Tanzania!

June 17-July 2, 2012

View the 2012 itinerary
How to register
Download the 2012 brochure (pdf)

 

 

Join your trusted travel friends at UW’s Division of Continuing Studies for a journey to one of the most amazing places left on earth: Tanzania!

With like-minded learners you’ll spend two weeks in this fascinating country learning about its people, discovering its cultural secrets, and marveling at the majesty of the landscape and the sheer numbers of creatures that inhabit this magnificent land.

Your African safari begins when you step off the plane and load into your 4-wheel drive vehicle for the short trip to Serena Mountain Village in the foothills of the great Kilimanjaro where you will spend your first two nights. Sleep late on your first morning in this lush highland region before your afternoon game drive in Arusha National Park, followed by a canoe safari on Momela Lake.

On your third day in Africa you travel to the stupendous Tarangire National Park. The greatest concentration of wildlife outside of the Serengeti, Tarangire is full of elephant herds, mammals and predators all in search of the water that can be found in the Tarangire River. You’ll enjoy two days of game drives in this unique and rugged landscape.

Next is a short trip overland to the alkaline Lake Manyara National Park for an extraordinary day of animal and bird watching in one of the planet’s richest habitats for this pursuit. Manyara NP contains hippos, lions, giraffe and wildebeest which accent the thousands of pink flamingos and hundreds of other birds that make this environment so special.

Then you’re off to nearby Lake Eyasi for a full-day of Tanzanian culture as you visit the Hadzabe tribe and learn about their hunting techniques, traditional art forms and their way of living in this challenging environment.

The next four nights will surely stay with you forever. Enter the vast and incomparable Serengeti National Park and make your way to your private mobile camp, set away from the tourist crowds out in the African bush, for four full days on safari in this most spectacular of Tanzania’s parks. Predator vs. prey action; a million wildebeest on migration; 200,000 zebra; 300,000 gazelle; numerous prides of lion; 500 species of bird and countless other forms of life–and you–will share the mesmerizing Serengeti Plain. You’ll take exhilarating game drives by day and relax by the campfire at night. In short: a genuine African bush experience will be yours.

Your African adventure concludes when you leave the Serengeti and visit the famous Olduvai Gorge on your way to one of Africa’s most impressive natural wonders: the stunning Ngorongoro Crater. Teeming with wildlife, you will spend an entire day following game on the crater’s floor in addition to a walking safari on the crater’s rim. Lodged for three nights in the lovely and relaxing Ngorongoro Farmhouse, you’ll have a chance to explore the working organic farm and coffee plantation before you fly home with a lifetime of memories of this country’s land, her people, and its extraordinary abundance of life.

Educational highlights

This trip provides a rare opportunity to immerse yourselfin and to learn about the wildlife and culture of Africa and Tanzania. This is a first-hand experience. You'll visit the Hadzabe tribe and learn about their hunting techniques and traditional art forms. You'll also visit a Maasai village and receive an intimate tour of a working farm. This experience, plus the insights from our hosts and guides will make this educational adventure truly the trip of a lifetime.

Itinerary

June 17
Depart the USA bound for Tanzania

June 18
Arrive at Kilimanjaro airport and transfer to Serena Mountain Village for dinner and overnight.

June 19 - Arusha National Park
Rest this morning and enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the lodge. Afterwards you’ll receive a pre-safari briefing before driving to Arusha National Park where you can expect to see zebras, giraffes, elephants, hyenas and more. You’ll then have a picnic lunch by Momela Lake before setting out on your canoe safari on the lake.

June 20-21 - Tarangire National Park
The spectacular Tarangire National Park has the largest herds of elephant on earth, countless baobab trees and the rugged landscape that you imagine when you think ‘Africa’.

June 22 - Manyara National Park
This morning you travel west to the lovely Kirurumu Lodge and an afternoon game drive in the park where you will see lions, hippos, flamingos and other wildlife living in this austere Rift Valley environment.

June 23 - Lake Eyasi
Today is a full-day excursion to the starkly beautiful Lake Eyasi with cultural visits to the villages of the Hadzabe people to learn about their way of life.

June 24-27 - Serengeti National Park
Your next four nights will be spent at a bush camp in the incomparable Serengeti National Park. From your prime location on the plain you will be right in the middle of the action for game drives, following the wildebeest migration, and having an intimate experience in the wilds of Africa.

June 28-30 - Ngorongoro Crater and Highlands
Leaving the Serengeti you will visit Olduvai Gorge before arriving at the lovely Ngorongoro Farmhouse. After a restful day off during which you may choose to explore the village and working farm, relax around the lodge, or take an optional walking safari, you’ll be ready the next morning as you set out for one on the most impressive geologic and environmental sites in Africa: Ngorongoro Crater. You’ll spend an entire day on the floor of the crater following the herds, tracking animals, and marveling at the beauty of this unique and exhilarating environment.

