 Images by Karen Ruggles '08. All areas shown are in itinerary.
| Photo Safari to Africa for Parents and AlumniParents and alumni have regularly asked Donna Krivoski, director of parents programs, if they can go along with students and faculty on the interim session study abroad courses. Well, here’s your chance to study abroad without the exams. A special photo safari for parents and alumni to Kenya and Tanzania will be led by Roger Ruggles, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. He has previously led student trips to Africa and is currently conducting research sponsored by the National Science Foundation in Uganda on wetlands issues. |
 Itinerary Hotels National Parks Health Information Travel Information Costs Registration Form (pdf) Questions |
The tour will depart June 18, returning July 1. The two-week trip will feature visits to Serengeti National Park, Amboseli National Park by Mt. Kilimanjaro, Olduvai Gorge, Aberdare National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and other wildlife viewing areas. Students 17 and older are welcome to accompany parents.
Space is limited; please register early. For more information, contact Donna Krivoski, (610) 330-5048. krivoskd@lafayette.edu, or East Coast Touring 1-800-943-0071 or (610) 252-7774 |
Safari Program Includes:
Visas for Kenya and Tanzania Purchase of a passport Travel and personal accident insurance Necessary immunizations Personal expenses such as telephone calls, beverages, email Additional airfare to meet group in Newark Meals on flight days Lafayette College is offering this tour to those 17 years old and above. Although most roads are paved, safari roads may be bumpy and somewhat adventurous. |
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BB=Breakfast Buffet L= Lunch D = Dinner
Departure June 18th Newark to Africa
Your KLM evening flight connects through Amsterdam en route to Nairobi, Kenya. You will surely enjoy the wonderful in-flight meals and entertainment that has made KLM a favorite of the well traveled.
Day 1 June 19th Arrive Nairobi
We arrive in Kenya at Jomo Kenyatta Airport at 8:45 p.m. on June 19. We will be met by VINTAGE AFRICA, our tour company
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Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel
Day 2 June 20th Aberdare National Park
After breakfast, drive to the Aberdares, a beautiful mountain range in the central highlands of Kenya. Lunch will be at Aberdares Country Club. This afternoon you will be transferred to “The Ark,” your treetop hotel, for dinner and an evening of animal viewing right from your hotel. (BB,L,D)
Hotel: The Ark
Day 3 June 21st Lake Nakuru National Park
Drive via Nyahuru to Lake Nakuru National Park, famous as the home to thousands of Greater and Lesser Flamingos. The park also provides a sanctuary for Rothschild giraffe, rhino, and leopard. Lunch is included at our lodge before we embark on a late afternoon game drive. Dinner is included at our lodge this evening. (BB,L,D)
Hotel: Lake Nakuru Lodge
Day 4 June 22nd Lake Nakuru National Park
After breakfast at our hotel, we will enjoy early morning and afternoon game drives. Take some time to enjoy Lake Nakuru Lodge. The lodge has commanding views of the lake and both the Lesser and Greater flamingos. Lush gardens surround the lodge. The lodge offers plenty of activities as well as evening entertainment. The Mama Nikki Bar, the shimmering blue pool, and the cocktail bar are particularly inviting after a day of game viewing. (BB,L,D)
Hotel: Lake Nakuru Lodge
Day 5 June 23rd Nairobi
After an early breakfast at the lodge, we will depart for Nairobi, Kenya's colorful capital city. We will be dropped at our hotel and lunch today
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Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel
Day 6 June 24th Amboseli National Park
After breakfast at our hotel, we will depart for Amboseli National Park. Amboseli lies immediately northwest of Mt. Kilimanjaro on the border with Tanzania. Amboseli was established as a reserve in 1968 and created a National Park in 1974. We will arrive in time for lunch at our hotel before we depart on our afternoon game drive. Dinner this evening is at our hotel. Afterwards, join your friends around the Lodge's outdoor fireplace and tell your stories of today's wildlife tour. (BB,L,D)
Hotel: Amboseli Serena Lodge
Day 7 June 25th Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After an early breakfast, we depart for Namanga with a short game drive en route. At the border town of Namanga you will go through the customs and immigration formalities. We will meet our Tanzanian driver and depart for Arusha. Upon arrival we will enjoy lunch at the New Arusha Hotel. We will then continue on to Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Dinner is included tonight in our hotel dinning room. (BB,L,D)
Hotel: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 8 June 26th Ngorongoro Conservation Area
After breakfast at our lodge we will embark on an all-day safari in the Ngorongoro Crater. This area is regarded as the eighth wonder of the world. Granted the status as a World Heritage Site in 1978 and an international Biosphere Reserve in 1981, it is one of the most diverse and fascinating areas of Tanzania. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is home of Ngorongoro Crater. It was formed some 2.5 million years ago from a volcanic mountain sinking due to inactivity, and was initially thought to be higher than Tanzania's famous Kilimanjaro. The crater has evolved into a unique and integral part of Tanzania's eco-system. Views from within and from the rim are breathtaking. The crater houses upwards of 30,000 animals, and a large variety of birds, which rarely move from the area due to the availability of water through wet and dry seasons. Lunch is picnic style on the crater floor. We will return to the lodge as the sun sets on this unique area.
