Tanzania - Day by Day
In February 2024, I got lucky enough to visit the beautiful country of Tanzania.
My two weeks journey took me through gorgeous national parks and reserves, white sand beaches and turquoise waters, handmade boats and thousands of wild animals sightings.
If you’re curious to know more, keep reading my Day by Day article until I will add more specific articles about different topics, and don’t hesitate to add comments if you have any questions or want to support this blog.
Day 1: From Copenhagen to Kilimanjaro
On the 3rd of February, I left my home in Copenhagen, Denmark, to fly first to Paris, to then hop in a place that took me to Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia. The flight was a night one, and apart from snacking and watching (again) the Devil wears Prada, I slept quite comfortably. Once on land, I waited a bit before stepping into the last plane of the journey which took me to Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania. The sun was shining and the ground was covered with white butterflies, migrating. I met with Alli, who will be my guide for the biggest part of the trip, and he drove me to the first hotel, next to Arusha, where I spent the afternoon by the pool, under trees full of playful monkeys.
It was nice to be able to relax after such a long trip, and to collect myself before the upcoming adventures.
Day 2: Lake Maniara National Park
We left the hotel around 9, in the car we will be using through out the trip, a well needed Land Rover.
The Lake Maniara National Park is 126 kilometers west of Arusha Town. The park covers an area of 330 sq km including a lake surface of 230 sq km and was established in 1960. It is well known for the tree climbing lions, the soda ash lake that attracts thousands of pink flamingos and one of Tanzania’s biggest elephant population and breath-taking scenery!
This was the first safari of the holidays, and it didn’t disappoint. We saw dozens of elephants, zebras, buffalos, impalas, baboons, a lot of different birds and even lions, resting in the high grass. The lake is, unfortunately, too toxic now for flamingos and other animals to use its waters, but its pink colors added to the beauty of the landscape.
After that, around 4PM, we started driving towards the hotel for the night, the beautiful Mawe Mawe (rock rock) located on top of the cliff facing the National Park. The view was everything. I enjoyed the pool and a delicious diner view on the sunset before heading to bed.
Day 3: Ngorongoro and the Serengeti
After a nice breakfast, we left Mawe Mawe and its awesome staff, and drove towards Ngorongoro Conservation area which shares a border with the Serengeti National Park.
Driving through the valleys, crossing Masai villages and wild animals such as giraffes, gnus, zebras and more was magical. It felt like being on a sacred land, witnessing Nature in its purest form.
After a while, we crossed the invisible border to the Serengeti, and I think that the text on their website describes this the best:
“Chances are that you have dreamt of Africa, and when you did, you probably dreamt about the Serengeti. Countless wildlife movies have been recorded in the Serengeti, and with good reason: this is the home of the Great Migration and may very well be one of the last true natural wonders on planet earth.
Serengeti National Park is a World Heritage Site teeming with wildlife: over 2 million ungulates, 4000 lions, 1000 leopard, 550 cheetahs and some 500 bird species inhabit an area close to 15,000 square kilometers in size. Join us on a safari and explore the endless Serengeti plains dotted with trees and kopjes from which majestic lions control their kingdom; gaze upon the Great Migration in awe or find an elusive leopard in a riverine forest. Or perhaps see everything from a bird’s-eye view and soar over the plains at sunrise during a hot air balloon safari. Accommodation options come in every price range - the sound of lions roaring at night is complimentary.”
When we drove in the Serengeti, we were surrounded by thousands of zebras and gnus migrating. We also saw lions, more giraffes, hippos, leopards, gazelles, impalas, ostriches, thousands of birds, buffalos… It was a dream come true! We drove all the way to the sunset and my hotel for the next two nights: Tortillis, where the rooms are safari tents.
The warm welcome I received from the staff was so heart warming, and the calmness I felt staying there was much needed.
At night, I could hear the wildlife around the tent, such as hyenas, it feels very special.
Day 4: Hot air balloon in the Serengeti
This very day will probably be engraved in my memory for the rest of my life.
We woke up at 4AM and drove in the complete darkness towards a very special meeting point. There, I met with Jeff, our pilot for the next hours, and its with him that I lived a dream I didn’t know I had until that day: I flew over the Serengeti in a hot air balloon while the sun was rising. I trusted Serengeti Balloon Safari for this unbelievable experience, and they did not disappoint.
While the sun was waking up, we slowly raised up in the air above the ground and cruised along the river, watching hippos, giraffes and dik-dik live their lives as if we weren’t here. Everything was perfect and magical.
When time came to land, Jeff smoothly stopped the balloon in the middle of the path where the cars were waiting for us with Champagne and a delicious brunch.
After this surreal morning, I met back with Alli and we drove more through the National Park to spot many animals and create more memories.
Once back at the lodge, I enjoyed a snack in front of the sunset and the campfire before a fun diner where the whole staff made us chant and dance to wish us safe travels (as it was our last night there).
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater
After a full night of sleep and beautiful dreams, we sadly had to leave this paradise and drive back to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and enter the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera.
