Highlight Photos
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Traffic in Arusha -
Lake at Ngare Sero Lodge -
Ultrarare Beesley’s Lark -
Baobab in Tarangire -
Famous elephants of Tarangire -
Impala shouting -
Tent at Kuro Treetops -
Impressive sunrise at Kuro Treetops -
Colorful D’Arnaud Barbet -
Crossing Tarangire River -
Pearl-spotted Owlet -
Main road in Tarangire -
Giraffe watching in Tarangire -
Beautiful zebras in Tarangire -
Baboons resting in Manyara -
Emerald-spotted Wood-dove -
Serious White-browed Coucal -
Lake Manyara is taking over -
Elephants enjoy the cool in Manyara -
Waterbuck in Manyara -
Hunting each other -
Weird herd -
Southern Ground Hornbill exploring -
View from Elephant trail -
Beautiful Schalow’s Turaco -
Schalow’s Turaco -
Elephant Trail -
Gibb’s Farm View -
Elephant at our tent -
Descending into Ngorongoro -
Buffalo in Ngorongoro -
Zebra watching us descend into crater -
Ngorongoro view -
Rosy-throated Longclaw -
First lion of the trip -
Decisive Marabou Stork -
Lunch for Heron -
Hamerkop, what a weird bird -
Lesser Flamingo -
Grey crowned cranes -
A rhino, our nemesis -
Comical Eland -
Ngorongoro crater view -
Maasai tourist village -
Olduvai monument -
Money trap entrance -
Vultures waiting in Serengeti -
Lions welcoming us in Serengeti -
View of Naabi Hill area -
Driving through puddles in Serengeti -
Migration in Serengeti -
Zebra in Serengeti -
Tents in Serengeti -
Our giraffes in Osero Tented Lodge -
Iffy driving towards Hippo Pools -
Lots of Hippos in Hippo Pool -
Our first cheetah -
Serval passing us -
It rains down in Africa -
Abyssinian Scimitarbill in Serengeti -
Crossing a river in Serengeti -
Zebras having fun in Serengeti -
Hyena doing a mudbath -
Male lion with a kill -
Cheetah family -
Scarlet-chested Sunbird at Ndutu -
Fischer’s Lovebird -
Ndutu Lake with flamingoes -
Wildebeests in Ndutu -
Giraffes in the savanna -
Lake Masek view -
Our first Brubru -
Genets at Ndutu Lodge -
Secretarybird on the savanna -
Ostriches enjoying the day out -
Popular river in Ngorongoro -
Pond at The Retreat at Ngorongoro -
White-browed Robin-Chat -
Major souvenir shop -
So many things to buy -
Mine example -
Blue monkey razzing us -
Baboons on our roof -
Walking through a Tanzanian Village -
Silvery-cheeked Hornbill -
Mount Kilimanjaro Guereza (Colobus monkey) -
Sacred tree -
Doha ceiling -
Qatar National Museum exhibit -
Traditional clothing in museum -
Pearl Carpet of Baroda -
Qatar National Museum courtyard -
World Cup Flags in Qatar -
Doha Skyline -
Museum of Islamic Arts Park -
Al Fanar Masjid Mosque -
The Pearl in Doha -
Pigeons enjoying a fountain in Doha -
Souq Waqif alley -
Falcon souq -
Al Koot Fort in Doha -
Souq Waqif at night
Highlights Map
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We have been on two safaris before and enjoyed them immensively and always planned to return, the sooner the better. Unfortunately with the pandemic our travel plans were disrupted and it took a bit to get back to a normal scheduling. And now we finally made it back to Africa, this time to Tanzania. With a bonus day in Qatar exploring Doha.
Tanzania is a huge country so even with two weeks we have to focus on a specific area. This time it is the Northern part of the country which holds to most well known parks. Just hearing the names evokes the wilderness to us, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, all of them seen in nature documentaries many times. Qatar is more of an add-on but we route specifically through Doha so we can spend one day, luckily before all the fighting starts just two weeks later.
All the planning is done by us this time after using a safari company previously. We book direct with the hotels and we rent a Land Cruiser separately. We also hire a guide mostly for Ngorongoro where one is required for the descent but also to visit the Lark Plains to see a very rare endemic bird. Overall all goes really well with all the time that went into planning paying off. We see over 300 species of birds but the highlight is our first rhinos, we have looked for them in both previous safaris with no luck.
To learn more click on the Links below or Markers on the map above to go directly to a specific part of our trip and follow our exploration of this beautiful part of Tanzania or to learn more about the modern capital of Qatar.