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Hotel: Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Day 9 June 27th Serengeti National Park
After breakfast at our hotel we will travel to the Olduvai Gorge. Olduvai Gorge, or more precisely Oldupai Gorge, is where many of the world's most important archaeological finds have been made. The gorge is en route to the Serengeti from Ngorongoro. The road passes through a spectacular mix of savannah grassland and volcanic hills where red-robed Masai graze their cattle, before it drops steeply down into the gorge itself. This is where in 1979 Mary and Louis Leakey unearthed the remains and footsteps of a 2-million-year-old man. Our next stop will take you to a Masai village. During our stop in a village, we have a unique opportunity to see how these pastoral herders live as they have for centuries. You'll see how the houses are constructed, how the hierarchy of a village is set, and perhaps young women and men will demonstrate a dance for us. You also have an opportunity to bargain for crafts made by the villagers. We will arrive in the Serengeti National Park and check into the Serengeti Serena Lodge in time for dinner. (BB,L,D)
Hotel: Serengeti Serena Lodge
Day 10 June 28th Serengeti National Park
All day spent in the Serengeti, with early morning, late morning, and afternoon game drives. All meals at Serengeti Serena Lodge. This afternoon if you choose you can relax at the beautiful pool at our lodge. (BB,L,D)
Hotel: Serengeti Serena Lodge
Day 11 June 29th Lake Manyara
After breakfast drive back to Lake Manyara National Park. Lake Manyara and the National Park display awesome bio-diversity. The park is famous for Acacia Tortilis tree-climbing lions. Other animals frequently seen are leopards (also on trees), zebras, impalas, baboons, monkeys, wildebeests, giraffes, buffalos, and elephants. Hippos can be seen either basking or submerged in the hippo pools near the forest. Lunch is included at the lodge. We will enjoy an afternoon game drive or you can choose to relax at the beautiful pool located at our hotel. (BB,L,D)
Hotel: Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
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Day 12 June 30th Depart for Home
After breakfast today we will drive to Arusha. Upon arrival we will have time to visit the African Cultural Center, one of the best curio and souvenir shops in Africa. Here you can purchase many items from a rare tanzanite ring, ebony carvings or even a Masai ceremonial spear. We will then check into our day room at the Arusha Hotel where you can relax and freshen up before your flight home. This evening as we fly home we will have time to reflect on our adventures during our photo safari to Kenya and Tanzania. (BB)
Day 13 July 1st Return Home
We will arrive home this morning at Newark Airport.
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What is travel like in Africa? Hotels: East Coast Touring is proud to use some of Africa's finest lodging establishments. The specific lodges we have selected for this tour are superior first class or first class. The Ark is a treetop hotel overlooking a watering hole for a unique game viewing experience. Breakfasts: Breakfasts are a hearty meals, usually buffet style, which include breads, fruit, cheese, eggs, omelets and other delicious items. Lunches: Lunches are full hot meals except for the picnic lunch in Ngorongoro Crater. Dinners: Our hotels serve three-course dinners either tableside or buffet with cooked-to-order items such as fish, pasta, beef, and local indigenous specialties.
The Safari Experience
The Road Less Traveled |
National Parks
Aberdare National Park
Probably the highest national park in the world, Aberdare is all above 7,000 feet. The habitat of the Aberdare Mountains, like that of Mount Kenya, which is on the other side of the Laikipia Plains, ranges from forest and thick bamboo to open moorland. Breathtaking waterfalls, brightly colored birds, soaring raptors, a fascinating and diverse plant world and gorgeous scenery make this national park both lovely and intriguing.
