Tanzania's wildlife utopias

After a hearty breakfast, you should feel raring to explore the mighty Serengeti. Traverse the vast plains in search of elephants in the wild, an exciting emotional experience. Your ranger is an expert in the field of animal tracking, so you have more chance of getting up close and personal with these majestic creatures ambling along in their herds. Break the day up with a picnic lunch. In the evening you can return to camp for sundowners on the viewing deck.

Spend the whole day exploring the Serengeti’s unbeatable wildlife. Request a bush breakfast so you can enjoy the sounds of the awakening wilderness. Head out into the horizon scanning the grassland for hopping gazelles, herds of zebra and lions dozing in the shade of the acacia trees. From January to February, you can feast your eyes on a natural spectacle of nearly two million wildebeest thundering through the land. After watching the drama unfold, return to camp for dinner under the stars.

Today you journey to the lost world of Rubondo Island, situated in a south-western corner of Lake Victoria. Your camp is the only one on the jungle-clad island – Africa’s largest. You’ll feel worlds away in this lesser-visited gem. It’s a tropical paradise that couldn’t be further from the Serengeti’s dusty plains. Enjoy wildlife encounters among Jurassic-like flora – orchids, date palms and papyrus swamps – and then relax on the sandy beach by the log-wood fire.

Your guide today will help you discover the island’s thriving population of chimpanzees. The now-wild chimps were relocated from European zoos in the 1960s in four cohorts. As you trek among the sub-tropical scenery, learn about the history and the ongoing habituation process. You may also spot exotic resident wildlife such as the sitatunga, spotted-necked otter and African grey parrots. Reach your destination and you’ll encounter chimps undisturbed, foraging for fruit, building nests or playing the greenery.

While yesterday was dedicated to chimp trekking, today you can search for Rubondo’s faced elephants that roam free in the evergreen forest. Head towards the lush swamps where you may also spot fat hippos and crocodiles surfacing the water. Originally brought to the island to help create natural paths and trails, today you can see these magnificent gentle elephants in the wild, drinking at the water’s edge and huddling under the shady trees.