When booking a safari in Tanzania, you should do your research in order to get the best price. Majority of the guides are offering the exact same packages, but will vary in prices. For example, Tanzania Host Experience (partners with IVHQ and Tanzania Volunteer Experience) charge a ton compared to other companies. They know that they have incoming volunteers every two weeks so know they can profit a lot by marketing at the orientation. I did a 3-day (2 night) safari that had the same inclusions for about $400 cheaper than what they would charge for 4 people. Instead of paying $970, we paid $580 per person. It was unfortunate that we weren’t in the big group with the rest of the volunteers going that weekend, but $400 is a huge difference! The price included park fees to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, campsite fees, camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag, mattress, pillow), a professional driver/guide, transportation in a 4-person safari jeep, cook, and all meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner – which I may add were delicious!). We contacted Aron on WhatsApp at +255 757 522 522 and setup a meeting on the Tuesday before we went. Our tour guide was Moses and you can contact him on WhatsApp at +255 764 688 005. We also met him the Friday before we went. The company is currently working on a website. However, they have been safari tour guides for about 10 years. We read good reviews of Aron online and also heard about him from volunteers from another organization in Arusha. I recommend contacting them in advance to discuss itinerary and prices and then booking after you arrive and compare other local companies. Although I wasn’t with the large group of volunteers that went through THE, I enjoyed having a small group for this experience. It certainly had its benefits. For one, the car ride was much more spacious. We also could make more requests to the guide with a smaller group instead of trying to please 15+ people. However, if you do go in a large group, most of the vehicles will end up splitting off anyways so it will still be enjoyable. Day 1: Arusha to Serengeti On the first morning, we were picked up at our accommodation in Arusha and headed straight for Serengeti National Park. On the way, we stopped to pick up our cook, camping supplies, and food and then at African Galleria in Manyara for a quick bathroom and coffee break. This is a professional gallery that deals in antiques, art, Tanzanite and other gems, clothing, custom made jewelry, and additional souvenirs that you can purchase. The total drive to the Serengeti park entrance took about 7 hours. Once we arrived, we had lunch at the park entrance while our guide got our park entrance pass. While eating lunch, you will see lots of beautiful birds and amphibians. You will also realize how many rats scurry around scavenging for food. After you are finished eating, you can take a 5-minute hike uphill to get a great view of the Serengeti plains. The Serengeti is one of the most famous parks in Africa and is synonymous with wildlife and classic African scenery. It is Tanzania’s oldest park and a Unesco World Heritage Site. It is home to the spectacular wildebeest migration and offers top-class wildlife viewing throughout the year. After lunch, we put the jeep roof up and departed on our first afternoon game drive! We spent several hours getting excited by each and every animal that we came across. Be warned that you will get very very sandy/dusty! I recommend bringing sunglasses, a safari hat, or anything else to shield your eyes and face from the sand. As the sun was setting, we arrived at our campsite and set up the tents while dinner was being prepared. The dinner was phenomenal! Our cook, Kagere, made some delicious meals! Our meals included popcorn or peanuts to start, followed by soup and bread. Our main courses included meat, salad, pasta, quiche, and French fries. For dessert was a platter of fruit. The meals that I had this weekend were the best I had during the entire month I was in Tanzania. Shout out to Kagere!! I was pretty impressed by the campsite facilities. There is one building where the chefs do the cooking and another building for visitors to eat. Table and chairs will be provided by your tour guide. There are also western toilets and shower facilities available, which I was not expecting. However, you will need to bring your own toilet paper (this goes for pretty much everywhere in Tanzania). There are also mirrors in the bathrooms. Camping in the Serengeti is an incredible experience! After dinner, two of my friends saw a leopard not far from the bathroom facility. A guide was shining a torch on it. Be sure to take a few moments to look up at the sky and admire the starry night sky. In the middle of the night, we heard hyenas and lions. Don’t worry too much because there is always someone on patrol throughout the night. Day 2: Serengeti to Ngorongoro Breakfast is served at 6:30AM so that you can set out on your morning game drive right away and watch the sun rise over the Serengeti. We drove around for several more hours seeing different animals than we had on our first game drive. Anytime that you wish to stop, you can just let your guide know. If you didn’t see any big animals yet, their goal will be to find them for you. This is the morning that I got my favorite shot of a male lion walking up on a hill with a hot air balloon rising up behind him in the background. It was a magical moment! After the morning game drive, we went back to the campsite to have lunch and load up the car with all of our camping equipment. After
