

Private transfer and three-night stay in a hotel set on a pristine beach, lined with coconut trees, a stone's throw from the charming fishing village of Paje. Settle into one of the villas that are nestled between the idyllic beach and coconut grove. There's a sea-facing swimming pool to enjoy and a spa for pampering treatments - the best invitation to kick back and relax.

Spend your days lazing on the beach, on soft white sand under green palm trees. The perfect setting for snorkelling and diving adventures on the reef, you could see gorgons, anemones, stingrays, barracudas. Dolphins, tuna fish and whale sharks glide in this universe beneath the waves; these areas are as rich in wildlife as the Great Rift Valley. So, an underwater adventure is also in the itinerary.