Tanzania Safari Adventure with Biologist Ken Clifton

January 30 - February 10, 2020

Led by Dr. Ken Clifton, professor of biology
Accompanied by Emily Decker ’85, Sr. Associate Director, Alumni and Parent Programs 

**THIS TRIP IS SOLD OUT. If you are interested in having your name placed on a waitlist, please email Emily Decker at emily@lclark.edu**

This trip combines unique cultural encounters with the ultimate safari experience. Offering a balanced blend of activities, locations, and accommodations, and capitalizing on a long-standing relationship with our student overseas study program partner, Dorobo Safaris, we have created a not-to-be-missed adventure.

Travelers will enjoy guided nature walks and hikes in Tarangire National park with local Maasai guides. Animal enthusiasts will be thrilled by world-class wildlife viewing in the Serengeti, Tarangire National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater. Culture lovers will be enriched by connecting with local Tanzanians during our visit to the Yaeda Valley. Our accommodations put you in the heart of the wilderness for four nights in rustic Doboro tent camps, two nights at the Flycatcher Lagarja Tented camp, and five nights in comfortable lodges. Alumni, parents, and friends, we hope you will join us for this once in a lifetime experience - there’s something for everyone!

Group Size

  • About 15-18 participants.

Highlights

  • World-class wildlife viewing in Tarangire National Park and the Serengeti.
  • Experience the 12‑mile wide Ngorongoro Crater. This World Heritage Site is a unique conservation area enclosed within a prehistoric caldera. A remarkable sanctuary for wildlife, it is home to the black rhinoceros, eland, gazelle, lion and over 500 species of birds.
  • Explore the Yaeda Valley - home to the Hadza hunter gatherer people; we’ll learn from them through natural history walks and conversation. This is a rare opportunity, made possible by our 20 year relationship with Dorobo Safaris.
  • Oldonyo Sambu conservation area - this is an area visited by our L&C student programs, and will provide travelers the opportunity to learn about local culture, history, and conservation efforts.
  • Learn about Tanzania’s natural history from L&C biologist and seasoned Tanzania traveler, Ken Clifton.
  • Southern Serengeti ecosystem - wildlife viewing in the short grass plains; we’ll be on the lookout for blue wildebeests, gazelles, and zebras. 
  • Travel in open-air Land Rovers with expert safari guides who will offer insight into Tanzania’s ecosystem as you traverse the landscape across a multitude of habitats.
  • Possible night drives to explore the nocturnal communities that emerge after sunset.
  • Spectacular stargazing in the southern sky.

Accommodations 

Meals

Price includes all meals from your arrival on January 30th until our departure on February 10th. Daily snacks will be provided as well.

Flights and Arrival
Participants select and book their own flights arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) by Thursday, January 30, 2020. Please plan to arrive no later than 9pm local time. Airport transfer to our lodging for the night will be provided. Please do not purchase non-refundable airfare until we have confirmed with you that your spot on the trip is secured. We will let you know this asap.

Passport and Visa

Please take a look at your passport now and make sure there is a blank visa page and that it is valid for more than 6 months from the program return date. A visa is required for U.S. citizens to enter Tanzania. Lewis & Clark will offer instructions on how to obtain this visa at the appropriate point prior to departure.

Need more information? 

The most complete information, itinerary details, and a list of trip inclusions and exclusions may be found at this link from our travel partner Dorobo Safaris. Additional information may be found at the links below. Please read ALL of this information carefully. After you’ve read through all of this information, if you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Emily Decker at emily@lclark.edu.

**THIS TRIP IS SOLD OUT. If you are interested in having your name placed on a waitlist, please email Emily Decker at emily@lclark.edu**

 

  

 

 

 

 

    

 




 

Meet Dr. Ken Clifton!

Dr. Ken Clifton has been teaching biology at Lewis & Clark for more than twenty years. He is a seasoned veteran of L&C study abroad programs and has led five semester-long programs to East Africa. Ken is an intrepid world traveler who has lived and studied outside the US for extended periods of time in far-flung places like Panama, Australia, Micronesia and East Africa. As a post-doctoral researcher, he and his wife, Lisa, maintained a tent camp in Kenya’s Maasai Mara for several years, an experience that forged an enduring love of the landscapes, animals, and people of the region. He looks forward to sharing his intimate knowledge of the sites we will visit, both in terms of the animals and plants we will encounter, but also with regard to the lessons that each location offers to visitors. Ken’s favorite place to be is outdoors. He is an accomplished birder, with nearly 1700 species on his life list, and also enjoys nature photography and fishing.

Ken’s expertise lies at the interface between animal behavior and ecology. He is particularly interested in how food availability and predation pressure shape the evolution of social behaviors. In addition to his years of studying East African habitats, Ken has spent many thousands of hours underwater and explored many of the planet’s coral reefs.  Perhaps around the campfire he will regale us with tales of how he became unexpectedly famous for discovering the sex lives of seaweeds! At L&C he teaches courses in Animal Behavior, Marine Biology, Vertebrate Zoology, and Introductory Ecology.