Day 1: Marrakesh We arrived at our riad (hotel) where we were greeted with tea and bread. We then started our day at the Majorelle Gardens. This garden was created over the course of forty years by French painter Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962). The park is one of the top attractions of Marrakesh; it has many shady paths meandering between tall trees and passed exotic plants. There are water features, streams and pools of water lilies and lotus flowers. At the entrance there is a beautiful fountain, other features of the garden include a cacti garden, a blue square fountain, the Café Bousafsaf, exotic plant garden, Yves Saint Laurent Memorial, a bamboo garden, pavilion and a collection of buildings including Boutique Majorelle, Galerie Love and the Berber Museum and bookshop. After the gardens, we headed to see Koutoubia Mosque. Marrakesh’s largest mosque is located near Djemaa el-Fna square. It is considered one of the most beautiful and proportioned mosques in existance. The mosque was named Koutoub which means “book” as a book market once stood not far from the mosque. We then walked around Djema el-Fna which is the central square and market place in Marrakesh’s Medina quarter. Back in 1050 it was the site of public executions (hence the name which means assembly of death) but today it is a hive of activity 24/7. This huge square is a bustle of activity with color, aromas, sounds and ever changing scenes. During the day the large square is frequented by snake charmers, men with Barbary apes, medicine men, water vendors, tooth pullers and vendors. But the square really comes to life when the sun goes down. Stalls are set up across the square with strings of lights adding to the atmosphere. In addition to the stalls there are storytellers, the Hoopla and halqa street theatre, water sellers, side-show attractions, fortune tellers, horse drawn carriages, henna tattoo painters, musicians, acrobats and entertainers. You will also find your fair share of pickpockets, scam artists and beggars. As the evening progresses the market turns into a large open-air restaurant with stalls serving up grilled meat and other delicacies. Impressive buildings surround the square including hotels, gardens, cafes and on one side by the souk, a traditional North African market. If you want to feel the heart beat of Marrakesh then visit one of the markets or souks especially those in the Old City (Medina). Just go to the central Square (el-Fnaa) and walk into the side streets to reach the markets. The markets are an attack on the senses with aromas, sounds, music, bright colors and plenty of people-watching opportunities. Here you can see fresh produce piled high, nuts, figs, dried fruit, spices, halva, olives, carpets, clothing, household goods, toys, candy, baked goods, brass ware, leather items, accessories, and the list could go on. This is the place to haggle over prices and find authentic and unique souvenirs. Of course it goes without saying that there are pickpockets who take advantage of the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Many of the markets focus on one type of goods like the Carpet souk where you can see a variety of rugs and carpets including Berber carpets. At the Slipper Market you can find …slippers – row after row of colorful traditional Moroccan slippers (babouches) in leather, cloth and embroidery. The Metal ware Souk is where you’ll find lanterns and metal ornaments made from a range of different types of metal. The Spice Souk is the most colorful of the markets. The spices are displayed in huge sacks or in towering pyramids. There is also a Silk Souk, Crystal Souk, the tannery and other designated souks but really they all just flow one into the other. In all there are about 3,000 stalls. Just remember to hang on to your bag; bargain hard and learn to say no. After lunch, we went to Medresa Ben Youssef which was an Islamic college constructed during the Almoravid era (14th century). The building ceased to function as an Islamic college in 1960 and underwent extensive refurbishing before being opened to the public in 1982. The Medresa is known for its beautiful ceramic tiles, carved plaster work, and typical 15th century design. It is possible to explore the dormitory cells. Next we headed to the Bahia Palace and gardens. The palace has a harem with a large courtyard featuring a central basin and rooms around the courtyard that open up to the central area. There are pavilions, walled gardens and buildings. The oldest part of the palace is Dar Si Moussa with a courtyard, central garden, fountains and many varieties of trees. There are decorative rooms with ceramic tiles covering the walls. One of the greatest parts of the newer section of the palace is the marble courtyard measuring 30 meters by 50 meters. It is divided into quadrants by white marble pathways with colorful tiles and glazed earthenware in a checkerboard pattern and fountains where the paths meet. The palace is still used by the royal family and is sometimes closed when the royals are using the palace. Our next stop was the El Badi Palace. It has not survived in its entirety but it is still possible to see the ruined remains. The palace was commissioned by Saadian ruler Ahmad al-Mansur in the 16 th century. The palace complex once had more than 350 rooms, courtyards, walled gardens, fountains and a pool. The palace was unfortunately destroyed by Moulay Ismail but there is still plenty to see including the sunken gardens, dungeon prison cells, subterranean passages and the main hall with 50 columns. The palace ruins are used for festivals and special events including weekend dance parties. Close to the palace is the Kasbah Mosque (El Mansouria) which is located in the old fortified city. It is easy to confuse the Kasbah Mosque with the Koutoubia Mosque because of the similarity between their square minarets. Like other mosques non-Muslims cannot visit inside the building. Day 2: Atlas Mountains We took
