Activities
- Tarangire National Park - Game drive
- Makuyuni - Maasai Village visit
- Mto wa Mbu - Traditional African lunch
- Lake Manyara National Park - Game drive
- African Rift Valley - Viewpoint
- Serengeti National Park - Game drive
- Karatu - Coffee walk
- Ngorongoro Crater - Game drive
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Arusha
Meet and greet at the airport at the appropriate arrival time and transfer to hotel in Arusha booked on a bed and breakfast basis. Dinner at extra cost.
- Accommodation: Impala hotel
Day 2: Arusha - Tarangire National Park
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up to start your safari and after an approximate two-hour drive, you will arrive at the Tarangire National Park. Giant baobab trees, bush savannah, and the seasonal marshes add to the wonder of this nature reserve.
The Tarangire National Park is considered as one of the best places to view elephants up close, not only because there are thousands of animals, but also because they are not disturbed by the presence of vehicles.
The park is also home to buffaloes, zebras, and wildebeests which are always closely followed by a range of predators such as lions. Leopards are seen now and then, but cheetahs are rarely spotted. From the open roof of the safari vehicle, you will be able to absorb the landscape and watch the animals.
- Accommodation: In the late afternoon, you will leave the park and drive to the Kudu Lodge & Campsite in Karatu for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Karatu - Mto wa Mbu cultural tour - Lake Manyara National Park
After breakfast, you will depart Karatu to Mto wa Mbu village where you will visit a traditional Masai Village. You will then continue your safari where you will enjoy traditional African food, prepared by local women.
After this wonderful experience, the journey takes you to the Lake Manyara National Park. The park is known for its over 400 bird species, primate-filled forests, and grassy plains.
A large area of the park is covered by the alkaline Lake Manyara, the seasonal breeding grounds for large colonies of flamingos and many more waterfowls. The park is also home to giraffes, hippos, wildebeests, impalas, and groups of noisy monkeys and baboons. You will enjoy a picnic lunch.
- Accommodation: Dinner and overnight at Twiga Lodges and Campsite.
Day 4: Lake Manyara area – Serengeti National Park
After breakfast, you will depart via the cooler highlands towards the southern Serengeti and at midday, you will reach the plains of the Serengeti National Park. This park is the largest in Tanzania and has a diversity of habitats and landscapes - short grass plains, savannah, thick bush, swamps, and lakes.
Bizarre rock formations called kopjes dot the grassy landscape where predators are often seen. The Serengeti is famous for the yearly migration when hundreds of thousands of wildebeests and zebras trek to find fresh grass and water.
- Accommodation: Dinner and overnight at Kati Kati Camp (inside the park).
Day 5: Serengeti National Park (full day)
The entire day is dedicated to game viewing in the Serengeti National Park. The areas that you visit will depend upon where the migrating herds are. Predators usually follow closely behind the trekking animals and include lions, leopards (in the acacia trees), and cheetahs.
During the short rainy season in November and December, the herds move from the hills in the north to the plains in the south. During the longer rainy season from April to June, they return up north.
As the migration is completely dependent on the yearly rainfalls, the location of the herds may vary from year to year, but your guide will know where to locate the animals and where to see them best.
Day 6: Serengeti National Park - Karatu - Coffee walk
You will enjoy a final game viewing in the Serengeti National Park and depart after lunch to continue your journey to the Ngorongoro Farm House in Karatu, where you will have an afternoon walk in the coffee plantation to learn more about the cultivation and processing of coffee.
- Accommodation: Dinner and overnight at Ngorongoro Farm House.
Day 7: Karatu - Ngorongoro Crater - Karatu
Rise and shine! After breakfast at daybreak, you travel back to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area before you drive down into the crater. The massive collapsed volcano is home to over 25,000 mammals ranging from the Big Five - lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard to spotted hyenas, rare wild dogs, and some of the more than 500 bird species of the area.
- Accommodation: Ngorongoro farm House
Day 8: Karatu - Arusha
After a leisurely breakfast, you will travel back to Arusha where you will arrive around midday. You will be dropped off at a hotel of your choice or at the airport to depart.
- Accommodation: Not included
