For rates, terms, and more, download the brochure.

Step out on foot in the Eastern Serengeti Nature Reserve, where expert guides lead you through open plains to track wildlife by footprint and scat, observe birds and insects up close, and come face-to-face with giraffes and antelope in their natural habitat. Experience the thrill of having no vehicle between you and the landscape—then return to camp as the bush stirs to life after dark.

Journey into the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, where grasslands, wetlands, and forests cradle one of Africa’s densest concentrations of wildlife—including the iconic Big Five. After a day of extraordinary sightings and a picnic beside a crater lake, retreat to Gibb’s Farm in the misty highlands for a farm-to-fork dinner and fireside reflection beneath the African sky.

“Nyumba” means home in Swahili—and these thoughtfully designed, seasonally rotating camps place you astonishingly close to Tanzania’s wildlife, with warthog and dik-dik tracks often visible just beyond your tent. Created exclusively for Thomson Safaris, each spacious canvas retreat pairs immersive wilderness proximity with generous Western-style comforts and chef-prepared meals that blend East African flavor with refined, guest-favorite flair.

"We relish the opportunity as tour leaders to share information with participants that helps them understand the underlying biology, ecology, geology, and behavior that contributes to what we are seeing/hearing/smelling in the community we are passing through." ~ Cole and Linda

Cornell scientists Cole Gilbert, Professor of Entomology and Linda Rayor, Senior Lecturer Emerita return to Tanzania with CAU, bringing decades of award-winning teaching, global field research, and an irrepressible curiosity about the natural world. Behavioral ecologists, master naturalists, and veteran CAU wildlife tour leaders, they don’t just identify what you’re seeing—they illuminate the biology, behavior, and ecological drama unfolding before you, whether it’s a cheetah teaching her cubs to hunt, elephants shifting across the plains, or the intricate lives of the often-overlooked insects and spiders at your feet. Expect early-morning birding, spontaneous trail-side discoveries, rich evening lectures, and the kind of infectious enthusiasm that transforms a safari into a life-changing field experience.

Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where you are met and transferred to the Gran Melia Lodge in Arusha. Settle in and enjoy a relaxed first evening in northern Tanzania.

Set at 4,500 feet on the southern slopes of Mount Meru, Arusha is a small, welcoming city surrounded by coffee plantations, banana groves, and villages. Enjoy a relaxed morning to explore independently or take in the views from your lodge. After lunch, you’ll meet your fellow alumni for a safari briefing that sets the stage for the journey ahead. This evening, join them for a family-style dinner—share laughs, swap Cornell stories, and toast to the start of an unforgettable safari adventure.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

A short scenic flight carries you from Arusha into the eastern Serengeti ecosystem, where vast open spaces replace city streets. After landing, meet your guides and receive an introduction to the Eastern Serengeti Nature Reserve, a private refuge exclusive to Thomson guests shaped by conservation partnerships and deep community ties. Settle into your Nyumba and enjoy lunch while overlooking the surrounding landscape. In the afternoon, spend time at your Nyumba camp as giraffes, warthogs, and zebras gather at the waterhole to drink, socialize, and move through the landscape. From the comfort of camp, you can observe these interactions up close, experiencing the rhythms of the Serengeti in an intimate way. Take an afternoon walk around the nature reserve to learn more about the flora and fauna of the ecosystem. You’ll come face-to-face with the friendly faces of giraffes, impala, and eland. On a walking safari, there’s no vehicle, no barrier between you and the animals, allowing you to get a freer, deeper connection to the Serengeti and its wildlife. Enjoy a family-style dinner and settle into your Nyumba as the bush comes alive with the sounds of wildlife at night.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Begin the day with a morning hike through the reserve, where you may come face to face with giraffes, track animals by their footprints and scat, and observe birds, insects, and small creatures up close. Later, visit the Enjipai Women’s Group to learn how tourism supports local livelihoods. After lunch at camp, hear stories passed down through generations from a Maasai storyteller and explore a traditional boma. Tonight, enjoy the rare opportunity of a night drive in search of nocturnal wildlife that few get to see, including aardvarks, bush babies, and genets, all under a vast, starlit sky.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Depart the eastern Serengeti and travel west toward Serengeti National Park, passing rugged hills, wooded gullies, and Maasai settlements along the way. Stop to visit a local school and a community development project through Thomson’s sister non-profit, FOTZC, gaining insight into daily life beyond the park boundaries. Once you arrive at the National Park, enjoy a boxed lunch in the bush before spending the afternoon on wildlife drives through the Serengeti’s iconic landscapes. The journey itself is a wildlife experience, following the Grumeti River and entering the park through its northeastern corridor, where the plains begin to open wide.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