This is the area for those who are keen to fish. The trout here were introduced in 1906 and the fishing, in rivers such as the Naro Moru, the Thego and the Chania, is renowned. The Aberdares are also remembered as the guerilla base of Kenyan heroes during their war for independence from the British. Established as a national park in 1950, Aberdare lies around two high peaks, Kinangop and Lesatima, with almost 50 kilometers of high moors stretching mistily between them.
The scenery here is stunning and the waterfalls particularly dramatic -- the Gura Falls plunge and foam down the side of a 1,500-foot rock face. Some of the indigenous wildlife in the Aberdares is equally as stunning. Melanistic black leopard, serval and genet can be found here, but are both shy and rare. Large numbers of buffalo, a few rhino, elephant, Colubus monkeys, bush pig, and wart hog may be found in the forests. It is said that the elephant still remember the bombing raids by the British during the war for independence, and are thus extremely suspicious of mankind. The birding is excellent. Brightly colored parrots, francolin, the strutting secretary bird and green ibis are among the species here. Sunbirds enjoy the open moors and raptors such as the rufous sparrowhawk, goshawk, buzzards, and the crowned eagle scour the moors for prey.
The Aberdares even has a Hollywood connection. This is where the film "Gorillas in the Mist," starring Sigourney Weaver, was made. The renowned naturalist studied the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and was murdered there. Perhaps even more famously, although rather longer ago, it was to Treetops, that the news of her father's death, and her accession to the throne, was brought to the then Princess Elizabeth.
Lake Nakuru National Park
Originally declared a national park because of a superbly diverse bird population, which includes many migrants, the park is also a favorite place for travelers to seek the rare black rhino. However, it is for the flamingos that the lake is best known, and it was for their protection that the park was originally created. The level of the blue-green alkaline waters here varies and this, with other accompanying environmental changes, causes considerable variation in the flamingo population, but when they are present, en masse, the whole lake turns a gorgeous rosy pink.
Although protection of the flamingo population on the lake was the original rationale for the inception of the national park, further land was included in the early '70s and it is now about 190 square meters. This expansion, which took in a large grassland area, has allowed the park to protect further species. Buffalo, zebra, antelope, and both lion and leopard are to be found. The rather less ubiquitous reedbuck and waterbuck are also here as is the glamorously leggy Rothschild giraffe. Temptingly, the black rhino breeding program, started in the late '80s, has proved successful and this is an excellent place to view them.
Lake Nakuru is a small national park. There is no need to stay in the area in order to see all that is to be seen. A good day trip may be enough and these can easily be organized from the Lake Naivasha area.
Amboseli National Park
Arid looking as Amboseli is, it has, historically, supported both game and the Masai that kept their herds of cattle here. It is thanks to the waters that run off Africa's greatest mountain that the apparently dry Amboseli, Kenya's first game sanctuary, is able to support its wildlife. Mount Kilimanjaro broods high over Amboseli, generally cloaked by clouds but appearing in all its snow-shrouded magnificence from time to time. Kilimanjaro was once part of Kenya, but on the marriage of Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany Queen Victoria gifted it to her beloved grandson, whose colony Tanzania then was, as the perfect wedding present. The mountain now provides water for the park, wonderful views and, of course, the most glorious background for animal photography.
There has been serious erosion in the park. Elephant feeding habits combined with light soil have made serious inroads in the Amboseli vegetation. Nonetheless, there are still high numbers of the elephant for which the park is famous, and it is here that much research has been done on the largest land mammal. Indeed, a cursory examination will show that humankind is not the only animal to destroy its own environment.
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About Vintage Africa East Coast Touring Company and Lafayette College have chosen Vintage Africa to handle your tour in Africa. Vintage Africa says: For our clients the whole holiday is a profoundly satisfying journey of discovery. We offer a wide range of holidays to some of the most outstandingly beautiful and fascinating places on earth. Travel is our business and we ensure a quality of product and service that is second to none. The Vintage group has years of experience within Africa. Here's what one guest had to say…."This was no ordinary tour! It was arranged perfectly.…every animal, flower and historic site was brought to our attention by our knowledgeable guides… and those lodges and meals made this an adventure without the adventure!”...Don't miss your opportunity to visit Africa! |
The grasslands in the park can be undeniably lovely when made verdant by the rains and the three major swamps could star in a dinosaur movie. The swamps on the east of the park attract wildebeest, zebra and antelope with the predators that live off them, chiefly lion which tend to be easy to view here. In the south, Enkongo Narok swamp attracts hippos to the larger pools and plenty of buffalo, buck and teeming birdlife including the jacanas that pick their way elegantly and carefully. Giraffe are here and in areas still sufficiently treed there are leopard. Cheetah, caracal and civet may be seen.
