Tanzania Wildlife Safari: January 7-18, 2025
Photo by Andy Bale
Join us on a transformative wildlife safari through the heart of East Africa, the backdrop to the year-round migration of grazing herbivores that traverse the Serengeti Plains. Here, exploration is rewarded with insight, and every experience provides memories that resonate over a lifetime. With exceptional access to national parks and reserves, you'll witness spectacular wildlife, colorful local traditions, and endless, sun-drenched savannas of Tanzania during this epic 12-day journey.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Explore some of the most important parks and reserves in East Africa, including the legendary Serengeti—host at different times of the year to the Great Migration, the cyclical journey of 1.6 million herbivores on their quest for survival.
- Participate in up to 12 game drives accompanied by an Orbridge Expedition Leader and expert naturalist guides aboard safari-outfitted Land Cruisers.
- Spend a full day at Ngorongoro Crater—home to populations of lions, leopards, black rhinos, hyenas, wildebeests, buffaloes, elephants, and zebras.
- Reserve an optional hot-air balloon safari over the Serengeti at sunrise, including a champagne breakfast and game drive (additional fee).
ITINERARY:
Tuesday, Jan. 7: En route from U.S.
Wednesday, Jan. 8: Arrive in Arusha, Tanzania
Thursday, Jan. 9: Tarangire National Park, morning and afternoon game drives, bush lunch inside the park (B,L,D)
Friday, Jan. 10: Tarangire National Park, morning and afternoon game drives, bush lunch inside the park (B,L,D)
Saturday, Jan. 11: Ngorongoro Conservational Area, morning game drive, walk and lunch at Gibb’s Farm with hands-on experiences (B,L,D)
Sunday, Jan. 12: Ngorongoro Crater, full-day game drive (B,L,D)
Monday, Jan. 13: Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti National Park, Seronera Valley, morning and afternoon game drives (B,L,D)
Tuesday, Jan. 14: Olduvai Gorge, Serengeti National Park, Seronera Valley, morning and afternoon game drives (B,L,D)
Wednesday, Jan. 15: Western Serengeti, Grumeti, morning and afternoon game drives (B,L,D)
Thursday, Jan. 16: Western Serengeti, Grumeti, morning and afternoon game drives (B,L,D)
Friday, Jan. 17: Serengeti, flight to Arusha (included in price), depart for U.S. (B,L)
Saturday, Jan. 18: En route, arrive in U.S.
(Locations selected for this safari promise excellent viewing of wildlife, however, spotting specific wildlife cannot be guaranteed. Some activities are dependent on weather and seasonal conditions.)
View full details here
View video
Optional pre-tour to Rwanda – January 1-8, 2025 (Note: The deposit for this trip is non-refundable and non-transferable because the gorilla trek permit of $750 is purchased at the time of the reservation.)
Optional post-tour to Zanzibar – January 17-20, 2025
ACTIVITY LEVEL:
Moderate
Guests should be sure-footed and able to walk safely over uneven and slippery ground without assistance, transport luggage a short distance, get in and out of a 4x4 vehicle and physically tolerate vehicle motion on sometimes bumpy roads. The highest elevation for the main tour is 5,500 feet.
FACULTY:
Andrew Bale
Lecturer of Art & Art History, Dickinson College
Professor Bale’s passion for photography has taken him to four continents, where he’s worked with marginalized and indigenous communities and photographed the natural landscape.
His work has been collected and exhibited both nationally and internationally, including at The Field Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Espace Ecureuil (Toulouse, France) and The FX Gallery (Banska Bystrica, Slovakia). In 2008 Bale was invited to be an artist-in-residence at the Fondation Espace Ecureuil in Tolouse, France, and a guest-artist at Savannah College of Art and Design's Lacoste, France, campus.
In 2023 Bale was selected as one of nine artists to participate in Studio Verde’s Nashulai Maasai conservancy artist-in-residence program, where he worked closely with local Massai community members to help preserve ancestral knowledge. Bale’s current collaborative project, “Arrivals: What’s Left Behind, What Lies Ahead,” continues to draw international attention through exhibitions and film festivals across the U.S. and abroad.
Bale earned his B.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design and his M.F.A. from the University of Delaware. His work has been funded by grants from Dickinson College, Dickinson’s Center for Civic Learning & Action, the University of Delaware, National Geographic and the Engage Scholarship Consortium. More information about his work can be found at www.balephoto.com and www.idarrivals.org.
TOUR PRICING:
Double occupancy $7,995
Single occupancy $10,495
30-day refund guarantee
Reserve by June 28, 2024 to receive a Free Expedition Library
Deadline to register: October 1
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Andy Bale’s lectures and discussions
- 9 nights deluxe accommodations (each carefully selected to emphasize wildlife viewing and comfort) plus a day room on departure day
- 9 breakfasts, 9 lunches, and 8 dinners (including a special farewell Serengeti bush dinner)
- Expert naturalist guides throughout, including an Orbridge Expedition Leader
- Daily game drives in custom 4x4 Land Cruisers with roof hatch access and guaranteed window seating
- Coffee and tea with meals and filtered water while on game drives
- Internal flight from the Serengeti to Arusha
- All main program gratuities
- All taxes, service charges, and park fees
- Temporary membership in Flying Doctors Service
- Airport transfers for guests arriving and departing on the suggested flights
RESERVATIONS:
Orbridge
Reserve Online
Phone: 866-639-0079
View the Trip Spotlight webinar recorded on May 22, 2024 to learn more about the trip.
https://youtu.be/5pOqdeZUVC0