- Picking our car and exploring Arusha
Our long flight is broken up by a complimentary hotel which makes arriving in Arusha and picking up the car easier than we expected - Ngare Sero Lodge and its beautiful grounds
We spend the afternoon at Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge recuperating after the flight and exploring the beautiful grounds - Mysterious Engikaret Plains
We start our safari with an exploration of Engikaret Plains using a local guide looking for the endemic Beesley’s Lark and other special birds - Reaching our secluded lodge in Tarangire NP
In the afternoon we make our way to Tarangire and then drive to our lodge deep into the interior finding animals and birds left and right - Pinnacle of luxury at Kuro Treetops
We spend two magnificent nights at Kuro Treetops amid birds and mammals with great food and beautiful views from our elevated luxury tent - Spotting birds and wildlife near Silale Swamp
After a great night, birdwatching in the morning and breakfast we are ready to start our exploration of Tarangire. Our plan is to drive towards Silale Swamp, as much as we can and look for birds and mammals on the way. Then at lunch the plan is to return eat lunch and then relax and leave later in the afternoon […] - Afternoon jaunt near our lodge
We spend the late afternoon exploring the main road around the lodge and finding lots of interesting birds - Turning back towards Matete Picnic Site
From our lodge it is time to return towards the entrance exploring multiple river loops and visiting the very busy Silale Picnic Area - Matete Picnic to Entrance via River Loop
Matete Picnic Area is full so we just enjoy the views before driving part of the Main River Loop and reaching the entrance gate right before our required exit time - Occupying the high ground at Serena Lodge
Two nights are spent at Lake Manyara Serena Safari Lodge on a bluff overlooking Lake Manyara with quite a bad access road - A day in stunning Lake Manyara NP
Today is dedicated to Manyara National Park where we drive in as far as we dare finding beautiful and rare birds and lots of mammals - Turacos on the Elephant Trail
Our day starts with a morning hike along Elephant Trail with a guide and an armed ranger looking for turacos and other interesting birds - Lunch and birding at famous Gibb’s Farm
Lunch today is at the famous Gibb’s Farm preceded by a birding walk through the grounds seeing owls and domestic animals - Staying at the edge of Ngorongoro
Next on our route is Ngorongoro Crater where we spend two nights on the Rim at Lions Paw enjoying a great room and beautiful views - Descent to Ngoitokitok Picnic Area
Our day in Ngorongoro starts with a beautiful descent and then driving to and exploring Ngoitokitok Picnic Area while seeing a rhino, lions and lots of birds - Lunch at Lerai Forest
We eat lunch at Lerai Forest Picnic Area while exploring the savanna and wetlands along the way - Flamingoes on Magadi Lake
We end the day skirting Magadi Lake seeing lots of flamingoes and other birds and even noticing our second rhino between the herds of wildebeests - Dusty drive from Ngorongoro to Serengeti
After dropping our guide today we make our way towards Serengeti seeing traditional villages, lions, antelopes and birds along the way - Naabi Hill and into the heart of Serengeti
After somehow navigating the combined exit and entrance process we explore Naabi Hill followed by a beautiful drive through Serengeti to our lodge - Two nights in a tent stalked by leopards
We spend two nights in the heart of Serengeti in a tented camp being stalked by leopards at night while enjoying hiking and good food during the day - To the Hippo Pools and back to relative safety
We start the day with the most adventurous drive to date to Retima Hippo Pools seeing cheetahs, servals and of course hippos - Seronera area and exploring west
We spend the afternoon being rained on and avoiding the rain while seeing birds and exploring Seronera and having lunch by the riverside - From Seronera to Ndutu
Today we have a long drive in front of us relocating from Seronera to the Ndutu area and seeing lots of special mammals and birds along the way - Genets and birds at Ndutu Lodge
We spend two nights at Ndutu Lodge seeing genets and enjoying the beautiful grounds with reasonable though expensive food and accomodations - Towards Ndutu Marsh and back
We spend the morning exploring around Ndutu towards the Marsh finding lots of mammals on migration and some interesting birds - Birding around Lake Masek
In the afternoon we weave between patches of rain while visiting Lake Masek and the surrounding area full of birds and mammals - Leaving Ngorongoro starting from Ndutu
Today we exit the Ngorongoro protected area stopping a few times for birds and mammals but otherwise just trying to get to the gate in time - One night at The Retreat at Ngorongoro
We spend the afternoon and morning exploring the grounds of the surprisingly beautiful Retreat at Ngorongoro finding lots of birds - Souvenir buying at Marera Village Gallery
We still have lots of Tanzanian money left so we stop at a souvenir complex to buy some additional souvenirs for our friends and relatives - Tanzanite Experience on the way to Arusha
On the way to Arusha we stop at the Tanzanite Experience to see the history of tanzanite and look for any interesting souvenirs - Meru Mbega Lodge, a cheap, nice lodge
The last night in Tanzania is spend in a cheap lodge bordering Arusha NP with beautiful grounds and a more than reasonable room - Looking for colobus monkeys between Tanzanian villages
Our last hike in Tanzania is with a guide from our lodge to look for colobus monkeys among Tanzanian villages - Arriving in Doha and two nights at Fraser Suites
On the return trip we spend two nights in a hotel in Doha for a full day layover so we can explore the capital city of Qatar - Fascinating National Museum of Qatar
We spend the majority of the morning in the famous National Museum of Qatar learning about the history and economy of the kingdom - Qatar Skyline from MIA Park
From the museum we walk to a special viewpoint over the modern skyline of Doha while avoiding harassing taxis - Walking the Corniche to the Pearl Sculpture
Late afternoon we decide to walk to Souq Waqif via the Corniche and the Pearl Monument while doing our best to avoid aggressive hawkers - Exploring Souq Waqif, the downtown of Doha
We spend the evening in Souq Waqif exploring the busy alleys and the falcon and horse souqs before eating dinner at a great restaurant - Leaving Doha at the end of a beautiful safari
We leave very early in the morning reaching the airport and doing all formalities before exploring the garden and lounge followed by a long flight back to Phoenix