With Elewana Collection’s seven-night SkySafari package, luxury isn’t just posh lodges and high-end service; the team makes it possible to fully relax, let go, and forget any to-do lists thanks to an eight-day trip across three national parks: Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. The journey begins upon your arrival at the Arusha airport, when a chauffeur from the lodge picks you up, and remains by your side until the very last wave goodbye at the airstrip within the Serengeti.
There isn’t a single moment when you’ll need to worry about luggage, bottles of water, tickets for the parks or airplane transfers. The schedule is adaptable and offers options for those who would prefer to spend some of the time relaxing at the lodges instead of constantly being on the go. Otherwise, the full agenda is a balanced course of activities, including game safaris, a visit to a Maasai village, (guarded) walks through the bush, a game drive at night, luxury glamping and a few surprises along the way.
Elewana Collections’ properties consist of a variety of unique settings. Stylish lodges boast rich furniture made of rare and genuine materials, en-suite bathrooms with free-standing bathtubs or twin showers, fireplaces, swimming pools, private decks and professional chef-prepared food. Rare in the bush, every lodge provides 24-hour electricity, hot water and Wi-Fi. The highly attentive staff (including your own personal butler) is always ahead of your needs. And after a day in the wild, the staff back at the lodges will meet your car with aromatic hot towels in hand.
At the start of the trip, you’ll arrive at the Arusha Coffee lodge, which offers a little calm before venturing into the bush. Then you take your first plane to the Treetops at the Tarangire, in the Maasai territory, which is all about the savanna, baobabs and Maasai culture. The most original lodge of the collection, Treetops is built around a huge baobab trunk and is exposed to its surroundings. Here you sleep in an individual tree house hut perched on stilts in the forest, and at night the sounds of the wild and unnamed animals make for an exciting part of the safari experience.
The Manor at the Ngorongoro Crater, located in the Shangri-La coffee farm, recalls the Dutch landlords of the 17th century. In addition to the elegant main building in Cape Dutch architectural style, which offers a billiard room and a cinema theatre, each suite consists of a white cottage set on a lush lawn. Horses are available for rides across the estate to discover the surrounding highlands, and a private vegetable patch guarantees fresh food from the garden. In the evenings upon your return, a lavender-infused bath is drawn.
The Serengeti pioneer camp will send the visitor back in the 1930s when safaris were adventurous expeditions. The tented camp, a replica of the mobile camps of that time, makes it feel like you’re part of the “Tintin in Congo” experience. At night, after an outdoor dinner by a fireplace lighted by lamps, you’ll hear sound of hyenas in the distance while comfortably snuggled in bed.
While exploring the area, it can feels as though you’ve landed in a prehistoric time where nature seems untouched and eternal. No picture can give you an idea of the graciousness of the impala’s jumps, the wavy run of the giraffes or the elephants’ slowly flapping ears. African Christmas trees (a type of Acacia), “sausage” trees, candelabras and those brimming with big round nests at the end of their branches give a magic touch to the scenery. At night the sky is so clear, that you feel as if you could easily reach out and touch the Milky Way.
Certified guides expertly drive you through the bush, while providing a plethora of information and explanations about the wildlife before you. Travelers will also enjoy fabulous picnic lunches or breakfasts in sumptuous locations. An evening sundowner in the bush is an experience you’ll never forget.
The SkySafari’s private, executive-class Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, with its comfortable leather swivel seats, lends an aerial perspective on the land, but also makes it possible to visit Tanzania’s iconic parks within such a short amount of time. Each park offers a surprisingly varied landscape, atmosphere, topography and a host different species.
The Tarangire National Park, a savanna with baobabs, acacias, ebony wood and red earth (said to be setting for The Lion King movie), is the territory of elephants, and fondly referred to as Elephant City. The topography of the Ngorongoro Crater, a World Heritage Site, is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world. It hosts hundreds of flamingos, lions, hippos, white storks and various types of antelopes are among the diverse animals sharing the place protected within the rim. Lake Manyara offers a different landscape, sheltering hippos and birds in its lush areas where water lilies and papyrus grow.
At the Serengeti, witnessing the famous Great Migration is the stunning finale to the savanna experience. Thousands of wildebeests and zebras converge in huge herds searching for water. As the biggest Tanzanian park, the Serengeti (a Maasai word for “as far as eyes can see”) is also a territory for all kinds of cats and hyenas.
Because every detail has been considered, the only thing to do is sit back in your Land Rover, focus your binoculars on the stunning landscape ahead and let the beauty of the Africa take over.
