Festive Season in the Serengeti

Ania and Thomas’s Tanzania Safari Route Map

Ania and Thomas Pustelnik, a Swiss couple from Zurich spent Christmas and New Year on the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania.

Ania and Thomas’s 12 day Tanzania safari – which started on 22 December 2014 and ended on 3 January 2015 – was an experience which they say, they’ll never forget. This is how their trip unfolded.

Thomas and Ania have been travelling to Africa for over 15 years now and Tanzania has always been their favourite safari destination. In fact, they come back every three years!

Why do they keep coming back? They absolutely love the Ndutu region – where Ania says they’re allowed to drive off-road so that they can get closer to the wildlife (with the help of a professional safari guide of course!). They simply love Tanzania’s countryside and meeting the friendly locals – two elements they say give them the feeling they’re experiencing authentic Africa!

Ania and Thomas’s Tanzania safari

Day 1 & 2: The Machweo Retreat

Ania and Thomas arrived at Nairobi Airport just after 7 pm and soon found themselves on another flight heading to Kilimanjaro which departed at 10 pm. Soon after their arrival in Kilimanjaro, they were transferred to the Machweo Retreat situated in Arusha, a city based in Northern Tanzania.

The couple spent the entire second day relaxing and rejuvenating at the Machweo Retreat’s luxurious spa and wellness facilities, preparing themselves for the next part of their Tanzanian safari.

Day 3 & 4: The Ngorongoro Farm House

Ania and Thomas said goodbye to the Machweo Retreat and spent the morning of the third day on a guided tour of the Kimemo Coffee Farm plantations, which was followed by lunch. They were then transferred to the Ngorongoro Farm House, a cosy lodge which faces the Oldeani Volcano, and their home for the next two nights.

Day four was all about exploring! Ania and Thomas went out on game drives in the Ngorongoro Crater – a deep, volcanic crater which is the largest unflooded and unbroken caldera on the planet. It’s also home to an estimated 30,000 wild animals!

Day 5 – 7: The Lemala Ndutu Tented Camp

Ania and Thomas spent the next three days (over Christmas) at the Lemala Ndutu Tented Camp, located at the edge of a permanent marsh in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Here, they enjoyed full-day game drives, exploring the Ndutu region, notoriously known as the base for the great wildebeest migration during calving season, a period where the migratory wildlife give birth to their offspring – attracting hungry predators such as lion, leopard and cheetah looking to pounce on the vulnerable calves!

Day 8 & 9: The Lemala Ewanjan Tented Camp

Ania and Thomas rang in 2015 at the Lemala Ewanjan Tented Camp situated within the game-rich Seronera Valley, located in a secluded part of Central Serengeti.

The full-day game drives continued here, this time exploring the Rock Kopjes, where they saw some of the big cat families. Cheetah and lion use these giant rock outcrops as observation posts, looking out for a possible meal.

Day 10: Gibbs Farm

Kicking off New Year, the couple left on an early morning departure from the Lemala Ewanjan Tented Camp on a safari drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area towards Gibbs Farm, which overlooks the centuries-old Great Rift Valley and Ngorongoro Forest, for a late lunch.

Ania and Thomas spent the rest of the day relaxing, enjoying the different farm activities and the lush gardens.

Day 11 & 12: The Arusha Coffee Lodge

The couple had a quick breakfast at Gibbs Farm before heading back to Arusha, the place where their safari started.

The Arusha Coffee Lodge was Thomas and Ania’s home for the final few days of their trip, but there was still time to experience the sights and sounds of Arusha town, before heading back to Kilimanjaro Airport to catch their connecting flight back home.