In the west of the park lies Lake Amboseli, a seasonal soda lake, sometimes with flamingos. Amboseli is a fabulous place to visit. The overwhelmingly lovely views and good wildlife sightings are too good to miss.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
In the Great Rift Valley, that great schism in the earth's crust, lies the wonderful Ngorongoro Crater, one of the wonders of the natural world. It is an extinct volcano that collapsed in on itself around 25 million years ago thus forming a vast super bowl where the largest permanent concentration of African game is on display.
The central bowl, the caldera, has sides roughly 1,950 feet high and a flattish centre with a diameter of about ten miles. The views from the top of the crater wall are absolutely breathtaking. The crater walls are forested but four-wheel-drive vehicles will take you down into this primeval paradise of woodland, lake, river, swamp, and plain that shelters around 20,000 animals. Many of these are the large grazing animals such as wildebeest, buffalo, gazelle and zebra that depend on the open grasslands in the crater. These attract the attendant predators, the black-maned lion, the leopard, and hyena. The elephant found within the caldera tend to be the lone males who have left the herds in the forested crater rim.
When the water stocks are low elsewhere the animals within this micro-world turn to the swamps for fresh water and food. Elephants feed on the giant sedges and hippo wallow in the pools. The Fever Tree forests shelter monkeys, bushbuck, and waterbuck and the few black rhino that have taken refuge here. A soda lake, fed by the Munge River attracts water birds, including flamingos and is a favorite place for predators to make their kill. Wildly beautiful as it is, it is not surprising that Ngorongoro Crater has been called a Garden of Eden.
The conservation area also encompasses several other volcanoes, one of which, Oldonyo Lengai, is still live. You may struggle to the top, if you wish, to gaze into its open and sulphurous maw but many prefer to admire from afar. One of the most fascinating attractions in the area is the Olduvai Gorge, where an old river has carved away the rock to expose layer upon layer of volcanic soil. This is where Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey found the remains of hominids "Nutcracker Man" and "Toolmaking Man". The "Cradle of Mankind" now has a visitor center where you may hear a short lecture on the work of the Leakeys and their successors and a small museum where you may see some of their finds, including a giant giraffe--it is hard to believe that they were once even taller!
Serengeti National Park
George Adamson, co-raiser of Elsa the lioness, and husband of "Born Free" author Joy Adamson, visited the Serengeti in the early '60s and describes the experience in "Pride and Joy," his autobiography. At this time he considered it probably the greatest of all game reserves in Africa and one man was mainly responsible - Bernhardt Grzimek, director of Frankfurt Zoo. The Serengeti had suffered terribly from over-zealous hunting in the 1930s and from large-scale killing of game during the war. Grzimek applied himself to the tensions between Masai need for grazing and the indigenous wildlife. He and his son carried out a massive survey, using planes to quantify the game, and identifying and logging the plant life. He used his best-seller "Serengeti Shall Not Die" to raise funds and publicize the exercise. Thanks to the Grzimeks, and to John Owen who established a renowned scientific research establishment there, the Serengeti still has an amazing concentration of wildlife.
The 14,763 square kilometers of the Serengeti are probably most famous for being the southern end of the Great Migration. Every year over 1.5 million animals, mostly wildebeest but also zebra and Thompson's gazelle, follow their instincts and move through the western corridor on their 1,000-kilometer journey to the fresh grazing of the Masai Mara. Predators pick off the weak, the laggardly, and the young, and crocodiles feast as the vast herd crosses the rivers but the animals continue their trek, as they have done since time immemorial. This is one of the earth's great sights--but it is by no means all the Serengeti has to offer.
