Day 1: Arusha - Lake Manyara National Park
Intimate Lake Manyara is a perfect first stop in your safari to Tanzania because it is a compact national park that offers a diverse collection of habitats. Start in the forest, a mystical world where each turn can bring new wonders. Acacia trees dot the land and they hide a surprising resident. Tails twitch, eyes blink, manes glow, and the tree-climbing lions of Lake Manyara sit serenely on the broad branches. They sleep with one eye open forever, opportunistic as they dominate this animal kingdom.
Over 300 bird species flutter around the shallows and sing their inimitable tunes, while the innumerable flamingos stain the water a shocking pink. Wading across the escarpments are cumbersome hippos, great hulks of flesh posturing and arguing over the best spots in the lake. After exploring all corners of the park, in the late afternoon you'll transfer to the comfort of your lodge. The accommodation will be at Twiga Lodge. The meal plan for the day includes lunch and dinner.
Day 2: Serengeti National Park
You know those wildlife documentaries about Africa, the ones that seem fictitious and more like a Disney film? The camera panning out to see hundreds of thousands of wildebeest dotting a grass plain, close up shots of a lion effortlessly taking down a zebra, elephants wandering across immense open landscapes, no sight of roads or mankind anywhere.
Well, that is the Serengeti. At times it feels fictional. You pinch yourself as it becomes apparent that places like this still exist and you quickly learn that the documentaries offer only a glimpse at what happens in the Serengeti. For two days you're going to be right in the middle of it all. Gaze across the endless plains and make out the resident herds. Almost two-million mammals rumble across the Serengeti during the great wildebeest migration.
Game viewing is easy on these plains as the big mammals don't have many places to hide. Elephants rumble in the distance and ungulate herds graze without any protection. In the late evening, transfer to the comfort of your tented camp is organizer. The accommodation will be at Katikati Tented Camp. The meal plan for the day includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 3: Serengeti National Park
Wake up this morning before dawn. It is during these early hours that the bush is at its most active, and today you will set out on a pre-breakfast safari to catch some of the magic. Drive beneath acacia trees and across grassy plains as the sunrise illuminates the landscape around you. Watch thousands of gazelles, zebras, and wildebeest as they feast on the grass before venturing into the shade. Scan the horizon for signs of a predator’s hunt before returning to the tented camp for a brunch and then continue with game drive.
Of course, most who visit the Serengeti come in hopes of spotting Africa’s big five. Aptly named by hunters for being the most dangerous and difficult mammals to hunt on foot, this group has come to characterize an African safari. Moments with lions, leopards, rhinoceros, elephants, and buffaloes are coveted by all lucky enough to see them, and in this environment rife with life, spotting will not be difficult. In the late evening drive back to the comfort of your camp.
The accommodation will be at Katikati Tented Camp. The meal plan for the day includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater
Enjoy your final experience in the Serengeti as you drive out of the park, taking in the plains one last time. Now it's time to walk in the footsteps of history as you take a dirt trail through Olduvai Gorge. Humanoid fossils and early stone tools indicate that this gorge had an integral role in human evolution. Artifacts date back almost two million years and they're still being discovered. Exploring this cradle of humanity is a mystical, almost surreal, experience. It's an easy one to two hours hike.
Continuing the safari experience you'll head into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. While the conservation area covers a similar size to the Serengeti, the action in Ngorongoro is centered on an inactive volcano floor. In the late afternoon, drive to the comfort of Kudu Lodge in Karatu for dinner and comfortable sleep. The meal plan for this day includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Day 5: Ngorongoro Crater
Today you will rise early to begin a full day’s exploration of the Ngorongoro Crater. Created two to three million years ago when an ancient volcano exploded in on itself, today this crater is the world’s largest inactive caldera. Ungulates, including gazelle and zebra, stipple the crater floor as they feast on the fresh grasses and plentiful water sources. Impressive prides of lions lurk along the perimeter, either scouting out potential prey or feasting on a recent kill.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the best places to view lions in Africa, since the natural enclosure of the crater has created incredibly high lion density. As the sun climbs high, drive towards the shore of the crater floor’s alkaline lake. Often coated with flamingos and pelicans, these pink and blue shores may make the perfect place for today’s bush picnic. Continue with the adventure as you ascend the opposing side of the crater and transfer to Kudu Lodge for dinner and overnight. The meal plan for today includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Day 6: Tarangire National Park
Gigantic tusks greet you at the entrance to Tarangire National Park. A handful of elephants are chomping away beyond the park's unfenced borders, and they give an indication of what's to come. Meander into the park and it's impossible to count how many elephants you see. Maybe 1,000 elephants? Perhaps more? The great pachyderms move in large herds, cutting past ancient baobab trees and iconic acacias. Giraffes join them in the woodland while large herds of impala flit around the edge of the trees.
When the woodland opens into savannah, there are more large herds, this time buffaloes and their strange stares. It's quintessentially old Africa here, with the prehistoric landscape covered with giant animals. Leopards occupy baobab branches while cheetahs hide in the grasslands, each waiting to pounce on an eclectic variety of ungulates. In the late afternoon transfer to Arusha to your hotel or to the airport for your next plans. The meal plan for today includes breakfast and lunch.