July 1
Today you say goodbye to Africa…until the next time…

July 2
Arrive in USA

Important information

Everyone is welcome to join us. We respectfully request that you honestly evaluate your physical condition and your ability to travel comfortably in a developing nation. Tanzania is a little behind the curve regarding travelers with serious mobility challenges. All accommodations are very nice and comfortable, but some foods may be unfamiliar, hot water may be sporadic, the night sounds will be genuine, and you will almost certainly be outside of your comfort zone at some point in time. It will be an exhilarating and fun journey but we wouldn’t want you to be unhappy, so please understand that the realities of travel in Africa are unique.

All transfers will be in 4-wheel drive vehicles with driver/guides. No vehicle will contain more than 4 travelers so everyone will have a window seat and plenty of room in the roof-top opening for game viewing. We have tried to minimize long travel distances, but some driving on bumpy and dusty roads will occur. However, the scenery is awesome and the rewards at your destination are worth the effort.

You will stay in small lodges throughout, with the exception of the mobile camp in the Serengeti which consists of very large tents with real beds. You will receive first-class service, but it is not the most expensive high-end luxury camp on the continent. It is, however, a real safari camp in the African bush providing extraordinary access to the wildlife, attentive service, and delicious meals under vast blue skies. Evenings will be spent around a campfire with your travel companions, sharing stories of the day’s events, and listening to the night sounds under Africa’s stunning star-filled night. Don’t miss this trip.

Travel Insurance

University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies expects all participants on our international travel programs to obtain travel Insurance to cover medical emergency, medical evacuation, repatriation, trip cancellation, etc. You may obtain travel insurance from your own insurance provider, travel agents and/or online. A good place to begin an online search is Squaremouth.com which allows you to see many different policies from many different travel insurance companies.

Fee details

The all-inclusive price of the trip is $7399. This price included everything: your roundtrip international airfare, all lodging, all meals, all park fees, all transfers, guides, gratuities and services. Price is based upon double occupancy; single supplement was $912 extra. Personal tips and drinks are extra, as is your visa and any airport departure taxes.

How to register

Download the registration form or contact Kim Seymour at 608-262-3731 or kseymour@dcs.wisc.edu to reserve your place for Tanzania!

Location/accommodations description

Serena Mountain Village 2 nights

Tarangire Safari Lodge 2 nights

Kirurumu Lodge 2 nights

Serengeti Medium Camp 4 nights

Ngorongoro Farmhouse Lodge 3 nights

Traveler comments about previous trips

“This trip represents a true implementation of a land grant university’s outreach mission.  I am so appreciative of the fact that we live 20 miles from the UW and can benefit.  The UW tour allowed us to access and experience a whole new world which was truly life-changing.  Meeting the people of Tanzania, learning about their culture and their challenges, seeing the wildlife and learning about the ecology and environment was a profound experience.  Our global awareness as citizens of the world was increased times 10!  Times 100!!”

"Going on this safari was part of my continuous ‘life learning.’  Our guides were incredible and answered all our questions.  I learned a lot about the animals that I had never seen in the wild, and also learned a lot about the Tanzanian culture."

“The guides gave us as much information about what we saw and heard as we could ask for and absorb!  Terrific.”

“I was surprised at how much information we were given.  I found myself being interested in things that have never interested me before.”

“I experienced something new every day.  It was amazing meeting other people who live so differently from us.”

“Guides were well versed in the local flora and fauna – that added to the educational benefits.”

“Extremely educational in Tanzania culture seeing/visiting the tribes, some large and small cities, talking to/hearing from our knowledgeable guides and others we met.  Also learned about the plants and animals and ecology of the area.  I know that I am very lucky to be able to learn in such an enjoyable way – travel.”

“I thought the guides were superb. Knowledgeable, gracious, friendly. They were a highlight of the trip for me…”

“Not only did we enjoy this trip, we felt changed by it–and isn’t that what education is all about?...”

Your travel director

Doug Whittle, UW-Madison director of educational travel, has led programs to Amsterdam, St. Petersburg, Paris, and New York City. He's traveled independently in Asia, Africa, Europe, and throughout Central and North America. Doug also served for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire. Before coming to UW-Madison, he spent a decade as professor of painting and printmaking at Converse College in South Carolina. His paintings and prints have appeared in museums and galleries from Richmond, Virginia to Krakow, Poland.

Contact information

For information contact Doug Whittle, 608-263-7787, dwhittle@dcs.wisc.edu, or Kim Seymour, 608 262-3731.