The vast, flat, central plains, made fertile by the ashes of the nine volcanoes of the Ngorongoro highlands, are places of huge skies, of shimmering heat hazes, yet also of delicate wild flowers blooming after the rains. The savannah, sprinkled with Acacia Tortilis, has majestic termite mounds and rock formations called kopjes that make great vantage points for predators. The lion are abundant, the leopard are plentiful (yet still secretive) and black rhino and cheetah both breed here. There are more than 500 species of bird and, interestingly, 100 sub-species of dung beetle--a sign of a varied animal population. Ndutu, in the south, has small lakes where you may see hippo and water birds. Perhaps one of the best ways to see the Serengeti is a hot air balloon ride when, in the cool of the early morning, you may admire the grandeur, the vastness and the stunning landscape.
Health InformationRequired Vaccines:Hepatitis Yellow Fever Tetanus Booster (if needed) Recommended: A or immune globulin (IG) Malarone: This is a pill for malaria. You will need 22 pills. Take one the day before you depart. Take one everyday of the tour and then take one for the next seven days after your return home. Levaquin: An anti-diarrhea medication that you take if you need it.
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Travel InformationPassport: A valid passport is required and must have at least six months remaining from the trip return date.Visa Information for Kenya and Tanzania: All travelers must have a passport and visa. Make sure you plan far enough in advance for the processing of each country's visa. You will need a visa for both countries. A visa will take at least 10 working days to process; please allow enough time to apply and fill out forms completely.
Tanzania: www.tanzania-online.gov.
Traveling in Africa
For more information contact: 1-888-407-4747 |
Costs
Tour Price (Per Person)Lafayette College is limiting participation in this tour to travelers over 17 years of age.
Space is limited; reserve your spot today!
Single $4,695 Double $4,495
$500 deposit per person with reservation.
Final Payment: March 1, 2005
All checks are made payable to East Coast Touring Company. Additional payments can be made at any time.
Cancellation Policy
We strongly recommend Trip Cancellation Insurance. The policy below is if you DO NOT take the cancellation insurance.
| Before May 1 | Full Refund |
| After May 1 | 10% cancellation penalty |
| 45-25 days | 25% cancellation penalty |
| 24-15 days | 50% cancellation penalty |
| 14-7 days | 75% cancellation penalty |
| 7 days or less | 100% cancellation penalty |
Trip Cancellation Insurance Cost
| Single: $435 | Double: $385 per person |
Why Purchase Travel Protection?
Travel insurance protects your financial investment.
It provides refunds for the penalty amount for all covered cancellations.
It protects your monies in case of airline, supplier, or tour operator bankruptcy.
All pre-existing medical conditions are waived if insurance is purchased within 14 days of your first deposit.
Travel protection also covers costs for:
- Emergency evacuation
- Accidents
- Sicknesses
- Terrorism
- Trip interruption/delay
- Travel/baggage delay
- Lost baggage
East Coast Touring Company strongly urges you to protect your travel investment by purchasing the optional Worry Save protection plan. As members of the Travel Alliance Partners we are able to offer you this comprehensive coverage for a very affordable cost. Trip Assured, Inc., the plan administrator, is a leading company in travel insurance. This plan is one of the only travel protection plans that still offer bankruptcy protection.
September 11, 2001 was directly responsible for hundreds of unforeseen cancellations. Every passenger who purchased the trip cancellation insurance was reimbursed in full for covered reasons. Those that didn't protect their investment suffered substantial cancellation penalties.
Questions
For more information, contact:Director, Parents Programs
307 Markle Hall
Lafayette College
Easton, PA 18042
(610) 330-5048
701 Uhler Road
Easton, PA 18040
1-800-943-0071 or (610) 252-7774
Eastcoasttours@rcn.com
Accommodations
Hotel Intercontinental NairobiThe popular Intercontinental is an ideal business and leisure hotel offering high international standards of service and accommodations that are the hallmark of all Intercontinental hotels worldwide. Overlooking the city, the Nairobi Uhuru Gardens and the Kenyan Parliament, it is only a 10-minute walk from the city center and 20 minutes from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The hotel offers tastefully decorated rooms, excellent restaurants, conference and meeting rooms, shops, swimming pool, a casino, and a host of other facilities.
The Ark
Set in the heart of the Aberdare National Park, this unique game lodge overlooks a floodlit waterhole and salt lick which attracts a host of wildlife: elephant; rhino; leopard; bushbuck, and occasionally an elusive bongo or giant forest hog.
Resembling, and named after, Noah's Ark, the Ark comprises three decks from which numerous balconies and lounges provide superb vantage points for game viewing. A ground level bunker provides excellent photographic opportunities and takes you closer than you would believe possible to the animals.