This place has a strong importance for biodiversity conservation and I invite you to read more on their website.
First, I recommend to start with the gorgeous viewpoint you can enjoy of the crater, located 2500m above sea level, so you can really appreciate the size and wilderness of the area.
Then, we drove down to the bottom of the crater, mesmerized. It was great to witness again a total change of landscape and vegetation, as well as to witness wild animals living in harmony.
We enjoyed the sightings of zebras, gnus, buffalos, flamingos, elephants, rhinos, lions, gazelles, impalas, elands and tons of birds, unbothered by the rain and still so excited at the experience. What a day!
At the end of the afternoon, we drove to The Manor, my hotel for the night, located within coffee plantations and decorated like a Dutch house. The garden and the premises were absolutely beautiful and surrounded with peace and calm, the restaurant’s food deserved a star, and the service was flawless.
Day 6: Tarangire National Park
After a good night of sleep and a delicious breakfast, I met again with Alli who drove us to the Tarangire National Park, located in the Masai Steppe, The park occupies an area of 2600 sq. km. And is known to be the elephant’s paradise. And indeed, we saw so many elephants and babies, rolling in the mud, hippos in the river, "Pumbas” running in the grass and baboons. The whole park is also filled with baobab trees (meaning upside down tree, due to the branches looking like roots).
I must admit that, after so many days of driving and adventure, I was pretty tired and decided to ask Alli to drive to the hotel sooner than planned.
The heat was slightly tough to handle, as we were down 1000m from the day before, and the sight of a swimming pool felt like a mirage. Also, an elephant was eating 10 meters from it!
The Treetops hotel is built around a baobab tree, and each room stands in a tree and the complete wilderness. The awesome staff welcomed me in paradise for diner under the baobab tree, before 20 Masai warriors from nearby villages gathered around the fire and started chanting and jumping. It was an impressing and special moment.
Day 7: Bush walk
After waking up at 5AM, I met with Stan, a local ranger, and he drove me to the wilderness as the sun was rising. When the spot was appropriate, he stopped the engine and we stepped in the savannah for a super insightful bush walk.
Stan walked me through the different animal’s behaviors, footprints as well as teaching about local plants and how the Masai use them for medicine and daily life. Despite the high presence of flies, this was such a cool experience that I recommend, for it brings you closer to Nature and makes you realize how small you are compared to the wild animals living on land.
We spotted “Pumbas”, buffalos, ostriches, dik-diks, and a lot of different footprints.
Stan drove me back to the lodge for breakfast, and the rest of the day was all about relaxing by the pool, reading and napping.
Around 5PM, I met with Lenga, a talented wildlife photographer who drove me up the hill to appreciate Champagne and some local snacks as well as the view on a stormy sunset above the savannah. This, again, was a magical and special moment I won’t forget. We discussed a lot about the Masai people and the Tanzanian government, and he explained to me the different issues that his country and people were facing: “If you take the land of a Masai, you kill him”.
When night showed up, we drove back to the hotel for a light diner, and a good night of sleep.
Day 8: Zanzibar Island
That day, I said goodbye to Alli and took a very small plane from Arusha Airport to Zanzibar city, where I got picked up to cross the island and checked in Shahrazad Hotel, located on the beach. I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and walking on the sand, eating sea food and feeling very lucky.
Day 11: Island Hopping
After two days of not much but relaxing, I decided to hop on a gorgeous handmade wood sailing boat with Ibrahim and his crew, and to sail on turquoise water before enjoying a absolutely amazing lunch on the beach of a desert island. They cooked fresh lobster, tuna and calamari on the grill, made guacamole, rice and coconut tomato sauce to eat with ciabattas, and opened a fresh ginger beer to go with it all.
I walked by the sea, picked up gorgeous seashells and did some diving before we head back to the hotel.
Because it was Valentine’s day, a live band was playing local music and it was a super fun evening.
Day 12: Zanzibar Stone Town
I left Shahrazad Hotel in the morning and met with an awesome guide to visit the historical center of Zanzibar city, the small streets, the markets, and museums and to buy some souvenirs.
“Located on a promontory jutting out from the western side of Unguja island into the Indian Ocean, the Stone Town of Zanzibar is an outstanding example of a Swahili trading town. This type of town developed on the coast of East Africa, further expanded under Arab, Indian, and European influences, but retained its indigenous elements, to form an urban cultural unit unique to this region.
The Stone Town of Zanzibar retains its urban fabric and townscape virtually intact and contains many fine buildings that reflect its particular culture, which has brought together and homogenized disparate elements of the cultures of Africa, the Arab region, India, and Europe over more than a millennium.”
It was a huge change to be walking in a busy city like that, surrounded by people and tourists, but an amazing occasion to learn about a the important History facts around Zanzibar.
When the evening came, I headed to the Beach House for my last diner in Tanzania, in front of a cloudy sunset, before checking in the Park Hyatt Hotel for the night.
The journey back home took a very long time, but once landed in Copenhagen, I am still dreaming of those amazing holidays and can’t repeat it more for you to add Tanzania to your bucket list if you haven’t already have.