The Serengeti is one of Africa’s most celebrated wildlife regions, known for its extraordinary biodiversity and opportunities to encounter the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. These animals earned their name not for size, but for the challenge they once posed to early hunters—today, they represent some of the most sought-after sightings on safari. Begin the day with morning wildlife viewing or rise before dawn for an optional balloon excursion that offers a sweeping aerial perspective of the plains. After lunch at your Nyumba, continue exploring different habitats within the park, from open grasslands to acacia-dotted corridors. Back at camp, your group gathers in the dining lodge for a Cornell faculty lecture. The rest of the night is yours to relax at camp.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Today is devoted to seeking out the Great Migration, one of the most extraordinary wildlife movements on Earth. Rather than a single event, the migration is a continuous cycle driven by rainfall, as more than one million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras move across the Serengeti ecosystem in search of fresh grazing. Spend the day tracking the herds and the predators that follow them, with expert guides interpreting the subtle signs of movement and behavior. Enjoy a bush lunch in the heart of the plains, then return to camp in the afternoon for a sundowner and easy conversation with fellow travelers.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

After morning wildlife viewing, bid farewell to the Serengeti and fly south to Manyara before transferring into the Ngorongoro Highlands. The scenery changes dramatically as flat plains give way to rolling hills, rich red soil, and lush vegetation shaped by mist and rainfall. Arrive at Gibb’s Farm for lunch and a guided tour that introduces its gardens, coffee estate, and long history in the region. Settle into your private cottage and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the highlands. As the day winds down, sit down to a farm-to-fork dinner. Afterward, gather around the fire for another Cornell faculty lecture before returning to your cozy cottage.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
(Photo by Linda Rayor)

Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater, a vast natural caldera that supports one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. Within its walls, grasslands, wetlands, and forests create a self-contained ecosystem where resident animals thrive year-round. Spend the day exploring the crater floor in search of the Big Five and countless other species, stopping for a picnic lunch beside a scenic lake. In the late afternoon, return to Gibb’s Farm for time to relax on the veranda or by the pool, followed by a farm-to-fork dinner with views of the rolling hills and live music.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Today is dedicated entirely to relaxing at Gibb’s Farm—a chance to slow the pace and spend the day immersed in the Ngorongoro Highlands. Named the #1 Safari Lodge in Africa and one of the Best Hotels in the World by Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast respectively, Gibb’s Farm is an unrivaled sanctuary for the soul. The day is yours to enjoy any of several optional activities at Gibb’s Farm. Visit with the artist-in-residence, enjoy traditional tea on the veranda, visit the spa, take a guided hike to the elephant cave, or simply enjoy the grounds. In the evening, gather for a farewell dinner and toast to your final evening in Tanzania with your fellow travelers.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

After breakfast, travel back to Arusha with stops at the Cultural Heritage Center and a farewell lunch at Arusha Coffee Lodge. A day room is provided before a group transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward journey home.

(Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch)

August 1 - 11, 2027
To reserve your space, contact CAU partner Thomson Safaris
Phone: 800-235-0289 | Email: francesca@thomsonsafaris.com 

For rates, terms, and more, download the brochure.

Week One: July 5 - 11  |  Week Two: July 12 - 18
Take a riveting one-week CAU Summer course in your favorite subject
taught by leading Cornell faculty on campus.
Alumni, family, and friends are welcome.

CAU is your first choice for in-depth, lifelong learning with Cornell faculty in the classroom and around the globe.

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