Comfortable en suite cabins are fitted with buzzers to announce the arrival of one of the "Big Five" at the water hole. Before embarking on the half-hour drive to The Ark, lunch is served at the charming Aberdare Country Club. Dinner and breakfast are served "on board."
Lake Nakuru Lodge
Lake Nakuru Lodge is situated in a wonderland which lies in the heart of one of Kenya’s most densely animal populated wetland National Parks (Ramsar site), only a leisurely two-hour drive from Nairobi, through beautiful forested uplands and passing a series of lakes. On the outskirts of the bustling market town of Nakuru lies a truly remarkable national park, which has achieved international fame. Both black and white rhino are being given a new lease on life in this 188-square-kilometer, fully fenced park, and they are carefully protected. The present rhino population is 53 and continuing to multiply. The Rothschild giraffe is another rarity and the park has its fair share of buffalo, leopard, wild dog, zebra, eland, waterbuck, and lion. Lake Nakuru Lodge is in the southeast ecological niche of the park, with commanding views of the lake and both the lesser and greater flamingos for which it is justly famous. Lush gardens surround the lodge and cottages. There is a good program of activities and evening entertainment. The Mama Nikki Bar, the shimmering blue pool and the cocktail bar are particularly inviting after a day's game viewing.
Amboseli Serena - Safari Lodge
In the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, beside acacia trees and a natural spring, amidst more big game than almost anywhere else in Africa, stands Amboseli Serena. Influenced by Masai Manyatta architecture, the lodge is in harmony with its environment. Guest rooms are appointed with genuine Africana. Unique guest services and exceptional amenities enhance the distinctive ambience.
Ngorongoro Serena Lodge
Ngorongoro Serena Lodge is perched on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater with exquisite views of the crater, one of the wonders of the natural world. Your first sighting of the crater will simply take your breath away.
The lodge is built of local stone and blends harmoniously into its surroundings. From here you will descend the wall of the crater for a most amazing game drive inside the crater. Glorious sunrises and sunsets, roaring log fires, and excellent food all form part of the renowned Serena experience.
Serengeti Serena Lodge
Perched high on a hill, the Serengeti Serena Lodge and its swimming pool command beautiful views of the surrounding Serengeti plains and hills. The stylish lodge and its rondovel 'huts', which house 66 elegantly furnished en-suite bedrooms, are built from local materials in traditional African village style and merge impeccably into the wilderness. Indigenous handicrafts and art adorn the walls of the rooms and the main building.
The lodge’s central position within the Serengeti Park means that game drives can be conducted all around without ever having to go too far to look for the animals. From here you can explore the rich and varied game life of the Serengeti ecosystem. The area boasts all the "big five": lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, and buffalo. Occasionally you may bump into lions resting in trees during the heat of the day when the flies mean business. The Serena offers a host of optional activities, such as wilderness meals and sundowners by the pool. In the evening, traditional dancers perform for the guests and a resident naturalist gives fascinating slide shows and talks.
Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
Lake Manyara Serena Lodge is located at the edge of the Mto Wa Mbu escarpment, overlooking the Great Rift Valley and the stunning Manyara soda lake. The views of the lake from this escarpment are simply breathtaking. Lake Manyara National Park is only 15 minutes drive down the escarpment. The park has long been known for its tree-climbing lions and the large elephant population, while ornithologists from around the world come to observe the masses of pink flamingos and great birds of prey around the lake which can also be seen from the lodge and its rooms.
Lake Manyara Serena Lodge is built in a traditional African architectural style, with graceful domed ceilings, swooping curves, geometric patterns and circular buildings that look like large African huts. Colorful murals adorn the walls.
Each of the 67 comfortable guest rooms - with en-suite bathroom facilities - at Manyara Serena Lodge has a private balcony with panoramic views of the Great Rift Valley and of Lake Manyara. The views from the simply yet elegantly decorated bedrooms are terrific, especially at sunrise. Sunset, however, is best viewed while downing a sundowner at the superbly located poolside, a welcome facility for those who want to cool off in the scorching afternoon heat. Meals at the lodge are eclectic and of a high standard. Full English breakfasts are a Serena specialty and worth every penny! The full-service lounge and bar serves fresh fruit juices, soft drinks, tea and coffee, cocktails, wines, spirits and liqueurs. The Manyara Serena is in an ideal place to stay for the Lake Manyara National Park.
